German Potato Bread

I have found my new favourite bread! Again, the Hairy Bikers baked this loaf whilst on tour in Germany and I was intrigued to find out what it tasted like, especially as the dough is made with mashed potato.

We have just enjoyed this for lunch and it was the softest loaf I have ever made with a fabulous crust. I hadn't expected it to turn out so soft having used potatoes in the mix plus not a lot of water. I made it into a ham and cheese sandwich but I would imagine you could eat this bread with pretty much anything and not be disappointed. A great dipping bread for soup. Absolutely delicious.

My new paddle

I have discovered a great new site http://bakerybits.co.uk/ and treated myself to a bread paddle to help lift the bread in and out of the oven. It works a treat. Great for pizzas too.

Chocolate Marble Cake

I usually stick with savoury baking, leaving my wife to take the glory on the cake front. But I thought I'd give her a run for her money and give this marble cake a go. What's more, a group of us new dads have formed a 'Pudding Club', so I thought I'd better get in some practice.

It was a fairly simple recipe but the most important thing about the cake is to get the chocolate swirls when you cut into it. I think I managed it :)

Scandinavian Rye Bread

I have had to put my baking tools away for a while recently, after the birth of our daughter Phoebe. But in the last couple of weeks I have hopped back on the baking bicycle, having been inspired by the Hairy Bikers and their recent trip around Europe. They went in search for the best local breads, some of which looked so good I bought the book and got baking.

I started with this Rye Bread which looked great in the book and equally delicious on the TV. What I liked about it the most was the subtle flavours imparted by the caraway seeds. I ate this with cheese and pickle but it was just as good on its own with lashings of butter!