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guardian.co.uk/guides Welcome | 3

Dan Lepard 12 • Before you start 8 Yes, it’s true, baking is back. And • Meet the 12 whether you’re a novice • recipes 13 • 41 roller or an expert icer, our • Pastry 69 scrumptious 100-page guide will • Baking supplies 96 take your enjoyment of this relaxing and (mostly) healthy pursuit to a whole new level. We’ve included the most mouthwatering bread, cake and pastry recipes, courtesy of our Tom Jaine 14 baking maestro Dan Lepard and a supporting cast of passionate home and chefs from and to Ronnie Corbett and Neneh Cherry. And if

Andi and Neneh 42 you’re hungry for more, don’t miss tomorrow’s Observer supplement on baking with kids, and G2’s exclusive series of gourmet cake recipes all next week. Now get Ian Jack 70

KATINKA HERBERT, TALKBACK TV, NOEL MURPHY TALKBACK TV, KATINKA HERBERT, your pinny on!

Editor Emily Mann Executive editor Becky Gardiner All recipes by Dan Lepard © 2007 Additional editing David Whitehouse Recipe testing Carol Brough Art director Gavin Brammall Designer Keith Baker Photography Jill Mead Picture editor Marissa Keating Production editor Pas Paschali Subeditor Patrick Keneally Staff writer Carlene Thomas-Bailey Production Steve Coady Series editor Mike Herd Project manager Darren Gavigan Imaging GNM Imaging Printer Quebecor World Testers Kate Abbott, Keith Baker, Diana Brown, Nell Card, Jill Chisholm, Clark, Margaret Gardner, Sarah Gardner, Barbara Griggs, Liz Johns, Marissa Keating, Patrick Keneally, Adam Newey, Helen Ochyra, Joanna Rodell, John Timmins, Ian Whiteley Cover photograph Alexander Kent Woodcut illustration janeillustration.co.uk If you have any comments about this guide, please email [email protected]

To order additional copies of this Guardian Guide To... for £3.50 each including UK mainland p&p, call 0870 836 0924 or visit guardian.co.uk/buyguides 4 | Baking Introduction | 5

Clockwise from far left: illustration from Beeton’s Everyday Cookery and Housekeeping Book, 1888; engraving of A Fraudulent Baker, 1293 (on the left he puts a small loaf into the oven; on the right he is drawn through the streets with that lightweight loaf hung around his neck); advert for Birmingham-based kitchen fitters Lomas & Co; a depiction of the guild of bakers of , 1595

to health-giving wholemeal was to from the local , she was kitchen knowhow seeped away Just one more slice … be a thorn in the side of an army of allowed on the grounds that baking from the bottom layers of society, a social commentators who, down (as opposed to general cooking) loss that many historians see as the the centuries, have tried to boss was still just about regarded as a beginning of the end for Britain’s the working classes into adding ladylike accomplishment. indigenous cooking traditions. fibre to their diet. Even now, in the But if the gentry flourished as By the close of the 18th century, Baking is back in a big and the crumbliest pastry. products designed to be finished poorest districts of Britain, brown domestic bakers in the Stuart and the newly prosperous middle-class At the moment we’re in a off in a home oven in a cloud of self- bread remains a hard sell. Hanoverian period, the peasantry housewife, anxious to show her way — and this time it’s state of equilibrium. Many of satisfaction and delicious smells. By the 17th century, the began to languish. Deprived of gentility by her lilywhite, labour- us bake to Pro-Am standards at Britain’s earliest baking was descendants of Paston and de farming land by the enclosure free hands, was increasingly likely a pleasure not a chore. the weekend because we enjoy a strictly domestic business, Bryene had made fancy and movement, and turned into to buy her fancy cakes ready-made. Kathryn Hughes on turning out , malt loaf the province of the individual their speciality. Later on, a proto-industrial proletariat The enterprising Mrs Raffald of and of all kinds. Nigella, in housewife. In the mid-15th century, advancements in iron-smelting through the system of home- Manchester ran a thriving shop that the origins of our taste particular, has added glamour to Margaret Paston might have been in meant that tin could now be working, they lost their inclination, dispensed cakes for every occasion, for oven delights the patty pans (the subtitle to her charge of a handsome East Anglian twisted and turned into patty pans not to mention the time and including weddings, christenings breakthrough book, How to Be a manor, but she considered the and paste cutters, baking hoops means, to bake for themselves. The and the more ordinary “At Homes”. Domestic Goddess, was Baking bakehouse to be the hub of her little and moulds. The result was best many could do was to take This delightful convenience The history of baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking). kingdom. Her near-contemporary an avalanche of , puffs, their semi-prepared offerings to trickled down the social pyramid in could But if we don’t have the time, then Dame Alice de Bryene thought , whigs and seed cakes the communal bakehouse (George so that, writing 70 years later for ≥ be described as one we’re happy to use the services of nothing of supervising the produced from the gentry kitchen. Eliot’s Silas Marner is urged to avail the lower middle classes, Mrs long conversation the growing number of artisanal production of 220 white and 30 Of the 20 cookery books published himself of the village baker’s oven Beeton admitted to her readers between commercial and domestic bakers who supply the kind of black loaves each week. in the first 50 years of the 17th as a way of integrating himself that, instead of making macaroons

modes of production. At certain goods that used to be available in The peasants who lived on the Y century, almost all are collections with the community). As a result, yourself, it might be quicker and R A R

moments over the past 400 years the days before mass production estates run by the likes of Paston B from titled ladies telling of their cheaper to buy them from a shop. I L

S

it is the commercial oven, with wiped out real baking and replaced and de Bryene increasingly baked N kitchen secrets, with no thought Elsewhere on the pages of The A V

E If the gentry its economies of scale and searing it with a cellophane-wrapped for themselves. From the start that it was beneath their dignity to Book of Household Management Y R heat, which has been responsible approximation. they displayed a problematic A know how to delight with - you will find more evidence that M

,

Y flourished as

for producing Britain’s best baked Meanwhile, supermarkets, attachment to white bread. Wheat R spun fancies or bottled preserves. domestic and artisanal baking A R B goods. At other times it is the quick to pick up on profitable loaves were prized for their I This connection between good was in terminal decline by the L home bakers, the T kitchen stove, with its smaller middle-class desire, have added aristocratic-seeming fineness, with R birth and good pastry was so middle of Victoria’s reign. The A

N ambitions and more temperate “in-house ” to their oat, rye and barley loaves rejected A enduring that when, in the 1850s, modern-minded Mrs Beeton

M peasantry began E climate, which has given us the services, and are careful to stock as coarse and common, fit more G the teenage asked speaks with innocent approval of D I

R ≥ tastiest cobs, the stickiest their shelves with part-baked for pigs than men. This aversion B her parents if she could take lessons to languish a new technology that produces 6 | Baking

A brief history of an ancient craft

8,000 years ago Bread was made with no raising agent. were mixed from roughly milled seeds, often containing grit and sand, which destroyed people’s teeth.

3,000 years ago The Egyptians began to brew beer and by chance discovered that left over from the brewing process made rise and improved the bread. But it was milling and sieving that really made the difference.

AD100 The Egyptians taught the Greeks, whose renowned skills in turn spread to Rome. The first written records of bread recipes and bakers’ goods date from the time of the Greek writer Athenaeus and Roman writer Cato the Censor.

Medieval period After the fall of Rome, bakers were both travelling craftsm en who offered their skills as needed and a feature of feasts and fairs — the first fast food. ← “aerated bread”. Under the Domestic goddesses: Isabella Beeton Baking was also seen as part of auspices of the Aerated Bread and being a good housekeeper or wife. Company (later ABC), this process was to become responsible for longer felt a burning shame if their Modern period The high standing whisking up a hundred tasteless sponges failed to rise. There was, of baking compared to other white loaves in the time it used after all, always Birds Eye arctic roll kitchen craft was set down in to take to make a solid home cob. from the freezer to fill the gap. ’s English Bread Book A century on, the Chorleywood These days we prefer to delve (1857) , yet mass production and Bread Process, with its chemical further back into our culinary standardisation became defining improvers and vigorous mechanical heritage to salvage those baking features of commercial baking. working , remains the standard way skills that were once the birthright of mass-producing bread. of every English gentlewoman. Second world war Government The 20th century turned out to Even men who balk at the idea added significant amounts of be the century of Lyons and Mr of doing family supper six nights vitamins to the national loaf, Kipling and Wall’s and a hundred a week are happy to become making it a staple. other companies that started as weekend bakers. Making bread is, family firms but became industrial after all, a satisfyingly technical Postwar Bread rationing seemed giants. Gloopy cupcakes, sickly process and one that, historically, to shift baking further into the battenberg and coma-inducing has been invested with all the public realm until the 1950s. fondant fancies all have a fond mystery of an ancient craft (unlike ’s English Bread place in memories of 1970s and 80s making fairy cakes, which is and Yeast Cookery (1977) made childhoods. And yet, sickly though something women do). Baking the home-baking movement they may have been, these mass- is back, but crucially as a leisure respectable, but the Chorleywood produced cakes represented a kind activity rather than as a domestic Bread Process speeded up the rise of liberation for millions of women chore. No matter how competitive of the supermarket . tasked with feeding families while some people get over their cobs holding down jobs. Throwing off and cupcakes, it is supposed to be 21st century A smaller number of the 1950s pinnies of their own fun. Our bread may not be perfectly large producers sell low-quality childhoods, this was perhaps the shaped and our may be products in competition with first generation of women who no a menace to anyone with elaborate widespread home baking, and dental work, but still there is more and more smaller bakeries something about the smell, touch offer goods unrivalled in range and The 20th century and taste of home baking that quality since ancient times. was the century of keeps us coming back for more. TO, JOHN REARDON, ANTONY BLAKE TO, JOHN REARDON,

Compiled by Brian Brivati, who is Kathryn Hughes is the author of O Lyons, F R E

researching the history of The Short Life and Long Times P P O and Wall’s of Mrs Beeton (4th Estate) P Introduction | 7 Why home-baked is best

Inspect the contents of the average shop cake and you’ll think twice about buying it again. By Joanna Blythman

I have been a passionate home baker since I was ≥ a very small child. Even then, it was obvious to me that bought cakes and biscuits are a poor second best on the taste Typical ingredients front. I remember begging my mother to buy a Betty Crocker cake Home-baked Shop-bought mix because I loved the picture on the packet, only to be disillusioned Butter (only in a minority of cakes) to find that the reality wasn’t a Sugar Margarine (made from chemically patch on what we could knock Freshly shelled eggs hardened oils such as palm) up in a few minutes. The taste Wheat : self-raising, Sugar deficit was explained later when, or plain with baking powder Glucose as an investigative food writer, I (bicarbonate of soda and cream Fructose discovered that most bought baked of tartar) Invert sugar syrup goods are not only full of chemical Dried egg powder additives, but often pretty old by Skimmed milk powder the time we eat them. Wheat flour To buy cakes, and Cornflour in supermarkets and Modified maize starch convenience stores is to step out of Modified tapioca starch the comforting domestic kitchen Soya flour and into the food industry’s Raising agents science lab. Here, men in white (disodium diphosphate, coats have spent years working out sodium hydrogen carbonate, how they can take raw ingredients calcium carbonate) apart, then put them back together Glycerol (a humectant to keep cake again in a more profitable, and moist longer) nutritionally impoverished, form. Emulsifiers (acacia gum, mono- and The majority of shop-bought baked diglycerides of fatty acids, products are made using cheap calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate, commodity oils or artery-clogging, polyglycerol esters of fatty acids) chemically hardened oils such as Acidity regulators soya and palm, the plants for which (sodium citrates, citric acid) are likely to have been grown on Flavourings, usually synthetic what was once lush rainforest. Colouring That sad, soggy sliced loaf comes (anthocyanins) with obscure emulsifiers, soya Preservative (potassium sorbate) flour, vinegar and enzyme- Stabilisers based crumb softeners derived (xanthan gum, tragacanth) from animals, fungi, cereals and Salt bacteria. Some of these won’t show up in the list of ingredients because they are deemed, conveniently, to fresh zest and juice. Your metal: difficult, if not impossible, be “processing aids”. may owe its smell not to real butter, to recycle. Few bakery products are quite but to synthetic butter flavouring. Who needs it? Home baking is, what they seem. Rarely are they And as if this armoury of pardon the pun, a piece of cake made with freshly shelled eggs; additives weren’t offputting once you get into it. Fresh, warm, rather, dried egg powders and long- enough, the packaging of many wholesome, and made in minutes life, pre-shelled mixes are the norm. baked goods is a disaster in — you’d be a fool not to. That lemon drizzle cake in your environmental terms. A typical basket might be made with pre- comes in a cardboard Joanna Blythman is the author of prepared pasteurised lemon zest and plastic sleeve, and sits on a Bad Food Britain: How a Nation and lemon “concentrate” in place of cardboard disc coated with thin Ruined Its Appetite (4th Estate) 8 | Baking Introduction | 9 Before you start

It seems you can never have too much cooking equipment, but some tools are more handy than others. Arm yourself with the essentials

Wooden spoons Always have a few Assorted tins See Cake, page 45. out for If You Care’s environmentally in the drawer — make sure the wood Measuring spoons A set of friendly range (also includes 100% is from a sustainable source. American cups is handy too. recycled aluminium foil). Hand whisks It’s worth investing in Measuring jug Great if it doubles at least one with a comfy handle, as as a juicer. Perhaps the most essential tools a lot of whisking can take its toll. Measuring scales See page 11. are your own hands, but some jobs Silicone spatula For when things get Sieve Seek out a fine-weave one require more power to the elbow. a bit sticky. — some seem more like colanders. Clockwise from top left: Plastic dough scraper More bendy Flour sifter Likewise, a fine weave Electric table-top mixer Kenwood’s than the silicone, better for bread. will make it harder to add too much. sleek and sturdy Titanium Chef, £399. Brush For milk, oil or egg wash Wooden board The bigger the better. Blender Waring’s Waterfall, £179, is — synthetic can be easier to clean. Rolling pin See Pastry, page 73. both a style icon and state of the art. Mixing bowls Mason Cash’s Sharp knife and palette knife For Electric hand mixer Kenwood’s kMix traditional ceramic bowls will stand slashing bread and icing cakes is snazzy and zippy, £39.99. firm while you’re working hard. Timer Essential if you are easily Food processor Cuisinart Cast Metal They stack neatly so you have room distracted or forgetful. Edition, £249 — a mean machine. for a selection of sizes. Non-stick baking parchment Look For details of stockists, see page 97 10 | Baking

Staple ingredients

Strong plain white flour There are many good producers out there to try (see page 97), but all the recipes have been tested using a generic supermarket own-label. Plain white flour Fine kept in the cupboard but, in the long term, best in an airtight bag in the freezer. Wholegrain flour Keep a little rye, spelt or just wholemeal. Easy-blend or dry active yeast Don’t buy in bulk, as it might go off. Unsalted butter President or Lurpak makes a pastry that is easier to roll. Salted is fine for small amounts. Eggs Look for free range and organic. Caster sugar White is fine; if you want a cake to be golden, add a spoonful of treacle. Soft brown sugar If you don’t have any, you can use caster sugar plus a teaspoon or so of treacle. Icing sugar Salt Maldon or Halen Môn sea salt is good, but plain table salt is also fine for all of the recipes, or coarse crystal salt ground up. Bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and cream of tartar Cocoa powder and dark cooking chocolate Golden syrup and treacle Vanilla pods, extract or essence If vanilla is a background flavour, or combined with other strong flavours, use the cheapest one. Cornflour powder Can be used in place of cornflour to give a richer colour and flavour. Dried fruit Such as currants, sultanas, cherries, mixed peel. Spices Such as cinnamon, ground ginger, mixed spice, black pepper, , cloves. Sunflower and olive oil Function before form: the guru’s guide to kitchenware

Terence Conran There is nothing more frustrating responsibility to produce cookware As a schoolboy I visited stately than kitchenware that doesn’t work, that gives years of pleasure and homes and was always drawn to however beautiful it is. Form becomes more handsome with age. the kitchen area. Those days were should follow function. There is Spend money and time on the perhaps the “golden age” of baking, definitely a return to traditional best ingredients; don’t waste it and they have had a profound crafts and good-quality on trying to present food like influence on my taste and design products that are built to last, a work of modern art. The food philosophy ever since. As cookware coupled with a lingering should take centre stage. design improves and products mistrust of thin, cheap Terence Conran has become more widely available, I metallics and non-stick designed a new think we could enter a new golden tins. Our throwaway collection for Royal

age of baking. dishes and cake culture cannot Doulton inspired N O D

stands are among the Conran Shop’s be sustained, and by country-house R A E R

bestselling products. designers have a kitchens N H O J Introduction | 11

Protect yourself

However neat and tidy you usually are, cooking can get messy, and baking — with all the sieving and kneading and rolling — can get very messy indeed. But there’s no excuse for not looking stylish as well as safe. Aprons OK, so some look more practical than others. Main image, left to right: fairly traded green, £19.95, and flower print, £4.50, from Natural Collection; Aga, £17.95; John Lewis, £14; Cath Kidston, £18. Below left: recycled and wipe-clean by DoyBags, £11.99. Below right: Denim apron by Used, £65, from Natural Store. Oven gloves They must work, as baking’s high oven temperatures mean scorching tins. Right: Coolskin, from £16.95 per pair. Main image, left to right: Aga, £18.95; Cath Kidston, £10. towels Essential not just for drying up, but for covering dough while it rises. Left to right: “But Even Domestic Goddesses and Kitchen Queens Have to Do the Washing Up Sometimes” by Emma Bridgewater, £6; Carry on Jeeves by Art Meets Matter, £8.95; John Lewis cotton, £4; Mokimoe, handmade in organic cotton, £15 from Natural Store. For details of stockists, see page 97

Cooking conversion charts

Never guess — accuracy is king in Liquid Convert while you work with this baking. A little bit more or less can 1 tsp = 5ml handy conversion chart worktop make a disastrous difference. 1 tbsp = 15ml saver from Joseph Joseph (top). 1 pint = 600ml Take control of your oven by using a Oven temperatures thermometer — this one from Salter 140C = 275F = Gas Mark 1 Weight (middle) hangs on the oven shelf. 150C = 300F = Gas Mark 2 30g = 1oz Above all, weigh ingredients with 160C = 325F = Gas Mark 3 450g = 1lb great care: opt for electronic scales 180C = 350F = Gas Mark 4 such as these from Salter (bottom) 190C = 375F = Gas Mark 5 Cake tins that can be adjusted to your bowl. 200C = 400F = Gas Mark 6 18cm = 7in NB If your oven is fan-assisted, 210C = 425F = Gas Mark 7 20cm = 8in look out for the temperatures in 220C = 450F = Gas Mark 8 23cm = 9in brackets throughout this guide. And 240C = 475F = Gas Mark 9 25cm = 10in remember, 1 tsp = 5ml, 1 tbsp = 15ml 12 | Baking Bread | 13 Meet the baker

Dan Lepard has refined the craft of baking with top chefs around the world. You couldn’t be in a safer pair of hands

Dan Lepard came to from ≥ as a teenager in the 1980s and went on to work as a photographer for Italian Vogue. So how, you may well ask, did he end up at the leading edge of Britain’s baking revival over the past 10 years? It’s taken a bit of luck, a bit of bravado — and a lot of passion and skill. Growing disillusioned with the business of photography, he was chatting one day in the early 90s with the owner of his favourite restaurant, Alastair Little in Soho, about what else he could do. “Well, you could always work here,” Little said, and Dan decided to give it a go. He started off on pastry and bread, and got so involved that he never moved on (as many young chefs so eagerly do) to meat and fish. Dan has since refined and researched the craft of baking around the world, from the glitz of LA as David Hockney’s Bread personal cook to more humble kitchens in Russia and Ukraine. Back in London, he helped move from lens to leaven, such tens of thousands since it was set up knowledge was in short supply — so published in 2004, far exceeding Photography by Jill Mead St John restaurant, establishing he set about discovering it himself. anyone’s expectations for a book its in-house bakery in tune Now he shares his expertise and about bread. with Henderson’s approach enthusiasm generously and widely: The rediscovery and of cooking the best British in his How to Bake column in rejuvenation of old British ingredients very simply. Guardian Weekend, for instance, baking methods — the skills our When Giorgio Locatelli came as well as online, through his own grandparents rather than our to Britain, Dan was one of the expansive website, danlepard.com, parents knew — is a central concern first people he met, and the two and foodie forums such as eGullet. of Dan’s, and the basis of his next of them later worked together His book The Handmade Loaf, book, British Baking. His future at both Zafferano and Locanda which preserves recipes that projects aim to turn today’s baking Locatelli. Dan also did a stint with might otherwise have been lost, frenzy into a lasting legacy. John Torode at Mezzo before has flown off the shelves in the Emily Mann collaborating with Gail Stephens on Baker & Spice, a pioneering Problems with any of the recipes? artisan bakery that earned a The rediscovery Dan Lepard will be online at dedicated following across London Guardian Unlimited to ease and beyond. and rejuvenation any baking woes. Post your Dan is devoted to improving questions for him and watch T

of old British R E

the quality of baking today him bake an exclusive extra B R E H by deepening his and others’ recipe at ’s

methods is a A K N

knowledge of baking history and Word of Mouth food blog: I T A traditions. When he made the central concern blogs.guardian.co.uk/food K 14 | Baking Bread | 15

