Bacon & Cheese Loaves!

May5

Yep, you heard me. BACON & CHEESE BREAD! How freaking amazing does that sound eh? Well I can assure you, it tastes as amazing as it sounds. Once again, the legendary Paul Hollywood doesn’t disappoint with another epic recipe from his How to Bake book. Here is what you will need to make 4 small loaves. (I say small loaves, one loaf will easily make 2 awesome doorstop sized sandwiches!)

400g Strong White Bread Flour
100g Strong Wholemeal Bread Flour
10g Salt
10g Fast Action Yeast
30g Unsalted Butter, softened
330ml Cool Water
8 rashers Smoked Back Bacon, fat removed*
150g Strong Cheddar Cheese
Olive Oil

* (Yes I know, it’s practically a crime to take out the best bit of the bacon but just do it! It won’t work as well if you leave the fat on as it gets a second cooking when you bake the bread. So if you do, you’ll pretty much cremate the bacon, NOT COOL!)

Right, down to business!

Tip both flours into a big mixing bowl and add the salt to one side & the yeast to the other. Make a well in the centre and add in the butter & 3 quarters of the water.

Get your hands in and mix it all up, keep adding more water until you have picked up all the loose ingredients from the bowl & formed a rough dough. You might not need all the water or you might need more – aim for a soft dough but not soggy.

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead well for a good 10-15 minutes or until you can stretch the dough quite far without it breaking.

When the dough is ready, place in a large, lightly oiled bowl – cover with cling film and allow to double in size for at least an hour. If it goes past this point by an hour or two though, it doesn’t matter.

Whilst the dough is proving, get the filling ready. Cook the bacon, either in the oven or a frying pan, and chop into pieces. Next, grate the cheese.

When the dough has risen to at least double it’s size, throw the bacon and cheese on top of it and incorporate by kneading lightly in the bowl.

Then tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until all the bacon & cheese is fully incorporated – any pieces of bacon that come out, simply push back in.

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions & shape into ovals by doing the following.

1. Flatten each piece into a rectangle using your knuckles (image 1)

2. Fold the sides over each other (image 2)

3. Repeat steps 1 & 2

4. Roll them up, a bit like a baguette. Turn seam side down & point the ends.

5. Dust the tops with flour & slash the tops deeply (image 3)

Having two loaves to a tray, put each tray either into a clean plastic bag or loosely cover with cling film. Leave to prove again for 1 hour or until when poked lightly, the dough springs back quickly.

Preheat your oven to 220°C/Fan 210°C.

When the loaves are ready, drizzle with some olive oil and pop in the oven for about 20 minutes until they are all a lovely golden brown colour.

Just look at it, isn’t it beautiful? I can’t imagine that I could ever make bread in my kitchen that is better than this. I may as well give up now! Well, I won’t obviously – but you know what I mean!

I have had this for my packed lunch at work. Naturally, slicing the bread like the picture above makes really small slices, so I overcame this problem by using half a loaf and slicing horizontally to make a sort of doorstop sandwich. It was amazing! And very filling too, so a great lunch to see me through the rest of the day until tea time.

If you were toying with the idea of getting into bread making, you should give this one a go. It will totally convert you I promise!

Well, until next time my lovelies.

Miss KitchenMason

Sesame Seed Bagels

Apr14

Continuing my quest to explore the world of bread, I stumbled upon a recipe for bagels in my copy of the Bread Revolution cook book. It’s never even crossed my mind to make these but then I do love a good bagel for lunch! So here is what you will need to make 9 bagels.

500g Strong White Bread Flour
10g Fine Sea Salt
7g Fast Action Yeast
250ml Cold Water
45g Honey
Sesame Seeds

In a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, mix together the flour and salt. Then add in the yeast & mix again. Make a well in the centre and add in the water and the honey. Mix on low for a minute or two until the dough comes together then mix on medium for about 5 minutes or until you can stretch the dough quite far without it breaking. It should still be quite firm though.

If you are doing it by hand simply knead for about 10 minutes or until the same result is achieved.

Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to double in size – this should take about an hour.

When the dough has doubled in size, knock it back on a clean work surface. (in 90° turns, fold the outside edge inwards until all the air bubbles are popped.)

Divide the dough into 9 equal portions. I found it easier to weigh them rather than second guessing!

Roll each piece into small tight balls and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Flour a baking sheet and leave to one side. Flatten each ball with the palm of your hand then carefully tear a hole through the middle and widen each one, still keeping the circular shape. Dust with flour and place on the baking sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to prove again for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, get a large roasting tray and half fill it with water. Bring it to the boil on the hob then reduce to a simmer. Also, preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 190°C.

In two batches (depending on the size of your roasting tray, maybe more) carefully drop the bagels into the simmering water leaving enough room for them to spread slightly. Cook for 2 minutes on each side.

Then place them on a baking tray lined with baking/parchment paper. Whilst they’re still still wet, top with the sesame seeds (if using.) Place them straight into the preheated oven for about 15 minutes until they are a deep golden colour.

Repeat the process with the remaining bagels.

You could easily change the flavour of the bagels by either leaving them plain instead of using sesame seeds, or you could top them with onion seeds, poppy seeds or even some sea salt. They are easily adapted to anyone’s tastes and obviously you can fill them with anything you like!

I thoroughly enjoyed baking these and I honestly think I will make them again.

Hope you enjoyed this week’s post my lovelies.

Miss KitchenMason

Split Tin Loaf

Mar31

Ever since Christmas & my Birthday in January – I have had an abundance of recipe books that I’ve been dying to get stuck into. In particular, I really want to get into making more breads. So! I dug out a fantastic book called Bread Revolution which boasts tons of lovely bread recipes. This is the first time I have used it but will definitely be using it again as the step by step features & helpful hints the whole way through are just great!

Here is what you will need to make an 800g (2lb) split tin loaf.

500g Strong White Bread Flour
10g Salt
10g Fast Action Yeast
300ml Cold Water
5tsp Olive Oil
Milk (for glazing)

Special Equipment

2lb (800g) Loaf Tin

In a large bowl, add the flour & the salt. Mix together then add in the yeast and mix again. Make a well in the centre and add in the olive oil and 3 quarters of the water.

Note: Using cold water will lengthen the proving process but this actually makes the flavour ten times better!

Mix the ingredients until they start to come together – add more water if you need to. To be honest, the wetter the dough the better. Just don’t add loads of water as you don’t want it seriously sticky.

Lightly oil your work surface & place on the dough. Yes oil – NOT flour. Flour will incorporate itself into the dough which will ruin the balance of ingredients. Oil will simply stop it from sticking.

In 90° turns – fold the outside edges inwards. Coating the dough in oil. Then knead well for a good 10-15 minutes. The dough should end up being soft, stretchy and smooth. When you can stretch the dough quite far & thin without it tearing – it’s ready. Roll into a ball and place in a lightly oiled large bowl.

Cover with either a damp tea towel or greased cling film and leave to prove until at least doubled in size. (Approx 1-2 hours.)

When the dough has risen – take out the bowl and place on a clean work surface. No need to flour or oil the surface as the dough should not be sticky at this point.

Now you need to knock back the dough. Simply punch the dough down and then fold the outside edges into the middle to remove all the air pockets that were created during proving.

Turn the dough ball upside down (so the folds are tucked underneath) and now you are ready for shaping.

Flatten the dough into a rectangle then fold the sides in and seal by pressing with your knuckles. Then bring the top and bottom into the middle (like an envelope) and seal again. Flip the dough over and place into a lightly oiled loaf tin. (I used a stone pan so floured instead of oiled.)

Loosely cover again with a tea towel or greased cling film and leave to rise to about two thirds it’s original size. (About an hour.)

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250°C/Fan 230°C and place a roasting tin at the bottom of the oven.

Once the bread has risen to the right size, brush the top with some milk and cut a line running straight through the middle of the loaf. Try not to cut as deep as I did though lol – I got a bit carried away!

