Happy T'day

First of all our household*, the boys have had their turkey-and-giblets breakfast. Will there be thanksgiving? Don't make me laugh. (Homily-cat in the long-ago would always bounce into my lap after breakfast and lick my nose, which I always took for gratitude. I was very young at the time.)

Now begins a long, long day of baking and roasting, possibly interspersed with too much liveblogging and not enough wine. How early may one begin to drink wine...?


*"First among equals?" they say. "Don't make me laugh. Scoop the litter, minion, I wish to poop."

Liveblogging T'Day: 01

That moment when you realise/remember that the pastry crust for the butternut pie needs to be pre-baked and then cooled, and all your timings have gone askew. Again.

...Is immediately followed by that moment when you wonder whether you can start drinking yet.

Meanwhile, I offer you a glimpse of the Overnight Rye: seven and a half hours in the oven, from midnight till morning...

Overnight rye bread

In Iceland, apparently they eat this with sweet butter and smoked lamb. On first contact, I find it more cakey than breadlike: almost a gingerbread, indeed, only without the actual y'know ginger (this would be on account of the half-cup of golden syrup, largely) - but I'd be happy to try it with smoked anything, if I had, y'know. Anything smoked. I do so need a cold smoker. (Hot smoking I can fake in the grill, for now.)

Meantime, this is how it happened:

1.5 cups/200g dark rye flour
3/4 cup/120g wholewheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda/bicarb
1 cup/250g buttermilk
1/2 cup/200g golden syrup

Heat oven to 200F/100C/gas mark 1/4. Butter a loaf pan. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl; stir in buttermilk and syrup. Pour smooth batter into the tin and cover with tinfoil. Leave in the oven overnight (seven or eight hours, essentially). Cool a little, unmould, cool completely.

Liveblogging T'Day: 02

The butternut pie is in the oven; the dinner rolls are rising beside. I may be on my third pint of coffee. (What? It's not alcohol. It's not twelve o'clock yet. Be impressed.)

Time to start making the black pudding/ground pork/apple stuffing. I wonder how on earth to do this...?