Mincemeat & Hemp Focaccia — and a last call

I was removed from a major supermarket last week and this week I am in the Telegraph.

The school is all quiet and calm this week. It’s rather lovely, and I am so glad Christmas is over.

I made this recipe yesterday which is using up leftover mincemeat I hope you will love it. So if you have a jar of mincemeat sitting in your fridge or any seeds, like me that you bought with good intentions or you want to use up the last of the almonds, this honey and almond fruit focaccia bread – this is what happens when you stop following the rules, waiting for the perfect moment and just bake.

Talking about the perfect moment. I was thrown out of a supermarket last week for filming this .. I think it was worth it. let me know what you think. I know instagram sinks this kind of story. It is trained to oppose systems change language, so the AI ensures “conflict management,” is not seen. The world and the information you can access is changing fast. I was quoted in The Telegraph as:

” internationally recognised as a leading authority on bread nutrition and digestibility, A-listers send their private chefs to classes at her Sourdough School, where she trains the world’s top bakers. Professor Tim Spector, founder of nutrition and gut health company Zoe, calls the bread she bakes the healthiest bread in the world.”

The Telegraph on Dr Vanessa Kimbell

I did try and tell the supermarket woman, but she was having none of it. Thankfully the security guard recognised me as a regular shopper and when I popped in earlier today to pick up a copy of the paper and free coffee, he gave me a broad grin and I was allowed back in.

Back to the recipe

I’ve kept the measurements loose in this recipe on purpose — a tablespoon more or less won’t break it. What matters is the technique: tamp the fruit into the dough so it doesn’t scorch, protect your base with almonds, and bake by doneness not by the clock. Your oven isn’t my oven. Your tin isn’t my tin. Start checking at 25 minutes and trust your eyes.

My kitchen runs around 22°C. At that temperature, the dough takes about 6 hours to double. Yours might be faster or slower. Watch the dough, not the time.

This is the kind of recipe you’ll learn on my diploma — ( starts on Tuesday next week) bread that fits into your life in about 10 minutes of active work. Bread that uses what you have.

But here’s the thing about the diploma: it’s also where we go deep. Microbial ecology. Nutrigenetics. How fermentation supports methylation, energy, longevity. We biohack bread. We read research papers. We bake with precision when precision matters.

That’s the juxtaposition I love — rigorous science and leftover mincemeat, sitting side by side. Because bread is both.

The January intake opens on the 5th. This is the last call. Two years. A community of bakers and practitioners who take bread seriously. If you’ve been thinking about it, now’s the time.

The 12 Week Reset — my Proven Bread to You programme — closes for enrolment on 10th January. Twelve weeks of baking bread that actively supports your health. If you’ve been thinking about it, this is your moment.

And if the diploma isn’t your path right now — the school workshops have just had a £200 reduction, which I’ll hold for one week. Come bake with us.

Now — the recipe.

Mincemeat & Hemp Focaccia

Equipment

Mixing bowl

Whisk

Spatula

Rectangular tin 34 x 24 x 4cm OR rectangular pan 13 x 9 x 2 inches (USA)

Oven gloves

A jug of tepid water in which to dip your hands when handling the dough

A small bowl of melted ghee for your hands (for tamping in the fruit)

Tin Advice

Grease generously with ghee.

Add a very generous layer of almonds on the base of the tin (this is your crunch layer and a barrier between sugary dough and hot metal).

Starter

Suggested Starter: White starter

Status: Bubbly, lively second-build starter

Hydration: 75%

DDT: 27°C (80°F)

Flours

UK: I used Bruern Farm organic stoneground white

Botanical Blend: Hodmedods Botanical Blend No. XXX

To Ferment Your Dough

200g lively 2nd build starter

For The Dough

Total water 750g at 28°C/82°F (remember to reserve 50g to bassinage with)

400g organic stoneground wholegrain flour 11.5% protein

100g Botanical Blend flour (this replaces 20% of the wholegrain flour)

500g organic strong white roller milled flour (ideally about 13% protein)

20g fine sea salt

Ghee to grease the tin and for handling the dough

Extra Ingredients (Layered Method)

4–5 tablespoons ghee (for the tin base)

A very generous layer of almonds for the base of the tin

5 tablespoons mincemeat (tamped into the dough)

6 tablespoons hemp seeds (tamped into the dough with the mincemeat)

A generous handful of sliced/flaked almonds for the top

8 tablespoons water (to pour over the top almonds to prevent drying)

Zest of 1 orange

Juice of 1 orange

Honey to finish (brushed on while warm)

Baking

Oven Position: Middle shelf (on a wire rack)

Preheat Oven To: 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7

Bake At: 200°C for the initial set, then reduce to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4 to finish (the slower finish helps prevent sugar and nuts catching).