Place the loaf into the oven and throw either a handful of ice cubes or a glass of cold water into the hot roasting tray and quickly shut the door. This will create steam which will help to get a better rise from your bread.

After 10 minutes – reduce the temperature to 230°C/Fan 210°C and open the oven to let out the steam.

Bake for a further 15- 20 minutes.

Once the loaf is cooked & you have a gloriously golden crust – remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before attempting to slice. I know it’s hard but it will be worth it!

If you want your crust to stay crispy – store the loaf in paper. If you prefer your crust to go softer – store in plastic. (Either a bag or tub.)

I absolutely adore home made bread. Even bad home made bread is a million times tastier than shop bought! And there’s something so satisfying about knowing that you have created something so gorgeous from next to nothing with your bear hands.

I hope you enjoyed the post my lovelies!

Until we meet again

Miss KitchenMason

Tortilla Wraps

Mar17

This week I wanted to have a bash at something completely different to anything I have ever attempted before. Me and the Mr both fancied burritos for dinner so I thought, why not try and make my own tortilla wraps??

So here it is! How to create your very own home made tortilla wraps. Makes about 14-16 7″ wraps. (approx)

(Recipe taken from the legendary Mr Paul Hollywood’s How to Bake book.)

500g Strong White Bread Flour
10g Salt
30g Caster Sugar
10g Instant Fast Action Yeast
30g Unsalted Butter, softened
320ml Cool Water
Vegetable Oil (for cooking)

Sift the flour into a large bowl. Add the salt & sugar on one side and the yeast on the opposite side. (This is because salt can kill yeast so you should never directly mix the two.)

Add in the softened butter then make a well in the centre. Pour in about 3 quarters of the water.

Mix roughly with your hand and gradually add in a little of the remaining water at a time until you have picked up all the flour from the bowl. You don’t want a wet dough though- just a soft dough.

Note: you may not need all the water/you might need to add a little more, use your judgment.

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 10-15 minutes until you have a soft and supple dough. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the ball of dough inside. Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for at least an hour until it has doubled in size. (It doesn’t matter if it’s 2-3 hours though.)

Now you need to “knock back” the dough to remove any air bubbles that are trapped inside. Do this by repeatedly turning and folding the dough in on itself. Now you need to divide the dough into 60g pieces. You could do it by eye but honestly – it’s just easier to weigh it. This way you can be sure they will all cook in a similar time too.

Roll each piece into a small ball then, using a rolling pin, flatten each one out to about 7″ in diameter. (Don’t stack them on top of each other or they will stick.) I found it easier to do them in batches of 5. Rolling them, cooking them and then moving onto the next batch.

Heat either a frying pan or a crepe pan over a medium heat then add 1 tsp of vegetable oil. Set your timer for 3 minutes and start it as soon as your wrap hits the pan. When the oil starts to smoke – lay on a tortilla wrap.

The wrap will bubble up but don’t be tempted to pop it – just leave it as it is. When your time gets down to about 1 minute – flip it over.

When the timer is finished – remove from the pan and place on a plate. Stack each one on top of each other as this will help to stop them from drying out.

And there you have it ladies and gents! Your very own home made tortilla wraps to do with as you please. You can either use them within 24 hours or layer with cling film/parchment paper and store in the freezer. (Don’t freeze without layering otherwise they will all stick together and are impossible to separate!)

I must say I thoroughly enjoyed baking these little beauties. Me and the Mr both love wraps and eat them frequently with salads, packed lunches & Mexican dishes. I’m really quite proud of how they turned out!

I Hope you all enjoyed the post – next time I’ll share a recipe for burritos so you can use some of your lovely home made tortilla wraps : )

Miss KitchenMason

American Pancakes!

Feb10

It’s pancake day on Tuesday!! Last year I shared a traditional English Pancake Recipe with you all. This year, I thought I would change it up and go for American pancakes.

