Gluten free Banana Muffins

With the possibility of a potential (sense the reluctance?!) gluten-free diet ahead of me, I decided to conduct an experiment into Gluten-free baking and found this recipe (http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/36/delicious-banana-muffins.aspx) which I have adapted slightly.  A perfect recipe for my first nearly solo bake as it required hardly any vigorous mixing or activity so once my equipment had been gathered for me I did most of it myself apart from a little stirring and also putting into/getting out of the oven!

So, I substituted the flour and baking powder for gluten-free versions and added a splash or two of milk (the gluten free flour pack said it required more liquid and I thought milk was the way to go) I also added a sprinkle of cinnamon for a little extra flavour and left out the salt.  Of course you could easily just use the recipe as stated on the website but this version turned out great!

Ingredients:
200g (7 oz) plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large bananas, mashed

150g (5 oz) caster sugar

1 egg

75g (2 1/2 oz) butter, melted

1/2 tsp cinnamon

 

First thing was to mash the bananas in a bowl.  I used my Pampered Chef 'Mix 'n' Mash' (http://www.pamperedchef.co.uk/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=16578&words=mix_n_mash) which is just the weirdest thing but it works brilliantly especially for me at the moment as it requires VERY little effort!

You then mix in the butter, sugar, egg and here is where I added the cinnamon.  Then sieve in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (and salt if using) and fold in using a metal spoon.  At this point I added the splash or two of milk.  The mix is quite runny and lumpy but trust it!!

After dividing equally (using my ice cream scoop!) into cupcake cases you bake at 180 C for 25 minutes and voila!

 

I was really impressed at how they turned out and wouldn't really know they were gluten-free at all.  Not sure how long they will last but I imagine they would be perfect for breakfast!  Yum, perhaps this won't be so bad after all.......?!

 

 

Here today....SCONE tomorrow! (actually s'gone already!)

Well hello, it's been a while!
I had an operation on my back a week and a half ago at very short notice and am still out of action cooking wise!  However, we discovered a tub of clotted cream in the fridge yesterday (must have been brought round by one of the various visitors who have come with lovely things as neither me or the O.H. got it!).  What better thing to do with clotted cream than have it on a scone we thought!  So, bravely, the O.H. suggested he cook and I instruct!! Now, this would normally be a recipe for disaster in any situation but actually this time it all worked out OK!

 

 

We used a basic scone recipe from a book I've had for years.- Everyday Cookery: Baking (ISBN 1-84451-313-0)

Ingredients:
225g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
40g butter
15g caster sugar
150 ml milk plus extra for brushing
Plain flour for dusting

If you want to, you can add 50g sultanas or chocolate chips or lemon rind as a flavour but personally I think a scone should be plain!  Again, I usually omit adding salt because I use salted butter and in the past I have added up to 25g sugar for a slightly sweeter scone (any more than that and they go a bit funny!)

Step one is to sieve the flour, baking powder and salt (if using) into a bowl.  We had a slight hiccup here where the O.H. used Bicarbonate of Soda by mistake, I'm not sure if this would have worked or not so we decided to start again!

The butter should then be added in cubes.  You then rub together with finger tips or (as we did) mix in a mixer with a K beater until all the butter is incorporated and the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.  I took a picture of the before but forgot to put the after! Sorry!  But you all know what breadcrumbs look like anyway!

At this point you mix in the sugar (and other flavourings or *shuddering* raisins!).  Next you add the milk.  If using a mixer you want the beater running while you slowly add the milk stopping as soon as it starts to come together into one lump of dough.  If mixing by hand add most of the milk, bring the dough together and add more milk IF you need to.  We did not use all of the milk for this mix today.

 

It is CRUCIAL not to overwork the dough as this will leave you with a tough scone and nobody wants that!  I limit myself to 5 turns/kneads to bring it all together and form a circle of dough on a floured surface.  You then roll out the dough to about 2cm thick and cut out your rounds, placing them on a floured baking tray.

Brush each one with some milk being careful not to get any on the sides as this will stop them from rising (can't remember here I picked up that top tip but it's definitely a keeper!).  Then bake your scones in the oven at 220 c for about 12-15 minutes.  I check after 12 - they should be turning golden and sound slightly hollow when you tap them.  Cool them on a cooling rack and then enjoy!  I am not going to comment on toppings (I know this can be controversial so just go with whatever makes you happy!)

