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

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

Em & Em’s Dinner Party – Part 2!

Sep2

This weekend me and our Em were at it again. Another dinner party!! Only this time, it was in her kitchen.

On our menu was Jalapeño Poppers for starter, Individual Ham & Cheese Pies with a salad for main and a super sexy Oreo Tart for pudding.

Let’s get started with the Jalapeño Poppers. Here is what you will need to make enough for 6 people. (You can find the original recipe Here.)

3-4 Large Chicken Breasts
Jar of Jalapeño Peppers
130g Cream Cheese
Buffalo Wing Sauce
12 Slice of Smoke Bacon
A Dipping Sauce of your Choosing

Preheat your oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C.

Put the chicken breasts in a bag or some cling film and bash the crap out of them until they’re really flat. It’s unbelievably therapeutic!! Then season with salt & pepper.

Next, cut each breast into 4 even pieces and spread about a teaspoon of cream cheese onto each one. Top with a few pieces of sliced jalapeño peppers and roll them up – secure with a cocktail stick.

Empty some buffalo wing sauce into a bowl and dip the rolled chicken in. Use a brush to make sure its all coated. Repeat for all the poppers and then wrap each one in a slice of bacon.

Place in a baking dish, season with a little salt & pepper and put into the middle of the oven for 30 minutes. Half way through, turn the poppers over and pour out any juice that has accumulated in the bottom of the dish.

When the chicken is cooked through and the bacon is starting to crisp, remove from the oven and take out the cocktail sticks. Serve with a cool dip as these babies have got some fire inside!!

These really did pack some heat – definitely not for the faint hearted! It was a sure fire winner with the Mr though as he loves his fiery foods. He actually said that these were one of the nicest things he’d eaten in a long time! Win.

For the main course we made individual ham and cheese pies. Exactly the same way as in This Post – just smaller. I forgot just how amazing these little beauties were! We served it alongside a salad consisting of mixed leaves, home made croutons, crispy bacon pieces and sliced egg. Topped with a drizzling of a balsamic vinegar & olive oil dressing. NOM!

As for dessert, well. Well well. I will let these little stars speak for themselves.

Here is what you will need to make 6 tarts. (You can find the original legendary recipe Here.)

3 Packs Oreo Biscuits
6 tbsp Butter
170g Cream Cheese
280g Greek Yoghurt
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
75g Milk Chocolate (To drizzle)

Preheat the oven to 190°C/Fan 170°C.

First up, put 23 Oreo biscuits into a food processor and pulse until they’re fine crumbs. Melt the butter in a pan and then gradually pour into the Oreo crumbs until it resembles wet sand.

Lightly oil/grease 6 tartlet tins then evenly divide the crumbs between them. (Approx 3 tbsp per tin.)

Firmly press the crumbs in and put the tins on a baking tray. Place into the oven for about 10 minutes then leave to one side to cool completely.

To make the filling, place 9 Oreos in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add in the Greek yoghurt, cream cheese & the vanilla extract and blitz to mix.

When the bases are completely cooled, spoon in the filling and store in the fridge until needed.

When you’re ready to serve, roughly chop the remaining Oreos (approx 10) and put a pile in the middle of each tart. Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and drizzle over the top to finish.

Try to make the tarts no more than 4 hours before you will be eating them as Oreos have a tendency to go soft. Do make sure to wait until just before serving to top with the chopped Oreos though – for the same reason. No one wants a soft Oreo!

Just look at it though. Isn’t it beautiful?? Everything can be made better with Oreo’s!

It was amazing! And so quick and easy to make too. I LOVED the taste of the Greek yoghurt – it worked really well with the sweetness of the Oreos.

A seriously fantastic little pud.

In other news this week, it’s less than two weeks until me and the Mr set off for Thailand!! I’m super excited! Can’t wait to try all their foodie delights and share it all with you guys. (Not the food – just the photos haha : P )

And on that note – sawatdeeka!

Miss KitchenMason

Egg McMuffin!

Feb12

Want to surprise your other half with breakfast in bed on Valentines day? Try something different, a home made Egg McMuffin! Yes, home made! It’s not only super easy, it’s delicious too!

What you will need:

2 x English Muffins
2 Eggs
2 Cheese Slices
Bacon (Optional)

You will need a special piece of equipment for this one but fear not! They are dirt cheap. They’re called Egg Rings, here’s an idea of what they are on Amazon. I use the metal kind but I’m sure the silicone kind is just as good.

