Delicious dishes that make bakery a real success
RECIPES
It is just after nine in the morning when I enter The Bondgate Bakery in Otley and I am greeted by its baker in chief and owner Stephen Taylor and his partner Sally Hinchcliffe.
This intrepid couple have been hard at work since before dawn producing trays of colourful pizza, quiches and interesting breads and cakes. These are now assembled in a spectacular display of rustic, wholesome baking at its best.
Despite their early start and hard work, Steve and Sally look fresh and bright. They are a joy to meet as they crack jokes and tell me more about their passion for baking which spans 25 years.
"I picked up a love of baking in Italy during the early 1980s where I saw trays of freshly made pizza, cut up and sold to hungry passers-by," explains Steve.
"There was nothing like this in Otley at the time and when I found the Bondgate premises in 1984, I knew I could make it work. The bakery was originally kitted out with second-hand equipment bought from bakeries closing down. The bakery has thrived over the years and
we recently expanded into the two shops
next door."
"Steve is a stickler for using high quality ingredients," says Sally. "There are no hydrogenated fats, preservatives, improvers or artificial colours used in our produce. Many of the flours we use are organic, and grown and milled locally.
"We use free range eggs, local honey, unrefined sugar and lots of fresh and dried fruit."
There are no cream buns on display but instead trays of wholesome, oaty slices studded with hazelnut nibs, plump dried fruit and glistening with honey. There is a tray of sticky pear and ginger sponge and chocolate nut brownies. All of which look delicious.
But it is the racks of bread behind the counter that catch my eye.
This is clearly Steve's passion. Each day he and his small team of skilled bakers get to work in the early hours of the morning to produce about 30 different types
of bread.
"There are no shortcuts here" says Steve. "Each loaf is made by a skilled baker using traditional ingredients and original methods."
Steve and Sally supply Harvey Nichols and a number of other local retailers. The bakery also has a stall at the Headingley Deli Market held once a month on North Street, Headingley, Leeds.
The Bondgate Bakery, 30 Bondgate, Otley LS21 1AD. Tel: 01943 467516.
The following recipes have been inspired by and developed in conjunction with the Bondgate Bakery.
Apricot and sunflower seed bread
Sally advises "toasting the sesame seeds before adding them to the flour. This gives a beautiful nutty flavour to the bread".
500g organic white flour
1tsp salt
1tsp sugar
1tsp quick yeast (eg, Doves Farm)
100g sunflower seeds, roasted in a dry pan until golden brown
100g organic apricots, roughly chopped
275ml tepid water
1tbsp olive oil
Combine the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, toasted sunflower seeds, dried apricots and quick yeast in a large bowl. Mix in the water and bring the ingredients together. Add the olive oil and knead well.
Dust a work surface with a little flour and knead the dough vigorously for about five minutes or until it is smooth. Cover the dough with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour or until it has doubled in size.
Remove the cling film from the dough and knock back the gassy dough ball by kneading it until it is deflated and smooth. Shape the loaf into a large ball and place on an oiled baking sheet or in loaf tin. Cover with lightly oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 220C. Just before you are ready to cook the loaf, spray the inside of the oven with water. This creates steam which gives the bread a crisp, brown crust.
Remove the cling film from the bread and score a cross on the top.
Place the bread in the oven and cook for 40 minutes. To check whether it is cooked – tap the base of the loaf with your knuckles – it should sound hollow when cooked.
Feta, roasted tomato and basil quiche
Roasting the halved cherry tomatoes concentrates their flavour.
Serves 4
For the pastry
100g plain white flour
50g wholemeal flour
Pinch of salt
75g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and kept in the fridge until needed
2 tbsp of ice cold water
For the filling
3 eggs
200ml milk or milk and cream
120g feta cheese, crumbled
15 cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp torn basil leaves
Sea salt, ground
Place the flour, salt and butter in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and "pulse" until the butter and flour form small bread crumbs. Add the ice cold water and run the food processor slowly for about 40 seconds or until the mixture has come together in a ball.
Remove the ball of pastry from the processor and roll out into a circle large enough to line a 21cm diameter flan ring. Press the pastry gently into the flan ring and trim the edges with a knife. Chill.
To blind bake the flan case before filling, preheat the oven to 200C. Take a piece of parchment paper just a little larger than the flan ring, screw it in a ball, open it out and place it in the bottom of the flan ring over the pastry. This scrunched up paper keeps the sides of the flan in place. Cover the scrunched up paper with baking beans and bake the flan in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Remove the flan from the oven and take the baking parchment and baking beans from the flan ring.
Meanwhile, cut the cherry tomatoes in half, sprinkle with a little salt and place on a baking tray in the oven to roast for 10 minutes at the same time as the flan is being "blind baked". Whisk the eggs together with the milk/cream and crumbled feta cheese. Season with pepper and a little sea salt. Pour the filling into the flan case, place the roasted tomatoes over the surface and scatter with torn basil leaves. Cook for 40 minutes or until the filling
is set.
Carrot, peanut and sultana salad
This simple salad is a perfect accompaniment to the quiche.
Serves 4
4 medium sized carrots, grated
2 tbsp sultanas
1 tbsp salted peanuts
3 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
tsp muscovado sugar
Place the grated carrot in a bowl. Scatter the peanuts and sultanas over the grated carrots and mix well. Combine the sunflower oil, lemon juice and muscavado sugar together in a jar, cover and shake well. Pour the dressing over the salad.
Muesli bar
Makes about 24 pieces
275g good quality margarine
175g soft brown sugar
3 tbsp golden syrup
350g rolled oats
4 tbsp dried cranberries
4 tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp walnut pieces
1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
Preheat oven to 180C.
Place the margarine, sugar and golden syrup in a pan and heat together gently until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture begins to bubble. Place the dry ingredients in a bowl and add the margarine, sugar and syrup mixture.
Stir well and tip into a lightly greased baking tray and press down firmly. Bake for about 20 minutes or until just beginning to darken at the edges. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into bars or squares.
Joan Ransley is a member of the Guild of Food Writers.
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