Heat of the moment: Tom Jaine and enough. Tasteless, with a nameless his oven, at home in Devon texture as the dead-white dough dissolves in the mouth, the right-thinking (organic) farmers; with no life to it, no seasoning to he ground it in his own mill every speak of, flabby and joyless: that’s day; he used only natural leavens, most loaves today. So there is no yeast was anathema; he produced alternative: the bread must be matchless wholegrain sourdough made again. loaves; and he was mad about Many cookbook writers make bread ovens. light of breadmaking. They I was a willing, though probably reassure the hesitant reader that slapdash, disciple. By this time, yeast is good-natured, doughs I was no longer tied to the daily are forgiving, modern stoves will bustle of a restaurant and found cook anything. Up to a point, comfort in the more extended but not very far up. Although rhythms of firing an oven, making beginner’s luck may often prove up doughs, watching them prove a well-worn truth, in general to the top of their bowls, troughs bread likes to be considered, not and baskets, then witnessing the thrown together. A well-made loaf magical transformation of a soft, is a careful loaf. In breadmaking, tremulous white pillow into a routine is king. Whether you , striated brown nugget in work at it every day or once a When my stepfather and I, the crucible of heat that is a fully week, try to replicate the right alongside Joyce Molyneux, opened functioning bread oven. There conditions each time. The recipe The rightness of it all the Carved Angel restaurant in was a joy in taking something must be just so, as well as the Dartmouth in the early 70s, we from the very start (grains of materials. Over the long cycle, you could find no bread to suit our wheat) to the glorious end (a slice may make small improvements: taste. So we began to make it of perfect ) without relying note them and improve as you ourselves. The bread gave rhythm on any outside succour (except, I go. Baking has much in common From a restaurant I had the good fortune to unwrap Mother’s Pride, to our morning’s work and became guess, salt). It ties you to a longer with experimental chemistry, and to be brought up in regretted only when struggling essential to our culinary identity. perspective of human sustenance you don’t just throw a dollop of kitchen to his own ≥ a restaurant, George to fit baguette-style slices into an Neither the recipe nor the materials than when you throw two sulphuric acid into your test-tube Tom Jaine Perry-Smith’s Hole in electric toaster. were special, but it was properly Sainsbury’s bags into the car . for the fun of it. backyard, the Wall in Bath, during the 1950s. The heritage of British bread worked and there were no shortcuts The problem with home All home bakers will regale is driven by the When Perry-Smith, my stepfather, is a glorious one. Our Victorian or additives. It tasted of itself. production is that once you have you with disasters he or she has returned from postwar Paris, a life master bakers spat derision at the I would never, perhaps, have cracked it, it is difficult to give it known. The dough left forgotten rhythm of rising dough in teaching seemed inevitable, but output of France, Italy, gone further down the dough road up. “We haven’t run out of bread?” in the corner; the horrible feeling he soon tired of small boys and and Spain. Our bread seemed had I not encountered Rolf the I may be sometimes heard to wail, when you know the loaves will opened a restaurant instead. Food more refined, more delicately German baker. He was a member before throwing hands in the air sink to chewy flatcakes in the rationing left its mark on the early flavoured, more skilled than the of a whole-food cooperative in and disappearing hotfoot to buy oven; the moment the cat decides menus (as did the personality of coarse lumps of dough riddled with the Ruhr and he cared about a loaf to tide us over. One slice is to curl up contentedly on the his ex-Canadian Mountie chef), fissures that kept little longer than every aspect of his daily loaf: the warm but cooling rack of baked but the tide of austerity did not lap an hour and broke your jaw, too. wheat or grain, the leavening, the masterpieces; or when the clouds over flour and bread. Anxious to That refinement, perhaps, was our recipe, the rightness of it all. He The problem with burst as you try to load an outdoor evoke that lazy Left Bank feeling, undoing. For as the 20th century espoused the teachings of Rudolf oven with what would otherwise he designed his own poppyseed- dawned, our bright white bread, Steiner (one of the great gods of home production have been perfection. Don’t worry, strewn baguette (my memory cooked with a soft crust in tins, biodynamic food and farming, it’s worth it. )

2 is, once you‘ve (

endows it with Brobdingnagian seemed to have lost touch with Y whatever your views of theosophy) H P

length) to be made every day by real flavour, a predicament only R and was thorough. In bread, Tom Jaine is the author of Making

U cracked it, it’s M

a local bakery. So my childhood deepened by the industry’s love L thoroughness is everything. So Bread at Home and founder of food E O was blessed with never having affair with speed and productivity. N Rolf chose his wheat and rye from difficult to give up writing publisher Prospect Books 16 | Baking Bread | 17 Basic techniques Secrets of success Flour The better the flour, the better your chances of achieving a good loaf. This is not a job for self-raising . Buy the best bread Worried about getting hands-on with the flour you can. “Strong” flour contains more , which dough? Dan Lepard makes it easy for you gives dough the elasticity you need to get it to rise well. Other How to knead used in this section are wholemeal, 00 flour, rye, For years we used to say that it and if you throw in flour to “stop spelt and chickpea. was important to knead in order to it sticking”, you’ll only get a heavy See page 97 for suppliers “develop the gluten”, but we now loaf with all the ingredients out 1 2 3 know this isn’t entirely true. High- of kilter. Dough is always sticky Water Measure it carefully and speed dough mixing, the sort used when first mixed, but leave it for 10 adjust the warmth depending on in most commercial bakeries, or minutes right after you mix in the the temperature of the flour and the ultra-high-speed Chorleywood water or other liquid and it will lose your kitchen to achieve a dough process used to produce the well- most of its stickiness. temperature of 22C-24C. known sliced brands, shows that I favour dough kneaded briefly the final elasticity and resilience in and intermittently on a slightly Yeast All the recipes here use the dough can be increased by the oiled surface. This way, I don’t easy-blend or dry active yeast — amount of energy put into it. When disturb the overall moisture a reliable and easy sort to buy dough is mixed relatively slowly content of the dough by adding for use at home. For fresh yeast, by hand on a worktop, even by the more flour and the oil stops the use a piece the same volume as most accomplished bakers, the dough sticking to my hands. First I the measure for dry, pressed changes that occur will be mostly mix the ingredients together in the firmly into the spoon. Before the due to the length of time since bowl, then leave it covered for 10 days of commercially prepared the water was first added, and the minutes. This allows the flour time yeast, bakers left a mixture of characteristics of and interactions to absorb moisture and activate 4 5 6 flour and water to ferment and between the ingredients. So you the proteins and other chemicals used this as a natural leaven can knead the dough fast, slow, found in it. Then I pour a scant How to stretch and you want to firm it up, you can do so you end with a thoroughly folded for their bread. Many home or even not at all, and end up with tablespoon of oil on to the work this trick. Between 30 minutes and blanket of dough. This will stretch bakers are devoted to this similar results. surface and rub it out to cover an and fold an hour into the first rise (the time and elongate each emerging bubble “sourdough method”. At Mick Hartley’s Bethesda area about 30cm in diameter. Rub after kneading but before shaping), in the dough and result in larger See page 39 for more details baking weekend ( read about it a little oil on your hands and over As the dough rises, little lightly flour or oil the work surface. bubbles in the final loaf. You’ll on page 29), we made the same the top of the dough, then scoop it gas bubbles form and, if left Stretch and pat the dough out into notice the biggest change in dough Salt A little salt gives the bread a recipe three times, one kneaded out of the bowl and on to the work undisturbed, will produce an evenly a rectangle at least double the made with all white flour, and only great flavour, but, if you reduce it, for 10 minutes, one kneaded surface. Now lightly fold the dough aerated crumb. But if you want diameter of the original lump or ball a slight change in dough made with the recipe will still work but rise intermittently and one not kneaded in by half towards you, press it bigger bubbles in the final crumb, of dough, then fold it in by thirds, wholemeal flour, but I use this trick faster. And extra salt will slow at all. We couldn’t see a difference down with the heel of your hand, or if your dough is soft and flowing first in one direction, then the other, on almost every dough I make. it down. between the last two and, lift and rotate the dough an eighth curiously, the unkneaded one rose of a turn and repeat the folding Soggy bottom? If the base of even quicker than the other two! and turning. Watch and learn: see Dan knead at from the kettle into it. Then keep them . Certainly, none of the recipes your bread is coming out pale and But a few of you have written I do this very quickly, about eight guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle a spray bottle filled with water here is designed for a machine. soft, try placing an oven stone or to me over the years quite angrily, to 10 times, and take no more than handy, the nozzle set for a wide What I can offer, however, are a terracotta tile at the bottom of the claiming I’d torn the pleasure of 8-10 seconds in total. Then I pick How to create steam spurt rather than a mist. Put the few tips that are gentle enough to oven to increase the heat. Put in kneading out of breadmaking. No the dough up and flip it back into bread in the oven, push the door be used with any machine recipe. before switching on the oven and such thing. If you want to knead the bowl, cover it and leave it for in the oven shut so only a crack remains, then Firs t, create your own custom blend shovel the dough directly on to it. your dough for 10 minutes on a 10 minutes. Repeat kneading twice fire a few spurts of water from the of flour. Try 350g strong white floury worktop, it won’t harm the more at 10-minute intervals, then To get a beautifully golden crust spray bottle against the inner sides flour, 100g wholemeal flour and Cook and keep Stored bread needs dough. But it won’t help it either, follow the recipe. with a slight sheen, showing a of the oven, avoiding the light and 50g rye flour for every 500g strong to breathe — unless, that is, you dramatic tear through the slashes the element. Quickly shut the door white flour in your recipe. Next, try are freezing it, in which case it you’ve made in the dough, calls and leave it for five minutes before adding a few cooked grains such needs to be well sealed to retain for an oven filled with steam. repeating the spray bottle trick one as brown rice, oatmeal or quinoa its moisture. Because modern ovens in our more time. It’s not perfect, but it when you add the water, anything home kitchens are built to crisp pushes the loaf in that direction. up to 20% of the flour weight. Ditto Below: metal bread bin with air food, they’re made to efficiently seeds, nuts and dried fruit. Finally, vents, based on a 1940s design, remove steam from the oven. Hands-off approach don’t just use water for your dough. Labour & Wait, £88 Great if you’ve got a tray of oven Scalded and cooled milk is good. chips to bake, but not good for All my family use bread machines, And any half bottles of wine or beer, breads and cakes. This two-step none of this handmade loaf heated to drive off the alcohol, trick will maximise the amount of nonsense for them. My dad’s which would slow the yeast, can be steam . First, keep a small deep tray always at me for ideas he can use added in place of part of the water. sitting on the lower shelf while with his bread machine, and I tell Red wine and walnuts are great you heat the oven. Two minutes him that bread machines work best together, or dark ale and raisins, or before baking, pour boiling water with the recipes that come with white wine and dried apple chunks. 18 | Baking Bread | 19 The easiest loaf in the world

I’ve stopped short of saying “the easy-to-slice white loaf that freezes and drops back down. It is the quickest” and easiest loaf, because well and is a great bread. way bread used to be made in 1 2 3 you probably know by now that The method below uses what old Britain before additives, and motor speed doesn’t make the best bread. bakers used to call the half-sponge cars, were heard of. Home cooks I don’t have time to bake every method, which is the easiest way long before me have enthused day, so I simply use the freezer, to inject flavour into a simple loaf. about the great flavour you get cutting the loaves in half before All the water and half the flour are from dough left to mature for popping them into zip-lock bags. mixed together with the yeast and hours rather than minutes, and This recipe will make a soft, left until the mixture bubbles up this recipe is in that vein.

White farmhouse tin loaf Scald a big mixing bowl with down in the buttered and floured 4 5 6 boiling water, then add the warm tin. Cover the tin with a tea towel For the sponge water and stir in the yeast. Add the and leave in a warm place until 225ml warm water (about 30-35C) flour, stir it up well with a wooden the dough has doubled in height 1 level tsp easy-blend yeast spoon, cover the bowl and leave for (about 1½ hours). 175g strong white bread flour 2-4 hours, or even overnight. So, you can mix it in the morning before Heat the oven to at least 220C For the dough work, or late on a Friday night when (200C fan-assisted), though better 175g strong white bread flour the house is quiet. if you can get it to 240C (220C fan- 1 level tsp fine salt assisted). Steam the oven if you like 25g unsalted butter or When you’re ready to make your (see page 16). Dust flour over the 7 8 9 dough, put the second batch of dough with a tea strainer, slash the flour (175g) into a bowl, add the salt loaf diagonally a few times about and rub the butter through until it 1cm deep with a razor blade or vanishes, so there are no little lumps sharp serrated knife and bake for floating around. Add the flour to the 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to yeast , mix the whole lot into 200C (180C fan-assisted) and bake Easy 5½ hr 220C (200C) a big sticky clump of dough, then for a further 20-25 minutes until dark scrape the bits off your fingers, cover golden brown, remove from the oven the bowl with a tea towel, and leave and tin, and cool on a wire rack. for 10 minutes. Give the dough three 10 11 12 light kneads over 30 minutes (see Tried and tested page 16), then cover and leave for I made the multigrain and a further 30 minutes. Lightly flour variation — a lovely the work surface, roll the dough into a rectangle 2cm thick that measures textured loaf, easy to slice. (from left to right) slightly less than I baked the loaf on Saturday. the length of a 2lb loaf tin. Roll it Sunday morning toast was up tightly and place seam-side delicious ... Variations

Double cheese and chive yeast sponge very well just before continue with the recipe as above. Add 50g grated parmesan, a small mixing the dough, then add an bunch (15g) of fresh chives and extra 75g flour and continue with Carrot, parsnip and rosemary 200-250g cheap strong cheddar the recipe as above. This dough Grate about 100g carrot and (no need for the vintage stuff rises quickly, so bake as soon as it’s 100g parsnip, beat this through here), chopped into 1cm cubes, doubled in height. the yeast sponge very well with in with the flour after the butter 2 heaped tbsp chopped fresh or has been rubbed in. Multigrain and honey dried rosemary, then continue with Put 50g rolled oats, 3 tbsp honey, the recipe as above. This dough Saffron and onion 50g linseed and 50g sunflower rises quickly, so bake as soon as it’s Finely chop 3 medium-sized Spanish seeds in a bowl. Pour in 100ml doubled in height. onions (about 325g) and fry gently boiling water, stir well and leave to with the butter from the recipe get cold. When you come to make Cinnamon and raisin until soft, translucent and dry. Then the dough, beat the oat mixture Beat 250g raisins into the sponge add 2 good pinches of saffron, a into the yeast sponge very well, and add 50g light soft brown sugar pinch of salt and 50ml water, bring then use 75g wholemeal flour and and 2 level tsp cinnamon in with to the boil, then leave to cool. Beat 100g strong white flour instead the flour after the butter has been the saffron mixture through the of the 175g all-white flour, and rubbed in. 20 | Baking Bread | 21 Delicate milk loaf ‘His hands in mine’ Ronnie Corbett My father was a night-baker. It wasn’t an enjoyable job. Working The perfect loaf to make Pour the milk and cream into a through the night, he didn’t have those delicate oblong aperitif saucepan and bring to the boil, then much of a home life — it was a bit , the sort you see in remove from the heat, pour into a jug like being a miner, and working- Paris carefully wrapped in wax and leave until tepid. A skin will form class folk weren’t looked after. paper to keep the bread soft and on the surface, but don’t worry about Yet he still baked at home, too: moist, with the crusts banished it. Top up with warm water to make not much bread, but cakes, pies, so a sliver of filling peeks out. Or a 250ml. Pour into a bowl and add the black buns. If a girl in the local bread and butter groggy yeast and the flour (175g), stir it up congregation was getting married, with armagnac and prunes. Or just well with a wooden spoon, cover the he’d bake the and toasted in the morning with a little bowl and leave for 2-4 hours until decorate it as well. treacly-dark Oxford . the mixture froths up and collapses He could never keep away from The proportions are virtually the a little in the centre. baking. We would go on holiday same as for the white farmhouse and he would head for the local loaf, but the method and Next add the golden syrup to the bakehouse — to see how they ingredients are slightly different. sponge and beat well. Add the did things differently and how Boiling milk before using it in second batch of flour, salt and they did things wrong. He would baking kills off an enzyme in the melted butter and mix into a sticky buy bread and cakes, break them whey protein that can make the dough. Give the dough three light open, inspect, press and smell crumb of the bread very heavy. The kneads over 30 minutes (see page them, then announce exactly what pasteurisation that all milk goes 16), then cover and leave for a wasn’t right about them. through isn’t enough: you need to further 30 minutes. Lightly flour the I would watch my father baking scald the milk and let it cool before work surface, roll the dough into a at home. He didn’t teach me as you use it if you want the crumb rectangle, roll up tightly and place such — the last thing he wanted extra light and fluffy. seam-side down in a buttered and was for me to follow him into floured 2lb loaf tin. Cover the tin baking in a factory — but I feel I with a tea towel and leave in a warm have inherited from him the skill Makes one large loaf place until the dough has doubled in of handling dough. I see his hands height (about 1½ hours). in my hands as I knead and shape. For the sponge I like to potter around baking 225ml whole milk Heat the oven to at least 220C bread when I have a few hours 50ml double cream (200C fan-assisted), though better in the house, tending to it now 1 level tsp easy-blend yeast if you can get it to 240C (220C fan- and again. I bake in batches of 175g strong white bread flour assisted). Steam the oven if you like three, putting one or two in the (see page 16), brush the top of the freezer to use later. My first bread For the dough dough with milk or egg, make criss- recipes came from the actress 1 level tbsp golden syrup cross cuts with a sharp knife, and Claire Neilson, and I’m still using 200g strong white bread flour bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat them . My bread bible is Andrew 1 level tsp fine salt to 200C (180C fan-assisted) and bake Whitley’s Bread Matters — it 25g unsalted butter, melted for a further 20-25 minutes until dark includes intricate explanations golden brown, remove from the oven of things like “sponge”, which I and tin, and cool on a wire rack. remember my father going in to the factory to prepare on Sunday for the Monday loaves. My favourite bread is airy like ciabatta, but I love spelt loaves, too. My wife, Anne, says you can tell the difference between shop-bought and home-baked, like you can with Easy 5½ hr 220C (200C) cake. And it makes a really nice gift. I often Variation give people bread — I Jersey milk and clotted once took cream loaf a loaf for Replace your usual milk with the Richard and richer Jersey or Channel Island Judy — and kind, replace the cream with people are clotted cream and leave out the always melted butter. touched. C B B 22 | Baking Bread | 23 Olive oil and flatbread

This focaccia-style flatbread Makes one large sheet of bread Scald a large bowl with boiling water, Now, while rotating the bowl, pull Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan- makes a great base for everything then dry it out and add the 00 flour, the dough up out of the bowl about assisted). Generously oil a large 30cm Variation from pizzas to bread rolls. Adding 200g 00 pasta flour strong white bread flour, salt and a hand’s width, then let it drop back square baking tray (ideally non-stick) grated potato keeps the crumb a bit 200g strong white bread flour yeast, and mix the lot together with down. Do this 6 or 8 times to stretch and flip the dough on to the centre Leek rarebit flatbread softer after baking. I should warn 1 tsp fine sea salt your fingers. the dough, then cover the bowl again of it. Give the dough a single fold to Slice three medium-sized leeks you that the dough here is much 1 tsp easy-blend yeast and leave for 10 minutes. Repeat this get it looking neat, then flip it over into 5mm rings and simmer in a stickier, but a coating of olive oil on 1 large potato (about 175g), peeled Grate the potato into the warm twice more at 10-minute intervals, so the seam is underneath. Use the pan of water until tender. Drain both the surface of the dough and 275ml warm water water, then mix this with the dry then cover the bowl and leave for carrier bag again to cover the tray, well and press with a cloth to your hands will help you along. Olive oil for stretching the dough ingredients until you have an 30 minutes. cutting it open with scissors to get remove some water. Just before The recipe uses a long rise and a incredibly soft and sticky dough. an easier fit and oiling the side that your potato bread is ready to be stretching and folding technique, Cover the bowl with a tea towel and Oil a large dinner plate well. Using a touches the dough so it doesn’t stick. baked, beat together 75g flour, the key to opening the texture leave it undisturbed for 10 minutes. plastic scraper, lift the dough out of 100ml dark ale, 1 tbsp Colman’s of the dough to give you lots of This will give the flour time to the bowl in one swift movement and Leave the dough for about 30 dry mustard and ½ tsp salt until big bubbles in the crumb. It only fully absorb the water and aid the plonk it on the plate. minutes, or until you notice it looks smooth. Grate in 150g cheddar, stir really works with dough made development of the elastic protein puffier. To bake, simply take the bag this through with the leeks, then with mainly white bread flour, as called gluten, which will catch all of Give the dough a blanket fold by off the top, pour a little more oil carefully spread over the top of the pulling and stretching is quite the gas produced by the yeast. stretching and folding it in by thirds over the dough, dimple the top well the dough just before baking. punishing on the gluten. And it (see page 16), then stick the plate with your fingertips, sprinkle a little needs a dough that contains lots Pour a tablespoon of oil over the and dough inside a carrier bag and sea salt over the top and pop it in of water, making it extra sticky to dough and a smaller spoonful on leave for 30 minutes. Repeat this the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then Tried and tested work with. your hands. Rub the top of the dough stretch and fold once more, then turn the heat down to 200C (180C to spread the oil and tuck down cover the plate and leave for another fan-assisted) and bake for a further I loved making this. I worried around the edge to loosen the dough 30 minutes. Try and keep the dough 10-15 minutes until the loaf is a dark that the dough was too liquidy, Moderate 4 hr 220C (200C) so it moves freely, coated in oil. in a neat-looking rectangle each time. golden brown. but it turned out really well

