So... What is it?

Ginger beer! The sweet sticky refreshing crowd pleaser hiding some boozy goodness! Made from the fermentation of sugar and fresh chopped ginger, it makes for a delightfully refreshing, slightly spicy and zingy palate cleanser, especially in the warmer weather. So here is our super easy ginger beer recipe with a slight twist to add a bit of extra zing and flavour to make you feel refreshed and thirst quenched!

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Batch Size & Cook Time

• 19L Keg (5 gal)
• 5.3% Alcohol
• prep time 30-45 mins
• Fermentation time 1 week

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What ingredients?

Fermentation ingredients‍

• 33g (1 oz) yeast nutrient (I used yeast O-ife)
• 400g (0.88 lb) sultanas / raisins
• 2kg (4.4 lb) Raw Sugar
• 1.355 kg (2.99 lb) ginger
• 4 juiced lemons
• 4 lemons zest
• 15g Lalvin - EC-1118 Yeast (any bakers or brewers yeast will also work)
• 21L (5.54 gal) of water

Post fermentation sweeteners

• 345g (0.76 lb) agave syrup
• 1.065kg (2.35 lb) raw sugar
• 14.25g potassium sorbate (0.75g per liter / 0.096 oz per gal)
• 1.79g potassium metabisulfite (0.094g per liter / 0.012 oz per gal)

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Step by step process

Step 1 – Prepping the fruits and ginger

• peel the skins off of all the ginger with a spoon or a peeler and finely chop all the ginger and sultanas/raisins in a food processor
• peel the lemons being careful not to peel too much pith with the skins (the skins provide zestiness but the white pith can be bitter) and mix them in with the ginger and sultanas/raisins
• after peeling the lemons squeeze the juice out of them and set it aside

Step 2 – Mixing the ingredients

• take 1 liter (0.3 gal) of the the total water and boil it, then dissolve all the raw sugar for fermentation with the hot water and mix until fully dissolved
• mix into the hot sugar water the yeast nutrients and allow them to dissolve
• now mix together the rest of the 20L (5.3 gal) of water with all the prepped ingredients, lemon juice etc and pour it all into your fermenter (you can use a bucket with an airlock for this, link here to see how you can make a basic fermenter from a hardware store)
• after all the ingredients have been added, its time finally to add your yeast, we used 15g (0.5 oz) Lalvin - EC-1118 but any brewers or bakers yeast will also work, it will just provide a different flavour

Step 3 Fermentation

• Fermentation will take about 1 to 2 weeks, towards the end of fermentation take a gravity reading with a hydrometer, when you get the same gravity reading 3 days in a row fermentation is finished and you are ready to back sweeten your ginger beer!

Step 4 Back Sweetening and packaging - Option 1 (kegging option)

• To back sweeten (which basically means add sweetness after fermentation) you need a way to stop the yeast from fermenting the additional sugar you add to the beer, to do this we are going to do a couple of things.
  • firstly we will let all the yeast settle out to the bottom of the fermenter and let the beer clear up before transferring it to our keg, this way at least 90% of the yeast is going to be left behind in the fermenter
  • secondly by dropping the temperature of the beer to 1-2 degrees after kegging it any yeast that made its way over will fall asleep and no longer be active
  • finally we will also add 1.79g potassium metabisulfite & 14.25g potassium sorbate, which together will prevent the yeast from further multiplying and growing, helping us to protect the sugar we add from the yeast so that the sweetness stays in the beer!
• No to add our sweetness we are going to dissolved the additional 1.065kg (2.35 lb) of raw sugar and 345g (0.76 lb) of agave syrup in a small amount of boiling water, then add this sugary syrup to the keg we will transfer the beer into
• after adding the sugars burp / purge the keg of oxygen by filling it with CO2 and releasing the CO2 from the PRV (pressure release valve) in intervals
• finally transfer the beer into the keg by connecting the tap of the fermenter to the beer out post of the keg and the gas in post of the keg to the airlock hole of the fermenter. This creates a closed loop so you can perform a zero oxygen transfer
• after all the beer has been transferred force carbonate the beer by connecting it to a gas tank on 30 psi for 3 days at serving temperature, then release the gas and re-pressurize to serving pressure (12 psi) before drinking!

Step 4 Back Sweetening and packaging - Option 2 (Bottling option)

• To back sweeten without kegs or taps you can also bottle, but this will mean you cant add sugar the same way you can with the kegging option, because in this case we want the yeast to produce a bit more fermentation after entering the bottles to gas up our ginger beer. So this time you will add about a teaspoon of sugar to each bottle (1 teaspoon for about a 330-375ml bottle / 12.6 oz bottles) which will provide fuel for the yeast to carbonate the bottle
• However, to add sweetness you will instead need to add a non-sugar based sweetener, such as stevia, I recommend about 15g (0.5 oz) per 330-375ml bottle / 12.6 oz bottle, however you can use less or more to taste
  • Its important to note! this option will provide a different, and slightly more artificial taste to the final product than the kegging sugar option!
• after filling all the bottle, allow them to condition for about 2 weeks, at which point you can whack them in the fridge and enjoy!

