Plum Bread
Ingredients:
250g butter, at room temperature
500g sugar
4 eggs
zest 1 lime
1tsp vanilla extract
575g plain flour + 225g oat flour (or 800g plain flour)
1tsp salt
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp cream of tartar + 1/2tsp baking soda (or 1tsp baking powder)
300g plain yoghurt
200g chopped walnuts
800g blue plums, stoned and diced
Method:
Grease and line two loaf tins. Preheat the oven to 180C
Beat the butter, sugar and eggs together with the vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
Mix all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Add the flour mix and yoghurt to the egg mix alternately and whisk in. Make sure the first and last ingredients added are flour.
Fold in the lime zest, walnuts and plums.
Divide the mixture between the two loaf tins, level the mixture.
Bake at 180C for 50-60 minutes until golden brown on top and a skewer comes out of the centre cleanly.
First made: 18th August 2013
250g butter, at room temperature
500g sugar
4 eggs
zest 1 lime
1tsp vanilla extract
575g plain flour + 225g oat flour (or 800g plain flour)
1tsp salt
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp cream of tartar + 1/2tsp baking soda (or 1tsp baking powder)
300g plain yoghurt
200g chopped walnuts
800g blue plums, stoned and diced
Method:
Grease and line two loaf tins. Preheat the oven to 180C
Beat the butter, sugar and eggs together with the vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
Mix all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Add the flour mix and yoghurt to the egg mix alternately and whisk in. Make sure the first and last ingredients added are flour.
Fold in the lime zest, walnuts and plums.
Divide the mixture between the two loaf tins, level the mixture.
Bake at 180C for 50-60 minutes until golden brown on top and a skewer comes out of the centre cleanly.
First made: 18th August 2013
Cheese and Apple Scones
Ingredients:
300g plain flour + 3tsps baking powder
1/2tsp baking powder extra
75g butter, chilled and diced
125g mature Gouda (or strong Cheddar), grated
2 eating apples, grated
leaves of 2 sprigs thyme, leaves only
1 egg
150ml milk
Method:
Mix the flour and baking powder in a baking bowl and rub in the flour. Stir in the cheese, apple and thyme. Crack the egg into a measuring jug and beat lightly. Mix in the milk.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid. Mix with a knife to form a soft dough.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead very lightly (do not overwork). Roll the dough out to 2cm thickness and, using a scone cutter, cut out 12 scones reworking the dough as necessary.
Place the scones on a floured baking tray, brush with a little mik and sprinkle a little extra grated cheese on each.
Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.
First made: 15th September 2013
300g plain flour + 3tsps baking powder
1/2tsp baking powder extra
75g butter, chilled and diced
125g mature Gouda (or strong Cheddar), grated
2 eating apples, grated
leaves of 2 sprigs thyme, leaves only
1 egg
150ml milk
Method:
Mix the flour and baking powder in a baking bowl and rub in the flour. Stir in the cheese, apple and thyme. Crack the egg into a measuring jug and beat lightly. Mix in the milk.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid. Mix with a knife to form a soft dough.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead very lightly (do not overwork). Roll the dough out to 2cm thickness and, using a scone cutter, cut out 12 scones reworking the dough as necessary.
Place the scones on a floured baking tray, brush with a little mik and sprinkle a little extra grated cheese on each.
Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.
First made: 15th September 2013
Nana's Gingerbread
Nana wasn't my grandmother, she was my child-minder when I was very wee. She lived with her marrried son (Uncle Tom), daughter-in-law (Aunt Margaret) and three grandsons, mostly all grown up when I knew them. Nana and Aunt Margaret were kept very busy as much with them as with me but I was Nana's charge really. Every Monday - and probably other days too, but I remember Mondays - she baked. All afternoon. So, from the ages of two to four, I 'baked' every week. The things I remember most are pancakes (dropped scones), scones and gingerbread. Nana always made gingerbread cupcakes and iced them with white water icing and I loved watching the butter, sugar and treacle melting into each other on the cooker and the magic that happened when it was mixed with flour and put in the oven fascinated me. I was always allowed to 'help' and I suppose that's where all this started. I still make Nana's recipe but I tend to turn it into a loaf for buttering rather than make buns.
