I have never made any pretense about my inability to bake a decent loaf of bread.  It's true.  I am the most pathetic bread baker ever.   My ex husband used to bake beautiful big fluffy loaves of bread.  I've said it before and I'll say it again . . .   I bake doorstops.   



That is, until now.   I found this recipe online for "Easy Bread."   Just google it and you will come up with all sorts of blogs that have done it, but it's pretty much the same recipe on them all.  And it's truly E-A-S-Y!  I kid you not!



It is soooooo easy a child could make it.  There is no kneading or effort involved.  All you do is stir the ingredients together, cover it with plastic cling film and then leave it to sit overnight.



Then you pop it into a hot pot and bake it, first covered and then uncovered.  The end result is a beautiful loaf of bread!  Seriously!



The end result is a beautifully rustic looking loaf that will have your family and friends thinking you are a genius baker!  And all you did really, was stir a few bits together and bang them in a pan.



olive oil


(This is what my sponge looked like after sitting for 15 hours.)

Measure the flour into a large bowl.  Whisk in the yeast and salt, then whisk in the water.  You will have a shaggy gloopy mixture.  No worries.   Cover the bowl tightly with cling flim and leave it to sit overnight, for 14 to 16 hours preferably.

When you are ready to bake it preheat the oven to 230*C/450*F/gas mark 7.  Place a heavy casserole with a lid in the oven.  (I use my medium Le Creuset one)  Dump the bread mixture out of the bowl onto a generously floured surface and using wet hands kind of shape it into a ball..  (It will be really stick, but if you hands are wet it won't stick as much to them.)

 

(Mine didn't make much of a ball, it just kind of spread out as you can see, but not to fear, it still worked out great!  You really can't fail with this.) 

 Cover with cling film and let it rest for about 25 to 30 minutes.   Remove the pot from the oven.  Add a dollop of olive oil and swirl it around the bottom and partially up the sides carefully.  It will sputter, but that's ok.



Dump the lump of dough into the hot pot, cover it with the lid and then bang it into the oven to bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the lid and then bake it for a further 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and the crust sounds hollow when you tap it on the bottom.  Dump out onto a wire rack to cool.  The crust will make crackling noises as it cools down.

 

This is a really lovely rustic looking loaf.  In short "perfect," and it was easy peasy.   What's not to like about that?



This was the perfect excuse to use the new bowl scraper that was sent to me by the people at ProCook.  With such a sticky dough I despaired of cleaning it out of the bowl easily, but this beautiful little silicone scraper did a wonderful job of cleaning it out!   Made non-stick silicone with a stainless steel insert for strength it did the trick perfectly and it's also dish washer safe!  What a wonderful little tool and right now you can buy one on their site for only £3.50.  They also sent me a nifty green silicone funnel.



I haven't used it yet, but it will come in very handy for all sorts of things and because of it's softness doesn't take up a lot of space in my utensil drawer.   It is also non-stick, dishwasher safe and measures about 5 inches in diameter.  You can buy one on their site for £2 at the moment. 

Many thanks to  the ProCook people and Wildcard PR for sending me these nifty little tools to play with.   Love them!

I have always put my hand up and been very honest in saying I cannot make yeast bread.  It's just not something I've ever been able to do successfully . . . until today that is!  I think I've finally cracked it!

I found this recipe for plain white bread in an old Co-op cookbook of my mom's when I was home last month and thought I would copy it down and give it a try.

 

It's for a simple white loaf of bread.  The original recipe used the old fashioned yeast, but I have adapted it to use the more commonly available granulated dry yeast which we have today.  The end result was a lovely textured bread with a beautifully crisp crust.  I think I've found a winner here!



For Wholemeal Bread:  use 450g of plain flour and 450g of wholemeal flour.  (3 cups each)

And of course as you know when I get the ball I like to run with it . . . and so I decided that I would take half of the bread dough and create something deliciously different with it.

 

I just love the tear and share breads that you can get at the grocery shops and so I decided to make one today  with decidedly Greek flavours.



I rolled the bread out to a rectangle and then spread half of the rectangle with some crumbled feta cheese, chopped kalamata olives and sun dried tomatoes . . . and oregano.  You can use fresh herbs if you have them, but the freeze dried worked just fine for me.