(There is a secret way to make them in a microwave without the need for egg rings, see the end of the post for details)

Cut your muffins in half and pop in the toaster.

Heat a little oil in a non stick frying pan and put in the rings.

Carefully crack the eggs into the rings and pop the yolk.

Wait until its cooked enough to hold its shape then carefully remove the rings and flip over for a few seconds to cook the top.

Then put the eggs in the lightly toasted muffins and top with the cheese slices. If you want a more authentic McDonalds taste then the cheapest cheese slices you can find are definitely the way to go!

These babies are even better when you make them into Bacon & Egg McMuffins. Simply do all the same steps above but fry some bacon and add it right in there. YUM!

You can also make these in a microwave without the need for any egg rings. I personally favour the egg ring method though as the microwaved version can sometimes taste slightly rubbery.

All you need to do is get a microwave safe container in the shape of the muffins, crack an egg in the bottom and pop the yolk.

Set your microwave for 1 minute but open the door after 30 seconds. Check every 10 seconds after this until cooked through.

Make sure to pop any bubbles that crop up in the egg as these have a tendency to explode fairly easily! Not fun to clean up I can assure you.

And there you have it! Super easy, super tasty home made Egg McMuffins/Bacon & Egg McMuffins.

Go forth and be romantic!

Miss Kitchen Mason

Bacon, Onion & Parmesan Tart!

Feb1

This week’s culinary adventure comes from a book called Baking Bible. It’s got loads of really handy tips about equipment, measuring etc and makes for a very interesting read if you have the time. Oh yeah, and it has tons of really nice recipes! I spied the recipe for bacon, onion & parmesan tart and thought it sounded delicious!

First off, you can buy ready made shortcrust pastry but if you want to go the extra mile then here is how to make your own… and it’s super easy by the way!

To make approx 330g

200g Plain Flour
100g Cold Butter, cubed
1 Egg, beaten
Pinch Salt

Put the flour, butter & salt into a food processor and pulse until it looks like a well mixed breadcrumb consistency. Then slowly add the egg bit by bit in between pulsing until the mixture just starts to come together. Note: You don’t have to add all the egg, just enough so it comes together. You could do this by hand by putting the ingredients into a large bowl and rub the butter and flour together but obviously this will take longer.

Pour the mixture out onto a strip of cling film, flatten into a disc, wrap and pop into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

Tip! Don’t roll it into a ball as it won’t chill properly in the middle.

Take out the fridge, unwrap, put another layer of cling film over the top and roll out into whatever shape you require. In this case a circle big enough to fit the base and sides of a 24cm loose bottomed quiche tin. This way will also save you from adding lots of flour to the surface for rolling and therefore into the mix which messes up the balance between the butter/flour.

Peel off one side of the cling film then lift over the tin. With the cling film on top, gently press the pastry into the tin. Prick the base with a fork and leave in the fridge until needed.

For the tart, here is what you will need.

250g Shortcrust Pastry
40g Butter
75g Bacon, chopped
700g Onions, peeled & thinly sliced
2 Eggs, beaten
300ml Double Cream
50g Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 tsp Dried Sage
Salt & Pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Melt the butter in a large heavy based pan followed by the sliced onions & chopped bacon. Sweat them over a low heat for about 30mins until tender. If the onions start to brown add 1 tbsp water.

Add the cream & beaten eggs then the sage, salt & pepper to taste.

Next, spoon the mixture into the pastry case you prepared earlier. I had a decent amount left over so just popped it into another small baking tin and cooked it to use for a sandwich filler later : D

Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the tart has just set and starts to go golden brown on top.

Leave to cool slightly until slicing. You can eat this warm or cold.

This was really really tasty! I love onions, and the bacon works so well with it. Very yummy indeed!

If I had one critique for the recipe though, I would probably blind bake the pastry next time as it ended up being slightly soggy on the bottom but apart from that I wouldn’t change a thing.

Until next time earthlings.

Miss Kitchen Mason

Bacon, Cheese & Chive Scones!

Sep28

And yes, to me, it’s Scones not Scons!

So my Mum mentioned the other day that she wondered why I didn’t make anything savoury for her to eat. Hint hint – not much! Haha. My Mum isn’t like me, in the sense that I have a MASSIVE sweet tooth and she doesn’t. So when my brain can only think of sweet thinks like cookies & cakes, I asked her what she had in mind. She said cheese scones. Something I haven’t made before. But I have to admit I liked the idea. I mean, I’ve made normal sweet scones before, just not savoury scones. So I started looking on Foodgawker & came up trumps with this beauty of a recipe! It’s from Linda at Lemon Drop.

