The 111th Bake: Paul’s Povitica
Special things are worth preserving and sitting down to a cup of tea the other morning I saw birds in my newly fruiting fig tree. Ahhhhh. I love figs, and it’s the first year it’s fruited (I banned the husband from pruning it so there’s a pretty good crop!) So I raced out in my pajamas to chase away the birds and save my figs. I now pick them slightly early to beat the birds to the prize. I really should just get a net, another trip to the hardware store, dangerous place that and expensive once you’ve perused the shelves and aisles for everything else you might possibly “need.” Might be best to avoid it, but I will keep rescuing my figs. From someone who doesn’t always have success in the garden, I would recommend planting a fig tree. You might get lucky too.
Povitica, what is it? Well it is in the bread section of the recipe book, so I am making bread of sorts, Eastern European sweet bread as it turns out, but reading the recipe ahead made me scared of what was to come!!! It was nothing I had ever done before. Here is Paul’s Povitica recipe if you want to give it a go btw. https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/povitica_92623
I made the dough by adding flour, sugar, salt, yeast, melted butter and beaten egg to the free standing mixer fitted with the dough hook and then added the seeds from 1/2 vanilla pod along with lukewarm milk. I mixed this for 8 minutes to make a soft smooth and stretchy dough.
I tipped the dough into an oiled mixing bowl, covered and let rise for one hour, until doubled in size. Now time for the scary bit…
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