More Dollies

I have just received another two piccies of dollies for the workshop from Gill Reid, so I might as well include them today and then you have them all, so first up is this cute little dolly.....



I just love the sweet little pink bow in her hair, and speaking of hair if you decide to make the cute dollies as opposed to the 'weird' fairy type of doll then you will need to remember to add some wool for her hair to the list of items needed for the workshop. Gill recommends about 50g per head of hair.

So next up is cute dolly number two....


I think dolly number two looks like a bit more of a swot.. I expect she will be liked by little girls or big ones who have ambitions. Love the freckles too. So now you have seen all of the options for the workshop, please don't forget to let Pat Knifton know if you are going to attend. It might also be a good idea to let Pat know which type of dolly you might be inclined to make as well.



BREAD (Kenwood Mixer style)

I have been making bread for many many years, probably over 30, and I always use my trusty Kenwood Chef as I started long before bread makers were invented or sold. The Kenwood does more than bread of course but its mainly used for that function and so here is my foolproof recipe.

Place in the mixing bowl one sachet of yeast, the type you buy for bread makers and then 1lb 2oz of flour. You can vary the type of flour as much as you like but if you use more wholemeal you may need slightly more water. So for instance you can use 8oz of wholemeal and 10oz of white, or something in equal proportions. I sometimes take an oz or 2 of flour out and add instead nuts and fruit or seeds or a mixture, even cheese sometimes. Next I measure out olive oil (usually 3 tablespoons), but sometimes 4 if I want a very flexible dough say for pizza and mix in with the dough hook. I leave this whilst I go and pour boiling water into a glass jug up to the quarter of a pint mark and then top up with cold water to the half pint mark. This is poured into the bowl and then mixed thoroughly and kneaded for a few minutes, this always depends on time but I find it does not alter the bread much, so usually for approx 4 - 5 minutes. That's it, you should end up with a dough which leaves the sides of the mixing bowl clean, if not you can add a little more flour and then mix again, but remember you should never add more water after the first amount so if it's too dry you may have used too much flour.

I leave this to stand in its bowl just covered up with a damp clean T towel until doubled in size and then I turn the machine on again briefly to knock back the dough. Once ready, you just place onto your tray, or into your bread tin or whatever and leave to rise for the second time. (Do oil the tin.) I usually bake this one loaf for 35 minutes, the oven must already be at temperature and that is on 210c fan assisted oven. You can divide the mixture into rolls and then they take approx 15-20 minutes. Tap the bread on the bottom and if it sounds hollow it is cooked.

Of course you can mix this bread by hand and sometimes I have had to or have added a couple of minutes kneading to the initial dough just for the sheer pleasure it brings. Nothing beats kneading a bit of dough for bread, all those frustrations can be put into good use ;-)

Bye the way, the lovely bread roll holder was made by Val Osborn, she knows a thing or two and if you want to know how to make it, just ask.