DAY 1: Fresh Bread

Honestly you can’t beat fresh bread and everyone knows it.

Buttered with jam,
or dipped in olive oil and dukkha,
or topped with quality cheeses and cured meats…
(We love platters)
or maybe just a hint of tahini and a sprinkling of sesame seeds…
or maybe just smother a slice in lemon honey (try Chelsea’s super fast version soon!)
or fresh bacon butties (everybody knows that fresh bread doesn’t actually hold these together so well, but it’s kind of the point. When the bread smushes up into a kind of dough ball and the chips or the bacon poke through, they’re ooooooh sooo good).

We all have a favourite way of eating it before it even starts to stale.

Photo and food styling: Catherene Wilson Photography @catherenewilson

Rosh Hashanah 2023

A Rosh Hashanah table with plain and raisin braided rounds of challah (and NZ lamb, cos this is Aotearoa!). Photo and food styling: Catherene Wilson Photography @catherenewilson

Rosh Hashanah is the birthday of the universe, the day G‑d created Adam and Eve, and it’s celebrated as the head of the Jewish year. It begins at sundown on the eve of Sept. 15, 2023 and ends after nightfall on Sept. 17, 2023.
Rosh Hashanah feasts traditionally include round challah bread (studded with raisins) and apples dipped in honey, as well as other foods that symbolize wishes for a sweet year.
(source: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4644/jewish/Rosh-Hashanah.htm)

We wish a Happy New Year to all our friends celebrating  #roshhashanah

Shana Tova!
Joy and happiness to you!

Catherene Wilson Photography @catherenewilson thank you for the beautiful photos!
#shanatova #shanatovah #shanahtovah #roshhashana #celebrations

Try a fougasse platter this weekend

If you’re hosting this weekend and need it to be easy but beautiful;
buy a fougasse or two;
grab your favourite dips and hors d’oeuvres…
don’t forget the aperitifs.
You’re done!

You’re also good to go with just a good olive oil and some fresh tomatoes.

It’s bread; it’s up to you!

Our fougasses are hand-made, so each one is unique. That means originality points for how you choose to fit it out. Have fun!

a different fougasse on marble

Tag us on Instagram if you want to share your success.

kuputaka / glossary

There are some great books out there these days celebrating food in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Some of the authors write from a place of connection and have made a special point of including pertinent Māori words - or kupu (along with a kuputaka or glossary for reference). These kupu often include explanations of important Māori concepts, without which some discussions become really difficult!

Some Māori words don’t need translation here in New Zealand, where Te Reo Māori is one of our 3 national languages, but not everyone who eats in Aotearoa was raised in Aotearoa. We have a complex audience of diners and we want to make these kupu and concepts readily accessible.

If you’re eating our bread, you might like to know (and click through to Te Aka Māori Dictionary for the pronunciation of):

parāoa: bread, flour, dough

kai: 1. (verb) to eat, consume, feed (oneself), partake, devour. 2. (verb) to drink - used for any liquid other than water. 3. (noun) food, meal.

toutou: (verb) to dip frequently into (a liquid). (eg when you’re eating soup, you can use your bread to toutou)

rēwana: bread made with potato yeast, leaven, yeast - a substance added to dough to make it ferment and rise. (Note also rēwena)

rēwena: 1. (loan) (verb) to ferment, cause bread to rise. 2. (loan) (noun) bread made with potato yeast, yeast, leaven - substance added to dough to make it ferment and rise.

reka: 1. (verb) to be pleasant, pleasing, agreeable. 2. (modifier) sweet, tasty, palatable. 3. (noun) sweetness, tastiness, flavour.

awhi: to embrace, hug, cuddle, cherish.

pātaka: storehouse raised upon posts, pantry, larder.

whare: house, building, residence, dwelling, shed, hut, habitation.

wharekai: dining hall, refectory, cafe, restaurant.

ringawera: kitchen worker, kitchen hand.

mokopuna: grandchildren, grandchild - child or grandchild of a son, daughter, nephew, niece, etc.; descendant

kaitiaki: trustee, minder, guard, custodian, guardian, caregiver, keeper, steward.

