my baking journal sample view sample view if you find this journal please return to... essential baking equipment... mixing bowl whisk rolling pin palette knife pastry brush icing smoother cooling rack oven mitt cookie cutters apron measuring jug samplescales measuringview cups muffin tray wooden spoons spatulas food mixer my essential baking equipment... sample view essential ingredients... flour: wholemeal / whole-wheat flour: made by grinding the whole grain of wheat. To increase the nutritional profile of a bake, wholemeal flour can replace a portion of all-purpose flour. bread flour: contains more protein, and so more gluten. It is ideal for baking loaves with a chewy crumb. cake flour: lower in protein and gluten than all-purpose flour, cake flour is chemically treated then finely ground, which contributes to cakes with a lighter texture. pastry flour: a medium-protein flour that's ideal for tender pie crusts. self-raising flour: has leavening agents distributed throughout the flour, which helps with a consistent rise in scones / cakes etc. gluten free flours: are free from contamination with gluten and are suitable with people with coeliac disease and wheat allergies. Popular gluten free flours include tapioca flour, rice flour and buckwheat flour. cornmeal: is a coarse flour ground from dried maize. Perfect for cornbread - works well for crunchy waffles and pancakes. cornstarch: is a corn flour which is finely ground. It is commonly used in sauces and pie fillings for thickening. sugar: granulated sugar: when recipes just list sugar as an ingredient granulated sugar is what is required. icing sugar / powderedsample sugar / confectioners' view sugar: is ground into ultra-fine particles and combined with starch so it doesn't cake up in its package. Perfect for frostings and icings. brown sugar: is refined sugar with molasses added. The amount of molasses in the mix accounts for the range of colour and flavour in light, medium and dark brown sugars. caster sugar: is granulated sugar ground into tiny crystals that dissolve very quickly. Because of this, some bakers like to use it to make meringues and sweeten whipped cream. You can substitute it 1:1 for regular granulated sugar. essential baking ingredients... eggs black treacle maple syrup cinnamon vanilla pod chocolate honey glace cherries ginger sampleflour dessicated view coconut cloves jam nuts sugar oranges lemon lime candied peel oven temperatures celsius fahrenheit gas mark oven heat 110˚ 225˚ ¼ very cool 120˚ 250˚ ½ very cool 140˚ 275˚ 1 cool 150˚ 300˚ 2 cool 160˚ 325˚ 3 moderate 180˚ 350˚ 4 moderate 190˚ 375˚ 5 moderately hot 200˚ 400˚ 6 moderately hot 220˚ 425˚ 7 hot 230˚ 450˚ 8 very hot 240˚ 475˚ 9 very hot volume weight litres fl oz pints cups grams lb/oz grams lb/oz 1.25 ml ¼ tsp - - 10g 0.25oz 300g 10.5oz 2.5 ml ½ tsp - - 25g 1oz 350g 12oz 5 ml 1 tsp - cup 50g 1.75oz 400g 14oz 15 ml 1 tbsp - - 75g 2.75oz 500g 1lb 2oz 30 ml 1 fl oz samplepint - 100g view3.5oz 750g 1lb 10oz 60 ml 2 fl oz - - 150g 5.5oz 1kg 2.25lb 100 ml 3.5 fl oz ¼ pint 0.4 cup 200g 7oz 2kg 4.5lb 150 ml 5 fl oz pint 0.6 cup 250g 9oz 200 ml 7 fl oz - 0.8 cup 240 ml 8 fl oz ½ pint 1 cup 300 ml 10 fl oz - - 570 ml 20 fl oz 1 pint 2 cups 1 litre 34 fl oz 1.7 pints 4.2 cups *Remember to stick to either imperial or metric when using a recipe - don’t mix the two! tin sizes If you're using a square tin for a round tin recipe, keep the temperature the same, and turn the cake during baking, as the corners tend to cook faster than the middle. round tin square tin inches cms inches cms 6” 15cm 5” 13cm 8” 20cm 7” 28cm 9” 23cm 8” 20cm 11” 28cm 10” 25.5cm abbreviations short long tsp teaspoon dsp dessertspoon tbsp tablespoon 1 spoonful 1 slightly rounded spoonful 1 level spoon 1 flat spoonful fl oz fluid ounce samplelb pound view please note 1 Cup Flour, Sifted is not the same as 1 Cup Sifted Flour. When sifting you change the volume of the ingredients. 