Fat Friday #17 Autumn Strudel

Welcome to that time of the week! It's Fat Friday! This weeks recipe is a great recipe to do with a friend, as you'll need some help with the strudel pastry. Its tons of fun to stretch and play with!

Recipe: Makes 4 large or 8 small strudels

Strudel Pastry:
·       250g Plain flour, sieved
·       1 egg
·       30ml vegetable oil
·       25g melted butter, plus a little extra
·       113ml water
·       100g poppy seeds

Spiced Apples:

·       3 apples cored, peeled and cut into chunks
·       20g raisins
·       20g apricots cut into pieces
·       100g granulated sugar
·       30g water
·       A pinch of cinnamon

Equipment:
·       Chopping Board
·       Saucepan
·       Wooden Spoon
·       Measuring Jug
·       Teaspoon
·       Tablespoon
·       Timer
·       Baking sheet lined with silicone paper
·       Pastry Brush
·       Fork
·       Loaf tin lined with silicone paper
·       Knife

Apple Filling

1.Place all of the filling ingredients in a saucepan and cook until apples are cooked through and the mixture is slightly mushy.
2.Put aside in bowl to cool and place into the strudel pastry.

Strudel pastry

1.Sieve the flour into a bowl.
2.Add the egg, oil, water and butter and mix with your hands to form a dough.
3.Knead for 5 minutes until elastic.
4.Rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
5.Once rested, roll the pastry out on a floured surface until ½ inch thick.
6.Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3/ 170c/325f
7.Stretch the dough by hand until it is as thin as paper.
8.Brush the pastry with a little melted butter

9.Cut the pastry into long oblongs. Spoon in the apple filling across a little of the pastry and roll into a cracker shape.
10.Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with poppy seeds.
11.Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes

What other flavours do you like in strudel?

Traditional Doughnuts

Hello and a great big welcome to Friday! Its not just Friday however, its Fat Friday! Where stuffing your face with food is encouraged. This week we're looking at doughnuts.

These are traditional jam filled doughnuts. Which are fluffy on the inside and have a little bite on the outside, thanks to the cinnamon sugar. I've chosen raspberry but feel free to add strawberry jam, custard or pastry cream. Doughnuts are easy-ish to make, the most difficult part is the cooking process. Doughnuts have a tendency to cook quickly and will float around all over the place. Also, hot oil is dangerous so this recipe isn't recommended for children. If you feel uncomfortable with hot oil, have someone who is more confident at cooking with it.
So with the health and safety out of the way, lets bake... I mean fry!

Ingredients: Will make 10 giant sized doughnuts, or 20 medium doughnuts (Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food Website)

• 500g strong white flour, plus a little extra
• 50g caster sugar
• 40g unsalted butter, melted
• 2 free-range eggs
• 2 x 7g sachets instant yeast
• 10g/¼oz salt
• 150ml/5fl oz warm milk
• 130ml/4½fl oz water
• 1 large jar smooth raspberry jam
• 300g sugar
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• Loads of oil for frying (sunflower/vegetable)

Equipment:

• Deep fat fryer/Saucepan filled with oil
• Sieve
• Bowl
• Baking sheet x 2, one lined with flour and the other lined with sugar and cinnamon
• Disposable piping bag
• (Mixer with a dough hook attachment-Optional)
• Damp Tea-towel
• Spoon
• Slotted Spoon
• Small knife

 

1.Place all ingredients into a large bowl, holding back a 1/4 of the water and stir with your hands until a dough is formed. This will get messy, so please make sure your hands are clean.

2.Add the remaining water and knead the dough in the bowl for about 4 minutes. (Or you could mix with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook which is what I did).

3.Tip dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead well for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. (Again, I used a dough hook on a stand mixer and mix for 10 minutes.)

4.Place the dough into a clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for an hour. Make yourself a cup of tea, wash up or maybe watch a bit of TV.

5.The dough will have doubled in size. Tip the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface, and knead it a few times to knock the air out of it.

6.Divide the dough into 10/20 portions and shape each portion into a ball.

7.Place all balls onto a floured baking tray and allow to rise for an hour.

8.Preheat sunflower oil in a saucepan. Meanwhile get a baking sheet and mix the cinnamon and 300g sugar together on the tray.

