SOFT WHITE BREAD BUNS

SOFT WHITE BREAD BUNS

I make these at least twice a week for the family. The trick to getting equal sized buns is to weigh the bread dough and divide the number by 10 then weigh each ball of dough, sounds quite fiddly, but its worth it I think. Before proving I like to brush the buns with a little egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds.

INGREDIENTS

- 500g Strong white bread flour
- 1tsp Salt ‘Preferably fine sea salt’
- 1tsp of Sugar
- 7g Fast Action Yeast
- 30g Unsalted Butter Cubed
- 75ml Warm Milk
- 250ml Warm Water
- Oil for greasing

THINGS YOU WILL NEED

- Clean hands
- 1 large baking tray lined or greased
- Damp tea towel
- Cling Film
- Warm place to prove the dough 
- Mixing bowl
- Scales
- Measuring jug

HOW TO:

1. Using a whisk mix together dry ingredients, the whisk helps break up any lumps in the flour. 

2. Rub the cubed butter into the dry mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

3. Mix the warm milk with the water, make sure its not too hot before adding as this will kill the yeast. It should be blood temp.

4. Add the milky liquid to the flour mixture and mix together with your hand until the dough is well combined. Bring the dough together into a ball.

5. Flour your hands and knead the dough on a clean work surface for 25 minuets ( or in a mixer with a dough hook on medium speed for 15 minuets). Will feel like for ever but the outcome is worth it! The dough should become smooth and elastic.

6. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough into the middle and cover with a damp tea towel or cling film. Set aside for 1 and half hours in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size. 

7. Knock the dough back while still in the bowl, turn out onto a lightly floured surface.

8. Separate the dough into eight parts (I usually weigh the whole thing and divide the number by 10) Roll each into a ball and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Place 2 rows of 5 dough balls snuggled together on a baking tray and flatten once again. Oil a sheet of cling film and cover the dough, place back into a warm area for an hour till they have doubled in size.

9. Preheat oven to 220C/425F/Gas7. Place a baking tray at the bottom of the oven and fill a jug with water.

10. Place buns into the oven, pour water into the baking tray that's at the bottom of the oven, this will create lots of steam and will help the buns stay soft and give a better rise. Bake for 8-10 minuets or until golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.

THE HEART SHAPED EGG

THE HEART SHAPED EGG
I came across this idea by mistake while doing some research and immediately thought I HAVE TO TRY THIS RIGHT NOW!
Apparently molding hard boiled eggs is quite popular in Japan. They mold them into all sorts of shapes.. including hello kitty! 

YOU NEED
- Hard boiled egg
- Thick hard board
- Round pen 
- 2 rubber bands

The egg is best to mold while its still warm and leave to cool before releasing it from the mold. These would look great on top of a salad, kids pack lunch or even deviled. 

ULTIMATE YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS

ULTIMATE YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS

Here at the Hamilton house hold, we have these puddings at least twice a week. The recipe is my mothers and she says the secret to getting light and fluffy puddings is to rest the batter in the fridge for a few hours or even make it the night before. Also the oil in the tin needs to be smoking hot before pouring the batter.

INGREDIENTS

- 200ml Milk
- 140g Plain Flour
- 4 Eggs
- Pinch salt & pepper
- Quarter of a tea spoon of mustard powder
- Cooking Oil

HOW TO:

1. Preheat oven to 210cFAN/230c/GAS 8. Pour a tea spoon of oil into each hole of a muffin tin or Yorkshire pudding tin.

2. Whisk flour, eggs, mustard powder, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add 200ml of milk while whisking. Pour the batter into a easy pour jug.

3. If the oven has reached temperature, open the oven door (the oil should be smoking slightly) and slide the shelf half out and pour the batter into the tin (it should sizzle). 

4. Place the tins back in the oven and leave undisturbed for 20-25 mins until the puddings have puffed up and browned. Serve immediately. You can now cool them and freeze for up to 1 month.

CHOCOLATE FONDANTS

CHOCOLATE FONDANTS 

This is one of my favorite dessert recipes to wolf down on a cold winters night. Its important to use good quality dark chocolate 60% - 70%, iv tried it with normal milk chocolate and was very sickly. 

INGREDIENTS

- 200g 70% Chocolate ‘Green & Blacks’
- Cocoa powder for dusting
- 50g melted butter for brushing
- 200g unsalted butter (room temp)
- 200g caster sugar
- 200g Plain flour
- 4 eggs and 4 yolks (room temp)

HOW TO:

1. Melt 50g of butter in a mug and brush the melted butter into the ramekins. After one coat pop them into the fridge or freezer to harden. Take out and brush another layer of butter. Add 1tps of coca powder into the ramekins, tip and turn the cocoa inside till it covers all the buttered sides.

