A Taste of Miche Magic

Indulge in two delicious recipes from the one and only Miche Bakehouse. 

Focaccia Bread

Poolish/Preferment 

• 85g lukewarm water 
• 85g white bread flour 
• 5g instant yeast 

Mix water, flour, and yeast together. Rest at room temperature for 1 hour and then place in the fridge overnight (8-12 hours). 

Ingredients:

• 220g cold water 
• 320g white bread Flour 
• 11g olive oil 
• 11g salt 
• 175g poolish 

Method:

1. Add cold water, olive oil, and salt in a bowl and mix until salt has dissolved. 
2. Add the preferment (poolish) to the water and mix to combine.
3. Now add the flour and mix for 5-10 mins. The dough is meant to be sticky, so don’t add any extra flour. 
4. Let it rest in the bowl for 30 mins. 
5. After 30 mins, do a stretch and fold, then rest for another 30 mins. 
6. Repeat the stretch and fold 2 more times—spaced 30 mins apart. 
7. After the third stretch and fold, let the dough rise for another 30 mins. 
8. After 30 mins, oil a baking tray and put the dough into the baking tray, gently stretching the dough to fit the tray. 
9. Let the dough rise for another 1 hour. The dough must look pillowy and have doubled in size.
10. Sprinkle olive oil over the dough and dimple the dough by covering your hands with olive oil and pressing your fingers into the dough. 
11. Add any desired toppings. 
12. Bake at 240˚C for 15-20 mins. 
13. Eat.  

TIP: Stretch and fold technique—wet hands lightly, grab a portion of the dough and stretch it upwards and over itself to the centre of the bowl. Rotate the bowl 90˚ and repeat the stretch until you have completed a full circle.

Lemon and Poppy Loaf Cake 

Ingredients:

• 108g castor sugar 
• 126g soft butter 
• 3 eggs 
• 132g cream 
• 240g cake flour 
• 6g baking powder 
• 15g poppy seeds 
• zest of 2 lemons 

Method:

1. Add sugar and lemon zest to a bowl—press the zest and sugar between your fingers. Keep rubbing until the lemon is fragrant. 
2. Combine the soft butter and lemon sugar in a mixer or with a hand mixer and mix until the butter is light and creamy (3-5 mins). 
3. Once the butter is creamy, mix in the eggs and cream until well-combined. 
4. Lastly, fold in the cake flour, poppy seeds and baking powder. Be careful not to overmix. 
5. Line a baking tin with baking paper and spoon the batter into it—level the batter with the spoon. 
6. Bake at 175˚C for 30-35 mins until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. 
7. Once you’ve taken the cake out of the oven, mix 75g of castor sugar and 75g of lemon juice into a pot and heat on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the soak over the cake and let the cake cool in the baking tin. 
8. Slice and enjoy.

• Facebook: Miche Bakehouse
• Email: michebakehouse@gmail.com 
• Address: Meander Square, 1 Sapore St, Nottingham Road