St Patricks Day Soda Bread and Pistachio Cupcakes

Happy St Patricks Day! Coming from an Irish family, we celebrate in a wonderful way... with food of course! In this case, bread. 

When I think of Ireland, I think of my Grandad, potatoes, green shamrocks, Mrs Brown's Boys and Leprechauns of course. But when I think of Irish food, my bread brain always thinks of soda bread. However, other countries have there own claim on the soda bread, but its mainly associated with Ireland. 

The Plain Soda Bread I made in pastry class.

My Grandad, (aka Gramps) is your typical, stereotypical Irish man and so he has to share his memories with me constantly. He told me that his granmother (my great-great granmother) would make her soda bread with currents to make it sweet. 

When I told him that I would be publishing a soda bread, which you can add cheese to. 

He looked mortified. 

So in this recipe, you can add currents or cheese and a little paprika (Just don't tell my Gramps!)

Ingredients: (Recipe Inspired by my Gramps and My patisserie tutor Faye)

·       300g Strong Flour

·       4g bicarbonate of soda

·       15g baking powder

·       15g Sugar

·       4g Salt

·       30g Unsalted butter

·       210ml buttermilk

(Add about 75g currents or 80g of a cheese of your choice with a pinch of paprika but this is optional)

Equipment

·       Sieve

·       Bowl

·       Jug

·       Baking sheet covered with silicone paper

Great with cheese or currents baked in it.

    1.    Sieve all the dry ingredients into a bowl.

    2.    Rub the butter into the mix until it resembles breadcrumbs

    3.    Make a well in centre and add most of the buttermilk but not all of it. Only add the last part if it’s too dry.

    4.    Mix all the ingredients together to form a dough. (Add the currents or cheese at this stage)

    5.    Turn out onto the table and knead until the stickiness has gone. Mould into a round and place on a baking sheet.

    6.    Make a cross with a very sharp knife almost cutting all the way through. Dust with a little flour.

    7.    Leave to rest in a proofer for 10 minutes then put into a hot oven 230c/450f/ Gas Mark 8 then turn the oven down and finish cooking for 25 minutes.

   8.    When cooked, it should appear golden brown and sound hollow when tapped when tapped on the bottom. 

    The next recipe is not traditional, in fact when I saw it, I went: “Huh, this is erm.. different? At least it's green.”

     In fact, I didn't think it would work! But the saltiness of the pistachios contrasted with the sweetness of the icing. It is a combination that will make your tastebuds dance a little Irish jig! 

    Recipe: Pistachio Cupcakes Makes About 16 (Adapted from Cupcakes Galore by Gail Wagman)

·       150g plain flour

·       1 teaspoon baking powder

·       1 teaspoon salt

·       190g unsalted butter, softened

·       150g dark brown sugar

·       3 eggs

·       1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

·       125ml natural yogurt

·       150g salted pistachios, roughly chopped

       Recipe: Green Icing

·       20g unsalted butter, softened

·       4 tablespoons hot milk

·       220g icing sugar

·       2 drops of Peppermint flavouring

·       Green food colouring paste (I used Gooseberry Green)

·       Green sugar

·       Gold and green glitter or other decorations.

       Equipment:

·       Knife

·       Chopping board

·       Bowl x3

·       12 hole muffin tray filled with cupcake cases x2

·       Electric whisk/handheld whisk

·       Scales

·       Spoons

·       Small palette knife

1.    Preheat oven to 180c/350f/Gas Mark 4

2.    Mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

3.    Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and add vanilla. Alternately beat in the flour mixture and the yoghurt. Fold in the pistachios.

4.    Spoon batter into cupcake cases, filling about 2/3 full. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Green icing was used to top the cupcakes

5.    For the icing: Mix the butter and milk together in a large bowl. Slowly beat in the icing sugar until the icing is of a good spreading consistency. (You may need to add a little more milk depending on how runny you want your icing, but it should but thick but spreading).

6.    Add the food colouring and the peppermint flavouring, mix well and spread on cooled cupcakes. Decorate as desired. (Glitter and tried to do some shamrocks.)

Have a Happy St Patricks Day and Bake On!