Preheat your oven thoroughly, then bake by doneness rather than the clock because tin thickness and dough depth change bake time. Start checking at 25 minutes, then continue in 5–8 minute intervals. Typical bake time is around 40–45 minutes.

Method

Total Active Time: 9 minutes (plus fermentation and bake time)

this is a 10 minute bread technique and shared in my 10 minute sourdough book.

Build your starter

If you bake every day then you might not need to double refresh your starter, however if you leave it more than three days between bakes then do a back-to-back double refreshment. This is two refreshments that rebuild your starter to be robust enough to raise your bread.

Day 1, 8pm — First build (1 min)

Day 2, 8am — Second build (1 min)

Mix

This is a quick mix. Add just 700g of the water and your lively bubbly sourdough starter (remember to reserve 50g of the water), whisk and then add the flours and the salt and mix your dough vigorously using a strong wooden spoon or spatula for about 2 minutes. It will come together to form a stiff ball. Leave this to rest on the side in the kitchen for 30 minutes. You can add more water if you need to but do so slowly after it has rested.

Note: yes, put the salt in with the initial mix of the dough.

6.00pm — MIX vigorously. Then leave for 30 minutes. (2 min)

Put your starter back in the fridge

Bassinage

When the gluten has had 30 minutes to develop, begin your bassinage. Add 25g of the reserved water at a time and squidge the dough with your hands to mix it in. Cover and rest, then repeat with the remaining 25g. Allow the dough to rest for about 10–15 minutes afterwards.

7:30pm — Bassinage 1: incorporate 25g of the reserved water. (1 min)

7:45pm — Bassinage 2: incorporate the last 25g of the reserved water. Rest for 15 minutes. (1 min)

Tamp in the mincemeat + hemp

Put a little ghee on your hands. Pour about 5 tablespoons of mincemeat into the dough, add about 6 tablespoons of hemp seeds, then tamp firmly to drive the fruit fully into the dough. The aim is to bury the high-sugar fruit so it bakes within the crumb rather than sitting exposed and burning. The light ghee on your hands also helps coat any exposed fruit and reduces scorching at the surface. (1 min)

Prep the tin and build the layers

Put 4–5 tablespoons of ghee in the base of the tin. Add a very generous layer of almonds over the ghee. Place the dough on top. Scatter a generous handful of sliced/flaked almonds across the top. Pour about 8 tablespoons of water over the top almonds to stop the surface drying during baking. Just before baking, grate over orange zest and squeeze the orange juice over the top. (2 min)

Prove

Leave the tin at room temperature for around 4 hours. then pop in the fridge around 10pm covered overnight.

Put your starter back in the fridge

When your loaf is ready to bake, preheat the oven. I usually bake mine in the afternoon but you can bake anytime form around 7am to 6pm

Tips for baking your bread

Bake for about 25 minutes and check by doneness. You are looking for a golden, burnished top, clean skewer, and the loaf pulling away from the tin edges. Because this is sugary and nut-heavy, favour a slightly longer bake at the reduced temperature if you need it, and protect the base with a cold tray underneath if your oven is aggressive. Then keep checking about every 7 – 8 minutes. – my loaf took around 45 minutes. It varies according to your oven and your mincemeat quantities and hydration.

Baking Tips – and how to tell if your bread is done

Look for a deep golden finish and the bake pulling away from the sides of the tin.

Skewer test: if it comes out sticky, it needs longer; if it comes out clean, it is done.

If you are uncertain, turn the oven off, crack the door, and leave it in for a couple of minutes to drive off the last moisture.

If your oven runs fierce underneath, place a cold tray on the shelf below as a buffer to protect the base from catching (sugar and nuts burn quickly).

Cool in the tin for 5–6 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Brush with honey while warm (not scorching hot) so it soaks in and seals the top.

Probiotic Serving Suggestion

Finish with honey brushed on while warm and zest of your orange. Serve with cultured butter if you like; it is the simplest, most delicious pairing.

How to Store

Once cool, store your loaf in a tin (the honey can make it sticky for a tea towel). This keeps well, and the texture improves as it sets. Best enjoyed within 3–4 days.

I hope you can join me for The 12 Week Reset — my Proven Bread to You programme — closes for enrolment on 10th January. Twelve weeks of baking bread that actively supports your health. If you’ve been thinking about it, this is your moment.

The Diploma induction begins in 4 days time on 5th January. Two years. Microbial ecology, nutrigenetics, how fermentation supports methylation, energy, longevity. We biohack bread. We read research papers. We bake with precision when precision matters. And yes, we also make recipes like the one below — 10 minutes of active work, using up whatever’s in your cupboard. Rigorous science and leftover mincemeat, side by side. Enrol here.

The new dates for The school workshops have just had a £200 reduction, which I’ll hold for one week. Come bake with us.

With love,

Vanessa