Argh!

I suck at this regular blogging. Look how long I've left it this time.
Now I'm having hideous photo problems. Sigh....
Maybe I'll try again in June!

Focaccia!

FOCACCIA!

Well this was jolly good fun!
I had some problems with photos - most of the time my hands were too sticky or oily to take photos, and when they weren't my SD card decided to randomly delete things. Most annoying.

Ingredients:

500g Strong Flour
10g Salt
14g Instant Yeast
400ml Cool Water
45ml Olive Oil (plus extra for rolling)
2 tablespoons well chopped rosemary (optional)
Rosemary sprigs to top
Sea Salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (to drizzle)

1. Measure out the flour into a bowl - add the salt and yeast at opposite sides of the bowl, and add the chopped rosemary - whisk together.

2. Add about 300ml of the water and the oil, and stir together with your hand in a claw shape.



3. As the mixture begins to come together add the remainder of the water and continue to mix until you have a big gloopy mess.

I didn't really appreciate quite how gloopy this would be...

 4. Tip the dough onto an oiled surface and knead, pushing the mixture away with the heel of your hand, stretching it, and folding it back on itself, rotating 90 degrees and repeating.

5. Repeat.

Urgh.

6. Repeat.
7. Repeat some more... (Hollywood says 5-10 minutes, longer for a beginner. I managed at least half an hour before becoming extremely bored, and covered in dough... There was much scraping, and much re-oiling. Maybe that's where I went wrong...)

 I'd recommend just watching  GBBO for this bit
8. When the dough it smooth and stretchy and forms a ball, place it into an oiled dish or tray, and cover with cling film. Leave to prove until doubled in size.

Not really the "smooth dough" he was talking about

  

 

Keep an eye on it... this is far more than doubled.

And while your finding your camera it will try to escape.

It's ALIIIIIIVEE!!!

 9. When doubled, tip it back onto a freshly oiled surface and knock the air out.

10. Grease a large baking tray (or two smaller ones) with plenty of olive oil, and place the dough into the trays, stretching it out to fill the whole space.

 

11. Leave to prove again, for about an hour. Heat oven to 220oC.

The dimpled photo has vanished... you'll have to use your imagination.

12. When doubled in height poke holes in the bread with your fingers. Really poke it hard. Right the way to the bottom. Sprinkle with sea salt and poke sprigs of rosemary into the dimples. Drizzle with yet more oil.
13. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden and crisp.
14. Remove from oven, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and place on a wire rack to cool. (Don't leave it in the tray... it will go soggy)

DIMPLES!

 

This was my first attempt. I cut it in two, but used a big tray, so put both parts on. Which made it bulgy looking. And I forgot to dimple. And the salt. And the rosemary. Still tasted very nice though!

 

And it has some irregular structure!!

Oat Cookies

Oat cookies. Oh yes. They deceive you into thinking they're healthy... don't believe a word of it!

My notes on these are a bit random, I'll try and make sense of them - 170g butter, 210g light brown butter... what?
Try again... this is what I actually used

170g softened butter
110g light brown sugar
100g caster sugar
1 egg
1tsp vanilla extract
105g selfraising flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
260g oats
"1 cup" mixed exciting stuff (chocolate chips, dried fruit... etc I haven't put a weight, I just put a handful of each in)

Beat together the sugars and butter.
Add the egg and vanilla and mix together.
Sift in together the flour, salt and cinnamon. Stir until partially combined
Mix in the oats, stir again.
Add the mixed dry ingredients and stir to incorporate.

Using a teaspoon take scoops of the mix, and roll in to a small ball in your hands.
Place on a lined baking sheet, and press the centre of each to flatten slightly.

Bake for 10-15mins in a 190oC oven until golden brown.
Remove from tray and place on wire rack to cool.
Eat.

Minion Birthday Cake

Just a photo of the finished article today:

40th Birthday Party

Pardon my absence - it's been a busy old week!
Made what felt like a hundred cakes...

It was four. It just felt like more. 'Twas Dan's 40th birthday, so I offered to make some cake.
I thought a couple of sheet cakes would be good, but for a birthday surprise I wanted to make some cakes that looked like his cats.

Here they are... cats in boxes.

So this is a bit of a hotch potch of cake making - there's an abundance of new stuff to be used, and icing to prepare!

I used a 5egg cake mix for each pair of cakes (one sheet/one cat in each flavour) and the mix was divided and flavoured before adding to the tins.

First up -Sheet cakes
I made two of them chocolate orange cake with an orange flavoured buttercream frosting, and a vanilla sponge with a chocolate ganache topping.

Here's my first new toy - tray bake foils. Exciting!

How about something a little different? Hemispheric cake tins? Yes indeed!

oooh, that's me in there...

Stackable cooling racks? Is there no gadget I won't buy?

 (I haven't found my photos yet... here are some to keep you going )

Next on the list is the indispensable non-stick-in-a-bottle: 

 

GREASE THEM TINS!!

 

 Annnywaaay... here's what they looked like after they'd been cooked:

rack 'em up...

And this is what the cake tin looked like - non stuck!

 It was the fun bit next - decorating.

I used a dark chocolate ganache for the plain sponge, and an orange flavoured butter cream on the chocolate cake.
Then added chocolate candy beans (a marvelous Home Bargains purchase...) and malteasers.

 

  

 And so to the cats!!

Orange flavoured and coloured icing for Ginge, black chocolate flavoured icing for Stumpy:

Coloured roll out icing make the facial features and ears - 

Hehe - more cats in boxes!