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Turmeric bread and sandwich recipes to go with it

This bread is slightly unusual. It is well suited to use in particular contexts, i.e. as part of specific dishes or as base for particular types of sandwiches. Below two such uses will be illustrated but first to the loaves themselves:

Ingredients

1000g (100%) strong white flower
14g (1.4%) ground turmeric
14g (1.4%) cumin seeds
200g (20%) mixed seeds (e.g. equal parts pumpkin, pine nuts, sunflower, linseeds)
15g (1.5%) salt (up to 20g if you like. I don't produce the salt balance of a dish or sandwich in the bread but elsewhere)
600g (60%) water
34g (3.4%) fresh yeast (or the equivalent of dried yeast)
6g (0.6%) syrup

Method

1. Add flour, turmeric, seeds (including cumin) and salt to a mixing bowl and mix with your fingers.
2. Add the (luke-warm) water, syrup and yeast to a bowl and leave for ten minutes for the yeast to start.
3. Add the yeast mixture to the mixing bowl and with a dough hook mix for about 5 minutes at a low speed to get a nice elastic dough. It is ready when it slips the bowl and is collected by the hook. Alternatively you can hand-knead for about ten minutes.
4. Assemble the dough into a ball and oil it slightly - or you can move it from the mixing bowl to another lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a wet tea towel or clingfilm and leave it to prove until it doubles in size (a couple of hours in a warm room).
5. Move the dough ball onto a baking sheet with a silicone mat, knock it back a bit, cut it in half and shape it into two loaves (or you can use tins if you prefer that shape). Cover it up again and leave it to prove for another hour or so.
6. When the first half of the hour has passed, start your oven and set it to gas mark 7 (220C, 200C in a fan oven).
7. When the loaves have finished rising slash them with a very sharp slightly wet knife in the pattern you want.
8. Throw a few ice cubes into the oven, or spray 10-15ml of water onto its bottom plate, then put the baking sheet with the loaves into the upper half of the oven. Set a timer to 25 minutes.
9. Turn the baking sheet after 12 minutes (if your oven is a gas oven of typical quality, in a good oven this is not necessary).
10. Check after 20 minutes that you have a nice surface and a hollow sound when tapping the loaves. If the bottom of the loaves are not baked, i.e. fail to emit a hollow sound when tapped, turn the loaves upside down for the last 5 minutes. If you use tins the breads should be removed from the tins and baked upside down for another 10 minutes or so. In either case bake to a core temperature of 95C before removing the breads from the oven and allowing them to cool on a wire rack.

Here is a nice summerly salad to go with this bread. It is inspired by the taste you often find in Australia:

Ingredients

450g cooked king prawns
2 small or one large mango, cut into 1.5-2cm cubes
2 avocados, cut into 1.5-2cm cubes
2 limes plus some lime wedges to serve
50g finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 long red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
25g honey
15g avocado oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
1 head of lettuce or your preferred mild sort, e.g. romany, little gem, iceberg

Method

1. If you use whole prawns then peel and devein them. Roughly chop half of the prawns.
2. Gently mix prawns, avocado and mango in a salad bowl.
3. Grate the zest of half a lime, then juice both. Combine lime juice, lime zest, chilli, honey, oil and coriander in a small bowl. Wisp to form a nice dressing and season to taste (if you are unsure of the chilli adjust the amount in this step).
4. Pour the dressing over the prawn mixture and gently toss to combine.
5. Cut slices of the turmeric bread and line them with lettuce leaves. Arrange the salad on the lettuce and decorate with the remaining whole prawns to make beautiful Danish open sandwiches. Service with lime wedges. For a picnic you can make similar closed sandwiches (see photos).

Below is yet another type of (open) sandwich to make with turmeric bread. It may be slightly more controversial in taste but feel free to try it :).

Spread a 4mm thick layer of Paysan Bretton cream cheese on a slice of turmeric bread. Place a thick slice of well smoked salmon (e.g. Korshags) on top, give it a good turn of black pepper and top with a sprig of freshly cut dill.

Enjoy!