2. Melt 200g of chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water ‘don’t let the bowl touch the water, this will make the bowl too hot and burn the chocolate’. Add 200g of butter & pinch of salt into the melting chocolate. After its all melted and smooth take off the heat and leave for 10 minuets to cool a little.

3. Whisk 4 eggs, 4 yolks and 200g of caster sugar together in a separate bowl till thick and pale. Sift 200g plain flour into the mixture and beat till all combined.

4. Slowly pour the melted chocolate into the batter while beating on a medium speed.

5. Pour the mixture into ramekins and put into the fridge for 15-20mins. You can even make them in advanced and leave in the fridge, just let them sit in room temp for 5 minuets before cooking.

6. Take ramekins out of the fridge, place onto a baking tray and whack them into the oven for 12-15mins at FAN180c/200c.Gas6.

7. Leave to cool for 5 mins before turning them out into a t-towel, then place the right way up on a plate. 

Serve with good quality vanilla ice cream :)

CHRISTMAS APPLE STRUDEL

CHRISTMAS APPLE STRUDEL 

This is a great recipe to use up any left over mince meat and apples. It’s so simple to make! 

INGREDIENTS

- 1 large cooking apple or two normal eating apples
- 3-4 tbsp of mince meat
- Half zest of an Orange
- Juice of one Lemon
- 8 Sheets of Filo Pasty
- Almond Slices
- Soft brown sugar
- 150g Unsalted butter

THINGS YOU WILL NEED

- Clean hands
- 1 large baking tray lined with parchment paper
- Mixing Spoon
- Brush
- Mixing bowl 
- Scales

HOW TO:

1. Preheat oven to 180c/160cFAN/Gas4. Melt 150g of unsalted butter in the microwave for 30 seconds.  

2. Brush each sheet of Filo pastry with butter and place on top of a lined baking tray. Once all layers have been brushed with butter set aside for now.

3. Add 3 of 4 table spoons of mince meat into a mixing bowl. Peal apple skin and chop into 1” size pieces and stur them into the mince meat.

4. Zest half an orange and squeeze 1 Lemon juice into the bowl and mix well.

5. Spread the mixture out along one edge of the top sheet of filo party. Brush the opposite edge with a little water. Starting at the edge with the mixture on, gently lift the edge of the of parchment paper under the pastry and use it to help you roll the pastry up lengthways like a Swiss roll. Once it’s all rolled up, press your strudel together gently. 

6.  Place it on a baking tray, brush the top with butter and sprinkle brown sugar and sliced almonds. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minuets or untill golden brown. Serve with Crème fraîche or good quality Vanilla Ice cream.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE OLIVE OIL CAKE

CHOCOLATE ORANGE OLIVE OIL CAKE

If you have an intolerance to gluten and your a chocoholic then this maybe thee cake for you! Its intense rich chocolateness, zingy orange and brownie like texture is highly addictive!

INGREDIENTS

- 150ml Olive Oil * or any other cooking oils
- 50g Cocoa Powder
- 125ml Boiling water
- 2tsp Vanilla Extract or 1 Pod
- 150g Ground Almonds
- 1/2tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- Pinch of salt
- 200g caster sugar or light brown muscovado sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 large orange grated zest
- 200g 70% dark chocolate bar (Gluten free)

HOW TO:

1. Preheat oven to FAN170C/160C/Gas3. Grease a 9” cake tin and line the bottom with baking parchment.

2. Sift cocoa powder into a jug and pour 4oz of boiling water, mix to make a paste. Add vanilla extract or pod and mix through. Set aside to cool a little.

3. In a bowl pour ground almonds, flour, bicarb & salt and mix with a whisk to break up any lumps.

4. Melt dark chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water.. don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. When melted set aside to cool a little.

5. Pour oil, sugar and eggs into a free standing mixer or handheld mixer, beat till thick and creamy, around 3 minuets of mixing on high speed. While the mixture is mixing, grate orange peal and add to the oil, sugar and egg mixture.

6. Turn the speed down and slowly add the melted chocolate, make sure its not too hot. Then add the cocoa paste and beat for 1 minuet.

7. Fold in the dry ingredients until well mixed.

8. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 30 to 40 minuets. Cake is very delicate so will need to be cooled for 10-15 minuets before taking out of the tin.

* perfect warm or cold with good quality vanilla ice cream :)

LET THE BAKING BEGIN!