1 2 3

4 5 6 24 | Baking Bread | 25 Wholemeal loaf Fresh from the River Café oven

Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray If you’re not eating wholemeal starch, which is used by the seed as We’ve had a wood oven for 16 years bread often, made from flour it sprouts and grows into a plant. now. When it was first installed, milled from 100% of the grain, you But when we try to bake with wheat we found it to be a new tool both need to start right away. Eating flour, the same chemical also stops for birds and fish, and for more wholegrain cereal increases some of that elastic stretchiness we the occasional . But every new your chances of a healthy long life, want in the dough. If you use all chef to the kitchen has exclaimed as the phytochemicals found in the white flour, the effect of this “Great! You have a pizza oven!” and bran protect cells from age-related chemical isn’t so noticeable. But we have realised that we really do DNA damage. Crisp ryebread (such change to wholemeal flour, which — it is fantastic! This cherry focaccia as Ryvita) and can also contains much less starch, and the is something we do when we get help enrich your diet this way. effect can cause a heavy loaf. in really wonderful cherries. It is a Putting my boffin hat on for a Vitamin C has a way of stopping great way to eat them, especially moment, it’s good to remember this chemical causing mischief. as a cake. that baking involves ingredients It’s one of the few additives getting all chemical with each allowed in organic baking by the Cherry focaccia from River Café other. The flour made from wheat, Soil Association, and even the Cook Book Green (Ebury Press) for example, contains a very protective French baking laws In a warm bowl mix 1 tsp dried complex mixture of chemicals. approve of a little being added. yeast with 350ml warm water and Some help to make light, aerated You only need a smidgeon, so a let it rest for 5 minutes. Gently bread ; some really don’t. All wheat half or even a quarter of a vitamin pour in and combine 500g plain flour contains a naturally occurring will do, but it will help to flour; the dough should be very chemical called glutathione in the make your bread light. soft. Now slowly pour in 50ml extra virgin olive oil, along with 50g caster sugar and a pinch of Makes one large loaf Scald a mixing bowl with boiling salt. Knead on a floured work water, wipe it dry, then add the surface for about 5 minutes. 300ml warm water warm water, yeast and sugar. Return to the bowl, cover with a 2 tsp easy-blend yeast Stir well, then add the vitamin C, cloth, and set aside to rise for an 1 tbsp brown sugar, any kind flour and salt, and stir well again. hour. Remove the stones from ½ a 500mg vitamin C tablet, crushed Pour in the melted butter and 1kg cherries, and put the flesh in a to a powder between two spoons squidge the lot together to work the bowl. When the dough has risen, 450g strong wholemeal flour fat through the dough. Cover the roll it out and place on a lightly 1 tsp fine sea salt bowl with a cloth and leave for oiled pizza pan 30cm in diameter, 50g unsalted butter, melted 10 minutes. or in a shallow cake tin of the same Oil and flour for kneading size. Place the cherries over the Give the dough three light kneads dough and let it rise again for half over 30 minutes (see page 16), then an hour. Preheat the oven to 180C. cover and leave for 15 minutes. Sprinkle 50g caster sugar over the top of the cake and drizzle with a Lightly flour the work surface, roll small amount of olive oil. Place the Easy 4 hr 220C (200C) the dough into a rectangle, roll up cake in the oven and bake for about tightly and place seam-side down 30 minutes until brown. Serve in a buttered and floured 2lb loaf warm or at room temperature. Variation tin. Cover the tin with a tea towel and leave in a warm place until the Spelt and ale loaf dough has doubled in height (about Bring 300ml dark ale or porter to 1½ hours). the boil in a saucepan (don’t let it boil over) and simmer for a minute Heat the oven to at least 220C or so to drive off the alcohol, which (200C fan-assisted), though if could slow down or even stop the you can get it to 240C (220C fan- yeast. Pour the ale into a jug, leave assisted), even better. Steam the until warm, then top up to 300ml oven if you like (see page 16). with warm water. Make the dough as above, replacing the water with Dust flour over the dough with a the ale, and the wholemeal with tea strainer, cut the loaf down the spelt flour. The malt in the ale middle with a serrated knife, and makes the dough work very bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the quickly, so bake it as soon as it’s heat to 200C (180C fan-assisted) barely doubled in height, even and bake for a further 20-25 minutes N O

after an hour, as the spelt dough until dark golden brown, remove T L A C

will collapse if left too long. from the oven and tin, and cool on Y R A

a wire rack. G 26 | Baking Bread | 27 Chewy light rye bread

This wheat and rye bread has a joint, it’s a perfect Monday-night some old rye bread, Ryvita moist, chewy texture, helped supper. But for me it needs cold for convenience, in a pretend by putting a bit of old rye bread, butter on the plate as well, with a sourdough. Not a real one mind, soaked and squeezed, into the big fat dill gherkin sliced up or a but a bubbling wannabe that looks new dough. Sliced and filled with spoonful of . you in the eye and says, “Tonight, the juicy bits from a leftover roast What I do here is combine Matthew, I’m going to be …”

Makes one large loaf The night before you plan to make Lightly flour a large baking tray. the bread, soak the Ryvita in warm Wipe the work surface clean and For the sponge water until it just begins to soften. dust it with flour. Place the dough 4 slices plain Ryvita Carefully lift it on to a plate, drain on the floured surface and roll it 275ml cold water the water away and leave until into a rectangle about 30cm by 150g rye flour mushy and soft. Next, squeeze it 20cm. Roll the dough tightly up like Half a small onion, finely grated out and place in a bowl with the a scroll. 1 tbsp live yoghurt ingredients for the sponge: the 1 tsp easy-blend yeast cold water, rye flour, onion, Place the dough seam-side down on 1 tsp caraways seeds, lightly ground yoghurt, yeast and ground caraway. the tray, then punch it gently down Stir well, cover with a plate, and along the top to squeeze out any air For the dough leave overnight. Bacteria in the pockets. Slip the tray inside a carrier 1 tsp caraway seeds yoghurt will multiply and sour the bag, then sit it somewhere warm for 2 tbsp treacle mixture gently. 1½-2 hours or until the dough has 150g rye flour almost doubled in height. 250g strong white flour The next day, make the dough by 2 level tsp salt stirring the whole caraway seeds and Heat the oven to 220C (200C Beaten egg and caraway for treacle into the rye mixture. Scald a fan-assisted) and steam the oven the crust large bowl with boiling water, dry it if you like (see page 16). Remove with a cloth and add the rye mixture, the carrier bag from the dough, the flour and salt, and stir everything brush the top with egg and sprinkle together into a soft and sticky with caraway seeds, slash down the dough. Cover the bowl with a cloth middle with a sharp knife and place and leave for 10 minutes. the tray in the oven.

Give the dough three light kneads Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the over 30 minutes (see page 16), then heat to 200C (180C fan-assisted) leave the dough in a covered bowl at and bake for a further 20 minutes or Moderate Overnight+ 220C (200C) room temperature for 30 minutes. until the loaf is a rich dark brown.

Variation

Honey, orange and dill Good toasted and served with cured fish, or for roast pork sandwiches. Replace the treacle with honey, and add the grated zest of one orange and 3 tbsp dried or fresh dill in place of the caraway seeds when mixing the dough. 28 | Baking Bread | 29

Oatmeal The breadheads are rising!

Adam Newey This is the original quick and easy Makes one 20cm square loaf Place the oatmeal in a saucepan, add In August, bread fanatics from no-knead bread to serve alongside the water and butter (or dripping), Variation across Britain and beyond ice-cold oysters and ale. For a 100g coarse or “pin-head” oatmeal and bring to the boil. Remove from converged on a small town in change, I’ve made this with the 225ml water the heat, stick the lid on and leave for Seaweed, onion and toasted north . Over three days coarse oatmeal you get in tins. 30g butter or dripping an hour. Spoon the oatmeal into a oatmeal we baked in the marvellously The expensive one, I know. But 100ml yoghurt bowl with any remaining liquid and This is lovely served cold and ramshackle Bethesda rugby club it gives the bread the best chewy 200ml cold milk whisk in the yoghurt and milk until buttered with fish or shellfish. kitchen, slept in tents on the texture and would have been used 300g wholemeal or spelt flour smooth and lump-free. Butter an Place the raw oatmeal on pitch, built a wood-fired oven and traditionally before rolled oats (an 1½ level tsp bicarbonate of soda 18-20cm square tin and line the base a tray and bake in the oven at shared recipes, tips and passion American invention from the late ¾ level tsp salt with a square of baking paper. Heat 200C (180C fan-assisted) for for that slowest of slow foods, 1800s) were widely available in 1½ level tbsp brown sugar the oven to 200C (180C fan-assisted). 30 minutes or until a rich dark sourdough bread. Most of us knew the British Isles. For this recipe, I Sift the flour, soda, salt and sugar into brown. Then cook the oatmeal each other only online, through make a sort of and beat the oatmeal mixture, tossing back in with the water and butter as in Dan’s baking forum (danlepard. the other ingredients through it. any bran sifted out, and stir until the basic recipe, adding 3-4 tbsp com/forum), but by 10pm that It’s baked in a tin, as the mixture smooth. Spoon the batter into the tin, finely chopped dried dulse (or first day, as yet more loaves is a bit sloppy. In Ireland, I’ve only cover with foil, bake for 15 minutes, nori or laver) and one small finely emerged from the oven and we ever seen soda bread as a slab, and then remove the foil and bake for a chopped and fried onion to crammed into the kitchen to smell, to me that’s much easier to cut further 30 minutes until the crust is a the batter. taste and evaluate, we knew we and use. Easy 2½ hr 200C (180C) good rich brown. were among friends. No shop-bought bread begins to compare with even the humblest loaf that you make at home. Supermarkets offer a bewildering array of breads, from those desperately processed sliced whites to pitta, ciabatta and all the rest. But mere multiplicity of choice is no substitute for quality. Nor can it obscure the scandalous neglect of the rich and diverse baking traditions of these islands. Saffron buns and Chelsea buns, Cornish splits, lardy cakes and Sally Lunns, barm brack and , singing hinnies, rowies, stotties and fadge: these are baking’s equivalents of the red squirrel, squeezed out of their natural habitat and left clinging on in a few ever-dwindling territories. Yet there is hope. Bethesdabakin’ — as the event was dubbed by our host, the sourdough genius Mick Hartley — proved to me that Britain’s bread is already well under way. There are small artisan bakeries out there that take bread seriously, and there’s a growing army of home bakers who are only too happy to invest a bit of time and effort (and to risk the occasional disaster) in the pursuit of real bread. In fact, it was such a success that it’s going to be an annual gathering. Next year, though, we’re swapping Snowdonia for rural France. The breadheads are rising! Viva la fermentación! For Bethesdabakin’ photos and recipes go to danlepard.com/wiki 30 | Baking Bread | 31 Cider vinegar

What the Americans call an Makes 8-10 muffins The following morning (or evening), Get a large heavy-bottomed English we used to call, lightly oil a dinner tray and upturn frying pan with a snug-fitting lid well, a muffin. But since those 50g unsalted butter the dough on to it. Stretch and fold if possible. Place on a moderate little cakes in paper cases have 100ml warm water the dough in by thirds (see page 16), heat until the surface is hot but invaded the supermarket shelves 50ml cider vinegar then cover with a tea towel and leave not scorching. and stolen the name, our own little 100ml plain live yoghurt to rest for 1-2 hours until it warms plain bread muffin has become 1 large egg and begins to rise again. Uncover the muffins and flip them neglected in Britain. In the US, 1 level tsp salt one by one on to your hand with bakers have raised the quality of 375g strong white flour Line a dinner tray with a tea towel the cloth, then slide them into the their English muffins to something 2 tsp easy-blend yeast and dredge the surface liberally pan. You should be able to fit 3 or close to perfection. Crisp on the Oil for the bowl with flour. Gently roll out the dough 4 in at a time. Cover the pan with outside, sour and holey inside, and about 1½cm thick, trying not to the lid to create a bit of steam to chewy when toasted and slathered The night before, melt the butter in knock too much of the gas from help them rise and cook for 2-3 with butter. Make these and you’ll a saucepan, then remove from the it. Cut the dough into discs using minutes. Then check to see that see what we’ve been missing all heat and beat in the warm water a 12cm-diameter cutter (yes, that they’re not burning. If the bottom is these years. In this recipe, the with the vinegar, yoghurt, egg and large, as they’ll pull inwards as they a good brown, flip them over using dough gets mixed and lightly salt until smooth. Measure the flour bake), or take a sharp knife and a spatula. Cook on the other side kneaded the night before and is left and yeast into a bowl, tip in the cut the dough into 6 rectangles or for about 3-4 minutes. When done, in the refrigerator overnight to rise butter and vinegar mixture and stir something close to that. Carefully lay remove to a wire rack, drape a tea slowly. You can even leave it until to a thick batter. Cover the bowl and the cut dough on the floured cloth. towel over to keep them soft, and the following evening if that works leave for 10 minutes. Lightly oil the Dust the tops with flour and cover continue with the remaining muffins. better for you. work surface and knead the dough with a tea towel. Leave for 1½-2 Freeze in a zip-lock bag as soon as gently for 10-15 seconds (see page hours or until doubled in height. they’re cold. 16). Scrape the bowl clean of scraps of dough, wipe the inside with a little oil, place the dough back in the bowl, Tried and tested Variation cover with a plate or cling film and These muffins are a world place in the refrigerator overnight. away from those you might Crispy muffins Add 250g smoked streaky bacon, buy wrapped in cellophane cooked until crisp and chopped at the supermarket. Great toasted finely, in with the flour, then and slathered with butter — the continue with the recipe above. Moderate Overnight+ Hob real deal The next step: build your own bread oven (preferably outdoors)

Ovens were first developed for a larger programme of equipment, cooking process, so that it may be Of course, driving the oven baking bread, and bread alone. construction and rethinking one’s revived at short notice to get steam may become more important to Everything else was cooked on whole kitchen economy. It just grabs up again for another baking. you than making the bread. There or in front of a fire. It was only in you by the balls, I find. It is possible, but expensive, to is a fascination in watching the the 19th century that ranges with There are big ovens and small buy an oven kit to instal anywhere flames curl over the brick dome and integral ovens began to be inserted ones. And they can be indoors on your property. The smallest listening to the roar at the mouth into domestic kitchens and that or outdoors. For the majority, will set you back over £1,000, but as the heat gets up to maximum. roasting before the open flame outdoors may be safest (neighbours at least you’ll be sure it will work. There’s also the sheer delight of dropped out of favour, only recently notwithstanding). Even small ovens Fornobravo is one firm that imports using the baker’s peel (the long flat revived as we relearn the art of create an awful lot of smoke and these items (see the Bread Directory, shovel with which you insert the the barbecue. flame. And there are times when page 38, for details). loaf into the depths of the oven), The general-purpose domestic you need to get the flame out of the Alternatively, you do it all or its attendant disasters as you oven is not a perfect instrument for oven in order to get the bread in. yourself. Some people provide plans. tremble and hesitate too much and breadmaking (Agas excepted). The Don’t forget that the Great Fire of I have done so in my book Building deposit the loaf in a horrible mess heat is too fragile, it’s a lot of hot London was started by a baker. a Wood-Fired Oven for Bread and in one corner. air. A loaf truly enjoys the deep heat A simple bread oven works on Pizza (Prospect Books, £9.99), or And the speed of it takes you that comes from the structure of the the principle that you build the there is Your Brick Oven: Building It aback. An oven up to its full oven itself, and it revels particularly fire inside the oven itself until the and Baking in It by Russell Jeavons potential will cook bread at twice in the kiss of the brick on its bottom. structure has absorbed sufficient (Grub Street, £10.99). the speed of a standard cooker Although there are lots of tricks heat to cook a loaf of bread. At that The scale of these things goes and then, as it settles into a gentle that can fool bread into thinking ultra-enthusiast (verging on the point the fire is raked out, the oven from the sublime to the ginormous. you back above £500, although decline after baking is done, you that a gas cooker is an old-fashioned lunatic) will want to have a go at is washed or cleaned, and the baking All the materials for a technically economies can be made by using can slap in the stews, the cakes, the ) 2 (

bread oven (baking stones, sprays building a proper oven. It’s that self- begins. A pizza oven works on the Y simple but nonetheless massive secondhand materials — firebricks, biscuits and to profit from H P

of water, coating the crust with sufficiency thing and the fact that same lines but hotter, with the fire R oven that affords a baking area for example, can be liberated from the heat for free. U M Tom Jaine some form of browning agent), the breadmaking often develops into kept chuntering along during the L one metre square will probably set old electric storage heaters. E O N 32 | Baking Bread | 33 Perfect plain pitta Soho-style socca

Biting into a tender, freshly made Makes about 8 pittas Heat the oven to at least 250C This gluten-free from the Makes about 8 large Beat the flour, water and salt and baked handmade pitta reminds (230C fan-assisted). Place a clean south of France is a very simple together to a thin batter, adding the me how stale and tough the shop 300g strong white flour baking tray on a rack in the oven and and stylish type of flatbread, 150g chickpea flour water slowly at first to make a paste, ones are. Don’t even get me started 200g plain flour leave it for 20 minutes to get very differing only from the Italian 225-250ml cold water then trickling in the remaining water on long-life pitta. Homemade 1 level tsp easy-blend yeast hot. Meanwhile, on a lightly floured farinata in that it’s mixed a little ¾ level tsp salt while beating the mixture hard. ones frozen and reheated still 1 level tbsp caster sugar surface, divide the dough into pieces thinner and usually served with Light olive oil for frying (or half taste better to me. Here I’ve used 1 level tsp fine salt weighing roughly 100g. Round each lots of freshly ground black pepper. extra virgin and half sunflower oil) Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a small frying pan a combination of plain flour and 2 tbsp sunflower oil into a ball and leave covered for 15 Back in the early 1990s, chef Lots of freshly ground black pepper over a high heat. Ladle just enough strong flour, and this seems to 325ml warm water minutes to rest. Roll out each ball Juliet Peston at Alastair Little’s batter into the pan so that it coats produce a good soft result without into an oval roughly 5mm thick. restaurant in London’s Soho the base lightly once it’s swizzled being too chewy. This is by far the Scald a large mixing bowl with Leave to rest for 2 minutes. taught me how to make it and around. Return the pan to the heat simplest recipe in this section, but boiling water. Measure the two this variation, cooking it in a and cook until the pancake is brown just missed out on being selected flours, yeast, sugar and salt into the Quickly lift the tray out of the oven, frying pan rather than the oven, at the edges. as “the easiest” because it doesn’t bowl, then add the oil and water and shut the door, lay one or two pittas and it is her variation with fresh lend itself too well to variations. mix to a soft sticky dough. Cover on it and return the tray to the oven. chilli and parsley that I’ve added With a spatula, lift the socca and flip Plain is best, though garlic and and leave the dough for 10 minutes, Bake for 3-5 minutes or until risen at the end. She’d serve it folded it, then cook until the underside has dried thyme tastes good, too. then rub a tablespoon of oil on the and barely coloured. Immediately like a handkerchief on the side of barely coloured. Transfer to a plate, Pitta needs very little yeast, as work surface to cover an area about remove with tongs and leave to cool the plate with hummous, grilled fold into quarters and cook the rest the rolling and the very hot oven the size of a dinner plate. Place under a cloth, to keep soft and moist. aubergine and roasted red peppers, of the batter. Serve warm with lots create the lift. So if your oven the dough on the oiled surface and Repeat with the remaining pitta. and I still prefer it that way today. of ground black pepper over the top. doesn’t get too hot, you’ll have to knead it lightly for just 8-10 seconds make it at a friend’s house. until smooth. Return the dough to the bowl, cover again and repeat Variation Variation the light kneading twice more at 10-minute intervals. Then leave the Garlic, dried thyme and lemon Red chilli and parsley socca dough for 30 minutes. Slice and fry garlic in 2 tbsp To spice things up a bit, add sunflower oil, reserve until cool, 3 tsp chopped fresh red chilli Tried and tested then use this in place of the Tried and tested — you’ll find that the thick- This really is as simple sunflower oil in the recipe. Add 2 As with pancakes, allow skinned kind are less hot tsp dried thyme (not fresh) ground than the thin-skinned ones — as bread gets — a truly to a powder and the finely grated for a little trial and error to and a handful of chopped wonderful thing. Just make zest of a lemon to the dough, then get optimum oil : batter ratio. parsley to the batter before sure you roll the pitta thin follow the remaining steps above. The chilli and parsley variation you begin frying. enough Easy 2½ hr 250C (230C) is a sure-fire winner! Easy 1 hr Hob 34 | Baking Bread | 35 Top Full of flavour