The end result was something which was moreishly tasty and delish!  We loved this.  It would make great picnic food packed with an assortment of sliced cold meats, crisp vegetables, hot pickled peppers and some cheese and olives!


Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.   Bake the loaf for 50 minutes, or until golden all over and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.   Cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

 

I was recently asked to participate in the Sunvil Supper Club for the month of October. For this month’s Sunvil Supper Club, they teamed up with the Swedish Tourist board to use one of their recipes to celebrate one of Sweden’s most famous culinary exports . . . the cinnamon bun.  

 

I have a confession to make.  I am not a great yeast bread baker. In fact, I would be the first one to tell you that I make great doorstops . . . but I do not make great bread.  This recipe did look however, like something I could rise to.  (Every pun intended!)

 

I realized when I first began to work through the recipe though . . . 25g of yeast . . . it was far too much, it was almost half the tin of my granulated yeast.  I decided that the recipe must be referring to fresh yeast, which obviously would be quite different.  And so I measured out 1 1/2 tsp of yeast which is what is in most packets of  dried yeast, or 7g.  I also added a bit of sugar to the milk and warmed it a bit so that it would get started properly.

 

Then when I was kneading it together, the dough was very, very stiff . . . and so I decided to add a bit more milk to it until I had a dough which I felt was the right consistency.  Firm, but not too solid . . . and neither too sticky.  Firm and smooth.

 

It took my dough roughly twice the recommended time in the original recipe to rise to what I thought it should in the first rising.  I was very nervous about this, wondering if I had done something wrong . . . it was a nail biting, on the edge moment, but I persevered.

 

Rolled it out as required, spread it with butter, yada, yada, yada  . . . I had severe doubts if I would be very successful with these buns, but in for a penny in for a pound.

 

For the second rising, I put them into my oven on the dough rise program.  I still wasn't sure if these were going to turn out.  Call it a lack of faith in my yeast baking prowess . . . call it whatever you want.  I am not very confident when it comes to baking with yeast.

 

Brushed with egg and sprinkled with some candy pearl cake sprinkles . . . I baked them and wowsa, wowsa . . . I was so surprised.  These turned out really nicely!  Perhaps not quite as light and fluffy as the ones you buy in the shops . . . but quite, quite edible.

 

Todd ate three while they were still warm with his mid-afternoon cuppa . . . I feel a lot more confident about my yeast bread baking prowess.



I wonder what they will be baking in November??? Hmmm . . . the Sunvil Supper Club.  I'll have to check back to see what they are doing.  Fingers cross no yeast is involved!



*Swedish Cinnamon Buns*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

A Swedish national favourite!  Fabulous!

Wheat Dough:
25g yeast (I am assuming this is fresh yeast.  I used
1 1/2 tsp of dried yeast)
75g butter (5 1/4 TBS)
250ml of milk (1 cup)
50g of granulated sugar (generous 4 TBS)
pinch salt
1 tsp ground  cardamom
600g wheat flour (6 cups)

Filling:
100g butter, softened (scant 1/2 cup)
100g sugar (generous 1/2 cup)
4 tsp cinnamon

Glaze:
1 free range egg
2 TBS water
pearl sugar (I used sugar crystals)

In a bowl, mix the yeast and a few tablespoons of the milk.  Leave for a few moments, whilst you melt the butter and combine with the remainder of the milk.  Add in the yeast mixture, and then the sugar, salt, cardamom and flour.  Knead the mixture until the dough is firm and smooth.  (either in a machine using a bread hook or by hand)  Cover the dough with a tea towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes at room temperature.  (I had to add more milk to make the mixture of the right consistency.  I shaped it into a smooth ball after kneading and placed it into a greased bowl, turning it to grease the top before covering it and leaving it in a warm place.  Mine was left for one hour to rise.)

Once risen, briefly knead the dough again and then roll it out to a rectangle around 3mm thick. (1/2 inch).  Carefully spread the dough with the softened butter.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it all over the top of the butter.  Roll the dough up tightly along the longest edge to create a long sausage.  Slice into approximately 25 rounds, 1/2 inch thick. 