Ingredients:
50g butter
50g sugar
120g/ml treacle
1tsp mixed spice
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1tsp ground cinnamon
200g flour
1tsp sodium bicarbonate
1 egg, beaten
50-75ml milk
Method:
Grease a loaf tin and heat the oven to 160C (fan).
In a small pan, melt the butter, sugar and treacle and set aside and cool.
Mix the dry ingredients then add treacle mixture, egg and milk to give a soft consistency - not too liquidy.
Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 20-30 minutes until well-risen and a skewer through the middle comes out clean.
Turn out and cool on a wire rack.
First made: - I'm not telling you!
Ingredients:
50g butter
50g sugar
120g/ml treacle
1tsp mixed spice
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1tsp ground cinnamon
200g flour
1tsp sodium bicarbonate
1 egg, beaten
50-75ml milk
Method:
Grease a loaf tin and heat the oven to 160C (fan).
In a small pan, melt the butter, sugar and treacle and set aside and cool.
Mix the dry ingredients then add treacle mixture, egg and milk to give a soft consistency - not too liquidy.
Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 20-30 minutes until well-risen and a skewer through the middle comes out clean.
Turn out and cool on a wire rack.
First made: - I'm not telling you!
Hot Cross Buns
Technically, I suppose these should be filed under 'breads' but I don't think that's where I would look so here they are here.
Ingredients:
500g flour
10g active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
2tsps mixed spice
1tsp cinnamon
55g cold butter
50g brown sugar
125g dried fruit - sultanas
350ml warm milk
For the crosses:
75g flour
A little water
Glaze:
3 tbsp apricot jam
Method:
Warm the milk to just tepid then mix it with the yeast and sugar in a bowl and leave for twenty minutes or so to froth up.
Meanwhile, pulse the flour, spices, salt and fridgy cold butter in the food processor until the mixture is like breadcrumbs then tip it into a large mixing bowl.
Make a well in the centre of the flour/butter mixture and gradually mix in the yeast mixture until all the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Tip the lot out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for ten minutes. Flour the bowl, return the dough to it adn place the bowl in a large bin bag tucking the opening under the bowl. Leave to rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size.
Then, return the dough to the floured surface and knock it back to get all the large air holes out of it. Split the dough into twelve even pieces and roll each into a ball. Place, about 2cm apart, on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, cover with a tea-towel and leave to prove for at least half an hour.
Meanwhile, make the cross batter. Whisk all the ingredients together and place in a piping bag (I don't own one so I use a freezer bag and cut a tiny corner off when I'm ready to pipe). Once the dough has proved again, pipe crosses on the tops - the buns will have joined up by now so you can pipe in long lines rather than doing each bun separately. Good luck with the piping, I am useless at it and tend to have splodgy crosses but the idea is there!
Bake in a hot 200C (fan) oven until they are golden brown and hollow when knocked on the base.
Mix together the glaze ingredients and brush all over the buns while they are still piping hot. Cool on a wire rack.
They are quite, quite scrummly with butter or jam or toasted with either or both!
Cheddar and Beetroot Muffins
Ingredients:
250g plain flour
1/2tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
75g strong Cheddar, grated
125g cooked beetroot, peeled and grated - the ones that come in the vacuum packs
1 egg, beaten
140ml milk
90ml sunflower oil
Method:
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan).
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl then add the cheese and beetroot and mix through.
Add all the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly making sure there are no dry bits of flour left. It's meant to be a bit lumpy so don't whizz it or beat it.
Spoon the mixture into muffin cases in a muffin tin, pretty much to the top of the case. If you haven't got muffin cases, you could line the tin with squares of baking paper but, if you're doing that, put a wee blob of butter at the bottom each recess to make the paper stick.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until risen and golden.