The Magic of Homemade Bread

There truly is something magical about homemade bread. 
The smell, the taste, the fluffiness. The 'bread' in the supermarkets doesn't compare to the real stuff. THE GOOD STUFF!
It's almost Valentines Day and we should be writing poems about the people we love but I'll be writing about my love for homemade bread. Why people don't write love poems about bread and bakers I don't know. 

Thou art more satisfying with some butter spread upon your warm crust.

Ok it's a little creepy. It's hard to tell whether I'm hungry or horny. But I don't go around writing poems about bread. But it's been ages since I've had really amazing homemade bread. What really made me change my outlook on baking was t.v's, The Fabulous Baker Brothers. If you get the chance definitely watch it if you get the chance.  

The method that my pastry tutor swears by is the 'Richard Bertinet' method. I was a non-beliver to begin with but when the bread came out of the oven. My mouth was watering!

Homemade white bread and Focaccia bread made by me in pastry class

Basic White Bread

•        500g strong flour
•        10g fresh yeast
•        10g salt
•        350ml warm water (plus a little extra)
•        Olive oil for greasing the loaf tin

Equipment:

•        Bowl
•        Scraper
•        Sieve
•        Pastry brush
•        Loaf tin
•        Tray filled with water

1.    Pre-heat oven to Gas Mark 9/475f/250c so that is very hot. Place the tray with warm water into the oven at this stage.
2.    Sieve the flour into the bowl and rub the fresh yeast into the flour. (Make sure that the salt doesn’t make contact with the yeast.)
3.    Add the salt and warm water, once the yeast has completely rubbed in.
4.    Using your scraper, mix the dough until smooth. It may need a little more warm water just add a little bit at a time so that its sticky but not wet.
5.    Remove from the bowl and place on work-surface (without flour on the surface). Fold the bread like this. Pick it up, slap it on the surface of the table and fold it over itself and repeat until it forms a smooth lovely dough. (It looks like it's gone wrong but trust me it works)
6.    Cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place to proof for about 30 minutes.
7.    The dough should have doubled in size. Lightly scrap the dough onto a work surface and knead it a little again. And fold it to shape it to fit the loaf tin.
8.    Proof again for another 30 mins.
9.    Turn the oven down to Gas Mark 7/425f/220c and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Foccacia meaning 'hearth, place for baking' was thought to have first been made in ancient Rome and is similar to a tradtional pizza dough. It is seasoned with salt, olive oil and often Italian herbs. 
In this version, its simply done with rosemary and salt.

Homemade white bread and Focaccia bread made by me in pastry class

 Foccacia

•       500g strong flour
•        20g semolina
•        15g fresh yeast
•        10g salt
•        50g olive oil, plus extra to decorate on top and to oil the tray
•        320ml water
•        Rosemary and salt to decorate

Equipment:

•        Baking tray
•        Sieve
•        scraper
•        Bowl
•        Pastry brush
•        Tray with warm water placed in the oven.

1.    Pre-heat oven to Gas Mark 9/475f/250c so that is very hot. Place the tray with warm water into the oven at this stage.

2.    Sieve the flour into the bowl, add the semolina and rub the fresh yeast into the mixture. (Make sure that the salt doesn’t make contact with the yeast.)

3.    Add the salt, olive warm water, once the yeast has completely rubbed in.

4.    Using your scraper, mix the dough until smooth. It may need a little more warm water just add a little bit at a time so that its sticky but not wet.

5.    Remove from the bowl and place on work-surface (without flour on the surface). Fold the bread like this. Pick it up, slap it on the surface of the table and fold it over itself and repeat until it forms a smooth lovely dough.

6.    Cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place to proof for about 30 minutes.

7.    The dough should have doubled in size. Lightly scrap the dough onto an oiled tray and dimple the top using your fingers. Proof again for another 30 mins.

8.    Brush the top with a little olive oil, place some rosemary sprigs into the dimples and sprinkle some salt on top.

9.    Turn the oven down to Gas Mark 7/425f/220c and bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Homemade white bread and Focaccia bread made by me in pastry class.

