There is nothing worse than getting a recipe which doesn’t work. At a recent cookery demo the audience was given a recipe for stout bread which tasted great. However, after a couple of attempts at home I abandoned the recipe for this one which does work every time! The cooking time of 55-60 minutes is longer than you would expect but this is a dense loaf and needs every minute of it! Cover the top with foil if you think it is browning too quickly. My small son thinks this is chocolate bread as it has a fabulous deep colour.  If it means that he will eat it, then it shall be called chocolate bread. Enjoy!

• 600grams/ 5 cups wholemeal flour- I used Macroom flour but Howard’s wholemeal works well too.
• 150grams/ 1 cup plain flour
• 75grams/ ¾ cup oats
• 2 ½ teaspoons bread soda (baking soda)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
• 40 grams/ 3 tablespoons salted butter
• 200grams/ ¾ cup black treacle
• 480millilitres/2 cups milk
• ½ Imperial pint/10 fluid ounces/ 1 ¼  cups/ 300 millilitres draught Guinness

Note I’m using an imperial half pint here which is 10 fluid ounces

Method

Put all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix with  a whisk to combine them. Add the butter and rub into the dry ingredients. Then add the treacle, milk and Guinness. Stir well to make sure that the treacle is fully incorporated. The batter will be very wet. This amount of batter will make two, one pound loaves. This bread freezes well so make one and freeze one!

Cook at 170C/340F for 55-60 minutes

I recently discovered that my local store does panko breadcrumbs. If your children love chicken nuggets these are a welcome change and the addition of polenta really improves the flavour. You could also just use chicken breasts but I would recommend flattening between the cling film so they cook evenly.  These are baked rather than fried and are ideal for your lunchbox in a wrap or just on the side.  They are also good for finger food if you are entertaining!

Ingredients

• 10 boneless skinless tenders or breast fillets cut into strips
• 1 cup/ 23 millilitres buttermilk
• ¼ cup/ 30 grams flour
• 1 ½ cup/190 grams panko breadcrumbs
• ½ cup/ 60 grams polenta (cornmeal)
• ½ cup/55 grams parmesan cheese grated
• 4 tablespoons/ 57 grams butter
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Method

If using breast fillets flatten between two pieces of cling film and cut into strips. Place all the chicken into a zip lock bag and add the buttermilk. Refrigerate for three to four hours or up to twenty four hours. I put my bag in a bowl in case of leakage!

Combine the flour, panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, polenta, and cayenne into a bowl or a zip lock bag.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 200C/400F

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the butter on it. Put it in the oven until butter is melted.

Meanwhile coat the chicken strips with your crumb mixture. If using a bag, place about four pieces of chicken at a time into the bag and shake. Ensure that it is completely coated and place onto the cookie sheet.

Cook until the internal temperature is 83C/181F but turn halfway to ensure both sides are crispy. Approx 15- 20 minutes

Once you taste this homemade pizza you will never again eat a store bought one. This is an easy recipe and you can freeze the dough! My kids love cold pizza in their lunch box but are not very adventurous in their choice of toppings so it’s either ham and pineapple or Marguerita for us! However feel free to use your favourite topping, just make sure you use mozzarella cheese to get that authentic look.

Pizza Base

• 500 grams /4 cups strong bread flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 sachets dried yeast 7 grams/1 ½ teaspoons
• ½ tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 325 millilitres/ 12 fluid ounces lukewarm water

Add all your ingredients to your mixer attached with a dough hook and mix for five minutes. Cover your bowl with cling film and place in a warm room until it has doubled in size. When ready to use place the dough on a floured board and knead it to “knock back” the dough. You can use it immediately or, keep it wrapped in cling film in the fridge or freezer until needed. If using immediately, this amount of dough will make three good sized discs.  Roll out to the size of your tray. I use parchment paper underneath to prevent it sticking but you can just grease the tray if you like. Add with your favourite toppings and cook at 200C/400F for 10-15 minutes until the edges are golden

My simple pizza sauce

• 1 400grams/14ounces can of chopped tomatoes or 1 jar of smooth passata
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes. Allow to cool before putting on your pizza base. This sauce will keep in the fridge for three days.

• Garlic Bread – this amount makes 2 servings – use one and freeze one!
• One of your freshly made pizza bases
• 1 clove of garlic finely chopped or crushed
• 55grams /4 tablespoons butter softened
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped parsley or ½ teaspoon dried parsley if liked

Add all the ingredients together and mix. Cook your pizza base at 200C/400F without any topping for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and spread half the garlic butter over the top. Return to the oven and cook for a further 3-5 minutes until the edges turn golden. You can add grated parmesan cheese before serving if desired. Roll the remainder of the garlic butter in parchment/waxed paper and freeze until needed.