This simple dough can be used for temperature. Now who would most bun recipes, great for hot have thought fat and white cross buns, chelsea buns, even for chocolate had something in little balls of dough deep-fried and common? dusted in icing sugar for a New Why the hefty amount of yeast? Levi Roots Year’s Eve . But the simple To counteract all the sugar, fat Hardough bread is not any old , toasted and buttered, is and spices that will slow the yeast bread, it’s unique, and I think my favourite. down. As with us, a little sugar that’s why it’s popular with A hard fat like beef dripping in speeds the beastie, but too much Jamaicans. It’s special, man, it’s the dough makes the teacakes slows it right down. Fat also makes bread with gusto, it really fills your softer than butter would. For fermentation difficult, and even belly ! It’s great for sandwiches vegetarians, white chocolate spice slows the reaction. The yeast because of the nice thick wedge is a much better substitute will be destroyed in the baking, it has when cut. I remember as than regular butter, as the high and won’t be bubbling around in a kid I would always want to eat proportion of cocoa fat it contains your stomach, but will help make the crust, which is packed full of stays as hard as dripping at room your sweet buns light and fluffy. flavour. You can also eat anything with it. It tends not to come sliced, like a thin loaf in the supermarket, Makes 14 Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and it doesn’t break in your hands with 3 tbsp flour (taken from the or when you spread 5 level tsp easy-blend yeast total amount). Stir together well, butter on it. You can have it with (about 2 sachets) then leave for 15 minutes to bubble. fish or soup — in fact, it’s great for 125ml warm water Meanwhile, heat the milk until soup because it doesn’t fall apart 600g strong white flour boiling, then remove from the heat, in it. My favourite way to eat it is 150ml milk add the golden syrup, caster sugar, to cut a hefty, chunky slice, add 25g golden syrup dripping, currants, peel, spices and cheese on top, then grill. 25g caster sugar salt, stir well and leave to cool. Levi was a winner on BBC2’s 50g beef dripping (or white Dragons’ Den with his Caribbean chocolate), roughly chopped Beat the eggs and stir these into the Reggae Reggae Sauce. He opened 150g currants milk mixture. Place the remaining his first restaurant, 150g chopped mixed peel flour in a warm bowl, stir the yeast Papine Jerk, in June ½ level tsp each ginger, nutmeg with the milk mixture, then tip this in Battersea, south and cinnamon into the flour and stir well until London 1 level tsp salt evenly combined. Cover the bowl, 3 large eggs leave for 10 minutes, then give the Falko Burkert dough three light kneads over 30 I started making bread three years minutes (see page 16), cover and ago at a farmers’ market. I wanted leave for a further 30 minutes. to open a , and so I started making cakes to gauge Weigh the dough into 100g pieces the reaction. The bread on the and roll into round balls using your stall became so popular that we Easy 4 hr 220C (200C) cupped hand. Butter two baking started to sell out, and I opened sheets, roll the balls flat so they sit my first shop in last about 2cm high and lay them on the year. Bread is very addictive. I can Variation tray about 3-4cm apart. Place the live without alcohol, but I can’t trays inside carrier bags and leave live without bread. Often when I Panettone teacakes somewhere warm for 1½ hours to go to restaurants, my friends get Reduce the milk to 50ml, replace double in height. embarrassed because I always the dripping with 75g white ask for more bread. Eating bread chocolate and add an extra 3 egg Heat the oven to 220C (200C is part of my southern German yolks with the eggs, together with fan-assisted). Brush the tops of the mentality; as in France and Spain, the zest of an orange and a lemon, dough with beaten egg and bake we always eat it before and with 2 tbsp honey and 3 tsp each vanilla for 12-15 minutes or until risen and meals. My favourite bread is a extract, orange flower water, golden. Don’t bake for too long, as dark rye bread I grew up with. rose water and chocolate essence you want them to stay soft. The British are not so keen on it, (in place of the dry spices). For because it has a different flavour the topping, smash up some of and texture, a lot tougher, but it those rough white La Perruche Tried and tested also lasts longer and I love it. sugar cubes together with an Falko Burkert, who runs two equal quantity of amaretti and I made exactly 14 teacakes, as bakeries in , won Observer sprinkle on each bun just after the recipe states, and they were Food Monthly’s best producer the egg wash. great — definitely a recipe I will award 2007 (www.falko.co.uk) A

use again P 36 | Baking Bread | 37 brioche

A recipe for making that classic The day before you need the dough, French bread which permits you heat the milk in a pan until boiling, 1 to consume a packet of butter then pour into a measuring jug and singlehandedly in an elegant leave until warm. Top up with warm fashion. The dough keeps in the water to bring it back to 50ml (some refrigerator for a few days, so it can liquid will have evaporated), then be mixed ahead of time. Perfect for stir in the yeast. Weigh the flour and any dinner party conversation that take out 2 tbsp to add to the yeast would benefit from you saying, mixture. Stir well, cover the jug with “We make our own brioche as you a saucer and leave for 30 minutes. can’t buy anything decent.” Listen, This step helps get the yeast revved 2 there’s a style war raging out there, up to take on the butter-rich dough. and you’ll need to throw every Once the yeast is active, beat the culinary grenade you can. eggs and yolks, sugar and salt The butter isn’t mixed in until together in a mixing bowl, then pour the dough has been made, and in the yeast. Add the remaining flour though this makes the whole and stir until it forms a rough dough. thing a right pain, it also gets the Cover the bowl and leave for 30 best result. I tried it in the food minutes; no kneading, no nothing. processor, but the motor began to smoke, so you’re just going to have Scrape the dough on to the work 3 to get down and dirty mixing it surface without any flour, and have on the work surface. It’s easy, but a scraper ready. This is the point make sure you’ve got a sink full of whe n you need to be left alone. Cut warm soapy water ready to wash the butter into small pieces and mix your hands in at the end. And take it into the dough with your hands. the phone off the hook. Then start working the butter into the dough as if you’re energetically playing a sticky accordion, rubbing Makes two large loaves the butter into the dough as you stretch it backwards and forwards. Do 400g strong white flour this as fast as you can, scraping the 50ml milk dough off the work surface as you go. 1 sachet (2½ level tsp) easy-blend Use the scraper to push the dough yeast back together, should it start to 4 large eggs, plus 3 yolks spread too far. Once all of the butter 50g caster sugar has disappeared, and the dough feels 4 1 level tsp salt elastic and very soft, scrape it back 250g unsalted butter, softened into the bowl, cover with a plate or cling film and chill overnight. At this point the dough can be kept for another two days before using.

To use, simply butter two 2lb loaf tins, divide the dough in two and shape each into a cylinder. Place each 5 in a tin, seam-side down, cover with a cloth and leave for 2-3 hours until almost doubled in height. Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan-assisted), brush the top with beaten egg and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 180C (160C fan-assisted), bake Moderate Overnight+ 220C (200C) for about 20 minutes more until dark golden brown all over, then remove from the oven and tin, and cool on a Variation wire rack.

Chocolate chip brioche Tried and tested Stir in 250g chocolate chopped into 1cm bits just before you finish Delicious. You’re not wrong kneading the dough. about the soapy water, though — 6 things got seriously messy! 38 | Baking

Six Thousand Years of Bread: Its Bread directory Holy and Unholy History HE Jacob, Sterling, £9.99 This cult classic for bakers charts the staple’s history, from the Greeks’ Books reverence for the bread goddess Demeter to how bread contributed to While you wait for the dough to rise, the outcome of the first world war. An there is a rich variety of bread-time unconventional, intriguing read. reading to choose from … Websites & forums Dough: Simple Contemporary Bread Richard Bertinet, Kyle Cathie, £19.99 realbreadcampaign.org Dough has sold over 100,000 copies, A fledgling initiative spearheaded by been translated into seven languages Andrew Whitley of Bread Matters in and won a number of awards. association with Sustain, the alliance It comes with a DVD providing extra for food and farming. Sign up to the guidance on techniques, as well as news list to keep in touch. showing recipes step by step. The Exceptional Breads paperback version (£14.99) will be Dan Lepard and Richard Whittington, bread-bakers.com out in the spring. Quadrille, £5.99 Founded by Regina and Jeffrey Passes on the secrets of the breads Dwork in 1990, this is one of the English Bread and Yeast Cookery created by renowned artisan retailer oldest groups for home bakers on Elizabeth David, Penguin, £9.99 Baker & Spice. The recipes, all tested the internet. Subscribe to either the OK, so Angela Carter may not have in a domestic kitchen, are straight- Bread-Bakers Digest (a collection of given it an overwhelmingly positive forward, the results impressive. the weekly postings) or the Daily- review in 1982 (see Helen Simpson, Terrific value. Bread mailing lists (individual posts page 59), but this book is still widely are emailed on to you as they arrive). acclaimed as a classic work — a Bread Matters: The State of Modern comprehensive collection of history, Bread and a Definitive Guide to danlepard.com investigation, comment and recipes. Baking Your Own First stop for all budding bread Andrew Whitley, 4th Estate, £20 bakers, a truly authoritative resource. The New Family Bread Book This weighty tome was rated by one Ursula Ferringo, Mitchell Beazley, £20 reviewer as “the most important lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/ With busy mums and dads in mind, book on baking since the publication fooddirectory this book offers short cuts and ideas of Elizabeth David’s English Bread Online edition of the Guardian’s for fast bread. and Yeast Cookery”. It’s certainly extensive Food Directory, with a very a serious study, full of passion for good list of British bakers. Making Bread at Home handmade bread and vitriol for the Tom Jaine, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, modern food industry. Much more thefreshloaf.com £9.99 than a book of recipes, though it has A lively community for amateurs, Convinced that modern bread did plenty of those to get stuck into too. containing recipes, lessons, book not measure up to the originals reviews, a forum and recipe developed by generations of bakers The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: exchange, as well as bakers’ blogs. in Europe, Asia and the US, Tom Jaine Making Classic Breads With the built a traditional wood-fired brick Cutting-Edge Techniques of a Shops oven and began baking loaves for Bread Master his village. This book is a distillation Peter Reinhart, Ten Speed Press, £30 A pick of the best around the country of his knowledge and proves that An authoritative yet unintimidating to impress and inspire … anyone can master baking. guide that won the Cookbook of the Year award in 2002. All Natural Bakery Local Breads, Sourdough and allnatural.mysite.orange.co.uk Wholegrain Recipes from Europe’s The Bread Builders: Hearth Loaves [email protected] Best Artisan Bakers and Masonry Ovens 01842 890891 Daniel Leader, WW Norton, £22 Daniel Wing and Alan Scott, Chelsea Completely natural bread made in Detailed recipes describe every step Green Publishing, £27.50 the traditional way (the sourdough it takes to reproduce a host of rare Highly rated by Dan Lepard, this starter has been going for years). and special loaves. complex, detailed work is a good Sold in delicatessens and wholefood place to start if you want to bake shops throughout East Anglia or by The Handmade Loaf: Contemporary using a natural leaven. mail order (minimum amount applies, European Recipes for the Home but the breads are ideal for freezing). Baker Artisan Baking Across America Dan Lepard, Mitchell Beazley, £20 Maggie Glezer, Workman Publishing Breadalbane Bakery Not only informative and enjoyable The book that working bakers often 37 Dunkeld Street, Aberfeldy to read, but beautiful to look at talk about. It demonstrates that Perthshire, 01887 820481 too. A book with real depth of traditions can be re-established, and Join the queue on a Saturday morning RON, GRAHAM TURNER

insight and personality, rated that it’s possible to create revenue- and you’ll soon find out why it’s busy. A B

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by one reviewer as “the best earning bakery systems using artisan Offers a dozen varieties of traditional N A R cookbook ever”. methods and slow processes. Scots bread, baked on site. F Bread | 39

De Gustibus (pictured) Schools & courses 53 Blandford Street, London W1 Surf your way 020-7486 6608; 4 Southwark Street, The Bertinet Kitchen London SE1, 020-7407 3625; 12 St Andrew’s Terrace, Bath to sourdough 53/55 Carter Lane, London EC4 01225 445531, thebertinetkitchen.com 020-7236 0056 The locals love this school run by “Sourdough” is a relatively modern degustibus.co.uk renowned French baker Richard term for a very old kind of bread One of the first companies to sell a Bertinet in the centre of Bath — and — naturally leavened bread, that full-flavoured, naturally leavened so will you. is, bread made with a wild yeast loaf in the UK. An example to us all. starter as opposed to commercial Bread Matters packet . The name originates The Tower House, Melmerby, Penrith, from the distinctive sour taste , 01768 881899 of bread made this way. With breadmatters.com/courses the rise of the branded loaf and Bread Matters runs a range of the supposed convenience of organic bread-making courses with modern industrial yeasts, the art an emphasis on local ingredients and of sourdough became the preserve sustainable methods. of a few specialist bakers and diehard enthusiasts, and acquired Panary at Cann Mills (pictured) an undeserved reputation as a Cann, Shaftesbury, difficult, almost mystical process 01722 341447, panary.co.uk beyond the reach of the humble Master baker Paul Merry runs an home baker. impressive range of small-group In recent years, however, Dolce Forno bread courses for beginners and more and more home bakers 01727 762456, sales@dolceforno. aspiring professionals alike. have rediscovered the pleasure co.uk, dolceforno-breads.co.uk and possibilities of this most Produces an extensive range of natural method of baking bread. continental, flavoured and traditional All you need is a little patience breads, and will even create bespoke and a willingness to experiment. breads of your choice. Delivers gift Starting your own leaven is simple, boxes around the UK. requiring nothing more than good flour, water and a warm place. Hobbs House Bakery After a few days, the mixture 9 High Street, Chipping Sodbury, begins to ferment as the wild , 01454 317525 airborne yeast and “friendly” (and other stores in the area) bacteria that make the bread rise hobbshousebakery.co.uk become established. Each leaven Three generations of the Wells is subtly different, imparting a family are involved in this unique character to the breads business. Keen to retain traditional Raymond Blanc Cookery School that are made from it, so a good methods, they use an old wood-fired Church Road, Great Milton, Oxford starter is worth looking after oven at their Nailsworth bakery 01844 278881, manoir.com (some are reputed to be a hundred and cafe. The courses at the newly refurbished years old or more, passing from cookery school at Le Manoir aux one generation to the next). St Martin’s Bakery Quat’Saisons include the one-day An active starter needs dividing Moo Green, St Martin’s, Degustibus Bread Course. and feeding daily with flour and Isles of Scilly, 01720 423444 water (if you have ever kept a stmartinsbakery.co.uk ginger-beer plant, you’ll know Run by Toby and Louise Tobin- 01297 630302, rivercottage.net how easy it is), although if, like Dougan, this won the Food The one-day Build and Bake course most people, you bake less often, Progamme’s Best UK Food Retailer at River Cottage HQ on the Devon an established leaven can be kept 2002. Toby collects sea lettuce and Dorset border goes right back dormant in the refrigerator for (an edible green seaweed) from to basics. The morning begins with several months and easily revived. the coast and dries it to use in the a walk to dig clay. By lunchtime, the The 21st-century revival of bakery’s sun-dried tomato and clay has become a bread oven ready sourdough baking is gathering feta loaf. to bake your own loaf. pace online, where home bakers are ever eager to share recipes True Loaf Bakery Suppliers and methods. Discover a critical Mount Pleasant Windmill, mass of expertise in the pastry and Kirton-in-Lindsey, Forno Bravo UK baking forum at eGullet (forums. 01652 640177, trueloafbakery.co.uk Alf Armstrong, Ivy Cottage, egullet.org), in particular Jack This bakery mills its own Quebec, Kirkoswald, Penrith Lang’s sourdough masterclass, stoneground organic flours 07989 410528, [email protected] which includes lavish step-by-step using French burr stones and fornobravo.com photographs. Other information- Derbyshire peak stones. The bread Ships wood-fired bread and pizza packed resources are nyx.net/ is baked in a wood-fired oven, ovens from Italy direct to your door. ~dgreenw/sourdoughfaqs.html which takes two weeks to reach and sourdough.com.au temperature. For flour suppliers, see page 97 Homemade cakes. Just like mum didn’t use to make. Exclusive recipes from the best patisseries and bakers in the business. Every day next week in G2. Cake | 41

Cake

Photography by Jill Mead 42 | Baking Cake | 43 Yes, you can lick the bowl ...

Neneh Cherry and from deep slumber, a mundane it’s a recipe for Mammy’s date task or entranced thought, all cake or resurrection cake, which Andi Oliver revel in asking the same question: “When recommends that you eat it with a will it be ready?” good strong whisky sauce — sounds the unadulterated fun There is a touch of fantasy made like a damn fine plan! of making their cake tangible in baking. We have spent Something of the pleasure we many years gazing at all kinds of experienced as children remains and eating it wonderful cookbooks filled with in us as adults when we embark on food adventures from all corners a baking interlude. It has a magic “Who took the of the globe, and there is always all of its own. There is something from the jar? an almost reverent moment when strangely soothing about the ≥ Now there ain’t no we come across a beautiful, ornate precision of it: the combining, the cookies in the cookie jar, or dazzlingly simple picture of rising, the feeling of confidence but there was some cookies in the a perfect cake. In White Trash that grows when you start to know cookie jar. Did you take the cookies Cooking (one of our favourites), what 25g of butter looks like. There from the cookie jar?” is an oddly hypnotic pleasure We have sung that American trad in watching the flow of white nursery rhyme a thousand times. There is an oddly granules of sugar tumbling heavily It’s been handed down like a good into the dish on your scales, there recipe through generations. It hypnotic pleasure is a rhythm to it, a music to it. sums up the joy and obsession that in watching the We are often in different sweet, soft, fresh cookies can have countries and create recipes in a on a body. It can even drive you flow of tumbling weird over-the-phone email table- to petty crime. Left to your own tennis game. The cake that we devices in an empty kitchen, you white sugar decided we wanted to share with go where you have been forbidden. you is one that is new and deeply Almost subconsciously, a hand — satisfying to us. It is dark, rich, your hand — has made its way back sticky and lushly aromatic. It is also into the jar and swiped another very simple and, at certain stages, treat, and whoops, damn, they’re such as when the molasses is all gone! It wasn’t me, was it? melting into the Guinness or when Baking , in childhood, is a kind you are pouring everything from of introduction to notions of the pan into the flour and spices, alchemy. The first time you realise you can almost lose yourself in the that the sweet and delicious things depths of its colour and texture; a that you crave can be created by feeling of security and even womb your own hands is so exciting. The like happiness come to mind. ecstatic moment when your mum We have decided that this says, “Yes, you can have the bowl”, Christmas we are having this cake Neneh and Andi’s ginger stout cake and you run your finger through with a hot steaming jug of crème the sticky goop at the bottom, then anglaise speckled with vanilla, Preheat the oven to 180C. Butter bowl, whisk together 3 large eggs stout mixture with the egg mixture, around the edges, then up to your or maybe that whisky sauce a 22cm x 12cm loaf pan, line the and 120ml each of granulated white then whisk this liquid into the flour lips: this is maybe the first inkling we were talking about earlier bottom and sides with non-stick and firmly packed dark brown sugar. mixture, half at a time. Add 1 tbsp of illicit pleasure, something — mmmmmmm! We hope you like parchment. Alternatively, butter Whisk in 180ml of grapeseed or peeled and grated fresh ginger root outside of the normal ritual of it as much as we do. and flour a favourite cake tin. In a . and stir to combine. Pour the batter dinner and lessons in nutrition. large saucepan over a high heat, In a separate bowl, whisk together into the loaf pan and bake for an This is just for fun. Just for the Neneh and Andi shared their combine 230ml stout and the same 470ml plain flour, 2 tbsp ground hour, or until the top springs back pure unadulterated fun of it. feelgood recipes in Dish It Up on of molasses and bring to the boil. ginger, 1½ tsp baking powder, ¾ when gently pressed. Do not open the The tantalising aroma that BBC2 earlier this year. Together Turn off the heat and add ½ tbsp tsp cinnamon, a few cloves, ¼ tsp oven until the gingerbread is almost possesses the house, pulls people they contribute to the food section baking soda. Allow to sit until the freshly grated nutmeg and ⅛ tsp done, or the centre may fall slightly.