1 Cup Flour, Sifted means to sift the flour after measuring it. 1 Cup Sifted Flour means to add one cup of flour that was measured from already sifted flour. The same is true of measuring chopped ingredients: 1 Cup Nuts, Chopped means chop the nuts after measuring. bread tips... Place a tray of boiling water on the bottom shelf of the oven before baking. this will help the top of the dough to open and gives the crust a beautiful rich colour. Use the windowpane test to make sure your dough has been kneaded sufficiently. take a golf ball sized chunk of dough and stretch it out between your thumbs and first two fingers - if it forms a thin membrane you can see through without breaking, the gluten networks are devel- oped and the dough is good to go! Use a baking stone for a great crust - they’re heavy and take a long time to heat up but baking stones help to create a brick oven atmosphere. Calibrate your oven. especially if your loaves are coming out too dark or too wet or taking longer to bake than the recipe says they should. and don’t forget to preheat your oven. Always freeze any left overs, but do not refrigerate your bread, or it will dry out too quickly. a loaf can keep for up to three months in the freezer. Replace half the water in a recipe with yoghurt! Yes really! This will give moresample flavour to white bread without view it tasting milky. kneading pide. tear and share bread. stollen. brioche. fougasse. tsoureki. baguette. barmbrack. basic bread recipe... you will need: method: 500g (17oz) strong white flour, Mix 500g (17oz) strong white flour, 2 tsp salt (plus extra for dusting) and a 7g (0.24oz) sachet of fast-action yeast in 2 tsp salt a large bowl. 7g (0.24oz) sachet fast-action yeast Make a well in the centre, add 3 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp olive oil and 300ml (10fl oz) of water, and mix well. If 300ml (10 fl oz) water the dough seems stiff, just add another 1-2 tbsp water and keep mixing. oven: 200˚C / 392˚F / gas 6 Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 mins. 1 baking tray makes: 1 loaf Once the dough is satin-smooth, place it in a prep time: 20 minutes lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film. baking time: 25-30 minutes Leave to rise for 1 hour until doubled in size or place in the fridge overnight. A great recipe for an Line a baking tray with baking parchment. electric breadmaker - or do it the traditional way! Knock back the dough (punch the air out and pull the dough in on itself) then gently mould the dough into a ball. samplePlace it on the baking view parchment to prove for a further hour until doubled in size. Dust the loaf with some extra flour and cut a cross about 6cm long into the top of the loaf with a sharp knife. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden brown and when tapped underneath the loaf sounds hollow. Cool on a wire rack. sun-dried tomato bread. pizza dough. sourdough. pita. bagels. panettone. naan. scone pastry tips... Make sure you rest the pastry in the fridge after handling it, this allows the fat to firm up - try to keep your kitchen, worktop and hands cool too. Don’t add too much flour to the work surface. before baking or folding the pastry, brush off excess flour. to avoid using flour at all - roll out pastry between two layers of cling film. Make sure your fillings are cold before pouring into tart cases, covering with pie lids or wrapping in filo otherwise the heat will cause the fat to melt and lead to soggy pastry. Glazing your pastry: egg whites create a very shiny finish, beaten eggs or egg yolks ensure a deeply coloured shine while milk or cream gives a matt golden colour. filo pastry: glaze with melted butter or a neutral oil. Cooking pastry at the right temperature is crucial! too cool - the fat will melt before the pastry becomes firm causing it to collapse, too hot and the pastry may burn before the filling is cooked. When it comes to cooking the pie or tart - placing it in the middle of the oven allows heat to circulate which means the pastry cooks evenly on the top and bottom.sample view lattice pie top guide shortcrust pastry. puff pastry. flaky pastry. rough puff pastry. choux pastry. filo pastry basic shortcrust pastry recipe... you will need: method: 125g (4oz) plain flour Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and add pinch of salt the cubes of butter. 55g (2oz) butter, cubed 30-45ml / 2-3 tbsp cold water Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs with no large lumps of makes: 170g (6oz) butter remaining. Try to work quickly so that it does not become greasy. prep time: less than 30 minutes A quick and easy recipe for shortcrust pastry. Using a knife, stir in just enough of the cold You can make it by hand or in water to bind the dough together. a food processor.