how to make a paper hurricane cover
I think this is a really cool idea. May have to try it one day. Will post pictures if I do.
Friday, 3 September 2010
Thursday, 2 September 2010
The best Chocolate Chip Cookies
I have adapted the recipe to suit my family and I don't use the best chocolate in the world. I do try and use chocolate with a high cocoa solid content. The best thing about this recipe is it make 12 cookies, you can cook as many as you want (fresh) and then freeze the rest in their ice-cream scoop blobs, ready to get out of the freezer and straight in the oven for fresh cookies another day.
Totally Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
(adapted from Nigella Express)
Ingredients
100g milk Chocolate
25g dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa solids)
150g Self-raising flour
30g Cocoa
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
125g butter
75g light brown sugar
50g sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2 bags of chocolate chips (white, milk, dark - I use about 200g)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170C. Melt the chocolate (I do this in the microwave for about 2 mins).
- Put the flour, cocoa, bicarb and salt into a small bowl.
- Cream the butter and both sugars in a large bowl. Add the melted chocolate
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract and then mix in the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips.
- Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out equal size mounds (don't flatten) and place about 6cm apart,as they will spread as they cook, on a lined baking sheet.
- Cook for 18 minutes.
- Leave to cool slightly on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.
They taste best fresh, so don't cook them all. Cook what you need and put the rest on a tray in the freezer. When hard transfer to a bag. Cook from frozen as needed. Yummy!!!
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
Scones
Today I was watching the second 'Great British Bake' on BBC2. Paul Hollywood is one of the judges on this program and he had given the contestants the ingredients and left them to make the scones. During the program he gave useful tips on how to make a good scone (something I have never been able to do). So I thought I would have ago. This is the result.
I searched the internet for a recipe and found this one
Ingredients
500g/1lb 1oz strong bread flour, plus a little extra for rolling out
80g/3oz softened butter, plus a little extra to grease the baking tray
80g/3oz caster sugar
2 free-range eggs
5 tsp baking powder
250ml/8½fl oz milk
1 free-range egg, beaten with a little salt (for glazing)
To serve
butter
good-quality strawberry or raspberry jam
clotted cream
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan assisted)/425F/Gas 7.
2. Lightly grease a baking tray with butter and line it with baking or silicone paper (not greaseproof).
3. Put 450g/15½oz (watch out for this I put all my flour in - whoops) of the flour into a large bowl and add the butter. Rub the flour and butter together with your fingers to create a breadcrumb-like mixture.
4. Add the sugar, eggs and baking powder and use a wooden spoon to turn the mixture gently.Make sure you mix all the way down to the bottom and incorporate all of the ingredients.
5. Now add half of the milk and keep turning the mixture gently with the spoon to combine. Then add the remaining milk a little at a time and bring everything together to form a very soft, wet dough. (You may not need to add all of the milk.)
6. Sprinkle most of the remaining flour onto a clean work surface. Tip the soft dough out onto the work surface and sprinkle the rest of the flour on top. The mixture will be wet and sticky.
7. Use your hands to fold the dough in half, then turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat. By folding and turning the mixture in this way (called 'chaffing'), you incorporate the last of the flour and add air. Do this a few times until you’ve formed a smooth dough. If the mixture becomes too sticky use some extra flour to coat the mixture or your hands to make it more manageable. Be careful not to overwork your dough.
8. Next roll the dough out: sprinkle flour onto the work surface and the top of the dough, then use the rolling pin to roll up from the middle and then down from the middle. Turn the dough by 90 degrees and continue to roll until it’s about 2.5cm/1in thick. ‘Relax’ the dough slightly by lifting the edges and allowing the dough to drop back onto the work surface.
9. Using a pastry cutter, stamp out rounds from the pastry and place them onto the baking tray. Once you’ve cut 4 or 5 rounds you can re-work and re-roll the dough to make it easier to cut out the remaining rounds. Any leftover dough can be worked and rolled again, but the resulting scones won’t be as fluffy.
10. Place the scones on the baking tray and leave them to rest for a few minutes to let the baking powder work. Then use a pastry brush (or your finger if you don’t have a brush) to glaze them with the beaten egg and salt mixture. Be careful to keep the glaze on the top of the scones. (If it runs down the sides it will stop them rising evenly.)
11. Bake the scones in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes, or until the scones are risen and
golden-brown.
12. Leave the scones to cool, then split in half and add butter, jam and clotted cream to serve.
 |
| Carys said it was beautiful |
Scone Recipe
Ingredients
500g/1lb 1oz strong bread flour, plus a little extra for rolling out
80g/3oz softened butter, plus a little extra to grease the baking tray
80g/3oz caster sugar
2 free-range eggs
5 tsp baking powder
250ml/8½fl oz milk
1 free-range egg, beaten with a little salt (for glazing)
To serve
butter
good-quality strawberry or raspberry jam
clotted cream
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan assisted)/425F/Gas 7.
2. Lightly grease a baking tray with butter and line it with baking or silicone paper (not greaseproof).
3. Put 450g/15½oz (watch out for this I put all my flour in - whoops) of the flour into a large bowl and add the butter. Rub the flour and butter together with your fingers to create a breadcrumb-like mixture.
4. Add the sugar, eggs and baking powder and use a wooden spoon to turn the mixture gently.Make sure you mix all the way down to the bottom and incorporate all of the ingredients.
5. Now add half of the milk and keep turning the mixture gently with the spoon to combine. Then add the remaining milk a little at a time and bring everything together to form a very soft, wet dough. (You may not need to add all of the milk.)
6. Sprinkle most of the remaining flour onto a clean work surface. Tip the soft dough out onto the work surface and sprinkle the rest of the flour on top. The mixture will be wet and sticky.
7. Use your hands to fold the dough in half, then turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat. By folding and turning the mixture in this way (called 'chaffing'), you incorporate the last of the flour and add air. Do this a few times until you’ve formed a smooth dough. If the mixture becomes too sticky use some extra flour to coat the mixture or your hands to make it more manageable. Be careful not to overwork your dough.
8. Next roll the dough out: sprinkle flour onto the work surface and the top of the dough, then use the rolling pin to roll up from the middle and then down from the middle. Turn the dough by 90 degrees and continue to roll until it’s about 2.5cm/1in thick. ‘Relax’ the dough slightly by lifting the edges and allowing the dough to drop back onto the work surface.
9. Using a pastry cutter, stamp out rounds from the pastry and place them onto the baking tray. Once you’ve cut 4 or 5 rounds you can re-work and re-roll the dough to make it easier to cut out the remaining rounds. Any leftover dough can be worked and rolled again, but the resulting scones won’t be as fluffy.
10. Place the scones on the baking tray and leave them to rest for a few minutes to let the baking powder work. Then use a pastry brush (or your finger if you don’t have a brush) to glaze them with the beaten egg and salt mixture. Be careful to keep the glaze on the top of the scones. (If it runs down the sides it will stop them rising evenly.)
11. Bake the scones in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes, or until the scones are risen and
golden-brown.
12. Leave the scones to cool, then split in half and add butter, jam and clotted cream to serve.
Its a start
I have been pondering blogging for a while now and decided that today would be the day. As if I didn't have enough to do today. I have been watching the great british bake off http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00thy2x. Fantastic program and I recommend it to all bakers, great tips, I have learnt how to make scones today.
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