āwhina: 1. (verb) to assist, help, support, benefit. 2. (modifier) assisting, aiding, helping, benefitting. 3. (noun) assistance, aid, help, benefit. 4. a sister of mercy in the Rātana faith.

whānau: extended family, family group, a familiar term of address to a number of people - the primary economic unit of traditional Māori society. In the modern context the term is sometimes used to include friends who may not have any kinship ties to other members.

whanaunga: relative, relation, kin, blood relation.

whanaungatanga: relationship, kinship, sense of family connection - a relationship through shared experiences and working together which provides people with a sense of belonging. It develops as a result of kinship rights and obligations, which also serve to strengthen each member of the kin group. It also extends to others to whom one develops a close familial, friendship or reciprocal relationship.

whakawhanaungatanga: process of establishing relationships, relating well to others.

whakapapa: 1. (verb) to lie flat, lay flat. 2. (verb) to place in layers, lay one upon another, stack flat. 3. (verb) to recite in proper order (e.g. genealogies, legends, months), recite genealogies. 4. (noun) genealogy, genealogical table, lineage, descent - reciting whakapapa was, and is, an important skill and reflected the importance of genealogies in Māori society in terms of leadership, land and fishing rights, kinship and status. It is central to all Māori institutions. There are different terms for the types of whakapapa and the different ways of reciting them including: tāhū (recite a direct line of ancestry through only the senior line); whakamoe (recite a genealogy including males and their spouses); taotahi (recite genealogy in a single line of descent); hikohiko (recite genealogy in a selective way by not following a single line of descent); ure tārewa (male line of descent through the first-born male in each generation).

mauri: (noun) life principle, life force, vital essence, special nature, a material symbol of a life principle, source of emotions - the essential quality and vitality of a being or entity. Also used for a physical object, individual, ecosystem or social group in which this essence is located.

manaakitanga: (noun) hospitality, kindness, generosity, support - the process of showing respect, generosity and care for others.

inoi: 1. (verb) to beg, pray, request, appeal. 2. (noun) prayer.

Let us know which ones we’ve missed!

You can freeze a croissant.

filled croissants (ham and cheese) ready to eat or freeze

Filled croissants, ready to eat or freeze

Yes you can freeze a croissant.
You can even fill it first! (See the hack below.)

As ever, when it comes to storing bread, there are only a few basic tips. And, as ever, we advocate for the winning attitude of GIVE-IT-A-GO!

When it comes to freezing croissants:
#1 bag it; freeze it
#2 pop it in the fridge overnight to defrost
#3 refresh it in the morning (into the oven for 5 minutes at 180°C)

Alternatively, you could put ham and cheese in it and shmush it in a sandwich press until the ham is hot, the cheese is melty and the croissant is flaking all over the bench.

#Reminder 1: fresh is best when freezing
#Reminder 2: baked goods don’t keep forever in the freezer. A couple of weeks, easy. Months, maybe. Years… yeah nah.

LUNCHBOX HACK

🥐 Make ahead filled croissants 🥐
You can make a weeks worth of filled croissants and freeze them for fast lunchboxes!
Just pop the croissants into a lunchbox straight from the freezer and they will defrost perfectly by lunch time.
Ham and cheese is a favourite but you can also mix it with chicken mayo salad or cream cheese and smoked salmon. You can add salad on the day to keep the greens fresh.
Use the freshest croissants for the best results 🤙

Jump over to our Instagram reel and let us know how you got on 🤙
Thanks to Nessie Sharpe @bakingequalslove for the hack, the photos and the reel!

KID-FRIENDLY EASTER TIRAMISU

A photo of the final version of a kid-friendly tiramisu, the hot cross buns swimming on the top of the dessert, ready to eat!

Kid-friendly Easter Tiramisu

This is Nessie Sharpe’s non-alcoholic, no caffeine and no raw eggs version of that beautiful Hot Cross Bun Tiramisu you spotted here yesterday. It’s another great way to celebrate Easter with your family. It’s also another clever way of re-using this classic fruit bread!

7-9 hot cross buns
1/2 cup boiling water
2 TBSP unsweetened dark cocoa powder
2-3 tsp sugar
Pinch of salt
1 egg
3 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP custard powder
1 cup milk
1 cup mascarpone
1 cup whipping cream
2 TBSP icing sugar
Chocolate Easter egg to grate

* In a cup mix hot water, cocoa powder and sugar. Set aside to cool.
* In a double boiler, whisk the egg, sugar and custard powder till smooth, whisk in the milk slowly and then continue whisking over heat until thickened. Take off heat and allow to cool.
* When egg mixture is cooled, whisk in mascarpone.
* In a separate bowl whisk whipping cream wit icing sugar until soft peaks.
* Fold into mascarpone mixture.
* Cut hot cross buns in half.
* In a baking dish, layer:
Mascarpone mixture, Grated chocolate egg, Bottom half of hot cross buns, Half the cocoa mixture, the rest of the mascarpone mixture, more grated chocolate, the top of the hot cross bun dunked in cocoa mixture
* Extra grated chocolate egg to finish

📸 & recipe by Nessie Sharpe @bakingequalslove (check her out for more food inspo and deliciousness tips)

Look around the #7daysofbread here or on Instagram for more tips on how to use bread to its full potential and save yourself both money and time during the week.

