Flakemeal Biscuits

I have tried many recipes looking for the definitive oaty biscuit...I may have found it.


Ingredients
225g/8oz Porridge Oats- I use oats sold in a bag rather than in a box...I  could be wrong but I imagine boxed oats taste like cardboard

225g/8oz butter or margarine(with this amount in a recipe, butter has the better flavour)

110g/4oz  plain flour

110g/4oz  sugar

75g/3oz  coconut

Preheat oven to 180c.

Method

I am going to do this by hand rather then by mixer, sometimes its nice to do this.

 

Cream together butter and sugar with a fork.

Add the flour and bind together, first with a wooden spoon then get in there with your hands when it is less sticky.

Add the oats and coconut and knead until the mixture becomes an oaty dough ball.

Cover in cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes to solidify the butter.

 



Roll out on a well floured surface to about 1cm to 1.5 cm thick and use a cutter to cut out biscuits.

 

 

Bake on a lined baking tray at 180c for 20-25 mins until golden.



Cool on a wire rack.

 

These biscuits are delicious on their own and if it ain't broke why fix it, but being a chocoholic, I couldn't help myself......still delicious though hee hee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apple Pie

Ingredients

Pastry
350g Plain Flour
200g Butter
50g Icing Sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp water

Filling

4 large apples(if using all bramley apples. If using smaller apples add a few more)
3tbsp lemon juice
2tsp lime juice(optional)
3tbsp caster sugar
2tbsp cornflour

Preheat oven at 180c.

Make sure the butter is still cold and cut it into cubes then add to the flour and icing sugar.

Rub butter, flour and icing sugar together until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Add the egg yolks and a little of the water and start to bring together.

Gradually add more water until a smooth dough ball is formed. Don't knead too much. You may not need all the water but add a little more if too dry.
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 45 mins.

 Peel, core and cut the apples into slices or chunks. I am using 3 bramley apples and 2 cox apples.

Put into a bowl and add lemon juice, caster sugar and cornflour mix together.

Sprinkle work surface with flour and roll out 3/4 of the pastry.

Prepare a metal pie dish or cake tin by rubbing on some margarine or butter and coat in a layer of flour. I am using a nine inch cake tin, I like the pastry to be thin but a smaller tin can be used-whatever you have. Ensure the pastry fits into all corners. Any holes can be covered up with off cuts.

Put the apples in the pastry and roll out the rest of the pastry. Place on top of the pie and press the outside together, making a crimped design. Cut off the excess pastry and make two cuts at the top to let out the steam.

Bake for around for 30 minutes or until golden. And sprinkle a little sugar on top.

Serve warm with ice cream, fresh cream or custard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 







 

 

 

Muffins

Today I'm going to bake muffins with chocolate.  Other great flavour combinations I like are the classic blueberry muffin, white chocolate and raspberry,  morelli cherry and dark chocolate and chocolate and orange.

These are the easiest thing to make.

Ingredients

275g Self raising flour
1tsp baking powder
175g caster sugar
175mls milk
100mls oil(I use olive oil but sunflower or vegetable oil are fine.)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
75-100g Chopped chocolate(or whatever you like)

Oven 180c

This is enough for 10 muffin cases.


Put muffin cases into tray.

 Sieve the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.

 Whisk together the dry ingredients.

 Make a well in the dry ingredients and gradually add the liquid....

Until you have a smooth batter like mixture.

 Add your other ingredients, mine is roughly chopped chocolate.

Fill muffin cases up to about 2 thirds and bake.

Carefully move onto a wire rack straight away to avoid condensation forming making the muffin cases damp.

 

 

Enjoy!!

 

 

 

Baking Kit

Some of the baking utensils I am about to list are essential, others just make life easier. Over the last few years my collection has grown and I am not even including cake decorating utensils.  Good places to pick stuff up are online and in pound shops. I ordered stuff online as I needed it and picked stuff up randomly from shops.

Mixing Bowl

 

 

 Very important for....well....mixing stuff.  A ceramic bowl is better than an plastic bowl because plastic absorbs smells and flavours and oils.

Baking Trays

 

Your collection of trays can be as big or as small as you need.  Basics for family baking would be a small cake tin, an cupcake tin and a baking tray and maybe a loaf tin.

 

 

Sieves

 

Essential for cake mixes, sieves take lumps out of flour and add air to the mixture.

Spatulas

 

Spatulas have many uses. Good for spreading and scraping out bowls.


In baking it is essential to measure ingredients accurately:

 

 Scales

I use an electronic scale which weighs in grams or ounces.



Measuring Spoons 

 

For small amounts like a teaspoon or a tablespoon.

 

 



 

 

 Measuring Jug

 

 

For measuring liquids.

 

 





 

Palette Knife

 

Very useful for spreading and levelling icing, lifting small icing decorations, unsticking biscuits and a lot of other things.

 

 



Pastry Brush

 

For brushing pastry and scones etc. with egg or milk.

 

 

Rolling Pin

 

I use this polypropylene(pme) non stick rolling pin. Wooden rolling pins leave bits of wood in icing, absorb bacteria and are harder to clean .

 

 

 



Pastry Cutters

 



I use these when I need biscuits or scones to look uniform and pretty. Not for my own family though, we're not that refined.  These ones are good with both a crinkled edge and a straight edge.

Baking Paper

 



I use baking paper for almost everything to reduce sticking.

Stackable Cooling Racks

Needed for cooling what you've baked.  Useful when there is a lot of stuff.

Electric Mixer

 

 

The ultimate labour saving tool.  A dough hook is great for mixing bread dough if you're in a hurry.

Multi Purpose Sponge Recipe

Here is what I call a multi purpose sponge recipe which is really just victoria sponge.  I use it for a lot of my cakes, cup cakes, tray bakes and loaf cakes.  Very quick and easy.  I weigh the ingredients in ounces because it makes the amounts easier to remember. This recipe is for a small tray bake or small loaf tin.  To make more, just up the ratios: 1 egg to 2 ounces of flour, sugar and butter.

6oz self raising flour
6oz butter
6oz caster sugar
3 eggs
Whatever flavour you want like lemon or vanilla extract
Oven 180c

Some people use the all in one recipe for this which is to fire all the ingredients in a mixer and mix, but I find this way inconsistent. Sometimes the cake is fine, other times its not great so this is my way.

Cream the butter then start gradually adding the sugar until the mixture is almost white and creamy.

.
Weigh out the flour
Alternate adding a spoonful of the flour with each egg and mix.

 At this stage I add the flavour. I am going to use some lemon zest, lemon juice and coconut.

Now gradually sieve the flour into the mix. When adding the flour I like to mix by hand. The technique I use is to gently fold the mixture from the outside to the middle with a spatula, turning the bowl as I go. The trick is to avoid knocking the air out of the cake mix.

Now the cake mix ready is ready to be put into tins.

I added a little lemon icing to mine, but ran out of time so it looks a little messy.

Another variation is to add vanilla essence instead of lemon and bake as a tray bake.  For a quick and easy school dinner inspired dessert top with jam and coconut and serve with custard.