Place the rounds into paper muffin cases, with the cut edge facing upwards.  Place onto a large baking sheet.  Cover with a tea towel and allow to raise again for another hour, in a warm place until doubled in size.

Once risen, beat together the egg and water and brush the tops of the buns carefully with this mixture.  Sprinkle with the pearl sugar (or more cinnamon) and bake in a 225*C/425*F/ gas mark 7 oven for around 10 minutes.

This humble sweet treat, more commonly known as kanelbulle in Sweden is a national favourite, and one that has been copied across many parts of the world. They have been covered with a layer of icing in Belgium and the United States, and filled with raisins in the UK, but those with a simple scattering of sugar on the top are the original Swedish favourite. Often made when guests are expected over for coffee, they have become so popular that in recent years it has been given its very own day – kanelbulle dag. Literally translated as ‘cinnamon bun day’, it is now celebrated in Sweden and around much of northern Europe each year on the 4th October.





On a more Festive note, it may only be the beginning of November, but Christmas will be here before we know it and once again, I have created a lovely little Christmas Cook-booklet just in time for the holidays, entitled Christmas In The English Kitchen. Larger than my previous booklets, this one is 47 pages, filled with lots of tasty recipes for everything from soup to nuts, lots of recipes to take you through the Holiday Season.

 

 Gifts From the Kitchen. Delicious Starters, Mains, Sides and Desserts from my very own holiday kitchen. English Folklore and Traditions for the Holidays. Interspersed throughout are twinklings of my own artwork and this one even has several photographs of the food included. Inspiring Quotes, Free Printables and everything you need to know about  the Christmas Celebrations in an English Kitchen.

Available for the same low price as my previous cook-booklets at only £5, this delightful little booklet will be delivered within 24 hours of receipt of your payment as a downloadable PDF, printable booklet.  All who have purchased my past booklets, and this one have been well pleased, and when my readers are happy . . .  that makes me happy too!!

 

For more information and a buy now button, please look HERE.

Teacakes are not something I never even knew existed before I moved over here to the UK. I had never heard of them before. There used to be a bakeshop on North Gate street in Chester where you could get thick slabs of toast, and toasted teacakes, slathered in butter along with a hot drink. I was so disappointed when we moved back here and found out it had closed down.



Teacakes are not cakes. They are puffy fruited and lightly spiced sweet yeasted buns . . . you split them in half through the middle and then pop them under a grill, so that they get toasted on the cut side only . . . and then you spread them with oodles of cold butter . . . at least in most of England at any rate. In East Lancashire a teacake is a round bread roll which is cut in half to make sandwiches. They do not contain any sort of dried fruit. They can be made with either white, brown, wholemeal or granary flour. I've never had one of those . . .



I like the fruited ones. Oh my . . . they speak to my soul . . .



The outsides stay all soft and puffy . . . the cut edges get all crisp and golden . . . stogged full of lovely mixed raisins, sultanas and currants . . . and then slathered in butter . . . all that golden richness melting down into all the crags and crust of that toasted surface . . .



Nothing is more satisfying . . . or comforting . . . for elevenses . . . for tea . . . for an impromptu evening snack.



You can toast them under the grill . . . but a purist lucky enough to have an open fire might like to toast them over the fire using a long fork . . . I can only imagine how lovely they would be done that way.



I am not usually that good at yeast breads, but I am getting better each time I try. Today I made these scrummy (tired of that word yet?) teacakes that we toasted for our mid afternoon tea break. They were luverly . . . just luverly.



Come on . . . just a little nibble . . . I promise you, you'll be totally smitten . . . totally . . . mmmmm . . . mmmmm . . . . mmmmm!!



*Toasted Teacakes*
Makes 8
Printable Recipe

Satisfying and deliciously comforting any time of day, but especially nice in the late afternoon or evening.