Bake On!
Penny 

Genoise Sponge/ Apricot Gateaux with Chantilly Cream

Another traditional recipe which is a very good recipe for a Christmas centre piece. This cake is not for the faint hearted and wear some loose fitting trousers for this. 

Great for a Christmas Lunch Dessert

A Genoise sponge is an Italian cake and is linked to both French and Italian baking that doesn't require any leavening agents such as baking powder. Which means thats its a natural cake, no artifcial stuff in here! It is also traditional flavoured with either vanilla, almond or lemon. This is a whole egg cake which is cooked over a bain marie and whisked. The whisking is important as this is the way to make the cake light and fluffy, and of course makes the cake rise. Remember to make your stock syrup and chantilly cream to decorate (both of these recipes are below).  
Ingredients

• 5 Eggs 
• 250g Sugar 
• 250g Plain flour 
• 25g cooled melted butter
• 2 g natural vanilla essence/ 2 vanilla pods
• 200ml of stock syrup
• 120g strawberry jam
• Toasted almonds, enough to cover the sides of the cake
•   Any fruit (I used apricot but strawberries, blackberries or cherries work very well.)

Equipment 

• Sieve
• Wooden Spoon
• Bowl
• Knife
• Chopping board
• Small bowl for syrup
• Metal spoon
• Sauce pan
• Whisk/hand held electric whisk
•    Piping bag with a star nozzle
•    Pastry brush
•    Baking sheet greased with butter and flour 
•   7 inch cake ring greased with butter and flour

    1. Over a warm bain marie, whisk the eggs until it has doubled in volume. This should look yellow and frothy. Then whisk in the sugar.
2. Continue to whisk the sugar in until the mixture is pale and at the ribbon stage. (The mix should hold its shape for few seconds when dropped back into the mixture.)
3. When you remove the whisk from the bowl. DON’T BE TEMPTED TO TAP IT AGAINST THE BOWL! Very gently fold in half of the sieved flour. Gently fold in the second half of the flour and the melted butter. Pour into an 8 inch silicone line cake ring on a flat tray line silicone paper.
4. Cook at 190c/ 375f/Gas Mark 5 for 30 minutes until cooked. To check if cooked, use a small knife or a cake skewer into the centre of the sponge.
5. Leave the cake in the tin for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
6. To decorate, cut into 3 equal slices. Place the bottom layer on a cake board and brush the top with a little syrup. Spread with a layer of jam followed by a layer of chantilly cream.
7. Place the second layer of sponge on and repeat but add a layer of fruit.
8. Place the last sponge on top and brush the top with the syrup.
9. Mask the gateaux with cream with a palette knife and pipe on a rosette on each portion and garnish with fruit.
  
   Variation: Replace 50g of flour with 50g of cocoa flour to make a chocolate gateaux. Also, this recipe makes a great Yule Log cake.


 Chantilly Cream is a vanilla sweetened whipped cream named after a medieval market town in Paris. It is often used with desserts and puddings. 

   Recipe:Chantilly Cream
   Ingredients:

•    284ml/10 fl oz whipping cream
•    1 vanilla pod
•    Icing sugar to taste

     Equipment:
   ·       Sieve
   ·       Knife
   ·       Chopping board
   ·       Mixer/whisk
   ·       Bowl
    1. Place cream into a bowl. Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthways with a sharp knife and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds to cream.
    2. Whip the cream until forms soft peaks. Add the sieved icing sugar, to taste, and mix gently.

This Vanilla and Cinnamon stock syrup will be more then enough to glaze your cake and can be saved for other cakes.

Recipe: Vanilla and Cinnamon syrup 
   ·       200 ml/7 fl oz water
   ·       225g/8oz caster sugar
   ·       2 vanilla pods
   ·       1 cinnamon stick
     Equipment:
   ·       Sauce pan
   ·       Measuring jug

   1.    Place the water and caster sugar into a heavy based pan.
   2.    Add the vanilla and cinnamon and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes. 

This gateaux can be decorated with most fruit

  Bake On and Merry Christmas!
  Penny 

Cheese and Tomato Quiche

With Christmas coming just around the corner, many people are getting their baking sheets ready for Yuletide baking and forgetting the savoury treats for those that don't have a sweet tooth. 