They’re easy to make and you can literally top them with anything that takes your fancy. Bananas and maple syrup, raspberries, blueberries & yoghurt, golden syrup and icing sugar, peanut butter syrup… the list goes on. I myself, for some reason, always seem to prefer the savoury option. (Smothered in bacon and eggs- a stupendously indulgent breakfast!)

So today I’m going to share a simple recipe for plain American Pancakes that allows you to make them both sweet or savoury.

Here is what you will need to make about 6-8 10cm pancakes (makes 2x decent sized stacks):

1 Egg
75ml Milk
1 knob of Butter, Melted
75g Plain Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tbsp Caster Sugar (I prefer golden caster)
Pinch of Salt
Toppings of your choice!

Firstly, pop the milk and the egg in a bowl and whisk until it is really foamy – then add in the melted butter. (This will stop you from having to grease your frying pan later – less messy, less greasy, more healthy!)

In a separate bowl, sift in the flour and baking powder then add in the caster sugar & the salt.

Pour over the milk mixture and whisk furiously until it’s smooth and lump free. Transfer the batter to a jug to make it easier to pour into the pan.

Heat a good quality non stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Don’t be impatient here – the pan needs to be hot before you add the batter or it won’t work properly.

Carefully pour circles of the batter into the hot pan so they spread to about 10cm in diameter. (Don’t overcrowd the pan but you can cook 2-3 at once depending on the size.)

As soon as the batter starts to bubble on the top – flip them over. Don’t try and do it before this happens or you will land yourself in a bit of a kerfuffle. (Speaking from experience!)

They will only need about another minute until they’re cooked – keep an eye on them. They should end up a deeply delicious golden colour.

When they are cooked – you can wrap them in foil and pop into the oven to keep warm whilst you cook the rest of the batter and sort your toppings.

Stack the pancakes on a plate with your favourite toppings and devour immediately!!

I absolutely love treating myself and the Mr to this for breakfast – it’s one of my all time favourites. But then again, weekend breakfasts are my favourite meal EVER! If I could get away with eating breakfast for my 3 meals a day I’m sure I probably would.

Hope you all have fun tossing your pancakes on Tuesday!

Until next time.

Miss KitchenMason

Stromboli!

Jan27

Ladies and gentlemen… gather round for possibly the best ever spin on the much loved classic pizza. Put your hands together… for Stromboli!! (Cheers, applause & general excitedness fills the room!)

I give the credit for this one to the Mr – he stumbled upon the idea and dropped massive hints for me to give it a go. And I’m bloody glad he did! (Inspiration came from the wonderful Beyond Kimchee blog)

Here is what you will need to make one large Stromboli.

For the Dough

340g Plain Flour
3 tsp Fast Action Yeast
1.5 tsp Sugar
3tsp Salt
225ml Luke Warm Water

NOTE – you could also use ready made dough or a dough mix from the supermarket.

For the Filling

Pack of Mozzarella Slices
Pack of Salami
Pack of Ham
Fresh Basil

To Top

Olive Oil
Dried Herbes de Provence OR Dried Oregano
Sea Salt

First, sift the flour into a large bowl (or stand mixer with dough hooks attached) and add the yeast, sugar and salt. (Don’t put the salt directly onto the yeast as it can kill it.) Then give it a quick mix. Add in the warm water and mix together until a dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes until the dough is soft and pliable.

If you are using a stand mixer – mix on low until a dough forms then increase the speed to medium and mix for about 4-5 minutes until the dough is soft and pliable.

Place the dough into a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with either cling film or a damp tea towel then leave to prove for about an hour in a draft free place.

When the dough is doubled in size – transfer to a lightly floured surface & preheat your oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C.

Then roll out into a large rectangle – bear in mind the tray that you will be baking it on when you are rolling it out.

At this point, I find it makes it easier to score two lines down the middle of the dough. (Either side of where the filling will be going.) I think it helps when you cut out the lattice strands next.

Cut out even strands either side of where the filling is going.

Next, layer on the meats and mozzarella. I always go alternate – e.g. Ham, cheese, salami, cheese, ham, cheese, salami, cheese etc…

Top with basil and some freshly ground black pepper.