Much as I am frustrated by the amount of things I still can not do independently.....I am thinking that armchair baking may just be the way forward!!

 

 

Baked Alaska

Today's pudding to follow an awesome Sunday Roast was Baked Alaska.  Inspired by the need for something 'magical' to make at school for a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory theme, I hit upon the idea of Baked Alaska.  I have to say I was dubious as to whether it would actually work but gave it a trial anyway! 

Looking for a recipe it seems that a Baked Alaska basically consists of a layer of any kind of cake, ice cream and meringue.  Some recipes add fruit, jam or different flavoured ice cream or even add flavouring to the meringue!

I had some Jamaican Ginger Cake to use up so I formed a base in a square tin on some baking parchment to be on the safe side!  I would say if you want to serve this at the table to be extra impressive either make it on a tray with no lip or in a decent dish because serving gracefully is impossible!  I used some squashed up crumbs to fill in all the cracks so no filling could come through.

 

Next I lined a bowl with Clingfilm and filled with ice cream to shape, I wrapped the cling film over the top and put back in the freezer while I made the meringue using 3 egg whites and a pinch of salt whisked to form stiff peaks with 100g caster sugar added which was whisked until glossy.

 

Then came the construction!  I upturned the ice cream onto the cake and covered with meringue, making sure to seal the bottom! You can swirl with a fork to create some texture.

 



 You can bake straight away at 230 c for 5 minutes or you can make ahead and put the whole thing in the freezer until you're ready to bake this time for about 7-8 minutes.  Serve and eat immediately!!

We had ours with chocolate sauce made from 1oz butter melted with 10 squares of Bourneville chocolate with a squirt of salted caramel sauce added for good measure, I just microwaved it all together.



 

Proper chewy Cookies!

I found this cookie recipe when looking for inspiration for cookery lessons to teach at school.  This is a perfect recipe to make with children because it uses melted butter which makes the mixing infinitely easier! It's also a perfect recipe to make for cookies to just have available at home for those moments (you know the ones I mean!)  I have based today's baking on this recipe http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/4807/best-big--fat--chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies.aspx although (and I never thought I would say or type these words)......I find these exact quantities a little too chocolatey so have adapted slightly!

 

Before I start....this time I tried to bake a half quantity which didn't quite work as well due to the egg situation (full recipe calls for 1 egg and 1 egg yolk!) but they are still yummy!  For the post I will include the full ingredients rather than the half measures.  Also I was using up the chocolate chips I had left which included some white; these worked quite well and I think next time I will probably try milk as well to make a triple chocolate chip affair!

 

First thing to do is melt 170g  butter (I used the microwave) and add to 200g dark brown sugar and 100g caster sugar.  So often recipes ask for unsalted butter and then for you to add salt.  I have to admit I hardly ever do this, I just use salted butter and omit the salt - hasn't lead to any disasters yet!

 

This needs beating (much easier with the melted butter!  You then add 1 egg and 1 egg yolk with 1 tsp vanilla essence and beat again.  It's very satisfying to see bubbles appearing after relatively little effort!

 

Then sieve in 250g plain flour, 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda and 1/2 tsp of salt if using (only if you used unsalted butter earlier) and mix thoroughly.  Then add the chocolate chips.  If you add the full amount it is quite stiff to mix.  In this version I used 100g dark chocolate chips and 50g white chocolate chips that I had left over from something (can't for the life of me think what!)

 

Once the whole lot is combined, spoon out onto baking trays about 5-8 cm apart.  I always use an ice cream scoop as it releases easily and makes very evenly sized biscuits/cookies....I also use it for cupcakes too.

 

 

The full recipe makes about 16-20 cookies.  Even if cooking in batches I would advice measuring them all out (onto a plate if you don't have enough baking trays) because once the melted butter starts to cool the mix becomes very stiff....I learned this to my peril with the last batch!

They then need baking for 15-17 minutes at 170 c until they start to crack on top.  Try very hard not to over-bake or they will lose their chewiness!

Leave to cool on the baking tray for about 10 minutes - don't be tempted to rush this or your cookies will be 'interesting' shapes as they buckle and deform when you try to move them!  Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely and then......tuck in!  By the way I have never yet managed to resist a 'still warm' cookie but it's a bit messy!