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.

Scones

No baking blog can be complete without including scones.  Plain, fruit, cherry or wheaten, everybody has a favourite. Like most things baked, scones are best served with loads of butter and jam. Or you could go with a  la di da  English tea and add clotted cream as well.  This recipe is for buttermilk scones.

Ingredients

350g self-raising flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

a good pinch of salt

2 tablespoons(or 1 if desired, I found 1 wasn't sweet enough for my taste)

85g butter

280ml buttermilk

 

Oven 200c.

 

To start off I put the dry ingredients into a bowl with the butter and rub them together lightly with my fingertips until all the lumps are gone and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

 

 

I then gradually add the buttermilk and bind all the ingredients together.

 

 

I add the fruit and lightly kneed just enough to smooth out the ingredients.

 

 

 

I don't believe in using cutters for home baking. It doesn't have to be exact circles but I do measure each piece of dough to around 120g. I form these into scones then brush a little egg onto them.

 

 

 

Into the oven.....

 

 

 

Enjoy.

 

 

Coconut Fingers

What can beat a buttered coconut finger with a cup of tea.

 The recipe for coconut fingers seems to be a hidden secret...I don't know if there is a code among Belfast bakers not to divulge secret recipes. I hope not or they might come after me. Anyway, I'm going to try an enriched dough which is a bread dough with added egg, butter and milk. It is used for things like hot cross buns and French brioche. I think I'll try it without adding sugar since there is going to be icing on the top. I am using a  Paul Hollywood recipe and method- a bit of a disclaimer there ha ha.

300ml full-fat milk, plus 2 tbsp more

50g butter

500g strong bread flour

1 tsp salt

75g caster sugar (optional because of icing)

1 tbsp sunflower oil

7g sachet fast-action or easy-blend yeast

1 egg, beaten

 

Method Used

 

I heated the milk and melted the butter into it. When back to room temperature I put the dry ingredients into a bowl  and made a well in the middle. I then gradually added the milk and butter and the egg. I brought the ingredients together into a sticky dough.

I kneaded the dough for 5 minutes until a soft smooth ball then I put into an oiled bowl and covered with cling film. This was left for about an hour until doubled in size.

 

 

 

I kneaded the dough again and leaving it to rise again.

 

 

With the second proving done I weighed out each bun at 75g.  I then shaped into fingers and laid each out on a tray lined with baking paper.  Now for one final proving.

Into the oven at 220c for about 15-20 minutes.

Looking good, texture seems right, nice and soft. Not sure if I should have added sugar but tastes good with jam.  I shall trust in the sweetness of the icing and coconut.


I mixed up some icing sugar with water until it reached a spreadable consistency and spread it on each roll.  I then scattered coconut over them.

 

 The verdict: Good. They taste very similar to bakery coconut fingers. Jury's still out on the sugar in the recipe though.

This recipe is good for people who enjoy baking or people who live away from Belfast in other countries.  If not the bakery ones are just as good.  What ever way you obtain them...enjoy.xx

 

 

 

 

 

Brownies

I'm having a love affair with these gorgeous, chocolatey little squares of delight. I try to hide them to eat myself but the delightful brownie aroma in the house always gives them away.

They are never exactly the same because I tend to put random leftover in bottom of packets type  ingredients in them, just whatever happens to be in my cupboard.

So down to business. the main recipe is:

200g dark chocolate
100g butter
250g caster sugar (brown sugar also works well)
4 eggs
1tsp vanilla
60g plain flour
60g cocoa powder

Set up a bain marie.

Basically I set a mixing bowl on a pot of boiling water ensuring the bowl is not in contact with the water. The steam then gently melts your ingredients. I prefer this method to microwaving which can easily burn your ingredients. Burnt chocolate=nasty.

Melt together chocolate and butter and gradually add sugar.

Carefully take the bowl off the pot and ensure mixture is not too warm.

Whisk in eggs and add vanilla.

Sift in the flour and cocoa powder.

Add other ingredients. Today I have a little coconut, cherries, white and dark chocolate. Nuts also work well.

The mixture will seem very wet compared to a cake mixture. This is what gives brownies the fudgy consistency.

Line a baking tray with baking paper. I don't be as fussy about this as I would be about a cake where shape is important. I tend to put the baking paper in the tray and scrunch and mould it to the sides.
Into the oven.

So here we go. Great heat up with ice cream for a dessert or just with a cup of tea.

Be nice and share. You can always bake another batch.

 

 

Oat Cookies

My daughter made these in school and said they were nice so I decided to try for myself.

50g butter
50g plain flour
125g caster sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
175g oats
125g of anything else you want.
Oven 180c

The original recipe uses cherries, I used dark chocolate. Nuts and raisins would work well too.

Cream sugar and butter
Gradually add egg
Sift in dry ingredients
Add oats
Heap spoonful's onto tray allowing for the cookies spreading
Oven 20 mins
Leave to cool

 So here's the mixture. I took the lazy route and used a mixer.  I found there was too much oats so I would put in maybe 125g next time.

 When I am putting chocolate chips into something I chop up a bar of chocolate with some chunks bigger than others. The little bags of chocolate chips you can buy are for wimps and such uniformity has no place in home baking. There's nothing better then finding a big nugget of chocolate when you bite into a cookie.

 Disaster I ran out of baking paper tut tut. I just sprinkled a layer of flour and hoped for the best.
Into the oven they go.

Yikes, giant cookies..... All different sizes..... Sizing and proportion is something I can never get right. I really need to work on this ha ha. Also they stuck.  Baking paper is essential for baking cookies.....and well everything really.  Ok next batch.

Ok I still have portioning and sticking issues but better. As long as they taste ok right?.....RIGHT?

These should come with a warning.  I found them quite addictive but yum. I think I ate about four of them in one day. Now there's none left.

Wheaten Bread

The world calls it Irish soda bread, the Irish call it...well.... soda bread. People from my little corner of Ireland call it wheaten.  Our soda bread is something entirely different. Wheaten is beautiful spread with loads of butter(if you want healthy a baking blog is not for you), and served with cheese or soup.
 
I am going to try to bake some wheaten today.
It is not my first try so this version has been modified to prevent the horror of exploding wheaten that crumbles everywhere on contact with a knife and butter.

Wheaten Bread
Oven 200C

250g wholemeal Flour
150g plain flour
60g butter
1tsp salt (a tsp is not the wee silver teaspoon widely used to stir tea it is an actual measurement of 50g)
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp caster sugar (or less if you are sweet enough)
Around 300 mls buttermilk
A little honey and oats for top(optional)

I rubbed together the butter and dry ingredients until they where the texture of breadcrumbs then started adding the butter milk(I didn't bother measuring the butter milk and poured straight from the carton.) until it formed a dough.


                                                                                                                         

 

 

 I then kneaded the dough for a minute or two.

Until it became a smooth ball which I topped with honey and oats and placed on a well floured tray.

 

 

I then baked it. I never time my baking. I probably baked for at least 30 minutes before performing a probe with a cake tester.

The end product.

Success.

Lovely with cheese or soup.