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Enjoy your zesty refreshing ginger beer!‍

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So... What is it?

Sourdough focaccia is by far my favorite style of bread! it can be used for sandwich's, pizza or just with some fresh olive oil as a dip! It's light, airy, and flavorful Italian flatbread made with a naturally leavened sourdough starter instead of commercial yeast. It combines the tangy, slightly sour notes from the sourdough with the traditional softness and olive oil richness of focaccia. The dough is typically hydrated and soft, resulting in a pillowy texture with a crisp, golden crust. The bread is often topped with olive oil, salt, herbs like rosemary, and sometimes vegetables or olives, enhancing its flavor. To make it, a sourdough starter is mixed with flour, water, and salt, left to rise slowly to develop flavor, and then shaped, dimpled, and baked after being generously drizzled with olive oil. The taste is a delicious combination of savory, tangy, and fragrant, with a chewy interior and crisp exterior.

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Batch Size & Cook Time

• 1 Large Focaccia (use a large tray)
• a couple of hours of prep (dough mixing & stretch & folds)
• 23 min total cook time

What ingredients?

Sourdough Starter

• 1.75 to 2.1 cups of flour
• 1.75 to 2.1 cups of water

Focaccia Ingredients

• 3 cups of bakers flour (plain flour will also work)
• 2 to 2.25 cups of water
• drizzle of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 cup of sourdough starter
• flaked salt (to sprinkle on before baking)
• chilli oil or flakes (optional garnish on top of bread)

What Equipment?

Sourdough Starter

• 1 large glass jar (1 to 2L)
• mixing spoon or knife
• 1/4 or 1/3 measuring cup

Focaccia equipment

• large baking tray (I prefer non-stick)
• mixing spoon
• large bowl
• large container (at least twice the size of your dough before it rises)
• measuring cups (1 cup size)

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Step by step process

Making the Starter

• Thoroughly clean a large glass jar (1-2L in size)
• measure out 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of flour (depending on your jar size) and tip into the jar, then add an equal amount of water
• mix the water and flour thoroughly then loosely close the lid of the jar and set aside in a relatively warm area of the kitchen out of direct sunlight
• each day repeat this process, adding the same quantity of flour and water as day 1, and mixing
• by day 5-7 you should start to see yeast activity in your new mother yeast, it will start to look bubbly and frothy, bam! you have created a mother yeast!
• you can keep this in the fridge when you are not planning on baking for a while to keep the yeast dormant, then remove from the fridge and feed again in increments with flour and water 12 hours to 24 hours prior to baking until you see it frothing and bubbling again.

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Making the Focaccia

Step 1 - Mixing the dough

• Measure out 3 cups of flour, 2 to 2.25 cups of water and 1 cup of yeast starter and add to a large mixing bowl
• proceed to thoroughly mix together with a spoon or sourdough whisk until all the flour is dissolved with the water into a shaggy sticky dough
• leave this to rest for 15 to 30 minutes (this is the autolyse period where the yeast starts to grow and munch away on the sugars of the dough and begin to build gluten networks)
• after the initial rest add in 2 teaspoons of salt and mix into the dough, you will notice the dough will start to tighten up and become less runny, now leave to rest for a further 15 to 30 minutes

Step 2 - Stretch and folds (4 sets)

• After the salt rest, wet your hands with water and grab under one side of the dough in the bowl and pull it up and stretch it over the dough itself (useful to watch our video for this step!) then rotate the bowl by 90 degrees and repeat this process until you have stretched and folded all 4 sides
• allow the dough to rest covered by a cloth or cling wrap for 15 minutes then repeat this process
• after completing 4 sets of stretch and folds with 15 minute breaks between each set you will notice the dough has built up far more strength, and is less sticky and holds more tightness than it did in the beginning.
  If you can stretch out the dough without it ripping and breaking then you have healthy strong gluten networks, and its time to move onto coil folds!

Step 3 - Coil Folds (2-4 sets)

• Drizzle oil into the container (it should be at least twice as big as your current dough size) and oil all the sides of the container
• now transfer your dough from your bowl to the container and begin your coil folds
• to coil fold you can reach both hands underneath the middle of the dough and lift it up so that it stretches under its own weight, then rest the dough back down on itself so the both sides fold underneath the dough like a big coil (watch our video to see how to do this)
• If your dough is not tight or strong enough to coil fold in this way you can simply lift one side of the dough at a time and tuck it under itself
• coil fold the dough 2 to 4 times with 30 minute rests in between each fold
• by the end of your coil folds you will notice the surface of the dough is no longer sticky to the touch and its starting to fill with gas as fermentation progresses

Step 4 - Bulk Fermentation

• if you are planning on cooking this dough the next day (or same day) Close the container and allow the dough to rest for a couple of hours until the size of the dough has doubled.
• if you'd like to sour this dough for a day to a couple of days put the container into the fridge after finishing coil folds and allow it to develop complexity and flavour.
  The cold of the fridge will slow down fermentation and allow wild yeasts in the dough from the mother yeast to grow and develop acidity and complexity in the flavours of the dough (hence sourdough!).
• The longer you let your dough slowly ferment in the fridge the more sour it will become