from all corners, dragging them of Colures magazine TRICIA DE COURCY LING, TALKBACK TV foam dissipates. Meanwhile, in a ground cardamom. Combine the Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 44 | Baking Cake | 45 Basic techniques

A freshly baked cake is an alluring prospect, but read Dan Lepard’s advice before you rush in How to line a tin

Lining a tin is much less bother For a square or oblong tin For a round tin than it sounds — nothing like Centre the tin on a length of One way is to place the base on wallpapering or origami — and it parchment large enough to fold up the parchment and run a pencil makes sure your cake pops out the sides. Mark the outline of the round the outside, trimming this of the tin easily. I use non-stick tin’s base on the parchment with a to size with scissors. Alternatively, baking parchment, as the cake pencil. Remove the tin, then fold cut a square of parchment just big comes away cleanly and sometimes the parchment inward along each enough to cover the base. Fold you can even reuse it — brilliant in line, then make four cuts, each this in half diagonally, then in my book. To make it even easier, I from the edge of the parchment to half across that, again and again wipe a few dabs of butter or marg where a corner is marked. Finally, until you have a dart of parchment inside the tin with my finger to push the parchment into the tin, pointed at one end. Flip the tin hold the parchment in place. aligning the outline of the base over, put the point of the folded with the inside bottom of the tin, parchment in the centre of the Before you get the scissors out … and press the parchment up the tin and mark the outer edge with Is your tin the right size? Using sides and into the corners, folding a pencil. Then cut the layers a different one can upset things. it where the sides turn. A few extra of parchment where marked. A 20cm round tin is roughly the dabs of butter will stop the flaps of Hopefully, when you open the equivalent of an 18cm square one. parchment falling inward. folded parchment up you will have a circle. (To save time, I often have a few of these made up in the drawer for later.) For the sides, I take a length of parchment slightly longer than the circumference of All shapes and sizes: good baking mixture was too damp the tin, to leave an overlap. This tins can be pricey, but treat them and hasn’t cooked is much wider than the height I’ll well and they will last. Cookie properly. Be careful need, so I fold it in half towards cutters also come in a splendid never to add too much me and, using a knife like a letter variety, but right now none beats liquid. If you use dried opener, cut along the fold. I use one Pudsey Bear (available from fruit or another and keep the other one for another Lakeland), as £1.50 of the ingredient that baking day. It’s that simple. £2.50 price goes to Children you need to in Need. For details of rinse first, make Cream, whisk or fold? stockists, see page 97 sure it’s dried off before you add it in. If, on the other Not grasping the difference hand, your cake comes out burnt, between these three can get you touch. A sponge should shrink try not to cry. Instead, try gently into trouble, but it’s quite simple. slightly away from the edges removing the worst bits with a fine Creaming, or beating, means of the tin, and spring back when grater, then cover up the messiness mixing one or more ingredients touched. Have a skewer handy to with icing. Next time, try using an to a smooth, fluffy consistency. insert into the cake — if it comes oven thermometer to check the This can be done with a wooden out clean, the cake is cooked. temperature is right, and a timer spoon and a bit of elbow grease or Do try to be patient. Repeatedly to make sure you don’t leave your an electric mixer. Whisking, with opening and shutting the oven cake in too long. a hand whisk or, again, an electric door to check on progress will mixer, incorporates air while not help your cake at all. When Try saving some mixing, increasing the volume you do remove it from the oven, and creating a lighter mixture. To give it a few minutes to settle Cool your cake thoroughly before fold is to gently combine a heavier before turning out on to a cooling storing, and avoid keeping cakes Finishing touches mixture with a lighter one without rack — but watch out for when and biscuits in the same tin. stirring, and without causing a loss the recipe requires you to cool the (Typhoon’s range, pictured above The cakes in this guide really don’t of air. Take care to use the right cake in the tin. left, helps you remember what’s need any help to look beautiful, method as required by the recipe. in which tin.) Wrap cakes in but this retro icing kit from the That sinking feeling grease proof paper before placing Conran Shop (above) is for those Is it ready yet? in tins. Small cakes will dry out who simply can’t help themselves. If your cake sinks in the middle, quicker than large ones; try And even Terence Conran sees no A cake should have an even colour it may be that you were too hasty freezing those you are not going harm in an elegant if properly cooked and be firm to in turning it out of the tin, or the to eat the same day. (from a selection at Liberty). 46 | Baking Cake | 47 The easiest cake in the world

To be fair, all the best-tasting a 20cm round or 18cm square tin, Sour cream Butter and line the base of a Cream the butter and sugar until cakes made from scratch are a or can be used for small cupcakes. 20cm round, 18cm square or light and fluffy, then add the eggs, Variations little difficult. But as life goes, it’s I like to bake it in an ordinary 200g unsalted butter, softened 2lb loaf tin with non-stick baking one at a time, and beat well till not one of the biggest challenges 2lb loaf tin. 250g caster sugar parchment, held in place with a combined. An electric mixer really Cinnamon swirl you’ll face. Be accurate with The quantity of batter here 2 large eggs little butter. does the best job here. Beat in the Stir together 25g soft light measurements and temperatures, would normally spill over the 200g sour cream sour cream till it vanishes into the brown sugar, 1 level tbsp cocoa have all of your bits set up and sides, but I put a foil collar in the 300g plain flour If you are using the loaf tin, take mixture, then sift the flour and and 2 level tsp cinnamon in a ready in advance, and every cake tin which gives it a bit of elegant 3 level tsp baking powder a sheet of aluminium foil three baking powder together and beat cup. Remove half the cake batter recipe will be much easier. This height. It’s a trick you can use with times the length of the tin and fold this through. as soon as it’s mixed, sift the sour cream cake is very buttery any tin if you need a deeper cake, the upper and lower thirds inwards. cinnamon mixture in and beat it and best eaten cold. The mixture or if you have more mixture in the This will produce one very long Spoon the mixture into the tin, heat through. Dollop the plain cake is versatile; it will happily fit into recipe than will fit in it. narrow foil collar. Carefully bend the oven to 180C (160C fan-assisted) mixture into the tin alternately the foil so it sits upright and tight and bake for 45 minutes (shallow with the cinnamon-flavoured against the inside of the loaf tin cake) to an hour (deep loaf tin with mixture and then, using a and pinch the join together so it a collar) or until a skewer inserted skewer, gently swirl the mixture Easy 1½ hr 180C (160C) won’t unravel. comes out clean. together. Tap the tin firmly on the work surface to knock out any air bubbles, then bake as recommended above and drizzle with lemon water icing (see page 64).

Caraway seed Simply beat in 2 level tsp caraway seeds before spooning the mixture into the tin.

Mocha chocolate Before making the cake, dissolve 1 3 level tbsp cocoa and 1 level tsp instant in a cup with 50ml cold water. Stir into a paste, then beat this through the butter and sugar mixture before adding the eggs. Melt 100g dark chocolate and beat this in, then continue with the recipe. Bake as recommended above, and drizzle with coffee water icing (see page 64).

Ginger and treacle Beat 50g treacle and 100g very finely chopped glacé ginger (drained of any syrup) with the butter and sugar before adding the eggs. Sift 4 level 2 tsp ground ginger with the flour and baking powder, then continue with the recipe. Bake as recommended above.

Orange marmalade Beat the finely grated zest of 3 oranges and 50g good marmalade into the butter, sugar and egg mixture. Once the cake is cold, remove it from the tin and sit it on a cake rack. Peel off the paper carefully and spoon on the orange sugar glaze 3 (see page 64). 48 | Baking Coconut milk

This is a very seductive, fluffy Makes one very large layer cake Butter the sides and line the bases and light coconut sponge, soaked of three 20cm round Victoria sponge with fresh lime juice and white 150ml tinned coconut milk tins with discs of non-stick baking rum before filling with a rich 50g desiccated coconut parchment. Heat the oven to 180C . And I’m ashamed to ½ vanilla pod, scraped, (160C fan-assisted). Heat the coconut say that, with only a little help, I or 2 tsp vanilla extract milk till boiling, then remove from ate most of it the weekend after 50ml white rum, plus extra the heat and stir in the desiccated we took the pictures — in true cake to drizzle on the cake coconut, vanilla pod (or extract) and addict fashion, one slice at a time. 250g unsalted butter, rum. Leave to soak for 30 minutes I swear it kept calling me from the softened so the dry coconut softens. Place refrigerator. Check the ingredients 300g caster sugar the sugar and butter in a bowl and on the tin of coconut milk before 3 large eggs beat until light and fluffy, then you buy it. Look for one that isn’t 275g plain flour beat in the eggs, one at a time, until full of chemicals. If you can’t find 2½ level tsp baking powder evenly combined. Sift the flour with coconut milk, then use whole milk, 6 tsp freshly squeezed lime the baking powder two or three but the flavour won’t be as intense. juice times, then fold alternately with the coconut mixture (remove the vanilla pod here if you used one) into the butter mixture until smooth. Divide between the tins, smooth the tops and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Tried and tested Leave to cool in the tins, then remove carefully. Sprinkle on each layer 2 tsp This worked really well, lime juice and 1 tbsp rum. Layer and really nice — maybe not one for top with buttercream (for the recipe weight-watchers, though! Moderate 2-3 hr 180C (160C) see page 65). Cake | 49

Ten steps to perfect icing The fine art of comfort baking

Nicci Gerrard If I open the front door to the smell of baking, I know one of my daughters is home. In our household, everyone cooks, but making cakes, biscuits and buns is a female activity and one that is full of comfort, solace, mess. It feels like part of our family history: some of my earliest, 1 2 memories are of separating eggs and fishing around in the gloop for bits of shell, creaming butter and sugar, kneading dough and watching it swell into a smooth and rubbery pillow. It’s like a magic trick, which is perhaps why children love it: inert ingredients mixed together to come to life, rising mysteriously in the oven. For me, baking is not about the eating, but the making — the sifted flour, measured spice, the absurd sense 3 4 of satisfaction and virtue I get as I slide the tin into the oven. Food, for me, is probably unhealthily emotional. Baking is about nurturing. When my children were tiny and I was working long hours, I would find myself making lemon drizzle cake or ginger oat biscuits in the middle of the night, to make myself feel a better mother. I would cook insanely complicated offerings for school fairs: I remember making dozens of 5 6 meringues in the shape of musical notes for some end-of-term concert, which melted into sticky blobs as I biked them frantically from work to the school. My daughters bake for comfort, too. Last summer, when they were doing exams, the kitchen became like a factory: chocolate macaroons, Bakewell tarts, gingerbread, cantuccini. We bake from stress ( , pecan pie), guilt (marmalade cake, 7 8 cinammon buns, three-seed loaf), homesickness (, brownies), welcome (chocolate and orange soufflé) and missing (now that two of my four children have left for university, tins are full of cookies and ). As I write this, I am waiting for my sister to arrive; she lives in Angola and I haven’t seen her for nearly a year: ’s preserved ginger cake. Nicci Gerrard is the author of The 9 10 Moment You Were Gone (Penguin) 50 | Baking Moist rich

I have to admit that I love the often used in packet cake mixes This is a very runny cake texture of packet chocolate cake to give that delicate moist crumb mixture, so make sure you have mixes, that fluffy softness and which stays soft for days. The a cake tin with a base that fits long-lasting moist texture. But the recipe is dead simple, with the snugly, otherwise line the tin with key ingredient that makes it like dry ingredients in one bowl and a single sheet of unbroken foil. that isn’t very scary and chemical. the liquid in another. Just whisk If you have trouble buying Here’s the trade secret. What the two together until smooth — it tapioca flour (I buy it from Asian they do is add a little bit of tapioca won’t suffer from over-beating food shops), you can simply or similar flour, which does a — then spoon into either one tin take small pearl tapioca or sago, curious thing to a cake. When or two. You’ll get a slightly finer grind it to a powder in a blender, wet, it swells with moisture more texture in the centre of the cake if 100g at a time, and sieve it through than any other starch, and it’s you bake it in two tins. a tea strainer.

Makes one large cake Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan-assisted) and line the base of a 275g caster sugar 20cm diameter, 9cm deep round 175g plain flour cake tin (or two shallow ones) 50g tapioca starch or flour with non-stick baking parchment. 75g cocoa powder Weigh and sift all of the dry 1½ tsp baking powder ingredients into a large mixing ¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda bowl. In another bowl, melt the 375ml boiling milk chocolate in the boiling milk, leave to 100g dark 70% chocolate, cool for 15 minutes, then beat in the chopped fine eggs, oil, treacle and vanilla. Whisk 1 large egg, plus one yolk the liquid into the dry ingredients for 75ml sunflower oil 30 seconds until smooth, and pour 25g treacle the batter into the tin. 2 tsp vanilla extract Bake for 1 hour in a deep tin, 35-40 minutes in two shallow ones, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. When cold, split, fill and coat the top and sides with treacle chocolate Easy 2-3 hr 180C (160C) fudge frosting (see page 64). Cake | 51 Three ginger End of the fast Ahdaf Soueif parkin slab Kahk el-Eid are Egyptian cakes made for the small Eid, the festival to celebrate the end of the Ramadan fast. They can be made plain or with a filling. The plain recipe is simpler and, I think, just as nice. The quantities are for a large batch since you offer kahk to family and friends who visit over the three days of the Eid, you send some round to the neighbours, and to your children’s homes if they are living independently.

Kahk el-Eid (Eid cakes) Sift 1.5kg flour, a pinch of salt and 14g fast-action yeast into a large bowl. Mix in 1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds, then make a crater in the mound of flour. Heat 3 cups melted butter till it’s sizzling hot — but not burned — then pour it into the crater and mix very well into Parkin is a kind of simple Makes one large cake the flour. Add ¾ cup warm milk gingerbread typically made with and ½ cup warm water and knead oatmeal, and this one is almost 100g unsalted butter into a soft dough. Cover the bowl peppery hot with spice. It’s one of 250g soft dark brown or muscovado with a clean cloth and leave at those cakes my mum used to call sugar room temperature for a couple of a “keeper” in that, theoretically, 125g golden syrup hours to rise. Grease large baking it would sit moist and pristine in 125g treacle trays and heat the oven to 220C. the tin for weeks. She hoped that 150ml dark ale or porter (When I was growing up, large ginger was one of those flavours 2cm piece of peeled fresh ginger, stacked trays full of kahk would be we’d hate. She was mistaken about finely grated carried to the baker to go into his that, and I’ve loved ginger cake 150g fine oatmeal truly hot oven.) When the dough every since. 2 large eggs has risen, pick some out with your Both fresh and powdered ginger 250g plain flour fingers and roll it into a ball the are in the mix, with glacé ginger 3 level tsp ground ginger size of a squash ball, then pat it in the icing. As oatmeal takes an 3 level tsp baking powder flat and lay it on the greased tray. age to swell and become moist, Repeat till the dough is finished. the mixture is made very wet and Butter a 20cm square baking tin and Each cake should be about 5cm in baked for a long time, so don’t line the base with non-stick baking diameter and 1cm thick. panic if it seems like you’re pouring parchment. In a saucepan, heat the Decorate the kahk. The into the tin. butter, sugar, syrup and treacle until traditional decoration is done with To make fine oatmeal, I simply the mixture is warm and the butter a special tong-like instrument place 75g or so of rolled oats melted. Remove from the heat, add but can be done with the serrated in the blender and whiz them the ale, fresh ginger and oatmeal, wheel you get with play-dough together until fine, then repeat whisk together and leave in the sets. I only realised recently that until I have enough for the recipe. saucepan to cool for 5 minutes. it’s exactly the same pattern that Alternatively, you can buy fine Next beat in the eggs, one at a time. you find on ancient Egyptian oatmeal from a health-food store. Sift the flour, ground ginger and paintings of kahk: the sun’s rays You might prefer to replace baking powder together, then add coming out from the centre of the plain flour with strong bread to the saucepan and stir to combine. each cake. This is a really good flour, as it makes the crumb a little Spoon into the tin and leave while job for children. It’s one of my sturdier, less likely to crumble and you heat the oven to 180C (160C first memories; it’s described in easier to butter. fan-assisted). Bake for 50 minutes “Knowing”, my very first story. to an hour, or until a toothpick Bake the kahk for 15 to 20 inserted comes out clean. Leave to minutes till it turns pale gold, cool, then top with ginger water icing and allow to cool on a wire rack. (see page 64). When cool, dust with icing sugar. Offer, eat and enjoy! Tried and tested Ahdaf Soueif is the author of A very tasty cake — I Think of You with or without the ginger (Bloomsbury) water icing Easy 2 hr 180C (160C) 52 | Baking Cake | 53 Golden syrup ‘Oh my gosh’ fruit cake

The slight toffee flavour of golden crumbly is because the flour used syrup suits a light fruit cake, as is a plain pastry sort that doesn’t it bakes to a warm beige crumb have enough elasticity to bind quickly, helps it to stay soft long and hold the gas from the baking after baking and enhances the powder, as there is only a small fruit flavours in the cake. These amount of dough holding that big characteristics occur because the mass of fruit together. So here I’ve syrup contains fructose, which replaced the usual plain flour with Pearl Lowe colours quickly when heated and strong bread flour, and this will I love baking cakes and the kids adds to the fruitiness we taste ensure that the cake slices much always want to bake with me. when we bite into a slice, as well more cleanly. When I say “Let’s make brownies”, as attracting moisture from the Don’t feel hemmed in by my they cheer and put their aprons air which avoids it drying out choice of fruit, use any you like; on. Then they get bored and too quickly. a mixture of raisins, apricots, figs I end up doing it myself — though One reason fruit cakes often bake and mixed peel works well. at the end they take the credit and sit around licking the bowl. My lemon drizzle cake always Makes one loaf Beat the butter, brown sugar and goes down well and it’s so easy syrup until light and fluffy. Whisk to make. I also make carrot cake 50g light soft brown sugar in the eggs, one at a time, until and chocolate roulade, but it’s 125g unsalted butter combined, then stir in the fruit. the lemon drizzle that gets 100g golden syrup, plus an extra Sift the flour, baking powder and people saying “Oh my gosh, that’s tbsp for the top spice together, then stir with the delicious”. The key is heating 2 large eggs almonds, milk and whisky into the the lemon juice and sugar, then 450-500g chopped dried fruit, fruit mixture. Line the inside of a making holes in the cake and whatever you like 2lb loaf tin with non-stick baking pouring it in. The downside to 200g strong white flour parchment, spoon the mixture into my love of baking is that anyone 1 level tsp baking powder the tin, smooth the top, cover the coming over to eat will leave my 2 level tsp mixed spice top with a sheet of foil and scrunch house several pounds heavier. 75g ground almonds it secure at the sides, then bake at Being in the country enhances 50ml milk 180C (160C fan-assisted) for the joy of baking — all the family 50ml whisky, plus an extra tbsp for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and around the Aga, cozying up and the top bake for a further 45 minutes or until making things; I think the kitchen a skewer inserted comes out clean. is my favourite place in the house. Cool for 5 minutes. In a cup, stir Pearl Lowe is the author of All That together 2 level tbsp golden syrup Glitters: Living on the Dark Side of and 2 tbsp whisky. Prick the surface Rock & Roll (Hodder & Stoughton) of the cake, spoon the syrup over and Easy 2 hr 180C (160C) leave to cool. Tana Ramsay Nothing beats the smell of baking — it brings back so many memories from my childhood. I used to help Mum make fairy cakes and I think this must be why I still like making them best of all. Baking must be the easiest way to get children excited about food and cooking, whether it’s a sneaky finger in the cake mixture, kneading dough or getting messy icing biscuits: the perfect antidote to wet afternoons. I can’t say that I always have the time to bake — it seems more of a treat than a necessity — but there is such a lot of enthusiasm when there’s freshly baked bread or a slice of cake for tea that I wish I did it a little more often.

E Tana Ramsay is the author of Real E L

H

A Family Food (HarperCollins) R A S 54 | Baking Cake | 55 Gluten-free quinoa hazelnut cake

Quinoa is one of those ancient and bicarbonate of soda, and in grains, like amaranth, that are very most cake recipes it is sifted with high in protein compared to wheat the flour. But in a flourless cake or rice. This gives you a nutrient- recipe, it is difficult to achieve the packed cake low in fat, and, if filled same even distribution. I solve with fresh fruit, it makes a good this by beating the egg whites with addition to your diet. Toasting the the baking powder in this recipe. seeds lightly replaces the grassy This allows the cream of tartar to flavour with something nutty, strengthen the as well as and if toasted hazelnuts are added evenly distributing the bicarbonate as well, the result is excellent. of soda without activating it. If you Baking powder is made up of a can’t get quinoa, replace it with combination of cream of tartar cooked brown rice.

