### Nigel Slater’s Guide to Making Fresh Bread and Poached Pears

In the early hours of the morning, before the break of dawn, I reach for the refrigerator door. Inside, I discover a tray of bread dough, resembling a soft, white mattress, dimpled from its overnight rest. This dough, crafted with the usual blend of flour, yeast, and water, has been quietly fermenting, allowing the yeast to work its magic slowly. Infused with a touch of honey, this simple dough will undergo another round of kneading today, enriched with dried fruits such as cherries, figs, and golden raisins, and infused with aromatic chopped rosemary.

The bread is intended to accompany cheese, much like pairing a rich fruit cake with a slice of Cheshire or savoring Eccles cakes with crumbly Lancashire cheese. However, this creation will be lighter, toasted alongside slices of creamy goat’s cheese. Anticipated as part of a weekend lunch, it will be served with poached pears grilled with fruit jelly and topped with dollops of luscious crème fraîche.

Overnight dough preparations, left to prove in the fridge, have become a customary practice in this kitchen. The convenience of preparing them in the evening, allowing for a slow rise overnight, liberates me from the constraints of a rapidly leavened dough. While monitoring their progress may pose a slight distraction, it aligns well with my workflow. The subsequent proofing the next day in the warm kitchen environment is expedited, thanks to the groundwork laid during the night. Ultimately, the result is freshly baked bread and cheese for today’s lunch – a simple pleasure that holds significance.

Overnight Honey and Rosemary Bread with Goat’s Cheese

The dough requires approximately 8 hours in the fridge. Alternatively, speeding up the process by proofing it in a warm room for about 2 hours is feasible, although the airy texture may not be as pronounced as that achieved through overnight proofing. Opt for a strong white bread flour to enhance the crust quality and ensure to wrap the dough before refrigeration. Despite the unconventional method, enclosing the dough in a plastic bag seems to yield the best rise, yet covering it with a clean cloth works just as well. Yields 1 large loaf

Ingredients:

• Warm water 400ml
• Easy-bake dried yeast 2 tsp
• Sea salt 1 tsp
• Honey 1 tbsp, plus extra for drizzling
• Strong white bread flour 500g
• Olive oil 4 tbsp
• Dried figs 75g
• Rosemary 1 tbsp, plus extra for garnish
• Dried cherries 50g
• Golden raisins 50g
• Olive oil and sea salt flakes, for finishing touches
• Goat’s cheese 250g
• You will also need a shallow baking tin, approximately 30cm x 20cm, lightly oiled.

In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, salt, and honey. Mix in the flour by hand or with a wooden spoon. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and knead into a soft dough. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and refrigerate overnight.

The following day, once the dough has risen, finely chop the rosemary leaves. Thinly slice the figs and mix them with rosemary, cherries, raisins, and the remaining oil. Incorporate the fruit and rosemary into the dough, then transfer it to the baking tin, spreading it out with your fist. Allow it to rise to double its size by covering the tin with a cloth and placing it in a warm spot for about an hour, preferably near a radiator.

Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 8. Indent the dough with your finger and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and springy. Once done, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt.

For the toasts, slice 4 thick pieces from the loaf and grill them under a hot overhead grill. Cut 250g of goat’s cheese into rounds and place them on the bread slices. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary, drizzle with honey, and grill until the cheese softens.

Pears with Fruit Jelly

Currently, apples and pears are in their prime. Opt for a plump comice pear if available, although slender conference pears work well too. Remember to generously coat them with lemon juice post-peeling to prevent browning. A dash of lemon juice in the cooking syrup aids in preserving the fruit’s color. Any fruit jelly will suffice; whether it’s blackcurrant, apple, or redcurrant, the choice is yours. The leftover cooking syrup, though effective, can also be refrigerated for future use in moistening sponge cake or trifle. Serves 3

Ingredients:

• Caster sugar 100g, plus extra for dusting
• Water 1 litre
• Pears 3
• Lemon juice of 1
• Fruit jelly or jam 6 tbsp
• Crème fraîche 6 tbsp, for serving

Combine sugar and water in a large pan and bring to a boil. Peel, halve, and core the pears, rubbing them with lemon juice. Add the pears to the sugar syrup, lower the heat, and simmer until tender. Once cooked, transfer the pears to a grill pan, sprinkle with caster sugar, and brown under the grill.

Serve the pear halves in shallow dishes, accompanied by fruit jelly and a dollop of crème fraîche.

Follow Nigel on Instagram