my little bread rolls

i had such a big response to these rolls, so i thought i had better respond by posting the recipe quick smart for everyone to try.

300 grams water
2 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon sea salt
a good slurp of extra virgin olive oil
500 grams strong bakers' flour

extra olive oil
cornmeal for dusting
sprigs of rosemary
extra sea salt

place the water, yeast, salt and oil into the thermomix bowl and set the thermomix to 37 degrees, soft stir for 1 minute.
add the flour and mix to combine - 10 seconds on speed 6.
set the dial to closed lid position and knead for 4 minutes.
tip the dough out onto the thermomat, wrap up and go and have a shower or do the dishes in the sink...or maybe some laundry is your thing...or sit and relax a bit...only 15-20 minutes, mind you. you could always prepare the trays for the rolls if you wanted to...line a couple of trays with baking paper, drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle with some cornmeal.

open up the thermomat and cut the dough into 4 or 5 lengths with the spatula (not the knife, unless you want to cut up your thermomat). position one length of dough on the mat so it is easy to cut, and cut it as if you were slicing a roll into little slices. each of these little lengths of dough will form the little finger length rolls.

place rolls as you make them on the prepared trays. when these are all done, go back to the first tray and drizzle a little oil on each roll, stud it with a little rosemary and sprinkle on a little sea salt.

start up the oven and heat it to 220 degrees celcius. when it's at temperature, it's time to pop the rolls in for 10 minutes or until golden.

that's it. and they are so easy to eat...

a dip with sundried tomatoes and capsicum

my friend, bez, has just opened up her own studio for alternate therapies and invited me to the opening, and i couldn't resist asking if i could bring food. that's me, i can't help it. so from the title you're thinking i brought a dip...but i brought more - little rolls. little rolls about 7 centimetres long and 2 centmetres wide, if you must know. up until the day, i was toying with making pizzettes, passionfruit curd tarts ... anything and everything. it finally dawned on me that unless i make something less fiddly (yet delicious), the party would be over before i even got there. so i made these little rolls, for the first time, and definitely not the last. when the rolls were done, it all looked a bit boring, so to spice things up, i went with a dip. this dip .... because it was so fast (and yummy)!

100 grams sundried tomatoes
1 red capsicum, seeded and cored, cut into chunks
100 grams roasted cashews
50 grams verjuice
50 grams extra virgin olive oil

pop everything into the thermomix bowl and set the dial to close lid position. pulse the turbo button 2-3 times for a second each, or until the dip is the consistency you like.

did you know contribution disappeared even before the party had started? and i made a mountain of rolls and dip...

the reason why i go with the flow...

the early bird gets the worm...but the second mouse gets the cheese.

cheese sticks

these are seriously very good, and they beat the bought stuff hands down - no contest. to make life simple, i slice my cheese rather than grate it - it falls off too easily otherwise.

300 grams water
2 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon sea salt
50 grams extra virgin olive oil
500 grams strong bakers' flour
cheese slices

line 2 baking trays with baking paper and sprinkle cornmeal over them.

place the water, yeast, salt and olive oil into the tm bowl and mix at 37 degrees for 2 minutes on speed 1.

add the flour and mix for 10 seconds on speed 6.
turn the dial to closed lid position, knead the mixture for 4 minutes on interval speed.

turn the dough out onto your lightly floured work surface and cut the dough into about 20 strips. stretch these strips as you place them onto the prepared baking trays. place slices of cheese onto the dough and set aside in a warm place to proof.

heat the oven to 220 degrees and when it comes to temperature, place the first tray of cheese sticks in the oven for 15-20 minute - they will be golden when they are done. repeat with the second tray.

enjoy these however you like...they leave the store bought ones for dead...

i love sly

sly's my nephew. he's in primary school, and i love him. he's soft and smooth, and a really wonderful person to give a mushy cuddle to. it's even better when he doesn't really want to return the cuddle and i can see it on his face. nothing worse than getting a smooch and cuddle from a smelly old aunt. i don't regard myself as smelly and old, but i'm sure i am in his eyes (and nose). i just gotta get me some of that lavender soap and talcum powder.

a couple of weeks ago, he and his classmates had to tell the teacher something special about themselves...you know, something like i'm sporty, i'm a maths nerd, i'm good at jumping...that type of thing. well sly...did i tell you i love sly? well sly told his teacher he's smooth!!!! and indeed he is. he has the smoothest, softest skin, but when i heard this little morsel of delight, only one thing came to mind - sade's song - smooth operator.

i love sly. he's smooth.

converting recipes for the thermomix

take a photocopy of the recipe, enlarged it - it will make it easier to work with. if there are cup or scooped quantities, after scooping each thing, write down the weighs - that way, the next time go to make this recipe, you won't have to use your measuring cups. look at which method to follow by looking at the edc - find something in the edc which is similar and go from there. write the timings down as you go being careful not to overmix or overchop or overcook, whatever the case may be. err on the side of caution - you can't go back, but you can always chop/mix/cook more. take note of the timings - this will simplify and add precision to your results.