Makes one large layer cake Butter a 20cm round spring-form cake tin and line the base with a disc 150g quinoa of non-stick baking paper. Tip the 150g hazelnuts quinoa on to one baking tray, the 25g unsalted butter, melted hazelnuts on to another, and place 4 eggs, separated in a 200C (180C fan-assisted) oven 175g light soft brown sugar for about 20 minutes until both 1 level tsp baking powder are golden brown. Pour the quinoa 1 level tsp ground cinnamon into a saucepan with 400ml water, 2 level tbsp cornflour bring to the boil, then stick the lid 150ml whipping cream on tight and leave over a gentle heat 1 tbsp caster sugar for about 15 minutes until the water 2 tsp vanilla extract is absorbed and the grain burst and Icing sugar to dust cooked soft. Spread on to a dinner Soft ripe fruit or jam plate to cool. Grind the nuts in a food processor or blender. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan-assisted). Heat the butter in a saucepan until it turns nut brown, then remove from the heat and leave somewhere warm. Moderate 2½ hr 180C (160C) Beat the yolks with about half of the sugar in a large bowl with an electric whisk until very thick and beige-coloured. In a separate bowl, beat the whites with the remaining sugar and baking powder until thick. Fold the quinoa, hazelnuts, cinnamon and sifted cornflour through the yolks, then fold in the egg whites and the melted butter. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 45 minutes or until the centre of the cake feels firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Whip the cream with the caster sugar and vanilla extract, then split and fill the cake with the whipped cream and fruit or jam, and dust the top with icing sugar.

Tried and tested My workmates scoffed it all — a thumbs up from an office of geeks! 56 | Baking Cake | 57 Carrot, orange & pistachio cake

This is a big blousy American-style Makes one very large cake Butter three 20cm round Victoria carrot layer cake with Arabic bits. sponge tins and line the base of Imagine Pamela Anderson as a 75g tahini each with a disc of non-stick baking platinum-blonde Scheherazade. I 125ml sunflower oil parchment. Heat the oven to 180C don’t know if it counts as a healthy 3 tbsp pomegranate syrup or treacle (160C fan-assisted). In a large mixing cake, but it has a few points to Zest of 3 oranges, and 100ml juice bowl, whisk together the tahini, oil, recommend it to the health police. 225g light soft brown sugar syrup, orange zest and brown sugar Like carrots. Carrots are good for 3 large eggs, separated until smooth. Beat in one whole you. Tahini, excellent for the liver 200g carrot, grated finely egg plus two yolks (reserving the and skin. Pistachios, all that nutty 100g chopped pistachios whites) until combined, then stir protein and those plant sterols that 175g plain flour in the grated carrot, pistachios and reduce cholesterol. All that sugar 2½ level tsp baking powder juice. Sift the flour, baking powder and cream cheese? OK, it slips 2 level tsp ground cinnamon and spices together, then stir them quite a bit there. Maybe just one ½ level tsp ground cloves through the mixture. Whisk the egg wee slice then. ½ level tsp nutmeg whites until white and fluffy, then fold through the mixture. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven, leave to cool in the tins, then layer with cream cheese frosting (see page 64).

Tried and tested Watch a video of Dan making With a sprinkle of edible this cake at guardian.co.uk/ orange glitter, it made a great lifeandstyle birthday cake Moderate 2 hr 180C (160C) It’s Sunday, The Archers is on … it’s time to bake a cake or two

Jane Asher who have never baked before to has a special place in my heart. the company. (Yes, you slice a My number one … gently. Spoon into the tin and bake I learnt all my basic cooking skills have a go. There’s no doubt that the amount roast, of course, but you wouldn’t Although I do love rich, chocolatey for 60-70 minutes until firm to the — and my love of food — during Without getting too of pleasure that placing a dream of sticking candles in it and cakes, sometimes I really feel like touch or until a knife inserted into my childhood and early teens; heavy about it, I believe home-baked cake on the singing, would you?) My favourite a slice of old-fashioned madeira, the middle comes out clean. Let it first from watching my mum, and strongly that cookery table gives, both to the Sunday morning is to put on the which says “teatime” in a very cool for a couple of minutes, then “helping” her make fairy cakes and — and baking in particular cook and to those who Archers omnibus and bake a cake English and satisfying way. It has turn out on to the rack and leave well-fingered gingerbread men and — is not only a great way are going to eat it, is way or two — or a loaf of bread or a few a bit more oomph to it than a until completely cold. so on, and later from evening classes into the wonderful world out of proportion to the teacakes, perhaps. fluffy Victoria sandwich and looks in general cookery given by my local of enjoyable food, but work involved. I think It would be very sad if we lost the classically elegant, especially if … and other favourites council (at 7/6p a term — that’s 37p also into learning about it’s partly because a cake skills of home baking. The UK has topped with a drizzle of lemony icing It’s so hard to choose, but these to you). geography, different is much more than just always been particularly good at it. and some crystallised violets and are particular favourites both for But, family life inevitably having cultures, social skills, an item of food: From the Welshcakes of Wales and presented on a paper doily (making a reasons of eating and for pleasure changed in many ways since then, nutrition, hygiene, it’s a symbol. the of Scotland to the comeback, so they tell me). of making: there are fewer opportunities for weights and measures Not only is of and the many of us to see or eat home and, above all, the a cake the famously almond-covered fruit Jane Asher’s lemon madeira Soaked lemon cake cooking. Home baking in particular magic of science, by centrepiece cake of Dundee, we’ve always as Preheat the oven to 180C and Sultana drop has dwindled drastically in seeing how a few at some of a nation enjoyed cooking and eating prepare a 15cm diameter, deep Sweet brioche popularity over the years, although simple ingredients the most family cakes. cake tin. Cream 150g butter and American brownies it seems to be undergoing some can be totally important I’m always very touched when 150g caster sugar together until Chocolate fridge cake kind of renaissance thanks to transformed into a celebrations I get letters, particularly from light and fluffy. Break 4 medium Devil’s food cake wonderful TV cooks such as Nigella totally different of our lives — young people, telling me about the eggs into a small jug or large cup Lemon traybake and Jamie. substance with from birthdays pleasure they’ve discovered since and beat lightly, before adding a New York I launched the Home Baker of the application to weddings trying one of my cake mixes and little at a time to the butter/sugar the Year competition four years of heat (or cold) and anniversaries having a go — a great start for those mixture, beating well after each Recipes for all these can be ago, partly to give the thousands and time. — but it’s one of the who are nervous about just how addition. Sift 200g plain sponge found in Jane Asher’s Beautiful D O

of wonderful home cooks all over I enjoy all kinds of few items of food E things will turn out — but my hope flour and 1 tsp baking powder into Baking (Simon & Schuster). L C the UK the chance to show off their cooking — even after that is cut evenly A is always that it will instil a love of a separate bowl, then fold into the For more about the Home Baker M

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favourite recipes and have a bit of 33 years of cooking for into pieces and D baking, and cooking in general, that creamed mixture. Add the grated of the Year competition, go to R U

fun, but also to encourage those a family — but baking divided up among M will last them a lifetime. rind of 1 unwaxed lemon and mix www.homebake.co.uk 58 | Baking Cake | 59

Butterscotch My labour of love

Helen Simpson My grandmother baked, but not without a lot of huffing and puffing. She was an unwilling yet superb cook. I remember the My mate Jason Warwick, a talented limit this to a loaf tin: it works as ancient tins she used, and her baker in Sydney, taught me his way well as a slab, especially if a few speciality, caraway seed cake. to boost the flavour and colour of handfuls of chopped blond walnuts Early on, while working for banana cake, by simmering all that are tossed in and stirred through at Vogue, I was asked to write the soft banana flesh in a frying pan the end. Don’t be stingy with the Ritz London Book of Afternoon bubbling with rich caramel, perfect baking powder; bananas are very Tea. I spent the evenings after for this sweet loaf. The cake takes alkaline when they are ripe and work at the British Library on a sunburnt bronze hue and has a this is often the cause of a heavy, studying historical recipe books strong banana toffee flavour. Don’t dense cake. in between finishing my thesis on Restoration farce. Back in my cold- water flat, I experimented with 250g caster sugar Butter a 20cm square tin and line making madeleines in metal shell 250g banana flesh, chopped into the base with non-stick baking moulds, getting them to turn out 2cm pieces paper. Tip 150g of the caster sugar with the indented fluting that had 1 tbsp unsalted butter into a frying pan with 25ml water, such a profound effect on Proust. 2 tsp vanilla extract bring to the boil, then cook over a I still bake now, but it is — as 175ml sunflower oil high heat until the sugar turns to it was for my grandmother — a 2 large eggs a dark reddish caramel. Add the real labour of love. If you’re going 150g plain flour banana pieces, butter and vanilla, to bake at all, you have to do it 75g spelt, rye or wholemeal flour and simmer until the bananas break properly; it’s an exact science. I 2 level tsp mixed spice up in the caramel and the mixture make a lemon for 2 level tsp baking powder is thick. favoured friends and birthdays, ½ level tsp bicarbonate of soda and also, once a year around Burns 50ml plain yoghurt Spoon on to a plate and leave to Night, I’ll bake a special cake for cool. Beat the remaining 100g sugar various Scots I know. with the oil and eggs until thick and What I rarely bake is bread, slightly aerated, then beat in the ever since I read Angela Carter bananas and the yoghurt. Sift the reviewing Elizabeth David’s English flours, spice, baking powder and Bread and Yeast Cookery in 1982: Easy 2 hr 180C (160C) soda together two or three times “In all of Europe, the British (throwing the bran back in), then fold housewife is, historically, the this through the banana mixture. only one of all who found herself burdened with this back-breaking Spoon the mixture into the tin, and infinitely boring task.” Tried and tested heat the oven to 180C (160C fan- I do make soda bread, though: assisted) and bake for about 50 hassle-free and fabulous to eat. Went down really well. Even minutes or until a skewer inserted better the day after baking comes out clean. Helen Simpson’s Burns Night special Put 4 tbsp whisky and 6oz sultanas in a china bowl. Stir in the grated zest of 1 orange and half of its juice. Leave overnight. Cream 6oz butter and 6oz caster sugar, then beat in 3 eggs one by one. Fold in 4oz plain flour and 4oz self-raising. Stir in the whisky-soaked sultanas. Pour into a round 18cm cake tin and bake at 180C for 1¼- 1½ hours. Cool on a wire rack. Mix the remaining orange juice with the icing sugar and pour over the cold cake.

Helen Simpson’s Ritz London Book R E

N of Afternoon Tea R U T

is published by M A

H Ebury Press A R G 60 | Baking Cake | 61 Cherry crumble Blessed buns Michèle Roberts cheesecake On Sundays in Normandy, after High Mass, my grandfather would take us to the pastry cook’s for each of us to choose a cake to eat I worked as a grill chef in New damn good. The sponge base at lunch. He invariably selected a York in the early 1990s, and lived becomes gooey as it soaks up the réligieuse, one small brown-iced on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn juices from the cherries; messy to choux bun stuck on top of a larger above a Nation of Islam office. serve and eat, but it tastes superb. one, to suggest a brown-robed (Having two men in suits outside A cheesecake cracks if slightly nun, the base decorated with your front door gave the street a over-baked, so the crumble topping swirls of brown buttercream. Anti- little security.) I’d go for coffee hides this and makes the final clerical Grandpère would gleefully in the morning to a place called cooking less fraught. Lining the tin point with his stick at these Juniors, and they served the best with foil makes it easier to remove “flames” and insist that the nun cheesecake I’d ever had. This is the cheesecake, as the jam bubbles was burning in hell. Home we my attempt to re-create the dense out in the oven and literally jams would go, to help my aunt concoct creamy texture, and I think it’s up the spring-form tin. delicacies. The parish priest always came to lunch on Sundays. Nuns, disliked even more than priests For the sponge cake base Cut the tinned cherries in half, because they were denying their 1 large egg, warm or at room removing any stones, press dry on natural female functions, never temperature paper towels and stir with the jam. got invited. There wasn’t a cake 2 level tbsp caster sugar Spread this mixture evenly over called a priest. A priest was a 1 tbsp golden or corn syrup the sponge and set aside while you warming-pan, heated in the oven Zest of ½ lemon get the crumble topping ready. Put and slipped into your bed. 4 level tbsp plain flour the dry ingredients into a bowl and Michèle Roberts is the author of rub the butter and the tablespoon Paper Houses (Virago) For the cherry base of milk through until the mixture 250g good cherry jam resembles dry pastry crumbs. Leave Lucy Young One tin of black cherries, drained at room temperature while you make Cooking is my passion, especially the filling. cakes. Baking was a big part of For the crumble topping growing up. I remember doing it 100g plain flour Beat the cream cheese with the with my ma on many rainy days 100g light soft brown sugar icing sugar, cornflour and vanilla and at Christmas: making and icing ½ level tsp cinnamon until light and fluffy. Beat the the family was a 50g unsalted butter eggs together in another bowl, big event. Eighteen years ago, I 1 tsp milk then slowly beat the eggs into the started working for the wonderful cream cheese mixture. You don’t cookery writer , the For the filling want to aerate the mixture any “Aga Queen”. She has taught me 800g full-fat cream cheese more, so stop as soon as the eggs the finer details of baking, and the 200g icing sugar, sifted are barely combined. Stir in the science that goes with it. 25g cornflour, sifted cream until it disappears. Spoon the Baking can be simple if you 3 tsp vanilla extract cream cheese mixture into the tin follow recipes accurately. Here are 2 large eggs and bake for 20 minutes at 180C my top tips for Aga baking. 125ml double cream (160C fan-assisted). Start off simply, with traybakes and sandwich cakes. These are the At this point, open the oven door, easiest to do in the Aga. The cold pull the cheesecake out a little sheet is a must; this sheet, which bit and sprinkle the crumbs over stays out of the oven so remains the top, then shut the door and cold, is used to blank off the heat Easy 3 hr + 180C (160C) bake for a further 30-40 minutes. above the cake and prevents the At this stage only the very centre cake from burning. For pastry, you Make the sponge cake base first. should slightly wobble. Remove the do not need to bake blind in the Line the inside of a 25cm round cheesecake from the oven, cool at Aga (except for a lemon meringue spring-form tin with a single sheet room temperature, then refrigerate pie). Line the tin with thin pastry, of buttered foil. Beat the egg and for 3-4 hours until firm and chilled. pour in the filling, and slide directly sugar with an electric whisk until light Flip the cheesecake on to a plate, on to the floor of the roasting and fluffy. Add the syrup and lemon peel off the foil, then upturn the oven. Cook until the pastry is crisp. zest and beat until very thick. Sift cake on to a clean plate and serve. Rise and prove bread on the the flour, then fold this through the back or side of the Aga. Sit the whipped egg until evenly combined. Tried and tested bowl for rising, or baking tray for Spoon into the tin, spreading it evenly proving, on a tea towel on the Aga and carefully to cover the base thinly, So great I ate it for breakfast, and it will double in size quickly. then bake in a preheated 180C (160C too, and so satisfyingly big that Lucy Young’s Secrets of Aga Cakes fan-assisted) oven for 10-12 minutes there was still enough left to share is published by Ebury Press until golden and firm. with the neighbours 62 | Baking Double espresso Brazil nut cake

The sweet butteryness of the Brazil 100ml milk Butter two 20cm Victoria sponge tins nut works so well here it gives 2 level tsp instant coffee and line the bases with discs of non- the traditional walnut a push, and 1 tbsp fine-ground roasted stick baking paper. Combine the milk, it avoids that slight bitterness coffee beans instant coffee and ground coffee in a you get with cheap walnuts. 175g unsalted butter, softened saucepan and bring to the boil, then The slight fleck from the coffee 100g light soft brown sugar remove from the heat and leave until grains is hidden in the mixture of 100g caster sugar warm. Beat the butter, brown sugar wholemeal flour and plain, but 2 large eggs and caster sugar together until light it adds a very pronounced coffee 100g plain flour and fluffy, then beat in the eggs, one flavour and, for me, produces the 100g spelt, rye or wholemeal flour at a time. best result. 2 level tsp baking powder 75g Brazil nuts, finely chopped Beat in the coffee mixture until evenly combined. Sift the two flours and baking powder together two or three times, then beat this through with the chopped Brazil nuts. Divide the mixture between the tins, heat the oven to 180C (160C fan-assisted) and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Fill and top with coffee water icing Easy 2 hr 180C (160C) (see page 64). Cake | 63 All-purpose cookie dough

Now, I really don’t recommend chocolate, rolled oats or granola, they do on boiled sweets. Then baking this recipe “as is”, without dried fruit such as raisins or just defrost it a little and slice off the variations — that would be apricots, or seeds and nuts. You discs of dough as you need them. just too weird and mean — but can make the mixture ahead and I like to make my own the standard recipe is here so you keep it in 5cm diameter logs rolled sandwiches with these, sticking can make up your own. Cookies in non-stick parchment in the a round disc of need big bits in them, chunks of freezer, twisting the ends the way between two large cookies.

Makes a truckload of cookies!

225g unsalted butter, softened 375g light soft brown sugar 50g caster sugar 3 tsp vanilla extract 2 large eggs 400g plain flour 2 level tsp bicarbonate of soda

Easy 1 hr 170C (150C)

Beat the butter, brown sugar, caster sugar and extract until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then sift the flour and bicarb together and stir that through. Spoon tablespoon-sized dollops on to a greased tray and bake in a 170C (150C fan-assisted) oven for 12-14 minutes until barely puffed and just starting to colour at the edges.

Tried and tested The bowl was licked clean — the kids loved them Variations

For oatmeal and raisin cookies, reduce the flour to 300g and add 200g rolled oats, 1 tsp cinnamon and 200g raisins. For double peanut butter cookies, replace the butter with 225g crunchy peanut butter (and a little milk if necessary) and stir in 200-400g unsalted or washed peanuts. For dark chocolate chunk cookies, replace 50g flour with 50g cocoa and stir in 400g dark or milk chocolate chopped roughly. For apricot and almond white chocolate cookies, stir in at the end 200g chopped apricots, 200g chopped blanched almonds and 200g chopped white chocolate. 64 | Baking Icing and topping after baking

Water icing — with lots of variations Treacle chocolate fudge frosting This is the simplest icing to flavour For mandarin or orange water icing, and make, but you must add the replace the boiling water with the This is one of those creamy icings water gradually. same amount of juice plus 1-2 tsp that tastes like soft chocolate finely grated zest. For lemon water fudge. The combination of milk 200g icing sugar, sifted icing, reduce the boiling water to and dark chocolate pushes the 75ml boiling water 25ml and add 50ml freshly squeezed flavour towards something lemon juice and the finely grated meltingly childish rather than Place the icing sugar in a bowl, drizzle zest of a lemon. For coffee water depressingly gourmet, while the in a quarter of the water and stir icing, add 3 tsp instant coffee to the starch in the cornflour helps to trap together. Leave it a minute. Lift the boiling water with 1/2 tsp grated the natural oil and keep it creamy. spoon out of the icing sideways; it lemon zest. For ginger water icing, should run off in thick ribbons. If not, add 75g of finely sliced stem ginger 2 tbsp treacle add a wee bit more water, but don’t in syrup and replace the water with 150g light soft brown sugar overdo it. about 100ml syrup. 3 egg yolks 4 level tbsp cocoa 4 level tbsp cornflour 300ml milk Whipped chocolate custard cream 250g dark chocolate (or half milk and half dark), finely chopped 75-100ml boiling water This is a gloriously thick dairy Whisk the cold milk with the cocoa, 50g unsalted butter, softened cream custard that can be piped cornflour, sugar and two egg yolks 2 tsp vanilla extract or spooned into everything from in a saucepan. Then place this a simple cream puff to elaborate mixture over a moderate heat In a saucepan, beat together the layers of . It can be used and whisk it continuously until treacle, sugar, yolks, cocoa, cornflour in the bedroom too, but that’s for it is boiling and very thick. and milk until the mixture is smooth. another Guardian guide. Now remove it from the heat Then bring it to the boil, whisking and beat in the chocolate until often so it doesn’t scald on the base. 250ml milk it melts through evenly. Next, Remove from the heat, beat in the 2 tbsp cocoa spoon this on to a dinner plate, chocolate and enough boiling water 2 tbsp cornflour cover it with cling film or another to make it smooth and creamy. 100g caster sugar plate and leave until cold. Finally, When just warm, beat in the vanilla 2 egg yolks stir in the double cream and beat and softened butter, a knob at a 100g dark bitter chocolate, chopped with an electric whisk until thick time. Use immediately, as it will 125-150ml double cream and smooth. firm quickly.

