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by the butter and keep mixing/ kneading for at least 10 minutes. It should form a lump of dough. You will need to stop the mixer


and scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times. If the dough is still sticky at this point, add up to two tablespoons of extra flour. Brush the inside of a clean bowl


with a little oil. Transfer the dough to this bowl and cover with a clean cloth. Leave somewhere warm for at least two hours, but ideally four. When you are ready to bake,


line a loaf tin, measuring 30cm x 11cm x 7cm with a single sheet of baking paper, so that a little hangs over the long edges. Tip the dough out onto a


board sprinkled with a generous amount of flour. Punch the dough to get rid of any air pockets and knead for a couple of minutes. Roll out the dough to a 30cm x 20cm rectangle. Spread the preserve/jam for


the filling all over the dough, leav- ing a couple of centimetres clear around the edge, then sprinkle over the ground almonds and the brown sugar. Roll the dough into a log, starting from one of the longest edges. Take a sharp knife and cut down


the centre of the log, dividing the whole length. You will then have two long pieces and be able to see the filling on the inside. Starting at the top, join the two


pieces of dough, then cross them over each other. Keep going, as though you are making a braid. You can trim both ends to neaten them up. Carefully transfer the whole piece of twisted dough into the lined loaf tin. Cover with a clean cloth and chill in the refrig- erator for up to two hours. Meanwhile, make the streusel


In a jug, combine one tablespoon of the flour with the yeast, one tablespoon of the caster sugar and half of the lukewarm milk. Stir with a whisk, then set aside in a warm place for 10-15 minutes. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the remaining flour with the rest of the caster sugar and mix well. Pour in the yeast mixture and


keep mixing. Switch to a dough hook and add the eggs and egg yolk, the rest of the milk, the almond extract and orange zest, and mix well for around five min- utes. Finally, add the salt, followed


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topping. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the mix- ture resembles a crumble or a sandy texture. Preheat your oven to


180°C/160°C fan. Brush the top of your loaf with the lightly beaten egg white, then sprinkle over the streusel topping. Bake in the cen- tre of the oven for 50 minutes, checking after 35 minutes to see whether the top looks golden. Once it is golden, cover with


foil and continue baking for the remaining time. Remove from the oven and leave the babka to cool in the tin. Serve warm, with a little unsalted butter.


Revelations Fay Hutchinson, head chef, Lilac, Lyme Regis


What was your best subject at school? Art


What was your first job? I worked at a handmade


chocolate company when I was 14. I used to paint the chocolate boxes and occasionally help hand-roll the truffles. Dream job!


What was your first job in catering?


I took a job at an organic garden with a café called Hornuddens Trädgård in Strängnäs, Sweden, where I was volunteering while travelling. They specialised in growing a variety of huge tomatoes and had a beautiful café on the side of a lake. That was where my interest in food was first sparked


What do you do to relax? Hang out with my cats Merlin and Morgan, listen to audiobooks, bingewatch a TV series or catch up with friends


What’s your favourite hotel? Anywhere with a nice spa and a pool will do for me


What is your favourite drink? Barry’s Tea. For something stronger, definitely a negroni


What is your favourite food/cuisine? Mediterranean


Which person in catering have you most admired? Angela Hartnett


Cast away on a desert island, what luxury


would you take? I would have to


say something practical like a fishing rod


If not yourself, who would you rather have been? My cat


Describe your ultimate nightmare? Losing my sense of taste


When and where was your last holiday? I popped back to Ireland for a few days last month to visit friends and family


When did you last eat a hamburger? Nearly six months ago from a van at the stock car racing. It was…


questionable


Who would play “you” in a film about your life? Toni Collette can play anyone


8 March 2024 | The Caterer | 31


What flavour combinations do you detest? Not particularly keen on strawberry-flavoured things like chocolate or alcohol. It tends to be so cloying


IMAGES: RVILLALON, MAKS NARODENKO, NEW AFRICA, 5 SECOND STUDIO, ALL SHUTTERSTOCK


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