Baking Bo

After seeing my chum Chloe's Chelsea buns on her blog (seen here:  http://the-dodo-bakes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/paul-hollywoods-chelsea-buns.html ) I really fancied giving them a go!  Ingredients for the dough 500g strong bread flour 1 tsp salt 1 sachet of yeast 300ml milk 40g unsalted butter 1 egg For the filling melted butter zest of 1 orange 75g soft brown sugar 2 tsp cinnamon 150g dried apricots 150g sultanas For the topping 2 tbsp apricot jam a dash of water Method 1. Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle and put the yeast in there. Warm the milk and butter in a small pan and add to the flour. Then add the egg. Mix together to form a soft dough. 2. Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is soft and no longer sticky.  3. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to prove for an hour. 4. Tip the dough out and knock back. Roll out into a large rectangle. B

There is no bigger compliment, in my opinion, than being told that my blog makes people hungry. So, just wanted to say a little thank you for reading!  And now, tea cakes! I saw them on GBBO and then saw Paul & Mary make them on their masterclass show and felt like giving them a go! They were very time consuming and challenging but so so so rewarding. I didn't have the right kind of mould as I couldn't find a domed one but the rose one I found worked well and looked amazing, if I do say so myself! Ingredients for the shells 400g dark chocolate For the digestive biscuits 50g plain flour 50g plain wholemeal flour pinch of salt 1/2 tsp baking powder  25g caster sugar 25g unsalted butter, diced 2 tbsp milk For the marshmallow 3 free range egg whites 150g caster sugar 2 tbsp golden syrup 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp vanilla paste Method 1. Break up 300g of the dark chocolate and melt it over a pan of boiling water. Leave to cool and firm up slightly. 2. Meanwhile,

Recipe for this Rupenzel-inspired loaf can be find in the archive but I thought I'd post a picture of today's celebratory bread (I passed my theory driving test today!)  I watched the GBBO Masterclass this week and picked up some great tips from Mr Hollywood! If you just hold, squeeze and pull the ends of excess dough off you can make very neat ends! Magick X Bo

It's been a while but I'm here. I've been baking again! Cracking out the cosy recipes now...  Ingredients 115g unsalted butter 70g muscovado sugar 5 tbsp golden syrup 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp cinnamon  180g porridge oats Method 1. Preheat the oven to 130. Put the butter, sugar, syrup, ginger and cinnamon in a large pan. Stir with a wooden spoon over a low heat until melted. Remove from the heat then stir in the oats until thoroughly combined.  2. Tip the mixture into a greased 20cm square tin. Smooth down. (I use a potato masher to get a even top!) Bake for 25 minutes. Leave to cool, then cut into squares. Ta da!  Couldn't wait until it had cooled to have some... It's very crumbly and didn't hold it's shape at all after cutting. Maybe I should've baked it longer but it tasted lovely! More to follow today... X Bo

In honour of the GBBO final I made Madeleines! This is a Rick Stein recipe I've had for yonks! Always works! Ingredients  3 eggs 100g sugar zest of 1 lemon 100g melted butter 100g plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tbsp honey Method 1. Put the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat together until thick and mousse-like. Add the lemon zest.  2. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold in. Then add the butter and honey. Leave in the fridge for 15 minutes to thicken. 3. Prehear the oven to 150. Brush 2 madeleine trays with melted butter. Fill the moulds 3/4 full with mixture and bake for 10 minutes until risen and golden brown. Leave to cool.  Ta da! I only have 1 madeleine tray so I had to do it 2 batches so the bake was a bit uneven. They are very lemony but it's good! Took some into work and my pal & I ate a lot this evening watching the final... Was rooting for James all series but didn't mind John winning

Mary Berry's recipe. Made this for a night in with some chums. Went down very well with some Vanilla Ice Cream!  Ingredients for the pastry 250g plain flour 130g unsalted butter, chilled and diced icy water egg, to glaze For the filling 400g golden syrup 150g white breadcrumbs zest and juice of 2 lemons Method 1. To make the pastry, put the flour in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub in using your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in enough icy water to bring the ingredients together and make a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 20 minutes.  2. Cut off 150g of the chilled pastry, chill and set aside for the lattice. Roll out the rest of the pastry and line a 18cm flan tin. Prick the base of the pastry lined case with a fork. 3. To make the filling, gently warm up the syrup in a large pan until runny. Remove from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs and lemon zest and juice. Leave to cool then pour into the pastry case. 4. Preheat the oven t

Once again, I decided to make something from the GBBO cookbook. I'd seen this recipe being made on the show by Cathryn and thought it looked yummy! The result looks pretty because of the feathering technique applied to the ganache. Mine went a bit funny! Ingredients for the sponge 200g macadamia nuts 75g ground almonds 200g white chocolate 8 egg yolks 6 egg whites 180g caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla paste 2 tbsp milk For the filling 1 tbsp brandy 1 tbsp espresso powder 250g mascarpone For the ganache 170g white chocolate 100ml double cream 2 tsp brandy 1 1/2 tsp espresso powder Method 1. Preheat the oven to 160. Line the base of two loose-based 20.5cm cake tins with baking paper. Grind the macadamia nuts in a food processor, watch until they start to clump together then stop. Tin onto a baking-paper-lined plate and leave to dry out for about 5 minutes. Then add the ground almonds. 2. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water and leave to cool. Put the

Another recipe from the GBBO cookbook... They said to use flaked almonds but I didn't have any in the cupboard so I used almonds and macadamia nuts instead!  Ingredients for the base 175g plain flour pinch of salt 3 tbsp caster sugar 125g unsalted butter 1 egg york For the topping 100g unsalted butter 100g almonds 100g macadamia 3 tbsp caster sugar 2 tbsp honey 3 tbsp whipping cream Method 1. To make the base, put the flour, salt and sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and gently work into a dough.  2. Line a 20x30cm tray with baking paper. Crumble the dough into the tin and spread evenly. Flour your fingers and press the mixture down. Prick with a fork and chill for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170. Bake the shortbread base for 12 minutes until pale golden brown.  3. Melt the butter in a pan. Add the nuts, sugar and honey. Stir thoroughly and cook until bubbli

Once again, I decided to venture in to the new GBBO cook book and make something tasty out of there on my day off! This time, it was the chocolate mocha marble cake with white chocolate ganache.  Ingredients for the sponge 250g unsalted butter, softened  250g caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 4 large eggs, beaten 250g self-raising flour pinch of salt For the chocolate mixture 30g cocoa powder 2 tbsp milk For the coffee mixture 1 tbsp coffee powder            desolved in 1 tbsp boiling water Chocolate chips For the ganache 100g white chocolate 80ml whipping cream 20g butter Method 1. First, make the sponge mixture! Put the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or electric mixer until very creamy. Gradually add the sugar and then the vanilla.  2. Gradually add the eggs, one tablespoon at a time, beating well with every addition. When you're down to the last two spoonfuls, add one tablespoon of flour too. This keeps it from curdling.  3. Add