I guess I should try some of the other recipes in this fabulous book, Baking with
Passion by Dan Lapeard and RIchard Whittington. The Carrot Cake is superb, the cookies not bad at all, and the Soda Bread
was quick and easy; but it is to the Semolina-Crust Pain de Mie that I keep returning to. It has got to be my favourite
bread. The Semolina topping makes for a delicious crunchy contast to the rich, soft interior. It looks dramatic too.
It is a little more involved than a "standard" loaf as it requires two ferments - the dough and the semolina topping. My sponge is activating as I type so if you want to follow along here is what you need for two loaves -
Dough
- 1 sachet fast action yeast
- 250ml warm full fat milk
- 250g plain white flour
- 325g Strong white flour
- 10g Maldon Salt, ground fine
- 100ml cold milk
- 40g unsalted butter, softened
Semolina Topping
- 300ml warm water
- 1 sachet fast action yeast
- 300g Semolina or ground rice
- 40ml sunflower oil
- 40g caster sugar
Firstly you have to make the sponge for the dough - in a bowl whisk together the yeast and warm milk until dissolved then stir in the plain flour. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in a warm place for 2 hours until the sponge has risen by a third and is bubbling along nicely.
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