Orange sugar glaze Simple cream cheese frosting A very watery icing poured on the cake while it is still hot produces a This is dead simple to make and pale matt finish like a glaze of ice. quick as well, and can be used on both the carrot and banana cakes. 200g icing sugar 100ml orange juice 400g full-fat cream cheese 2 tsp orange zest 150g unsalted butter, softened 2 tsp Cointreau or triple sec 200g icing sugar, sifted (optional) 1 or 2 tbsp lemon juice

Beat all of the ingredients together Beat the cream cheese and butter into a water icing, then spoon on to together until smooth then beat in the cake while it’s still warm. the icing sugar and lemon juice. If the mixture looks a bit lumpy, Alternatively, make a lemon or especially if the ingredients are cold lime glaze by substituting lemon or the weather is a bit chilly, I just or lime juice and zest, and replacing warm it slightly in the microwave or the Cointreau with grappa or over a pan of boiling water and beat Limoncello. it a little more till smooth. Cake | 65

Fancy a cider? Helen Pidd Like many baking enthusiasts, I developed a love of eating cake Meringue buttercream mixture before I got into baking anything. I still enjoy it, and draw particular pleasure from snaffling ingredients as I go along, which is one reason I am so devoted to this cider and . It only requires a few tablespoons of cider, which means you get to drink the rest. The original recipe, from Leiths Baking Bible, specifies medium dry cider, but choose the 1 2 one you like drinking best. The other excellent thing about this cake is that it is very easy to make, and you can use an electric mixer to no ill effect. Don’t bother sifting the flour; Jane Asher says sifting is almost always an unnecessary faff, and she is a goddess, so believe her if not me. Do n’t use eggs straight from the 3 4 fridge or the mixture might curdle, and don’t be put off when you add the apples on the top a third of the way through. You think they’ll fall off, but they won’t. Have faith.

Apple and cider cake Heat the oven to 180C. Grease a 2lb loaf tin and line with greaseproof paper. Cream 170g 5 6 butter and 170g soft light brown sugar together until pale and fluffy. Gradually add 3 beaten This is a fluffy creamy icing that Place the whites and the sugar in a eggs , beating well after each spreads and swirls beautifully saucepan and stir over a moderate addition. Add a little of 170g self- and with a little more elegance heat until the mixture is hot and raising flour if the mixture looks than the simple cream cheese icing the sugar dissolved. The sugar in danger of curdling. Fold in the (see opposite page), and is not and heat kill off any bacteria and remaining flour and ½ tsp grated difficult to make with an electric effectively sterilise it. Then tip nutmeg , then stir in 3-4 tbsp cider. whisk. If you’re limited to a hand the mixture into a mixing bowl Put into the tin and bake in the whisk I’d give it a miss, though my and beat with an electric whisk centre of the oven for 15 minutes. great gran would have made it that for about five minutes until very Meanwhile, put 1-2 apples, peeled, way. It keeps well in the refrigerator thick and cool. Beat in the butter, quartered, cored and sliced, in a and should be whisked again just about 50g at a time, and if the bowl and coat with ¼ tsp ground before using. Also a handy recipe butter is still a little cold you cinnamon and ½ tsp demerera for using up leftover egg whites. can beat this in first to lower the sugar. After 15 minutes take the temperature of the icing. Stop half-cooked cake 3 egg whites (125g), from large whisking as soon as all of the butter out of the oven and eggs is evenly mixed through. Finally, quickly arrange the 200g caster sugar beat in the vanilla. apple on top. Don’t 500g unsalted butter, slightly dither or the cake will softened For cream cheese meringue sink. Bake for a further 1 tbsp vanilla essence buttercream, replace 200g of 25-30 minutes. the butter with cream cheese, and Remove and allow proceed as before. For lime, lemon to cool in the tin or orange meringue buttercream, before turning add 2-3 tbsp grated zest with out . Serve with the butter. sour cream or R

E ice cream. L Y T

K Helen Pidd writes for C I N I the Guardian M O D 66 | Baking Cake | 67 Cake directory Plenty of food Always follow the recipe for thought

Frances Stonor Saunders Marguerite Patten, one of the very first The opening of the London Review Cake Shop has drawn attention to celebrity chefs, has been offering expert advice the long history of cake as a source of literary inspiration. The writer’s for 60 years. Her Christmas cake is legendary muse is usually a person, most often a woman, but occasionally Not only was my mother Today I still enjoy every aspect it assumes other forms. Flaubert a splendid homemaker, of cooking, but get a special thrill was inspired by an overripe pear, ≥ she also provided us when I take a luscious-looking while Brecht kept a wooden with interesting and cake, quiche or loaf from the oven. donkey on his desk around whose nutritious meals. As she was a keen Baking to some people is neck was a sign that read “Even I gardener, these included a wide slightly alarming, but there are must understand” (yawn). Proust range of vegetables and seasonal a few essential rules that will evoked a whole world of memories fruits. Mother was widowed when help you through. Perhaps most through a , and there is I was 12 with a younger brother and importantly, whereas you can Books The Confetti Cakes Cookbook: an anthology on cakes in literature sister. She returned to teaching adapt most savoury dishes to give Cookies, Cakes and Cupcakes from waiting to be written. Think of to support us, so her days were the dish your own individual taste, Beautiful Baking New York City’s Famed Bakery Walter de la Mare’s exuberant very busy. She still did quite a lot it is wise to follow a good recipe Jane Asher, Simon & Schuster, £10.99 Elisa Strauss and Christie Matheson, poem The Cupboard (“And there’s of baking, making pastry dishes for a cake, or loaf explicitly The queen of cakes offers up 40 new Sphere, £19.99 a dish of Banbury Cakes/For and simple cakes, but I think she — and without change. There has to cakes, biscuits and breads, either This book, from the bakery that me, me, me”), or the cake that was delighted when I began to do be a distinct relationship between classics or new variations, along surprised shoe designer Manolo cuts itself in Lewis Carroll’s some of the cooking and showed the proportions of fat, sugar, with, of course, decorating ideas for Blahnik with a cake in the form Alice in Wonderland. I myself a particular interest in baking. eggs etc to ensure success ... each one. Asher also gives advice on of a Manolo stiletto perched on find a an indispensable baking tins and ingredients. a tissue-filled shoebox, contains ingredient of the writer’s life. I can projects for every skill level, from make my own, but that takes time, A Famous Christmas Cake Finely grated zest of 1 orange fan oven) and cook for approximately Mary Berry’s Ultimate Cake Book sugar-dusted heart cookies to the time better used in eating them, This recipe dates back to 1954. It (optional) 2 hours. Baking times for rich fruit Mary Berry, BBC Books, £14.99 extravagantly beautiful three-tiered so I get them by the cartload was the first year after the end of 225g butter cakes like this vary considerably A classic from a cake-making legend, embroidery cake showcased on Sex from the Hummingbird Bakery on rationing, and to celebrate this I 225g sugar, preferably dark moist according to your particular oven, so including over 200 recipes for and the City. Portobello Road (which boasts a demonstrated on BBC television brown sugar test it carefully. cakes, biscuits and buns. From the serious literary connection, having a really rich Christmas cake, a rich 1 level tbsp black treacle or golden To test the cake: first press Victoria sponge to the gateau Saint- Secrets of Aga Cakes been founded by Tarek Malouf, and delicious syrup firmly on top — there should be no Honoré, there is a creation for every Lucy Young, Ebury Press, £16.99 son of the great Lebanese novelist homemade mincemeat. Since that impression — then check to see if the conceivable occasion. This is the first ever cake book for Hanan al-Shaykh). time, these have become favourite Prepare the tin carefully. Line the cake has shrunk away from the sides Aga owners, full of all the lovely All of my failures in writing I recipes with many people. inside bottom with a double layer of the tin. If it has, remove from the How to Be a Domestic Goddess: things cooks want to make but put down to an interruption in the One person did not approve of the of brown paper, then cover this oven; listen carefully. A rich fruit Baking and the Art of Comfort often find tricky to get right in the supply of cupcakes. It’s probably recipes, contacted the BBC and with a double thickness of baking cake that is not quite cooked gives Cooking Aga. Includes 100 recipes for large time to acknowledge that I am demanded it no longer employed parchment. Line the sides of the tin a definite humming noise, in which Nigella Lawson, Chatto, £17.99 cakes, cupcakes, buns, muffins and addicted . Who cares? Where’s me. Her reason was that I and with greased greaseproof paper or case return it to the oven for a short Nigella conjures up a world in which traybakes, ranging from the classic the harm? Think about it: how were leading the baking parchment. Tie a deep double time and test again. Cool the cake in it is possible to cook, and eat, an to the contemporary and catering often do you see writers who are youth of Britain astray: he because he band of brown paper round the the baking tin; when completely cold extraordinary array of cakes — from for keen cake bakers and complete fat? By writer, I mean someone drank alcohol, and I because I used outside of the tin. turn it out carefully; wrap in foil and cupcakes to chocolate cakes, beginners alike. ≥ who is professionally engaged alcohol in my Christmas cooking. Sift together the flour and spices. store in an airtight tin. to Barbie cake — and still look clean in the act of writing, rather than You can make this cake several Mix the peel, dried fruits, almonds This cake is given a very moist and glamorous. someone who is something else weeks before Christmas, but it is still and cherries (if these are slightly texture if you prick it once or twice and then happens to write about delicious if made at the last minute. sticky, flour them lightly). Blend the before icing and pour several Exceptional Cakes it (someone who novelises the eggs with the sherry, brandy, rum or teaspoons of sherry or brandy or rum Dan Lepard and Richard Whittington, experience of being fat, for Makes a 23cm round cake or 20cm milk. Cream together the lemon and into the cake. Use a steel knitting Quadrille, £5.99 example). Given the sedentary square cake orange zest with the butter, sugar needle or fine skewer, make a Helps you to recreate (or to try to requirements of writing, you might and treacle or golden syrup until number of small holes on top of the recreate) favourite recipes from expect most writers to be lardy, 350g plain flour (no raising agent) soft. Do not overbeat, as this type of cake and spoon the sherry, brandy London’s acclaimed bakery Baker but the opposite is true. The odd 1 tsp ground cinnamon, or to taste cake does not need as much aerating or rum over this. If wished, turn the & Spice in the comfort of your own barrel-shaped scribe excluded, 1 tsp mixed spice, or to taste as light cakes. Gradually blend cake upside down and do the same kitchen. Clear, concise, and the cakes writers tend to be lean, often 115g mixed candied peel, chopped in the egg mixture and sifted dry again. Wrap the soaked cake tightly are amazing. scrawny specimens. Maybe this 900g mixed dried fruit (preferably ingredients. Stir in all the fruit. Spoon in foil and store in a cool, dry place. is why they do what they do. Ill- 450g currants, 225g sultanas, 225g the mixture into the tin, smooth If you do not wish to moisten the Cakes of the World suited to the rigours of bailing hay seedless raisins) flat on top, then press the top with cake during storage, do not worry, Tamara Milstein, Apple Press, £7.99 or welding lampposts, writers are 50-115g blanched almonds, chopped slightly damp knuckles, as this helps for it is still very rich and delicious. From Sicilian apple cake to Indian bound by their weedy DNA to be 115g glace cherries, chopped to keep the cake moist and flat. yoghurt cake, this book is a reminder writers. And they need all the help 4 large eggs, whisked Bake in the centre of an oven More advice and recipes from of just how universal, yet varied, cake they can get. So let them eat cake! ICTUREPOINT, FRANK BARON P

4 tbsp sherry or brandy or rum or preheated to 160C (140-150C in a Marguerite Patten can be found in is. While many of the flavours are See next page for details of the M A

milk fan oven) for 1½ hours, then lower The Basic Basics Baking Handbook H exotic, the recipes are simple — the London Review Cake Shop P O

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon the heat to 140-150C (120-130C in a (Grub Street, £7.99) T kind your grandmother used to bake. 68 | Baking Websites & forums

← cakebaker.co.uk A team of experts add around 10 new articles each month on how to achieve all manner of perfect cakes. deliaonline.com Every month a brand-new cake recipe is added to Delia Smith’s site, which offers a matronly guide to baking including advice on ingredients, equipment and what to do if things go wrong. nicecupofteaandasitdown.com Tibo in Dennistoun, Glasgow The premier website for those for whom having a cup of tea and a “Fabulous cakes — the sort you’d Celtic cider fruit loaf using Ralph’s biscuit or slice of cake is a bit of make yourself if only you had the Old Badland Welsh Cider, from an obsession. time, energy or inclination” (high Presteigne, Powys. praise from Nigella Lawson). Shops Slattery’s London Review Cake Shop 197 Bury New Road, Whitefield, Bettys Craft Bakery 14-16 Bury Place, London WC1 Manchester, 0161-767 9303 bettys.co.uk lrbshop.co.uk slattery.co.uk There are now six Bettys Cafe Tea When the lease came up on the Traditional cakes, but modern in their Rooms, two in Harrogate, two in property next door to the London use of the finest ingredients. The York, one in Northallerton and one in Review Bookshop, the opportunity “Slattery School of Excellence” offers Ilkley. Founded in 1919 by Frederick was seized to create a seductive courses in chocolate work, sugarcraft Belmont, this family business stays place to meet, talk, read and enjoy and cake-making. true to his founding principles the best tea, coffee and cake in that everything should be “fresh Bloomsbury, as well as browse for Tibo and dainty” and that “if we want books. Cake shop manager Terry 443 Duke Street, Glasgow things just right we have to do them Glover, formerly of Maison Blanc, 0141-550 2050, tibo-deli.co.uk ourselves”. Favourites include fat sources a varied range of cakes A fabulous sit-in or takeaway deli rascals (rock cakes with fruit and from small independent producers: in the heart of busy Dennistoun in spices) and the extra-moist sloe a dairy-free blueberry cake from Glasgow’s east end, which bakes all gin . Manna Vegetarian Restaurant, for its own cakes — and very good they example, or a raspberry chocolate are too. Cafe Royal Bakery fudge from Konditor & Cook, a pecan The Cafe Royal, 8 Nelson Street, pie from Burnt Sugar or a bread and Schools & courses Newcastle, 0191-232 0664, sjf.co.uk butter pudding from Amour Encore. Chef Murray Rhind founded the Cafe You’ll also find and National Bakery School Royal Bakery nearly seven years ago pastries for breakfast and sandwiches South Bank University, 103 Borough and supplies the company’s main for lunch. Road, London SE1, 020-7815 8115, delicatessen and cafe in the centre lsbu.ac.uk/nbs of Newcastle. His creations are to Ottolenghi Founded in 1894, the National die for — New York-style baked 63 Ledbury Road, London W11, Bakery School is the oldest in cheesecake, elaborate cream-filled 020-7727 1121; 287 Upper Street, the country and offers nationally numbers, rich chocolate cake with London N1, 020-7288 1454; recognised courses for those a hazelnut truffle filling over an 1 Holland Street, London W8, wishing to pursue a career in bakery, almond base, with a soft chocolate 020-7937 0003, ottolenghi.co.uk patisserie and sugarcraft. ganache poured over the top … Founded by chef Yotam Ottolenghi, this place has a philosophy that is Suppliers Hummingbird Bakery hard to argue with: that everything 133 Portobello Road, London W11, must be “hand-crafted with extreme Jane Asher Party Cakes & Sugarcraft 020-7229 6446; 47 Old Brompton care and attention, from basic raw 22-24 Cale Street, London SW3 Road, London SW7, 020-7584 0055 ingredients”. A place of pure beauty. 020-7584 6177, jane-asher.co.uk hummingbirdbakery.com One of Britain’s foremost cake and This flight of fancy landed in Siop Y Gornel sugarcraft suppliers. Asher has west London in 2004, with the 21 Tegid Street, Bala, Gwynedd built up the business to sell mail aim of providing an alternative 01678 520423 order cakes within the UK, as well to supermarket cakes and French A good and proper British bakery. as a large range of sugarcraft items patisseries. Delicious cupcakes. Alongside the hand-cut pork pies worldwide. filled with trotter jelly, you’ll find Konditor & Cook perfect bakewell tarts, rich with Make a Wish 22 Road, London SE1, raspberry jam and ground almonds, makeawishcakeshop.co.uk 020-7261 0456, and other stores and dundee cakes, as well as a Nice range of cake cases — plus around London, konditorandcook.com cake version of bara brith and a hundreds of other such sundries. Pastry | 69

Pastry

Photography by Jill Mead 70 | Baking Pastry | 71 Say aye to a pie

Their pastry shells were once nothing more than primitive tin cans. Today pies are a proud part of British tradition. By Ian Jack

One of the kitchen’s Mrs Lovett’s meat pies, evidence This was food for the rich or most familiar of insufficient processing in the the quite well-off. Slowly, the ≥ instruments used to supply chain from Sweeney Todd’s pie became demotic. By the be the rolling pin. In barbershop next door. I never early 19th century, London was cartoons, it was what women found anything quite so disturbing filled with pie shops (perhaps waved when they were angry: in a pie, but in Scotland they could including Mrs Lovett’s) and pie Oor Wullie’s Ma or Desperate Dan’s contain unpleasant surprises. men (perhaps including the one Aunt Aggie, catching her boulder- There was always the danger of Simple Simon met) hawking their chinned nephew at some mischief discovering fat and gristle in steak wares around streets and pubs. while she was cooking his cow pie. pies eaten outside the home, as Its progress in Scotland is not Like many women of her well as (still a favourite Scottish so easily discoverable and may generation, my mother must have ingredient) cheap pork have been stilted by the tradition used one four or five times a week, nestling among the stewing beef. of putting and poor cuts of rolling a lump of dough thinner Pies are very old. The Greeks meat to work in and other and thinner, occasionally flicking and Romans had them, but for savoury puddings. None the less, it with flour from a bowl or water hundreds of years they were industrial Victorian Scotland went from the tap; almost an industrial nothing more than primitive tin crazy for pies. Steak pies became process, like making steel plate. cans, the pastry shell preserving a feature of funerals, weddings Then the pastry would be cut the meat and moisture inside, to and New Year feasts. The humbler and the oven lit. I am tempted to be cracked open and thrown away. mutton pie (formerly the tuppenny say that I “watched fascinated” England knew them as coffyns. pie, now the ) was a as a small, embryonic chef, but By the 16th century, according to favourite of workers’ lunchtimes the truth is that I paid hardly the food historian Colin Spencer, and football half-times, and now any attention — this was normal England had two kinds of pies: the graces every butcher’s and baker’s; domesticity in the middle years smaller, all-edible variety with a its top crust, lying about half an of the last century, towards the wheat-flour crust, and big ones inch underneath the rim, makes end of the last great age of the baked in an oven for eight or nine an ideal container for baked beans, homemade pie. The first food hours, whose rye-flour casings peas, mashed potato, macaroni I can remember is potato pie were fed to the hogs. They might cheese, sauce, the ready- — its iron crust, its dull interior contain chicken or swan, rabbit or made combinations that cheerfully sometimes flecked with corned porpoise. They were built to last, decorate the stew underneath beef — followed by . Later, sealed with clarified butter and (and add their weight to the great in memory if not in fact, came sent as presents from country to Scottish health problem). steak pies, lemon meringue pies, town, where they could stand on For me, a pie crust needs to go apples pies laced with brambles or a sideboard for several weeks and all the way: top, bottom and sides. sultanas, and the advent of shop- diminish slice by slice. and shepherd’s pie, open bought . fruit pies and the poseur My mother was a good cook. She you sometimes find in restaurants once won the West Fife Women’s (a microwaved bowl of stew with Rural Institute prize for the best a pastry hat added): these are not fruit slice. I like to think that her proper pies. When I think of pies, potato pies were an aberration I think of a poster you sometimes brought on by food rationing and see in Scottish bakeries. Say the years we spent in Lancashire; Aye to a Pie, it says, showing a mainly, her pies were delicious, brave little chap of the Fry’s Five succulent in the way that the gravy Boys kind (and therefore slightly from the meat or fruit soaked into historic) tucking into one. I know its crisp surroundings on the plate. what he means: the juicy fat of the Even so — and perhaps this feeling mutton pie, its indefinable meat, about pies stretches far back in As a child, I was the crunchy shell that’s so neutral history, four and twenty blackbirds in taste it also gets used for the and so forth — I was aware that aware that the bakery’s rhubarb and apples pies, both the charm and danger of a which are also in the window along T

R charm and danger E

B pie lay in its invisible contents. My with the Forfar , the R E H

brother would tell me the story of rolls and the potato scones.

