Carried Away with Caraway

Midsummer is the time when caraway, or "Persian Cumin" (Carum Carvi is the Latin name) comes to gruition.  This delicate, frondy biennial enjoys a warm, sunny location with well-drained soil.  It is one of the many herbs we planted in a long, wall-hugging herb-bed in the kitchen garden we dug out from rubble and compacted soil last year (before we settled in to the new bakery at Ockham).  Caraway looks like a carrot plant, with feathery leaves on stems a foot or so high.  Its flower stems grow even higher, with umbels of small white flowers, and the little brown crescent shaped "seeds" (technically these are the fruits of the plant) are richly aromatic.  These have been used for culinary and medicinal purposes for thousands of years; we know the Romans used the seeds as a digestive aid, and that chewing a pinch of seeds is a quick breath-freshener.  And caraway is not just attractive to people.  Chickens apparently love them too, and feeding it to them stops them from straying!

 

In late June and early July when the flowers have set fruits, the plant itself is finished, but not its usefulness.  Now is the time to harvest the seeds:  Gently cut off the flower-heads and let them dry out airily in open paper bags (see photo).  You can plant out the seeds for more plants in either autumn or spring, but if you want to use the seeds for cooking or baking, they will keep for months in an airtight container.  

 

Caraway's anise flavour enhances foods as diverse as sauerkraut and cheese.  It works well with pork and any vegetable of the brassica family.  When usinhg caraway in cooking, by the way, add it at the very end of the cooking period to avoid the risk of any bitterness that might occur when the seed is boiled.

 

In baking, caraway has a deep affinity with rye and rye bread sprinkled with caraway is a classic loaf.  For a slightly more intriguing bread, try this recipe for our Black Russian.  The list of ingridients may seem daunting, but the recipe is fairly straightforward.  The resultant loaf is dark and full of flavour and will complement boldly flavoured cheeses (someting soft and smelly like Stinking Bishop works particularly well) or smoked meats or fish.

 

Black Russian - Makes two large loaves

350g Strong Bread Flour

350g Light Rye Flour

100g Wholemeal Flour

15g Salt

30g Wheat Bran

15g Caraway Seed

3g Fennel Seed

30g Chopped Shallots

25g Dark Chocolate

40g Butter

22g Fresh yeast or 11g Active Dried Yeast or 8g instant yeast

45g Cider Vinegar

75g Molasses

35g Brewed Coffee

100g Liquid Rye Sourdough Starter (optional)

400g Water at room temperature

 

Melt together the chocolate and the butter and set aside to cool slightly.

 

By Hand   Combine all the dry ingredients, including the seeds, in a large bowl.  If using fresh yeast, crumble it in with your fingers.  If using dried yeast add it directly to the bowl.  Then add the liquids, as well as the slightly cooled chocolate/butter mixture and the chopped shallots, and mix with your hand until combined.  Then tip the dough out on to your work surface and knead for 10 minutes.

 

By Mixer  Combine all the ingreients in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer and mix on slow speed for 2 minutes.  Increase the speed to medium and mix for an additional 6 minutes.

 

Oil a clean,deep bowl and place the dough in it.  Cover with cling film and leave to rise for about an hour in a draught-free space.  The dough will rise nicely and be about doubled in size.

 

Pre-heat the oven to 220°C (400°F).  If you have an oven stone, pre-heat that now along with oven.

 

Once risen, tip the dough out onto your work surface and divide into two equal pieces.  Form the dough into two rounds or ovals.  If you have proving baskets, liberally dust these with flour and place the shaped loaves in the baskets seam-side up.  Alternatively, place the shaped loaves seam-side down on a baking tray.  Cover the loave with a tea-towel topped with a sheet of plastic to prevent the loaves from drying out and leave to prove until well-risen - about 30 minutes.

 

Check that the loaves are fully proved by gently pressing your finger into the dough.  If the impression left by your finger remains, the loaves are ready for the oven.  If not, and the dough springs back readily, they need a few more minutes of proving.

 

 If using  a baking tray, cut the loaves and place the tray directly into the oven.  If using proving baskets, generously dust a peel (or up-turned baking tray) with semolina or cornmeal and invert the baskets onto it.  Cut the loaves and transfer them to the oven stone. 

 

Bake for 25- 30 minutes or until the loaves sound hollow when rapped on their bottoms with your knuckles and you can feel a slight vibration run through the loaf as you tap.