Now to shape the lattice. Fold the top of the dough over the filling and fold in the two strands and cross them over each other.

Continue the lattice by folding in alternate strands, left, right, left, right etc until you get near the end.

Then when you get towards the bottom, do as you did at the start by folding up the end piece over the filling and crossing in the strands. Then finish off by folding the last 4 strands as you have been doing the whole way down and tuck the last two under the end. Press to seal so they don’t pop up during baking.

Now brush the top with olive oil & sprinkle with herbes de provence (or oregano) and a little sea salt.

Now I know I’ve put baking paper onto my tray but I would actually recommend just using a good, non stick tray and placing the stromboli directly onto it – it should help give a crispy bottom as opposed to a potentially soggy bottom. (Sorry Mary Berry!)

Pop into the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Turn halfway to get an even bake. It is ready when the dough is crispy & golden and the cheese has melted.

Cut into finger slices and serve with your dip of choice.

This is now probably one of my favourite recipes! It’s simple to make, absolutely delicious and always goes down well with friends/family. AND you can always change it up by messing with the fillings. Maybe try a bit of chorizo, some slices of fresh tomato or even sliced cooked sausages! You could really play about with this recipe – it’s so versatile!

Hope you enjoyed the post guys n gals.

Until next time!

Miss KitchenMason

Inside Out Grilled Cheese & Bacon Sandwich!

Jan7

Last Saturday was my 26th Birthday – as a result, this post has been slightly delayed due to a massive hangover! (As was expected to be honest.) I have literally had the best Birthday I have had in ages though. Being totally spoilt by the Mr & partying with friends & family – I couldn’t have wished for a better Birthday. So a MASSIVE shout out to everyone who came to celebrate with me – I had a blast – thank you!

So! Back to the munch. This little beaut is an awesome breakfast, brunch, lunch or snack. I know I said “grilled” but it’s actually fried. It derived from America and they always seem have different terminology to us Brits! To be honest though – anything with bacon and melted cheese in it is going to be freakin’ awesome!

What you will need to make 3 Sandwiches

6 Large slices of White Bread
3 tbsp Butter
approx 200g Cheddar Cheese grated
6 Slices of Bacon

First you need to cook your bacon. I have recently found a great, mess free way of cooking bacon that still gives the perfect crispy edges. Cover a baking sheet with foil and lay the strips of bacon on it. Place into a COLD oven and then turn up to 200°C/Fan 180°C. It should take about 20 minutes for the fat to render and go crispy. Turn halfway to make sure both sides cook evenly. I also fin that tipping out the juices halfway helps. When cooked, leave to one side. And this way – you won’t even need to wash the baking sheet – see, mess free!!

Ok, next up, melt a tablespoon of butter in a large non stick frying pan. When the butter starts to froth, lay in two slices of white bread.

Whilst the bread is still in the pan – take some grated cheese and spread it across one slice then top with 2 slices of bacon.

Using a spatula, place the other slice of bread on top to make a sandwich. Press down firmly with the spatula to bond it all together.

Now sprinkle some more cheese on top of the sandwich and press it in.

… Then in one quick motion using the spatula – flip the sandwich over. (It’s not as tricky as it sounds – the butter should help the cheese stick quite well.)

Now after a minute or so – gently start to lift the edges of the sandwich with your spatula.. When the whole sandwich moves – you should be able to hear if the cheese has gone crispy. In which case – sprinkle some cheese on the top and flip again. Fry until the cheese is crispy.

When the cheese is crispy on both sides of the sandwich and the cheese in the middle has melted – remove from the pan, slice the sandwich in half and devour without hesitation!!

I know it’s not healthy and I know it’s not nutritional But just look a that cheesy bacony goodness! I mean seriously, it’s so bloody delicious I could have eaten another two! It did turn out to be part of a great hangover cure though – one I have made before and will definitely make again.

I hope you enjoyed the post guys n gals!

Until next time – au revoir.

Miss KitchenMason

Mine & Dad’s “Posh Nosh” Dinner!