Hot Cross Buns! Hot Cross Buns!

One a penny, two a penny- Hot cross Buns

If you have no daughters give them to your sons

One a penny, two a penny- Hot cross Buns

Hot cross Buns are ubiquitous these days but can be very disappointing. I know that for some people yeast is a taboo subject but this is a straightforward recipe and once you make them you will never again buy them. I have made this as straightforward as possible so that all the novice yeast bakers can try and succeed with this recipe.

• 450 grams /3 ¾ cups strong flour
• ½ teasp salt
• ½ teasp ground mixed spice
• 55 grams  cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 115 grams / ¾ cup dried fruit
• 1 sachet dried yeast
• 114 millilitres / 4 fl. oz water
• 114 millilitres / 4fl. oz milk
• 55grams/ ¼ cup butter – melted
• 1 egg

For the topping

• 2tablsp flour
• ½ tablsp sugar
• 1 small egg beaten

I use my mixer with a dough hook and add all the ingredients together and mix for 5 minutes. If you don’t have a mixer you can also do this by hand:

Mix the flour, salt mixed spice, dried fruit and dried yeast together in a large mixing bowl.

Make a well in the centre.

Heat the milk and water until tepid and add the melted butter. I simply pour cold milk into my measuring jug and add the same amount of freshly boiling water from the kettle. By the time I am ready to add to the recipe it is at the correct temperature, which is 37C/100F (just above blood temperature)If you don’t have a thermometer the water should feel just warm, not hot to the touch – if the temperature is to high it will kill the yeast.

Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and then add the beaten egg.

Gradually work in the flour to make a soft dough. This can take 10 minutes by hand but 4-5min with a dough hook. The dough should have a smooth texture which can be stretched without tearing. Put into a greased bowl and cover with cling film for 30- 60 min until doubled in size.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 min. This is called “knocking back.” Divide the mixture into 16 child sized portions or 12 adult sized. Allow to sit covered with a clean tea towel in a warm place until doubled in size about 15-20 minutes. Glaze with an egg wash if not doing the topping now.

You can also make this as a loaf. Simply place the dough into a loaf tin and allow it to prove for about 15-20 minutes. Glaze with egg wash and bake for about 35-45 minutes.

If you don’t want to cook these until the next day, after shaping, cover with cling film and place in the refrigerator to prove overnight.  You can then glaze and cook these in the morning for 15-20 minutes and you have a warm tea cake for your lunch box

Topping “The Cross”

Mix all the topping ingredients together to make a thick paste, if too thin it will run off the bun! Spoon paste into an icing bag with plain tube, or simply cut the corner off a freezer bag. With back of knife mark a cross on the top of each bun and then brush with egg wash. Pipe a cross of paste in the indentation on each bun

Place on a greased baking tray and bake at 180 C for 15-20 min until golden brown and hollow when tapped.

I know I posted a version of Chocolate Chip cookies before but these are divine. Unlike the earlier recipe these contain egg. It is recommended that you chill them for 24 hours before baking “This allows the dry ingredients time to soak up the wet ones, which results in a firmer dough. It leads to a marvellously chewy, chocolate-rich cookie.” Francesco Tonelli for The New York Times. I couldn’t wait 24 hours to try these cookies so I cooked a batch immediately and they were still delicious. The advantage of chilling the dough is that you can bake a fresh batch the following day and the day after.  If you have any leftover you can even freeze it. Note that it also tastes good raw! I have tweaked the recipe by reducing the sugar and the chocolate, but I’ll post the original and my amendments.

Ingredients

241 grams / 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons /8 ½ ounces cake flour

241 grams/ 1  cups /8 ½ ounces bread flour    I used a total 482 grams /17 ounces plain flour (all purpose)

1 ¼ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt

2 ½ sticks butter / 250grams unsalted butter     if using salted butter reduce the salt to ½ teaspoon

283 grams /1 ¼ cups /10 ounces light brown sugar

 I reduced brown sugar to 227 grams /8 ounces

227 grams /1 cup plus 2 tablespoons / 8 ounces granulated sugar   I reduced white sugar to 198 grams /7 ounces

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

499grams /1 ¼ pounds pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60% cacao content   I used 350 grams/2 cups: 175grams /1 cup of milk chocolate and 175 grams/ 1 cup of semisweet chocolate

 

Method

Sift flour, baking soda baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.

In your mixer, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy about 5 minutes.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Reduce the speed and add the dry ingredients slowly, mixing until combined.

Fold in chocolate chips. I used the mixer to fold in the chocolate chips

Refrigerate dough for 24-36 hours

When ready to bake preheat oven to 180C/350F (fan assisted) Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough or drop spoonfuls onto a baking sheet at least an inch apart

Bake for 8- 10 minutes until golden brown