**bread hacks = solutions to food waste = money saving meal planning. Everybody wins

HOT CROSS BUN TIRAMISU

Another #7daysofbread suggestion from @bakingequalslove
This is ideal for an Easter dessert. It offers you a delicious way to use up your hot cross buns and spare Easter eggs:

Photo of hot cross bun tiramisu, with the half bun decorating the top and a moody warm setting to eat it visually in!

Hot Cross Bun Tiramisu (photo and recipe by @bakingequalslove)

1 hot cross bun
~30mL espresso / strong coffee
~30mL Marsala / coffee favoured liqueur
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup whipped cream
1 TBSP icing sugar
Chocolate Easter egg to grate

* Fold whipped cream, mascarpone together with icing sugar.
* Add sugar to hot coffee and let cool. Add Marsala and stir.
* Cut hot cross bun in half.
* In a glass, layer:
Mascarpone mixture, grated chocolate egg, bottom half of hot cross bun, a couple of Tablespoons of coffee mixture, the rest of the mascarpone mixture, more grated chocolate, the top of the hot cross bun dunked in coffee mixture
* Grated chocolate to finish

For the reel version, go to our Instagram April ‘23 page:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cq111DCpglU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

📷💭🙏 For more beautiful photos and food inspo, check out: Nessie Sharpe @bakingequalslove

For other #7daysofbread ideas, have a hunt around for the hashtag on our site or Instagram. We’ll keep adding to it!

Challah is a Friday thing

 
 

Challah is a beautiful bread and an increasingly popular one around this neck of the woods. You may have grown up with it and associate it with candlelight and wine, friends, family and blessings on Friday nights. Or you might be wondering why we don’t bake it all the time. We’re getting lots of orders for it, because, well, obviously (it’s delicious). So let’s talk challah.

Challah is an enriched white yeasted bread served on Fridays. More specifically, it’s eaten on the Jewish sabbath (which starts on Friday at sunset and ends after dark on Saturday). Challah also plays an important role on certain Jewish holidays like Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Challah is not eaten at Passover because it’s a leavened bread (which is why we didn’t sell it at Easter this year). Challah is one of many incredible Jewish breads and pastries. (You know bagels and babka, right? There are so many more.) Challah is soft and full of flavour. It’s a bit like brioche, but made with oil, not butter, so is basically your dream white bread, especially if you don’t do dairy. It makes the most incredible french toast. And it comes with the added tactile pleasure of usually being braided, meaning it pulls apart with style and flare.

Challah also speaks of blessings and of the traditions that bring friends and families together every Shabbat. Challah functions as a physical metaphor for manna from heaven at the sabbath meal. It is baked for sharing during shabbat; candles lit, wine poured, blessings made and prayers shared. Then rip it, slice it, savour it, enjoy it, appreciate it. It’s beautiful bread.

Because challah is a ‘specialty’ bread, eaten at certain times and as part of a long spiritual tradition, we work closely with the Rabbi and The Kosher Deli on Greys Ave around when and how we bake it. Hopefully this helps get you in the mood for challah. If you want to know more, of course, there is a lot of literature out there! In the Auckland Public Libraries, for example, you might try Braided; A Journey of a Thousand Challahs by Beth Ricanati. You’ll be baking your own challah before you finish!

Basic challah ingredients: wheat flour, eggs (cracked and checked individually in kosher tradition), olive oil, water, salt, sugar, yeast; may contain traces of soy.

Sometimes, we add raisins, or coat it in sesame seeds. Depends on the time of year (or if someone’s getting married, etc.). Again, we work closely with Greys Ave Kosher Deli on this.

Note that the ‘c’ in challah is basically silent. Google “how to pronounce challah” if you are unsure!

Home delivery update

During Level 4 and 3, we are now offering contactless home delivery Tuesday - Friday. Pre-order at: https://the-dusty-apron-nz.myshopify.com/

Why and how?

Our bakers have been in their bubbles for over a week and are healthy, well, (and checking locations of interest daily). We therefore reopened with a skeleton crew to supply our wholesale essential services and are offering home delivery, too.

We can review the range we’re offering and the days of delivery as the levels open up and we expand operations. For now, this is how we keep it safe.

All our usual pandemic PPE practices are in place, following Ministry and food safety guidelines.