


No doubt the majority of us have believed, at least at one time, that kneading bread dough for 5 or 10 minutes, or longer, was necessary if the bread was going to develop properly and rise.
Fortunately, especially for those of us with problem and painful joints, it simply isn’t true.
Personally, instead of kneading for minutes at a time, I’ll do one of two things:
- After letting the dough rest for 20-30 minutes (autolyze), I’ll knead for 10 strokes, let the dough rest for 15 minutes, and then repeat twice for a total of 3 sets of kneading and resting. Then, after another 15 or so minutes, I’ll do a few stretch and folds. Then I let the dough rise until doubled in volume, then do the same old shaping and second rise that kneaders do.
- After letting the dough rest for 20-30 minutes (autolyze), I’ll do a few stretch and folds, then let the dough rest 45 minutes, then repeat for a total of 3 stretch and fold then rest sessions. After the last rest after the final stretch and fold, I’ll shape it and let it do the regular second rise.
Even with my severely borked joints, I can do these, and it’s much easier and much less effort than using my rather, ah, sad food processor to try to mix and knead the dough for me.
Better yet, my bread turns out just as fluffy as bread made by those who knead.
Stretching and folding is something I learned from Sourdough Home when I was looking for easier kneading methods for me. There’s a much longer explanation of the stretch and fold method there, along with videos that demonstrate it. Well worth checking out.
Oh, yeah, and while you’re at it, check out this Panda Bread. Very cute!
Tagged as:
kneading,
stretch & fold
Among the recipes Fahim’s mom taught me is this Tamarind Fish Curry. It’s spicy, a little bit sour (from the tamarind), and absolutely delish.
This is one of my all-time favourite ways to eat fish.
Mama Farook’s Sri Lankan Tamarind Fish Curry
Ingredients




- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 2 teaspoons red chilli pepper powder*
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 500 grams firm white fish, cut into serving pieces
- 1/2 small onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons oil (we use virgin coconut)
- 4-5 curry leaves
- 1/2 small onion, sliced
- 4" x 1/2" piece cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Directions
- Mix the tamarind paste with the red chilli pepper powder, turmeric, and salt along with enough water to form a thinnish paste. Pour over the fish and onion and cover the fish thoroughly. Set aside.
- Into a hot pot, add the oil, then the curry leaves, onion, and cinnamon stick. Stir frequently.
- When the onions are sllightly browned, add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.
- Add the marinating fish and onion and enough water to almost cover the fish.
- Let simmer until the fish is cooked and the sauce is reduced and thick, about 10 minutes.
*That’s the amount of red chilli pepper powder that Fahim’s mom uses. When I make it for just Fahim and I, I use 2 tablespoons (sometimes more) red chilli pepper powder. We prefer it hotter. We’re also insane.
Unless you’re a seriously insane freak of nature, use 2 teaspoons as the maximum.
That’s it! Not complicated at all, but oh so good!
We use virgin coconut oil for the authentic Sri Lankan curry flavour. If you don’t have any, use any flavourless oil.
If you don’t have curry leaves, omit. There is no substitution.
If you want it less spicy, reduce the red chilli pepper powder or use black pepper instead.
I hope you enjoy!
Tagged as:
seer fish,
spicy,
tamarind