225g strong white bread flour (generous 1 1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp fast action dried yeast
15g soft light brown sugar (generous TBS)
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
75g mixed dried vine fruits (raisins, currants, sultanas) ( 1/2 cup)
40g butter, melted (2 3/4 TBS)
120ml full fat milk, plus extra for brushing (generous 1/2 cup)
Cold butter to serve



Sift the flour, salt, yeast, sugar and nutmeg into a large bowl. Stir in the dried fruits and make a well in the centre. Put the milk and butter into a saucepan and heat just until warm to the touch. Pour into the flour mixture and work together to make a soft dough.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball and place into a lightly buttered bowl. cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and punch down. Divide into 8 portions of equal size. Shape each portion into a ball. Flatten slightly and arrange on a large nonstick baking sheet. Cover lightly with a large tea towel and leave to rise again until double in size, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Brush the tops with some milk. Bake for 15 minutes until risen and golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To serve, split in half and toaste under a heated grill on the cut sides. (Leave the other side as normal) Spread generously with butter and serve immediately. (If you are really keen you can toast them using an old fashioned toasting fork over an open fire!)

As a foodie I am a big fan of several cooking blogs . . . no surprise there. One of my favourites happens to be a Canadian food blog entitled Mennonite Girls Can Cook. It is authored by 10 lovely Mennonite ladies and is just fabulous . . . filled with good old fashioned, non-pretentious cooking.



I happen to know first hand that Mennonite's are wonderful cooks. I have lots of very fond memories of a fabulous restaurant that we used to visit in St Jacob's, Ontario called Anna Mae's. The food there was just wonderful and the restaurant was always super busy. Eating there was just like sitting down to supper at a good friend's house or your mum's . . . everything homemade, delicious and . . . just like at mum's you can tell what day of the week that it is by what's on the menu! (Do take a look at their page and you'll see what I'm talking about.)



Everything was super delicious and the pies . . . homemade bread and rolls and the pies . . . wow. Pie at Anna Mae's = out of this world!



I would be the first one to confess that I am not a great bread baker. My mother made beautiful loaves of bread . . . and my Aunt Thelma's Potato Rolls were the best I've ever eaten. I am afraid I missed out on the bread baking gene when it was being handed out. I saw this recipe over on the Mennonite girl's page one day last week and I thought to myself. YES! I can do that!



And so . . . I adapted the recipe to the ingredients that I have available to me over here in the uk . . . and . . . know what??? They turned out not half bad!



In fact, I would even go so far as to say they are quite, quite scrummy! We had them with a delicious vegetable potage that I will share with you another day, but for now . . . here's the roll recipe.



*Herbed Oatmeal Pan Rolls*
Makes 9 pan rolls
Printable Recipe

Wholesome and delicious. These tasty rolls are perfect with soups, stews or even on their own, buttered with some tasty strong cheddar on the side.

250ml boiling water (1 cup)
40g rolled oats (not old fashioned) (1/2 cup)
2 TBS butter
200g strong white bread flour (2 cups)
65g granary bread flour (1/2 cup, multigrain)
2 TBS caster sugar
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 TBS easy bake yeast (bread machine, quick rise)
1 large free range egg, at room temperature

For the herby topping:
2 TBS butter, melted
1/4 tsp dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/8 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp finely grated Parmesan Cheese

Combine the boiling water, oats and 2 TBS butter in a small bowl, stirring to melt the butter. Let stand and cool to just warm before proceeding.

Measure the white and granary flours into a large bowl. Whisk in the sugar, salt and yeast. Beat the egg into the warm oat mixture. Stir this into the dry ingredients until all are well incorporated. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead dough until you have a smooth, soft dough, which is not sticky, adding more strong white flour as needed. Shape into a ball and cover with the bowl. Let rest for 20 minutes.

Grease a 9 inch square metal baking tin. Punch the dough down and then press it into the baking tin to fill all the corners. Take a sharp knife and cut down through the dough to the bottom of the pan, cutting it into 9 equal squares. (3 cuts across and 3 cuts down.) Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Once the oven has heated bang the pan of rolls into it and bake for 15 minutes. While they are baking, stir together all the ingredients for the herby topping. At the end of 15 minutes, remove the partially baked rolls from the oven. Brush the tops with the herby topping. Return the pan to the oven and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown and they sound hollow on the bottoms when turned over and tapped lightly with your fingers. Tip out onto a wire rack to cool to warm. Best served fresh, but can be revived by a gentle reheating in a warm oven for 8 to 10 minutes.