Makes approx 18

What you will need:

450g Flour
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1tsp Salt
1tsp Pepper
110g Butter, grated
150g Strong Cheddar, grated
1.5 tbsp Chives, dry (3 tbsp if fresh)
10 Bacon slices, cooked crispy & chopped small
300ml Milk
1 Egg & 2 tbsp Double cream for glazing

Preheat your oven to 200°C & line baking tray with baking paper.

In a really large bowl, sift in the flour, then add the baking powder, the salt & pepper and the butter. Mix together with a fork until everything is evenly distributed.

Next, add in the cheese, chives & bacon. Again, mix with a fork until evenly distributed.

When everything is mixed well, start to add the milk a little at a time, still mixing with a fork. Once all the milk has been used it should form a sticky dough.

On a lightly floured surface, gently pat down the dough to about 1cm thickness. Then fold the dough in half and pat down to 1cm thickness again. Do this a few times but on the last time, leave the height at about 2cm.

Next, using either a cookie cutter or a glass, cut out your scones & place them on the prepared baking tray. And don’t throw the leftover dough away, just re-mould it and cut out some more until you aren’t left with any dough.

Beat the egg in a bowl along with the double cream & brush on the tops of the scones. Then put a dent in the tops of all the scones before they go in the oven for about 15 minutes.

And there you have it! Savoury cheese, bacon & chive scones. I must say they are pretty delicious. Especially sliced in half with a bit of real butter on them.

Although I must make a confession. Mine didn’t rise so well. And now I know why. Those of you who read the Honey I’m Comb post will remember that I had a little issue with the use by date on my bicarbonated soda whilst making honeycomb. Erm, yeah… same thing with my baking powder! It sort of went out of date in January. Whoops! Silly me. this problem has since been rectified and I’m such a muppet for letting it happen again! What a plum.

Anyhoo… that’s my midweek munchies satisfied.

Thanks for reading and I will see you all at the weekend when I am going to be attempting Teriyaki Chicken.

Miss Kitchen Mason

Stuffed Chicken Pastry

Aug4

Now this recipe I have been meaning to try for a while. It’s another Food Gawking adventure folks, and this one comes courtesy of Kay at Kayotic.

It’s surprisingly simple & extremely tasty & tender as the pastry holds all the juices in the chicken. Which is where they should be!

I adapted the recipe slightly as I was only making for two.

So what you will need is as follows:

2 x Chicken breasts, skinless & boneless
4 x Bacon rashers
4 x Spring onions
Fresh Parsley
125g Philadelphia Cream Cheese (approx)
Puff pastry (Enough to cover 2 x chicken breasts)
1 Egg (For brushing)

First thing to do is preheat your oven to 200°C.

Next you need to either fry or grill your bacon until the edges are crispy. Then drain, roughly chop & place into a bowl. Chop up your spring onions & parsley (quantity to taste) and place into the same bowl as your bacon. Mix these together with the philadelphia & salt & pepper and you have your filling.

Next up, rolling out your pastry. Do so on a lightly floured surface & roll out 2 sheets large enough to completely cover your chicken breasts.

Grab your chicken breasts and cut a deep slit in the thicker side then spoon in as much filling as you can without it spilling too much over the edge. Chances are you will have a little left, I am going to take advantage of this later and spread it on some toast for lunch!

Season the chicken with salt & pepper then wrap your stuffed chicken in the prepared pastry sheets, seal by pressing firmly on the edges. Brush them with beaten egg so they turn out lovely, golden & shiny and not burnt!

Pop in the oven and 30-35 mins later you will have a deliciously succulent and tasty chicken dinner : D

I enjoyed mine with a salad and a honey & mustard dressing and it went down a treat.

Thanks for reading and tune in early next week for the house warming special!

Miss Kitchen Mason

KitchenMason

Tag Archives: Bacon

Bacon & Cheese Loaves!

Inside Out Grilled Cheese & Bacon Sandwich!

Em & Em’s Dinner Party – Part 2!

Egg McMuffin!

Bacon, Onion & Parmesan Tart!

Bacon, Cheese & Chive Scones!

Stuffed Chicken Pastry

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