Recently I was 'told off' for not making savoury dishes. So, luckily in my pastry class we ended up making short pastry which can be used in both sweet and savoury tarts.

This recipe is super easy and is so tasty. The custard filling can be made with onions, peppers, or whatever vegetable you like! Also if you like a little heat, try some cajun seasoning or chopping up a little chilli and mixing it into the custard (but don't go nuts with the chilli!). 

Cheese and Tomato Quiche

Recipe: Short Pastry

•        200g Soft Flour (plus extra for greasing tray)
•        50g Marg/Butter (plus extra for greasing tray)
•        50g Lard
•        50 ml water
•        Pinch of salt

Equipment:

•        Sieve
•        Wooden Spoon
•        Bowl
•        Measuring Jug
•        7 inch ring
•        Baking sheet
•        Rolling pin
•        Pastry brush
•        Ruler
•        Knife
• Baking beans
• Silicone paper

1.    Rub the fat into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs

2.    Make a well and pour in water.

3.    Mix ingredients to a smooth paste.

4.    Rest in fridge for 10-15 minutes.

5.    Warm the dough a little by rolling out the dough to 3-4 mm thick.

6.    Butter and flour the ring and tray. Don't use the silicone paper at this stage. Got that? NO PAPER!

7.    With finger push around the edges of the ring. Use a piece of dough to push it in even further.

8.    Trim the dough so that there is a little edge around the tart and let it rest in fridge for 10 minutes. You dont want to trim the tart so you have a neat edge yet. This type of pastry has a reputation of shrinking whilst cooking.  

9.    After resting put in oven at 160c/ 325f/ Gas Mark 3 for 15 mins with silicone paper and baking beans in. If the pastry is still soft it's underdone, so take the paper and beans out and let it cook for a further 5 mins in oven. It shouls be pale but dry. The dryer the better.
10. Trim the tart of any excess pastry, so that it has a nice neat edge. Do this as soon as the tart comes out of the oven because its easier to cut and cut with a serrated knife as it makes the job tons easier. 
11. Make the custard filling (see below) and fill the tart until it's almost full. Cook for 15 mins or until the top is slightly golden. When the tart comes out of the oven it should wobble a little but not liquidy or super stiff. It will set as it comes to room temperature. Thats it! Enjoy hot or cold. :D

Recipe: Savoury Custard

•        225g Milk
•        11/2 Eggs
•        100g Cheese
•        Half of a tomato
•        Pinch of salt
•        Pinch of pepper
•        Pinch of paprika

Equipment:

•        Measuring Jug
•        Fork
•        Grater
• Knife
• Chopping board

1.    Whisk the egg and milk together.
2.    Add the seasonings and mix again.
3.Chop the vegetables and grate the cheese
4.    Put the cheese and tomato into the short paste case
5.    Pour on the milk mix when near the oven to avoid spillage.

Bake On!
Penny 

Banana Honey Cake- with thanks to Louise

I've got to thank my friend Louise for inspiring this recipe, if it wasn't for her, I would have never even considered making a banana cake.
Thanks so very much Louise I loved making it :D  
This recipe also uses up stuff that's hanging around in the cupboard. 

For the cake you will need:

• 100g butter
• 6 tbsp honey
• 300g self-raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 150g sugar
• 2 ripe banana's 
• 250ml milk and 2 eggs, beaten

Equipment needed:

• 450g loaf tin
• small saucepan
• tablespoon
• sieve
• 2 large bowls
• fork
• wooden spoon
• metal spoon
• skewer/knife

1. Preheat oven to Gas Mark 4/180c/350f, and grease and line your loaf tin.



Melt butter with the honey in a small saucepan.

2. Melt butter with the honey in a small saucepan.



Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a large bowl, add the sugar and stir.



Mash the bananas, mix them with the milk and eggs, and then add the melted butter and honey.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a large bowl, add the sugar and stir.
4. Mash the bananas, mix them with the milk and eggs, and then add the melted butter and honey.
5. Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients, and fold it in with a metal spoon.
6. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into cake comes out clean.

Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into cake comes out clean.

Orange Cream Cheese Icing. 

This seriously is the most yummy icing and it really goes well with the banana cake. 