Dec30

Every now and then, me and my Dad get together and plan a fancy 3 course dinner for us, the Mr & my Mum. (Our first ever attempt at this can be found on the My Food Story page.)

This time around we decided on the following menu.

Starter

Lettuce Soup with Home Made Bread

Main

Chicken with Wild Mushroom Risotto on a bed of Greens

Dessert

Vanilla & Dark Rum Panna Cotta with Mangoes & Lychees

To be completely honest, it would take you hours to read if I shared all the recipes with you! So below are the recipes for the starter and dessert. If you would like the recipe for the main course – treat yourself to the fabulous John Campbell’s book – Formulas for Flavour: How to Cook Restaurant Dishes at Home. Having attained Michelin Stars left right & centre throughout his career – believe me he knows what he is talking about! I can honestly say that I have never cooked anything in my kitchen more tasty than the recipes I have tried from his book. And I’m sure my Dad will agree!

STARTER

Anyway! Enough of my babbling – here is what you will need to make enough Lettuce Soup for 4 people. (Recipe is from Michel Roux Jr’s Cooking with The Master Chef.)

100g Dark Outer Lettuce Leaves (I used little gem)
1tbsp Butter
300g Potatoes Peeled & Diced
200g Ripe Tomatoes Quartered
1.4 Litres of Boiling Water
Salt & Pepper

To Decorate:

8 x thin strips of Lettuce leaves (2 per serving)
1 x Ripe Tomato Seeds Removed & Diced
Crème Fraîche

My word of advice with this is don’t skip on the decoration! The crème fraîche really adds to the flavour, the lettuce adds a surprisingly lovely crunch and the tomatoes add a delicious sweetness. I think it would be a little bland without them.

First up, slice the very bottoms of the lettuce leaves off (the parts that tend to be a little brown near the root) and tear the rest into smallish pieces. Melt the butter in a large pan and sweat the leaves for a few minutes.

Add the diced potatoes & the quartered tomatoes and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add in the boiling water, bring to the boil then gently simmer for about 20 minutes. Or until the potatoes are cooked.

Season to taste with salt & pepper then blend until smooth in a food processor or with a hand blender.

Pass through a fine sieve if you like. (I did as it gets rid of the tomato seeds)

Serve hot or cold and decorate each serving with 2 slices of little gem, a good dollop of crème fraîche and some diced tomatoes.

As simple and boring as “Lettuce Soup” sounds, it’s actually quite delicious! It’s a very easy starter to make and very light too – so great if you have quite a heavy/rich main course like we did.

MAIN COURSE

A little bit about the main course before we move onto the dessert. There are so many components to this dish but each one adds a beautiful delicate flavour that just couldn’t be replaced! It is chicken with spinach/lemon butter smeared under the skin then stuffed with garlic, lemon & thyme. Teamed up with a risotto comprising of wine, mixed wild mushrooms, parmesan and chives. All this is laid on a bed of asparagus spears, cabbage & confit onions and topped with a leek cream & a truffle dressing.

Granted – me and my Dad are a bit pants at restaurant presentation but to be honest, it tasted so good that neither of us really cared haha! If you ever want a go at cooking restaurant style dishes at home then I strongly recommend getting the book mentioned above. I have never been disappointed with a recipe I’ve made from it and with what you learn from each process/component – I find myself applying to lots of other things I make in my kitchen!

DESSERT

This is a dessert I have been wanting to try for quite some time. Panna Cotta is a dessert that is reasonably small, light and lovely after a rich main course. I spied this recipe on the Michel Roux Jr iPhone App and thought with the fresh fruits it sounded delightfully refreshing! So here is what you will need to serve 4 people.

1.5 Leaves of Gelatine
300ml Double Cream
1 Vanilla Pod
50g Castor Sugar
1 tbsp Dark Rum
1 Ripe Mango
12 Lychees (Preferably fresh)
2 tbsp Cane Syrup
1 Lime (Zest of half/Juice of 1)
6 Basil Leaves
6 Mint Leaves

Equipment

4 x Ramekins/Moulds or Glasses approx 5cm diameter x 4cm tall

Soften the gelatine leaves in iced cold water then gently squeeze out the excess water.