Grate some more cheese over the top the minute they come out of the oven and cool on a wire rack.
250g plain flour
1/2tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
75g strong Cheddar, grated
125g cooked beetroot, peeled and grated - the ones that come in the vacuum packs
1 egg, beaten
140ml milk
90ml sunflower oil
Method:
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan).
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl then add the cheese and beetroot and mix through.
Add all the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly making sure there are no dry bits of flour left. It's meant to be a bit lumpy so don't whizz it or beat it.
Spoon the mixture into muffin cases in a muffin tin, pretty much to the top of the case. If you haven't got muffin cases, you could line the tin with squares of baking paper but, if you're doing that, put a wee blob of butter at the bottom each recess to make the paper stick.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until risen and golden.
Grate some more cheese over the top the minute they come out of the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Pecorino and Spinach Muffins
Ingredients:
250g plain flour
1/2tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
75g Pecorino cheese, grated
100g frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and chopped
1 egg, beaten
140ml milk
90ml sunflower oil
Method:
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan).
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl then add the cheese and spinach and mix through.
Add all the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly making sure there are no dry bits of flour left. It's meant to be a bit lumpy so don't whizz it or beat it.
Spoon the mixture into muffin cases in a muffin tin, pretty much to the top of the case. If you haven't got muffin cases, you could line the tin with squares of baking paper but, if you're doing that, put a wee blob of butter at the bottom each recess to make the paper stick.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until risen and golden.
Grate some more cheese over the top the minute they come out of the oven and cool on a wire rack.
250g plain flour
1/2tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
75g Pecorino cheese, grated
100g frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and chopped
1 egg, beaten
140ml milk
90ml sunflower oil
Method:
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan).
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl then add the cheese and spinach and mix through.
Add all the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly making sure there are no dry bits of flour left. It's meant to be a bit lumpy so don't whizz it or beat it.
Spoon the mixture into muffin cases in a muffin tin, pretty much to the top of the case. If you haven't got muffin cases, you could line the tin with squares of baking paper but, if you're doing that, put a wee blob of butter at the bottom each recess to make the paper stick.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until risen and golden.
Grate some more cheese over the top the minute they come out of the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Double Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients:
250g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
2 tsps baking powder
pinch salt
60g caster sugar
100g dark chocolate broken into pieces - I used 74% cocoa chocolate
50g chocolate buttons - I used 35% cocoa chocolate
1 egg, beaten
250ml milk
90ml sunflowers oil
Method:
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan).
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl then add the chocolates and mix through.
Add all the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly making sure there are no dry bits of flour left. It's meant to be a bit lumpy so don't whizz it or beat it.
Spoon the mixture into muffin cases in a muffin tin, pretty much to the top of the case. If you haven't got muffin cases, you could line the tin with squares of baking paper but, if you're doing that, put a wee blob of butter at the bottom each recess to make the paper stick.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until risen and golden.
Cool on a wire rack.
You could sieve some cocoa powder or icing sugar over them if you wanted.
250g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
2 tsps baking powder
pinch salt
60g caster sugar
100g dark chocolate broken into pieces - I used 74% cocoa chocolate
50g chocolate buttons - I used 35% cocoa chocolate
1 egg, beaten
250ml milk
90ml sunflowers oil
Method:
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan).
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl then add the chocolates and mix through.
Add all the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly making sure there are no dry bits of flour left. It's meant to be a bit lumpy so don't whizz it or beat it.
Spoon the mixture into muffin cases in a muffin tin, pretty much to the top of the case. If you haven't got muffin cases, you could line the tin with squares of baking paper but, if you're doing that, put a wee blob of butter at the bottom each recess to make the paper stick.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until risen and golden.
Cool on a wire rack.
You could sieve some cocoa powder or icing sugar over them if you wanted.