Step 5 - Baking

• Begin pre-heating your oven to 230 degrees Celsius on fan forced
• whilst your oven heats oil your baking tray with a drizzle of oil and cover all the surfaces of the tray with your hand or oil brush
• Take your dough out of the fridge and gently tip it out onto the baking tray, if you want your focaccia to rise extra high you can fold the dough over itself so that it traps more gas as it rises
• Slip your fingers underneath the dough and gently stretch the dough out to fill the tray (optional not necessary)
• Just before you bake the bread its time to oil the dough, if you want to use less oil you can mix oil and a smaller amount of water together in a glass (and mixx in chili oil of flakes if you want) then pour the mixture over the top of the dough and gently spread it with your hands or a oil brush
• after coating the dough wet your fingers and poke them into the dough to dimple the bread so that it rises without splitting, this will also help create big gas bubbles and airiness in the bread
• finally just before placing in the oven sprinkle salt evenly across the surface of the dough then place in the oven
• Cook at 225°C (437°F) for 15 minutes, then spin the baking tray 180 degrees to evenly cook the bread, after spinning the tray dop the temperature to 215 to 220°C (depending on how brown you want your bread) and cook for a further 8-10 minutes for a total of 23-25 minutes
• after cook time is complete, remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 15 to 120 minutes before slicing open and eating!

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Enjoy!!

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So... What is it?

Mulled wine is a warm, spiced beverage typically made from red wine, along with various mulling spices and sometimes raisins. The origins of mulled wine date back to ancient Rome, where it was customary to heat wine and mix it with spices to ward off the cold. This tradition spread throughout Europe, evolving with regional variations. The common ingredients include red wine, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, citrus fruits (such as oranges), and sweeteners like honey or sugar. It's especially popular during the winter months and is a festive staple at Christmas markets in many countries.

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What's ours like?

Absolutely delicious! Its sweet, sticky, earthy and has just the right amount of spice! When we say spice, we of course mean cooking spice, think christmasy flavours like cinnamon and honey, blended with an earthy sweet warmth from the cloves & star anise, molassasy richness from the rum, a touch of zesty fresh citrus from the oranges and all marrying together with dark berry character and just a hint of old tobacco from the elderberries. Drink this one cozied up fireside and you'll feel warm and fuzzy like you're sitting by a fireplace in the Swiss alps!

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Batch Size & Cook Time

• 4-5 glasses (around 800ml / 27 oz)
• 10-11 standards of alcohol (Australian)
• prep time 5 mins
• cook time 20-30 mins (to taste)

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What ingredients?

Spices & Sweets‍

• 2 oranges (one for cooking, one for garnish)
• 3 cinnamon sticks (2 for cooking 1 for garnish)
• 8-10 cloves (to taste)
• 2 whole star anise
• 1/2 a tablespoon of elderberries (optional)
• 3-4 tablespoons of honey or maple syrup (to taste)

Alcohol

• bottle of red wine (softer less intense wines are best, such as merlot or pinot noir)
• 1/3 to 1/2 of a cup of Rum or Brandy

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Step by step process

Step 1 – Spices & sweets

• Measure out each of your spices and set them aside to add to a cooking pot or saucepan
• slice one of the oranges to desired thickness (thinner slices will extract more flavour) however if you'd like less bitterness you can peel the orange first

Step 2 – Heating the wine

• pour out a bottle of red wine into a cookpot or saucepan, generally softer reds are better for mulled wine, such as pinot noirs or merlots. Please not your wine does not need to be expensive! A good price point is something you are happy to cook with, we are going to add a bunch of flavours with our spices so no point spending top dollar on the wine itself!
• Wines with less tannins and robust flavours will produce a sweeter mulled wine that lets the spices shine more rather than the tanic bitterness and astringency of the wine itself.
• Add 1/3 to 1/2 of a cup of either rum or brandy to your pot, this will increase the alcohol content of our spiced drink, giving it more robust character and making it more of a winter warmer for those cold winter nights!

Step 3 Add spices and simmer!

• Time to start simmering! add all your spices and sliced orange to the pot, as well as 3-4 tablespoons of either honey or maple syrup depending on your preference. Start with less and add more to taste!
• allow your brew to reach a simmer NOT A BOIL! alcohol evaporates around 78°C (172°F) so keep the temperature around 70-75°C (158-167°F) max or you will start to loose your booze!
• Now you can let your concoction simmer away from anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes or to taste! The longer you simmer the more spice character and bitterness you will extract, so taste every now and again and stop the simmer when you are happy!
• Once you've reached your desired flavour strain the mulled wine out into heat safe glasses or mugs! But remember to strain all the spices out if you are not drinking it all at once! the longer the wine sits on the spices the more flavour it will pull, so if you leave it overnight it might taste like a tea that has had the bag in for too long the next day!

Step 3 Garnish & Serve!

• Garnish however you'd like! I am a fan of adding a few orange slices, a cinnamon stick and maybe a star anise, but the world is your oyster, your mulled wine is now ready to drink! So play around with this recipe and add or remove spices to taste and make your perfect winter warmer!

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