 I have just watched your movie about quickly cooking off par-baked bread baguettes and rolls. What if I want to make my own dough and par-bake it, then finish it in the Aga at a later date – what is the process for par-baking your own bread?
The par-baked bread I cooked on the Agalinks video works because it’s cooked partially in industrial ovens and then quickly cooled and then stored in Modified Atmosphere Packaging (M.A.P.), where the normal levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide are removed and an inert gas is added to greatly improve the keeping qualities of a perishable food. This allows the bread to be shelf-stable for a good period of time until wanted by the consumer. There is no way to replicate this in the domestic environment.
With the Aga there are alternative solutions.
1.
Bake your bread in roll form and then freeze these. Rolls taken out of the freezer half an hour before a meal will defrost in the warmth on top of the Aga and can then be flash re-heated in the roasting oven for 3-4 minutes before serving - they really taste fresh-baked. I have them at home all the time as my bread needs constantly fluctuate.
2.
When you’re baking bread, take a loaf when it has had its final rise or proving and is ready for baking. Carefully carry it to the freezer and freeze in this state. When solid, place in a plastic bag – you can often remove the tin at this stage. Take out and defrost in the original loaf tin and leave to defrost for 1½ hours on the top of the Aga. Bake as usual and you will be able to enjoy freshly baked bread whenever it’s required. This method only works well with smaller loaves, e.g. 1 lb size; a 2 lb loaf doesn’t defrost to the centre in time and if left to defrost for longer, the outside dries out badly.
Finally, don’t forget that great Aga stand-by, Irish Soda Bread. It takes just moments to knock up and then is ready to bake, the acid from the buttermilk reacting with the baking soda to give the loaf an immediate rise. If you are in a hurry, bake the mixture as individual rolls and then they will only take 12-15 minutes in the hot Aga roasting oven. |