• 175g cream cheese
• 450g icing sugar
• 125g unsalted butter
• the zest of one orange

Equipment needed:

• Sift
• 2 bowls
• Hand mixer
• Knife

1. Sift the icing sugar in one of the bowls
2. Mix all the other ingredients together in the other bowl.
3. Once combined, mix the icing sugar a little at a time. 
4. Spread the icing onto the cooled banana cake. 

If you don't have the time to make the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting, then just decorate with warmed honey.

Bake On!
Penny 

Sexy Choux Pastry

There's something decadent, irresistible and just a little sexy about choux pastry. Its versatile and comes in different forms. In this post we'll be looking at  Eclairs, Choux Buns, Beignets and paris brest.

Beignets(bottom left), Paris Brest (top left), eclairs (bottom right) and choux buns (top right)

Choux (prenounced shoe) means cabbage in French, this may be because of its resemblance to the vegetable. This pastry is made with water, flour, egg and butter; it is first cooked on the stove to let the water evaporate from the pastry, the moisture is then replaced by the eggs. 

·   

        250ml of water

·       Pinch of sugar

·       Pinch of salt

·       100g Butter, margarine or oil

·       Strong Flour sieved 125g

·       4 eggs

Equipment:

·       Sieve

·       Wooden Spoon

·       Saucepan

·       Bowl

1.    Bring the water, sugar, salt and fat to the boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat.

2.    Add the sieved flour and mix in with a wooden spoon.

3.    Return to a moderate heat and stir continually until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.

4.    Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

5.    Gradually add the beaten eggs beating well. Don’t add the eggs in all at once- check the consistency as you go. The mixture may not take all the egg. It should just flow back when moved in one direction.

Choux Buns (top) and Eclairs (bottom)

The first éclair recipe translated into English appeared around 1884 and was thought that it was invented by Antonio Careem, a famous french chef. It is an oblong hollow pastry traditionally filled with cream. 

The history of the choux bun (profiterole) is unknown but is essentially a small round pastry which filled with cream. In the US its called a Cream Puff 

Recipe: Chocolate Eclairs/Choux Buns

·       125ml Choux pastry

·       ¼ litre Whipped Cream

·       25g Chocolate

Equipment:

·       Sieve

·       Wooden Spoon

·       Saucepan

·       Bowl

1.    Place the choux paste into a piping bag with a 1cm plain tube.

2.    Pipe into 8cm straight line onto a lightly greased, damped baking sheet. (To make choux buns just pipe a small circle instead of a straight line.)

3.    Bake 180c/350f/Gas Mark 4 for 20 mins.

4.    Allow to cool. Slit down one side with a sharp knife.

5.    Fill with sweetened, vanilla-flavoured whipped cream, using a piping bag and small tube.

6.    Decorate with chocolate sauce. (To make a nice professional line, put a spoon into the melted chocolate and tilt the eclair to one side and let the chocolate side along the pastry and back into the bowl.) 

Recipe: Chocolate Sauce

·       125g water

·       40g sugar

·       30g chopped chocolate

·       8g dark cocoa powder

·       4g cornflour

Equipment:

·       Wooden Spoon

·       Saucepan

·       Bowl

·       Whisk

·       Conical strainer

1.    Bring to the boil 100g of water and sugar

2.    Mix to a paste the cocoa, cornflour and 25g water

3.    Add to the boiling water and sugar and whisk until mix returns to the boil and thickens

4.    Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and pass through a conical strainer.

A Paris Brest is a dessert that was invented in 1891 to commemorate the Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race, traditionally filled with praline cream. However I used whipped cream instead. It is made in the same method as the choux buns, but is piped into a circle like a bicycle wheel and bake at 180c/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 15 mins.

A Paris Brest filled with Whipped cream

Beignets translate as 'bump' in French and is similar to the English fritter. Beignets are well known in the US, especially in New Orleans as a desert served with icing sugar. I made mine with cinnamon and sugar. 

Fry and left over choux pastry in little clumps until golden at 160c in a deep fat fryer and roll them in cinnamon and caster sugar. Easy!

Beignets (best eaten hot!)

Bake On!

Penny