Quickly bring the cream, vanilla pod (split with the seeds scraped) and castor sugar to the boil – make sure to stir so it doesn’t burn on the bottom.

Immediately remove from the heat and stir in both the gelatine and the rum.

Leave to one side to cool – stir occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. When cold (but not set) pour equal portions into each glass then place in the fridge to set for about 6 hours.

For the fruit – peel and stone the mango and lychees then cut into cubes. Place them in a bowl along with the cane syrup, zest of half a lime & the juice of 1 lime.

When you are ready to serve – put the moulds in hot water for bout 5 seconds then carefully run a knife around to release them.

Thinly slice the basil & mint.

Lastly, Surround the panna cotta in the fruits and scatter with the basil and mint. If you like, drizzle some of the fruit juices over the top.

I’ll be honest there were several things that worried me about this recipe. Firstly- the rum. I’m not a fan of boozy puds but actually – it was a very subtle undertone that worked really well with the zesty fruits! Pleasantly surprised. Secondly, whether the panna cotta would actually set. I have seen it happen on numerous cooking competition programmes where it has not set properly and just looks like a blob of mess on the plate! The proportions of liquid to gelatine seemed to work just right with this recipe though so I was chuffed about that! And Thirdly – the idea of putting basil on a pudding. This terrified me more than anything else to be honest. My mind just couldn’t grasp the idea of using what is usually a savoury herb with a sweet dessert. Biggest surprise on the whole thing!! You could actually smell that it was going to be good when you were slicing the basil together with the mint. I don’t know why or how it works but it just… does! All in all I was incredibly surprised how much I enjoyed this dessert – as did my Dad and guests. Win!

I always throughly enjoy cooking with my Dad so a big shout out to him! Couldn’t have done it without you : )

BUT – I do need to say a HUGE thank you to my Mum and the Mr who nominated themselves to wash all the pots and clear the mess that me and my Dad created! (And I don’t mind telling you that it was bad… I mean really bad!)

Anyway my lovelies, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and I wish you all the very best for the New Year!

Miss KitchenMason

Cheese & Mustard Scones

Dec23

Are you struggling to think of ideas for your festive party buffet? You’ve looked through all the Christmas Recipes, you’ve got the Mince Pies & the cheese board – but what’s missing? Cheese & mustard scones!

I recently acquired the Baking Mad “British Baking in 2012″ book. It has all sorts of lovely recipes including peanut butter cookies, raspberry ripple ice cream and even a recipe for cupcakes. Although, I saw this enticing savoury recipe and knew I had to try it! Here is what you will need to make about 12.

225g Plain Flour, seived
1 tbsp Baking Powder
50g Unsalted Butter, cold & cubed
1 tbsp Fresh Thyme Leaves
1/2 tsp English Mustard Powder
50g Extra Mature Cheddar, grated
25g Parmesan, grated
2 Eggs
3 tbsp Buttermilk, plus extra to glaze
Salt & Pepper

Preheat your oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C.

Sieve the flour & baking powder into a large bowl or food processor. Either rub the butter into the flour by hand or pulse in the processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Try not to over mix.

Add the thyme, mustard powder, cheddar, three quarters of the parmesan and a little salt and pepper. Mix briefly.

Beat the eggs into a jug and add in the buttermilk. Mix lightly then pour into the flour in thirds – mix gently until a dough is formed.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured worktop and roll to a thickness of about 2cm. Use a 5cm diameter round cutter to cut out the scones and place them onto a baking sheet.

Brush each scone with a little buttermilk and top with a sprinkling of the remaining parmesan and a little black pepper.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until risen and golden.

And that’s it!! It really is as easy as that. I think the only thing I would change is the quantity of mustard powder – I would make it 1 tsp instead of half just to give them a little extra kick.

I hope you are all ready and raring for Christmas Day – I know I am!

