Baking in the Country

It has been a while since I posted "Baking in the Country" and you can read about it here and here so yesterday I got together with my good friend Karin at her house and we spent the day making "Strawberry Guava" Jam and "Bread Rolls".  We had a lovely day chatting and and getting stuck into our simple living pleasures.  Karin and I did a "Preserving" course together a while back and I haven't really done any preserving and wanted to build up my confidence again so after yesterday's session I feel like I could tackle some preserving at home myself.

I have never heard or seen Strawberry Guava's before yesterday and I have to tell you the jam is delicious.  We tried it on crackers with some Brie Cheese which is an alternative to "Quince Paste" and it was yummy.  I can't wait for the kids to try this jam as I think it will be a big hit with them too.  Here's some pictures of our day and I feel very refreshed and happy spending the day doing these simple pleasures even though it's a lot of work.  Try making the bread rolls as they were great as well.  This recipe does say it needs a 24 hour prove but we just proved it for 2 hrs but next time would try the 24 hour prove.  So to make the rolls quickly you need to mix the dough and set aside in a warm place for 2 hours then divide the dough into 8 pieces and shape them into the rolls and leave aside for 30 mins and then they need 25-30 minutes baking time.  So 4 hrs all up for mixing, proving, cooking and cooling but they are worth it.  Will make them using the 24 hour prove method to see if they are even softer inside.  Thanks Karin for a lovely day.