9.Pop the doughnuts into the fat, cooking each side for about five minutes or until golden brown. Put around 3/4 in at a time to avoid them sticking

10. Remove the doughnuts from the oil with a slotted spoon and immediately roll into the sugared baking sheet.

11.Set aside and leave to cool.

12.When completely cold, cut into the side of the doughnut, reaching to the centre, this will be where the jam will go.

13.Spoon some smooth strawberry jam into a piping bag and pipe until full but not bursting.

What is your favourite jam filling? Want to share your Fat Friday food moment? Use the hashtag #fatfridays on Instagram and twitter.
Have a good weekend and happy baking (or frying..)!

Home-made Raspberry Pink Lemonade

In the last two days its been really hot and humid here in the UK. I was going to do some baking but I found it so stifling and after a day's work, heat can make you so lazy. Instead of cooking, I made lemonade, for the first ever time! I've never thought to make it before! It was a good opportunity and why not? 

Also, I've been super busy planning my graduation ball (party time! woo!) and my actual graduation. I'm so excited and I can't believe its finally happening!! About damn time! I'll be posting pictures on instagram and will maybe do a vain follow-up post for it :D . In the meantime, put your feet-up, relax and sip this easy to make summer drink. 

Recipe:

Makes 4 glasses  (Recipe Adapted from Peggy Porschen Boutique Baking ) 

·      100ml fresh lemon juice

·      100g caster sugar

·      500ml spring water or filter water

·      60g fresh raspberries  

·      Ice cubes

·      Lemon or lime slices

 Equipment:

·       4 glasses plus pretty straws

·       Juicer

·       Saucepan
·       Sieve

·       Spoon

·       Jug

·       Saucepan

·       Bowl

1. Place the lemon juice, sugar and water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. 
2.Simmer until all the sugar has dissolved and set aside to cool.

3. While the lemon liquid is cooling, place the raspberries into a sieve, with a bowl underneath, and pass through using a spoon. You should have a fresh raspberry juice. 

4.Add the raspberry juice to the cooled lemon liquid, mix and serve in glasses with ice and lime. Drink.  

iI'm just so in love with the colour of this. Its bright and vibrant. Perfect summer cooler drink. 
I hope you all have a great weekend in the sun! I'll see you after I graduate WOOO!!!

Making Puff Pastry

Puff pastry is one of the most unique creations of the cookery world. It consists of making layers by folding flour paste and a fat of the same texture. It can be used for a variety of dishes including sweet and savoury recipes.
What makes puff pastry distinctive is the layering of the fat and flour paste; it isn't completely combined. The fat forms a sperating layer which, when cooked, retains the steam generated by the water in the dough and produces the layer separation effect. The flour paste, which includes part of the fat, becomes crunchy and takes on a golden tone. (Practical Cookery 11th Edition).

This recipe makes around 5-8 portions. 

• 200g strong flour  (Plus extra for rolling) 
• 200g butter
• 125ml ice cold water
• Few drops of lemon juice
• A pinch of salt

Equipment:

·       Mixing bowl

·       Wooden spoon

·       Sieve

·       Rolling pin

·       Knife

·       Non-stick board

·       Cling film

1.     Sieve the flour and salt.
2.     Rub in one quarter of the butter.
3.     Make a well in the centre. 
4. 
5.     Add the water and lemon juice, and knead well into a smooth dough in the shape of a ball.
6. Relax the dough in a cool place for 30 minutes.
7. Cut a cross halfway through the dough and pull out the corners to form a star shape.
8.  Roll out the points of the star square, leaving the centre thick.
9. Knead the remaining butter to the same texture as the dough. 
10. This is very important: if the fat is too soft it will melt and ooze out, if too hard it will break through the paste when being rolled. 
11. Place the butter on the centre square, which is four times thicker the flaps.
12. Fold over the flaps.
13. Roll out to 30 x 50 cm, cover with a cloth or plastic and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes in a cool place. 
14. Roll out to 60 x 20 cm, fold both the ends to the centre and fold in half again. (This is one double turn)
15. Allow to rest in a cool place for 20 minutes.
16. Half turn the paste to the right or left.
17. Give on more double turn; allow to rest for 20 minutes.
18. Give two more double turns, allowing to rest between each. Your pastry should not have any butter sticking out of it. 
19. Allow to rest before using. 

In the next post I'll be posting some recipes that can be made using puff pastry. 

Bake On!

Penny