I have been busy baking lots of Christmas gifts for the family – I am bursting to share them with you all but I know they read my blog and I don’t want to ruin the surprises!

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas – and I hope you have all been good this year so Santa brings you what you want!

Miss KitchenMason

White Cob Loaf

Nov25

To be completely honest – I have always been pretty pants at baking bread. But ever since this year’s Great British Bake Off show I’ve been determined to get better at it! So I thought I would have a crack at the legendary Paul Hollywood’s simple white bread recipe. I was so pleased with the results that I have made it several times since!

Here is what you will need to make 1 large loaf.

500g Strong White Bread Flour
40g Butter, softened
12g (2 sachets) Dried Fast Action Yeast
300ml Warm Water

Before you have a go at this recipe – I highly recommend that you go and watch the video at the top of this linked page first. It’s a step by step with Paul Hollywood himself and he gives you bundles of tips along the way!

So first up, sift the flour into a large bowl then add in the butter. Add the yeast on one side and the salt on the opposite. (Salt can kill yeast so you want to keep them separate.)

Mix the ingredients briefly then add in half the water. Next, get your hands in and give it a good swirl- keep adding the water until you have picked up all the flour from the bowl. (You may not use all the water – you may need more.) Then scrunch the dough in your hands until it forms one big lump.

Tip out the dough onto an oiled surface. (Don’t use flour as it will affect the consistency of the dough.) Now for the therapeutic part – kneading. I have never really found a good technique until now. If you skip to about 1 minute into the video I linked at the top – Paul shows you the technique he uses. I tried it with this bread and it worked brilliantly!

So knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic (at least 8-10 minutes) then shape into a ball and place back into the bowl. Cover with either a damp tea towel or lightly oiled cling film and leave in warm place to double in size. This will take approx 1 hour.

Top Tip! If you’re using cling film – I find that if you get a marker pen and draw a line on it to show the size the dough started at – you’ll be able to tell when it has doubled far easier than judging by eye.

When the dough has doubled in size – tip it out onto a lightly floured surface. (Using flour is ok now as you’re not going to incorporate it into the dough.) Then knock out the air by using the same kneading technique you used earlier. When there are no air bubbles left in the dough, shape it into whatever shape you like (I opted to stick with Paul’s cob shape) and place onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Remember it will rise/spread so make sure the tray is big enough.

DO NOT use grease proof paper as it will stick! The last thing you want is to be peeling paper from the bottom of the bread you spent hours preparing!

Cover with a tea towel and leave to double in size again in a warm place. Once again, it should take about 1 hour. About 40 minutes in – preheat your oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C and place a roasting tin half filled with cold water into the bottom.

When the dough is ready – carefully dust the top with flour and cut slices into the top. No more than 1cm deep.

When the oven is preheated – put the bread (still on it’s tray) into the middle of the oven for about 30 minutes. I always turn mine halfway to ensure an even bake.

It’s cooked when it is risen, golden and hollow when tapped on the bottom. When all these 3 boxes are ticked – take out the oven and place on a wire rack to cool before breaking out the butter!

I literally cannot describe how good this bread is! The middle is so unbelievably soft and the flavour is amazing! There is officially nothing better than home made bread. I absolutely LOVE the smell that wafts through your house as soon as you open the oven too… mmm.

I mentioned earlier that as a result of my success with this recipe I have made it a few times now. I also tried a variation for a half and half bread. (Pictured above.) Simply reduce the strong white flour from 500g to 250g and add in 250g of wholemeal, seed & grain flour. Make exactly the same as above.

I have also tried a herby white loaf. Just add 1tsp of herbs de provence and 2 tsp of dried chives into the mix at the start – then make the same as above. To be honest all variations of this recipe that I have tried have been unbelievably nom! You can’t go wrong!

I am definitely going to be trying lots more bread recipes now I know that I can do it! I implore you all to give it a go – bread making is so therapeutic and much better for you/tastier than shop bought!

On your marks, ready, set… bake!

Miss KitchenMason

KitchenMason

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White Cob Loaf

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