Arford Books Cooks

Easy recipes from Apple Tree

Category: Baking (Page 2 of 2)

Make your own pitta breads

09/07/2017 / / 0 Comments

You might think – for 90p a pack of six in Tesco what’s the point? But these are awesome.

  • 500gm plain flour
  • 4gm dried yeast (half a sachet)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1tsp sugar
  • Glass of warm water 40 deg C

Ideally, use a food processor. If not you may reconsider going to Tesco.

Pour the dry ingredients into the processor. Give it a whizz to aerate the flour. While the motor is running gently and slowly pour in the water. The mix will start to look like crumbs. Very gently add more water a splash at a time until the dough forms a ball. Whizz for another 40 seconds. Now take the dough out and let it rise in a warm place covered in oiled cling film or plastic bag. After about an hour when it has grown by at least 50% it is ready. Pull off a fistful of dough and roll thinly, about 4mm thick. Heat a heavy griddle or frying pan (no oil) , and cook the pittas on the dry pan turning once when the under surface has brown spots. When cooked through from both sides, keep warm in a kitchen towel while you make the rest. This mix makes about 6 large pittas.

Spiced Banana Loaf

05/02/2017 / / 0 Comments

A bid fiddly but worth it. First heat your oven to 170C. Grease a large loaf tin and line with baking parchment.

  • 3 weetabixes, crumbled
  • 100g sultanas
  • 150ml milk

Mix, then set aside.

  • 2 eggs
  • 250g light muscavado sugur

Whip to a froth (or as best you can in a mixer)

  • 120g butter, melted
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 150g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Mix into the egg and sugar froth. You can do this in a food mixer. Now stir into the weetabix mixture. Don’t use a food processor for this step or you will “loose” the sultanas.

Bake for 1-1.25 hours. Leave in the tin for at least 5 minutes after it is cooked.

Soda bread

Quick Irish Soda Bread

26/12/2016 / / 2 Comments

This makes a small loaf so it is quick, and very authentic in texture and flavour.

  • 170g self raising wholemeal flour
  • 170g plain flour
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2tsp salt
  • 290ml buttermilk  (Tesco pot size)

Mix all the dry ingredients. Add the buttermilk and knead briefly.

Heat the oven to 200C. On a flat greased oven tray, place the ball of dough. Slash a deep cross on top with a knife. Bake 30 minutes.

Here’s an alternative mix that makes two small loaves, using a different sized buttermilk pot. First turn the oven to 230C. Then mix:

  • 400g wholemeal plain flour
  • 200g plain white flour
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1 heaped tsp bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
  • 450ml buttermilk (Tesco 1 pint plastic bottle size)

Mix well together – it’s easier to mix dry ingredients first then add the buttermilk. When it’s a sticky dough, knead briefly and divide into two. Put each loaf on a floured baking tray and cut a cross on the top of each. Put in the oven, turn it down to 180C and bake for 30 minutes. Check for doneness with a tap on the bottom. It should sound hollow. Cool and eat!

cornbread

Simple Cornbread

10/11/2016 / / 0 Comments

Really good with chilli. Best eaten while still warm from the oven, it doesn’t keep well.

Heat the oven to 200C and grease and line an eight inch square cake tin.If your tin is too large, the cornbread will be thinner like in the photo above. I made a half quantity but the tin must have been bigger than half.

There are two parts to this recipe:

Mix the following dry ingredients:

  • 1 cup cornmeal (maize flour, fine polenta – same stuff)
  • 3/4 cup plain flour
  • 1 tbs caster sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt.

In another bowl mix:

  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (at a pinch use half plain yogurt half milk)
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 6 tbs melted butter

Combine the two bowls to make a batter. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Test by sticking a knife blade in the top, if no goo sticks to the knife it is ready. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes then turn it out and cut into squares. Great for sponging up chilli juices.

Alternative version without buttermilk:

  • 1 cup plain flour
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 3.5 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1-3 tbs sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 beaten egg

Mix the lot into a batter and fill a 9″ greased skillet. Cook at 200C for 25 minutes.

Scone Recipe

Best ever scone recipe from the National Trust

15/10/2016 / / 0 Comments

After much searching and much eating we have decided that the scones in the National Trust cafes are the best. Luckily for us they printed the recipe in there member’s magazine. Here it is, and foolproof. This makes 8-10 scones.

Switch your oven on, 200deg C.

  • 450g self-raising flour
  • 115g soft margarine

Whiz in a food processor or do it the hard way and rub into crumbs with your fingers. I have found a blender works well and is less faff too get out and put away (ours lives on the worktop). You may need to do this in two batches with a blender.

  • 85g caster sugar
  • 85g sultanas

Mix in, better to use a bowl because a food processor blade may shred the sultanas

  • 1 egg
  • 150ml milk

Beat your egg and add half the milk. Stir into your scone mix and make a stiff dough. If it is too crumbly add more milk.
Flour your hands and work surface and roll the mix into a large ball. Flatten with your hands to a disc 2cm thick.
Punch out scone shapes with a scone shaper-thing and place on a greased baking tray. Re-roll the off-cuts and you should get 8-10 scones out of it depending on thickness and size of your scone-thing.

  • 1 more egg, beaten

Brush the top of the scones with beaten egg if you like a nice yellow glaze. You could use milk instead but the result is not quite as crusty.
Now bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR before 15 minutes are up. They should be perfect but if you have boobed with the temperature setting they may need a couple of minutes more.
Best served warm and eaten right then, but they will keep a day or two in a sealed tin.

Vegan version: Use Stork instead of soft margarine (100% vegetable fat), lose the egg and use Alpro milk instead of the egg and milk. Brush with Alpro milk before baking. Turns out very similar but not quite as rich.

Alternative vegan version without the dried fruit:

Exactly the same process as above but use these ingredients –

  • 375g self-raising flour
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1tsp baking powder

Mix well

  • 112g vegan margarine
  • 56g caster sugar

Rub in to look like breadcrumbs or whizz in a blender/food processor

  • 1tsp vanilla extract
  • 2tbs lemon juice (= 1 lemon)
  • about 180ml soy milk

Start with less milk and add more if you need it. Roll out, punch out, brush with soy milk and cook as above.

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