Last weekend was cold and miserable, not a time for working outside or in an unheated workshop, and my dearly beloved was busy so a perfect day for an experiment.

In the Autumn we harvested our crop of apples, some we ate, some we juiced, some we dried, and the rest we just put into store. On Saturday when I checked the ones in store were beginning to look like they needed to be used before we loose them.

Some I made into Blackberry and Apple cake. As you will see from the picture at the top it was a violent colour going into the oven. I would show a picture of when it was cooked but I wasn’t quick enough. However I can report it was lovely, and packed full of flavour.

The success of the day was undoubtedly Apple Bread. Changing the liquid I use in a recipe is a favourite experiment of mine. In the past I have made pastry for apple pie with Calvados which was superb, Beer bread is a favourite particularly with Theakstons Old Peculiar. I keep thinking bread would be interesting made with red wine, I just need to get some leftover red wine. That’s something to look forward too, but for today I had lots of stewed apple so time for an experiment

The reciepe is

700 grams strong white bread flour

2 x teaspoons salt

75 grams caster sugar

12 gram dried yeast

150 gram sultana

cinnamon and dried ginger to taste

1 x jar of Apple Puree.

put the ingredients in a mixer with a dough hook and knead for 10 mins, tip out into another bowl, cover and leave to prove for 90 mins or doubled in size. Knock back and put into a baking tin to prove for a second time. Then bake in a hot oven 200 degrees, for 35 minutes.

Leave to cool and the enjoy. Lovely with butter, delicious toasted with cheese on top