A of a pie lay in its K N

I the human finger (or was it a toe?) I move on from the sight of such T A K that a customer found in one of invisible contents a baker’s window reluctantly. 72 | Baking Pastry | 73 Pastry techniques Tools of the trade Marble sheet This is the ultimate cold work surface for pastry. Rolling pins As shown (left), Too few people know how to make their own. these come in all shapes, sizes and materials. There’s no particular Dan Lepard sets out the simple rules of the art advantage in having handles. Choose one that feels comfortable How to handle it — not too unwieldy, you don’t want to be too heavy on the pastry, or Pastry is so useful. The different until the mixture looks like fine risk dropping it (ceramic ones can types can be used in an endless breadcrumbs, then stop — if you break). If you go for a wooden one, array of dishes, savoury and sweet. overdo it, you’ll have tough old check that it’s nice and smooth, There’s a reason why there’s such a pastry on your hands. Add the and be sure to clean and dry it thing as a specialist pastry chef, but water gradually; you really don’t thoroughly after each use. don’t be put off — it doesn’t mean want to have to add more flour Pie dishes Mason Cash pudding you can’t make good pastry at after the liquid. On the other hand, basins are classics for a reason: home. Perhaps the most important too little will create a dry and they’re plain, simple and available thing is precision. This is no area crumbly dough that will be hard to in numerous sizes. Pie foils can be for experimentation in the kitchen. roll without breaking. bought in local kitchen shops or at Adapt a pastry recipe, and you are Leaving the pastry dough for online stores such as www.stores. likely to find yourself in a sticky half an hour or so to “relax” before ebay.co.uk/whats-cooking situation. Weigh the ingredients rolling out (you can wrap it in cling Flour dredger Best not to chuck carefully and use the best film and place in the fridge) will handfuls of flour around: a sifter/ ingredients you can, especially give it greater elasticity and make dredger will limit the danger of flour. Once you’ve mastered it less likely to shrink when baking. adding too much and causing your making the pastry, you can let When rolling out, work quickly and pastry to crack up. yourself go with whatever fillings lightly, dusting your rolling pin to Pie funnel To help stop the pastry and toppings take your fancy. prevent sticking. Always roll away from sinking into the dish. This A calm, organised approach using from you, turning the pastry, not lovely little blackbird can be found a cool worktop and ingredients will the rolling pin. Rolling backwards in all good kitchen shops. help produce good pastry. Work in and forwards, and side to side, Pastry crimper For perfectionists as cool an environment as possible, will stretch the pastry and risk aiming for neat-looking pies. This well away from the cooker or it shrinking in the oven. What’s tool will double as a pizza cutter, boiler. Kitchens are usually coolest known as a “turn” is explained in but, in truth, hand crimping is in the morning. Use your fingertips the puff pastry recipe on page 82. more the thing. — the coolest part of your hands. And while it helps to allow the fat Because it’s worth it to soften before using, don’t let it get too warm. Ready-made pastry has come know what’s in your own pastry; Ready to roll: from top, Eddingtons Sift the flour, and when a long way in recent years, and bought products tend to contain non-stick rolling pins with measuring rubbing in the fat, lift the flour is even recommended by some additives and be higher in fat. guide; wooden pin with ball bearings as high as possible while keeping chefs. So why make your own? As for convenience, uncooked (‘for maximum control’) plus marble it in the bowl — both steps will For a start, it’s not difficult. And homemade pastry can be frozen and basic beechwood models, all help incorporate cold air which then there’s the taste — there’s just as successfully as bought, so from David Mellor; wood with will expand once in the oven no contest between homemade you can make more than you need handles from the Conran Shop. and produce light pastry. Rub and even the best brand. Plus, you at any one time and keep for later. If in need, be inventive: Dan has been known to use an empty wine bottle (washed, of course). Left: crimper and brush from John Lewis, turquoise from Lakeland and, below, traditional from David Mellor

The reusable beans shown above are for baking blind (when pastry is baked or partially baked without a filling), but you can just as easily use uncooked beans, or, like Tamasin Day-Lewis (page 77), washed gravel from the driveway. Cover the pastry with baking parchment first. For details of stockists, see page 97 74 | Baking Pastry | 75 The easiest pie in the world

These are really useful. Simple one- only do you put everything in the to coat every innocent piece of crust pies that use a can of soup bowl or food processor, but it also flesh in the restaurant. And some for the gravy, mixed with hunky rolls easily straight from the fridge. of our TV chefs look as if they’re bits of meat, fish or vegetable for a In addition to the soup, nearly dipped in it, too. Flour-thickened comforting dinner. Each pie has just all have a flour-based gravy to gravy cooked slowly for 20-30 a pastry top and needs only a soup soak up the flavour. Though gravy minutes or more has a soft velvety dish suitable for baking in the oven. has fallen out of fashion, I prefer consistency and mellowness that This pastry is very quick to make it to that nasty sticky brown stain won’t mask the natural flavour of and couldn’t be easier to use. Not mistakenly called “jus” that seems the meat.

Light cream cheese pastry To use, spoon one of the fillings below into your pie dish, place a disc (pictured) 400g plain flour of pastry on top of the pie, brush Thinly slice three large cloves of ½ tsp baking powder with egg beaten with a pinch of salt, garlic and fry in 25g butter with ½ tsp salt and cut three peepholes in the top ½ onion finely chopped, until golden. 150g unsalted butter, chilled and with a sharp knife. If you want to get Add two glasses (200ml) of red wine, cut into cubes fancy, you can score lots of stripes a chicken stock cube crumbled and 150g cream cheese 1cm apart across the pastry once it 25g dried porcini mushrooms. Return 1 egg has been brushed with egg wash. to the boil, remove from the heat, 1 beaten egg, for glazing Heat the oven to 200C and bake for cover, and leave for 15 minutes to 30 minutes until the filling is hot, the soften. Cut 600g boneless chicken Work the butter and cheese through crust crisp, and the glaze crackled breast into 3cm pieces and toss in the sifted dry ingredients in a bowl and golden. 2 tbsp flour. Add the chicken and any with your hands, then add the egg remaining flour to the pan with ½ tsp and knead to a smooth dough; or if The pastry above will cover five both salt and ground black pepper you have a big sturdy food processor, small-rimmed oval Mason Cash 10oz and a 400g tin of cream of mushroom simply add all the ingredients at once (280ml) ceramic pie dishes (150g soup, stir well, then simmer until the and combine, or in batches. Wrap in pastry per pie) and the recipes below sauce is thick and the chicken cooked cling film and chill for 10 minutes. will produce about 1.4 litres of filling, (about 15 minutes). Cut 250g button Then roll the pastry into sheets 5mm enough for about 280ml of filling mushrooms into quarters. Heat thick, cut into circles or ovals to fit per pie. 25g butter in a frying pan and fry your pie dish with enough to tuck half the mushrooms until golden. over the lip. Stack these on a baking Add these to the chicken, then fry sheet with non-stick paper between the remaining mushrooms with them, then pack into a zip-lock more butter and add these too with bag to store in the freezer. Or use a little chopped fresh thyme. Divide straight away. between the dishes, top with the pastry and bake as above.

Easy 2 hr + 200C (180C) Variations

Broccoli, stilton and potato tin of broccoli and stilton soup. little brown. Add ½ tsp chilli flakes sure it hasn’t boiled dry and top up 300g peeled shallots, cut in half, Leek, smoked haddock and Have a large pan of boiling salted When you are ready to bake the pies, and one mashed garlic clove, cook with water to keep it moist but not and ½ tsp both salt and ground black water on the stove and blanch scoop out about 100g potato from for a minute, then remove the pan swimming in liquid. When the meat pepper, and cook a few minutes Chop four large washed leeks 250g broccoli florets for a minute. the soup and place in the bottom of from the heat. Chop 700g stewing is almost cooked, add a 400g tin of more. Transfer to an ovenproof pan into 3cm pieces and simmer with Drain, then immediately plunge the each dish. Add 50g cooked broccoli steak into 3cm pieces, toss in 2 tbsp cream of tomato soup, 125g chorizo or dish with a tight-fitting lid, pour 125g macaroni in boiling water broccoli into ice-cold water to chill. cut into bite-sized pieces, crumble flour and add to the pan. Fry for sausage chopped small and a tin of on 150ml cider with a crumbled stock until the pasta is “al dente”, then This will stop it cooking and keep it over 25g stilton, 1 tsp chopped 3-4 minutes until lightly coloured, pinto beans washed and drained. cube (ham or chicken) and bake in drain and stir with a 400g tin firm, as it will finish when the pie is chives and a few twists of black then add 50ml brandy and 2 tbsp Simmer for an hour with the lid on, a 180C oven for an hour. Then add of thick leek and potato soup, baked. As soon as it is cold, drain and pepper, then a little more sauce and paprika, stir to dissolve any bits stuck then divide between the dishes, top about 300g peeled parsnips cut into a handful of chopped fresh keep in the fridge till you are ready a little double cream. Top with the to the pan, then spoon into a large with the pastry and bake as above. 3cm pieces and a 400g tin of pea parsley, 100ml double cream, to bake the pie. Place 500g anya or pastry and bake as above. ovenproof pot with a snug-fitting and ham soup, and cook for another 250g smoked haddock, skinned charlotte potatoes in a saucepan, lid. Crumble in a beef stock cube Pork and parsnip hour with the lid on until the meat is and de-boned and cut into 3cm cover with salted water and bring Shin of beef, chorizo and pinto bean and enough water to half cover, Take 700g boneless pork shoulder tender. Divide between the dishes, pieces, 200g Lancashire cheese cut to the boil, then simmer until the Chop one large onion into rough stick the lid on and bake in a 180C steaks and cut into 3cm pieces. Toss stir in 1 tbsp chopped parsley and into 1cm pieces and seasoning to potatoes are tender. Drain, cut into pieces and fry in a large saucepan oven for 1½-2 hours until the meat is in 2 tbsp flour, then fry with some 1 tbsp sour cream into each, top with taste. Divide between the dishes, 3cm pieces and heat with one 400g with 3 tbsp olive oil until soft and a tender. Check it occasionally to make butter until brown. Add to the pan the pastry and bake as above. top with pastry and bake as above. 76 | Baking Pastry | 77 Butter and suet crust for Don’t be scared savoury puddings

A combination of butter and suet 250g plain flour Place the flour, baking powder To steam a pudding, butter your To boil in a cloth, take a large tastes very good, but will still make 1 tsp baking powder and salt in a bowl and rub in the pudding basin and place a disc of double layer of butter muslin, a soft mellow crust, so be sure the ½ tsp salt butter until it vanishes. Add the non-stick paper in the base to stop run it under the tap to soak, filling has some perky flavour in 2 tbsp (50g) butter suet and water, then mix to a the top of the pudding sticking. Roll then wring dry. Open the cloth there. This can be as simple as a 75g suet, prepared or fresh grated soft dough. This is ready to use two-thirds of the pastry about 5mm out on to the worktop and rub the little onion or black pepper. It is 100-125ml water straight away. thick and line the pudding basin, upper surface generously with Tamasin Day-Lewis also possible to bake rather than smoothing out any pleats before white flour. Lay the rolled pastry on I always think there’s nothing boil a suet crust, though I think spooning the filling in. Brush cold to the centre of it, spoon on the better than chicken in pie. In the you lose something without that water around the upper rim of pastry, filling, then lift the cloth and pie calendar, this is the time to moment when the pudding is lay a disc of pastry over the top and pastry up around it and seal the be sticking pastry lids on things unwrapped or upturned. press the edges together to seal. pastry at the top as you do. All — lovely meat or ripe autumn Cut two large squares of non-stick a bit tricky, I know, so another fruits — to make some heavy, more parchment and one of foil, pleat pair of hands will help. Tie the top sustaining food. Pies and tarts are them together in the centre and loosely and simmer in a pan for fantastically easy. With pastry, just secure them over the top of the basin three hours. follow the simple rule: everything with the foil on top, and wrap a few has to be cold — the butter, the lengths of twine tightly round and To bake, roll two-thirds of the surface, everything. People are over. Sit this on a trivet or old saucer pastry out and line the base of a frightened of pastry, thinking it’s Tried and tested in a large pan, pour warm water up large, deep ovenproof time-consuming, but it’s not: you the sides, cover with a tight-fitting dish, fill, then roll out the remaining can easily break up the preparation The guinea fowl pudding had lid and simmer gently for 3-4 hours. pastry to cover the filling. Pinch it time. Roll out the pastry and put it a tasty gamey flavour — fit for a To serve, upturn on to a large plate snugly around the edge, brush in the case. Then put it in the fridge special occasion. Tasted good cold deep enough to catch the juices with a beaten egg and bake at 180C for a day or two, giving you plenty with salad, too Easy 4 hr + Hob when you cut into it. (160C fan-assisted) for about an of time to make the filling. hour. To serve, simply spoon out You can get creative with of the dish. pastry, too. I have a recipe for a cocoa pastry which is very easy Guinea fowl, onion and bacon to make: you just sieve in cocoa pudding powder with the flour. Also, if For this I use a large Mason the pastry gets cracks in it, don’t Cash pudding basin (size 24, worry, pastry changes each time just over 3 pints) and one quantity you make it according to the of the pastry above. When you temperature of the room, your make the suet crust, add 25g hands, and so on — and anyway, very finely chopped onion to the it’s going into the bottom of the dough. Make a little white sauce by dish, so who’s gonna see it? Just melting 50g unsalted butter in join up the cracks and make sure a pan, add 1 medium-sized onion, you put enough pastry in the dish chopped, and cook until soft and to compensate for any shrinking. translucent. Add 50g plain flour There are one or two utensils and 1 tbsp mustard powder, that are really useful for making 250ml cold milk, ¼ tsp salt and pastry and pies. I have a circular freshly ground black pepper. chopping board with a marble section for pastry. The marble is Whisk everything together, fantastic for keeping the pastry return to the heat and continue to cool, while the circular board whisk until the mixture is very makes it easier to roll out. People thick and boiling. Remove from the tend to invest in ceramic baking heat and leave covered with a lid beans, but I just use dried pulses — until warm. just as effective. If you don’t have those, then some gravel or stones Portion a guinea fowl, cut the on top of the foil or greaseproof breast from the bone and divide paper are great too, heavy enough that, cut the wings and legs away, to prevent the bottom of the splitting the legs at the joint and pastry case rising too much when discarding the carcass, and stir with you are baking blind (cooking the 250g bacon lardons and a handful pastry before adding the filling). of chopped parsley into the sauce. Tamasin Day-Lewis’s Perfect Spoon into the suet crust, and cook Pies and Tarts With Tops On are and serve in a deep dish to catch all published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson the juices. 78 | Baking Pastry | 79 Golden syrup suet crust No leftovers, please Nora Sands for sweet puddings Before appearing on ’s School Dinners, I was not very adventurous in the kitchen, a bit set in my ways, but now I experiment A little syrup in the dough and Place the flour and baking powder more. These days you’ll find me a little poured over the pudding in a bowl and stir together. Add trying out all sorts of combinations after making, thinned with a bit the suet, beat the syrup and yolks for fillings. I would encourage of rum or whisky, make this an with the milk, then add to the dry people to try something different, exceptional pudding pastry. ingredients and mix to a soft dough. and if it doesn’t quite work, well, Follow the instructions for steaming, one pie going wrong is not the end boiling or baking in the butter and of the world. 250g plain flour suet crust recipe (see page 77). I love making sweet pies 1 tsp baking powder like apple; I find them a lot quicker 100g suet, prepared or fresh grated Steamed bramley and currant to put together than savoury 50g golden syrup pudding ones and you get a big result 100ml milk For this I use a large Mason Cash for minimal effort. I like to add 2 egg yolks pudding basin (size 24, just over 3 cinnamon, mixed spice and brown pints) and one quantity of the pastry sugar to bring an extra crunchiness above. Peel, core and dice 7-8 large to the apple. Once you get the bramley apples and place in a pan knack of making pastry, you feel with a squeeze of lemon juice, 25g like you’ve achieved something; butter and 150g caster sugar. Cook it’s really satisfying when you get Easy 4 hr + Hob over a moderate heat with the lid it right. My tip would be to use as on until the apples turn to a fluff. little water as possible and work Spoon the cooked apple into the suet the pastry quickly. crust in layers, each sprinkled with The filling is the best thing a tablespoon of currants. Simmer about pies. I head down to my gently for 3 hours, then upturn on brother’s allotment and make sure to a large serving platter with a lip there is nothing left on the bushes. to catch the juices. Spoon a little There are so many lovely British golden syrup thinned with rum over fruits to choose from. I recently the pudding and serve with a bowl of used greengage. I even use lightly whipped cream. butternut squash as a filling, and add a bit of apple — it might seem strange, but it tastes great. Use what’s in your kitchen. I don’t like to waste anything; everything has got to be turned into something. Bread and butter is a perfect pudding for using up the end of the bread. It’s easy to put together and has a lovely gooey texture — a great winter pudding. You can also use bread for crumble. Breadcrumbs mixed with sugar is a little trick I often use for the topping. Nora’s Dinners is published by Collins (£12.99) MES MEDINA A J - E I M A J 80 | Baking Pastry | 81 Rough puff dripping crust

It’s reassuring to think that, Place the two flours and the salt in a without any help from food writers mixing bowl. Cut the butter into small around the country, there is still pieces and rub through the flour. Cut room on the supermarket shelf for the dripping into 1cm cubes and toss Britannia beef dripping, and now these through the flour. Beat the an artisan one from Highgrove Fine water with the yolks to combine, then Foods. Excellent stuff. It’s just that stir this through the flour with a fork different fats produce different until it forms a dough in the bowl, characteristics in baked or fried adding a little more water if needed, food, and hard fat — the stuff we’re then either transfer the doughy mass meant to shun — bakes crisper than to a plate or leave it in the bowl for butter, lard or oil. In the pastry for 30 minutes. , it will produce a crisper texture than any other fat. I’ve Generously flour the work surface, added a little strong flour to make enough to stop the dough sticking, the dough a bit more resilient, then place the dough on it and roll enough to make shaping the out to measure 50cm by about pasties easier without sacrificing 20cm. Fold the dough in by thirds, the tenderness too much. But then roll out again and fold in the you can use all plain flour if that’s opposite direction. Cover the dough, all you have in the cupboard — leave it somewhere cool to rest for just don’t be too vigorous with 30 minutes, then repeat the two sets the rolling. of rolling and folding twice more at 30-minute intervals. At this point, the pastry is ready to be used. It can 300g plain flour be frozen, sealed in a zip-lock bag, 75g strong white flour for a few weeks. Simply allow to ½ tsp salt thaw completely before using. 50g unsalted butter, softened 150g beef dripping, at room Steak, swede and mustard pasties temperature Makes 5 About 125ml ice-cold water Use one quantity of the dough 2 egg yolks above. Make the filling by lightly Extra flour for rolling freezing 250g frying steak (rump is good), then cutting it roughly into 1cm cubes. Place in a bowl with 175g peeled swede and potato, about half of each, ideally whittled into small curved chunks with a blunt knife — Moderate 3-4 hr 200C (180C) the way Cornish women traditionally prepared them. Add 1 level tsp salt, ¾ tsp ground white pepper and 1 tbsp plain flour. Toss this together in a bowl and chill. Roll the pastry to about 5mm thick and cut into rounds using a small side plate. Without getting too racy, spread the inside of the pastry lightly with freshly mixed Colman’s mustard. Lightly brush around the edge of the pastry with water, then place a generous spoonful of filling on one half of the pastry leaving a 5mm border. Fold the pastry over the filling and press to seal. Place the pasties on a tray with Tried and tested a slight lip to catch any oil that runs from the pastry, and chill them while What an advance on the you heat the oven to 200C (180C apologies for pasties I have fan-assisted). Bake for 45 minutes occasionally bought at the railway until the pastry is a rich golden colour station — never again! and the filling hot. 82 | Baking Pastry | 83 All-butter English puff pastry A simple classic — with a twist

Sophie Conran This is the puffiest, lightest 550g flour (half strong and half Place the flour and salt in a large Take a rolling pin and lightly roll the Apple turnovers The most classic English pie has to puff pastry I know, not that plain) mixing bowl, cut 150g of the butter upper surface of the dough to press Makes 8 be steak and kidney — I think it is hard to make, and because it ¾ tsp salt into small pieces and rub this out any air bubbles. Seal the edges Use one quantity of the pastry above. the uniquely British and delicious freezes really well, it can be 550g unsalted butter, soft enough through until it vanishes. Mix the with a sharp whack of the pin. Make the filling ahead and allow to combination that makes it a made whenever you have a to be pliable lemon juice and the water, add this cool. Take 8 medium-sized braeburn classic. If I could offer just one tip, quiet patch at home and stored 200ml cold water to the flour and lightly knead to form Then give the pastry what is known or similar dessert apples, about a it would be to get a pie funnel. It’s for use later in the month. The 2 tsp lemon juice a rough-looking but evenly combined as one single turn. Roll the pastry out kilo in weight, and peel, core and a really handy tool, holding up the recipe is based on an old English dough. Wrap in cling film and chill towards the folds until it measures dice into 1cm pieces. Place these in pastry so it doesn’t sink in and method from the late 1800s that for 30 minutes. roughly 60cm by 25cm, then fold the a saucepan with six whole cloves, a allowing the steam to escape so varies slightly from the French pastry in by thirds again. Place the good pinch of cinnamon, the juice the filling doesn’t overflow. My puff pastry recipes from that Roll the pastry out on a lightly pastry on a plate, cover with cling of ½ a lemon, 25g unsalted butter wonderful brother Jasper era in that it adds much more floured work surface to about 50cm film, and chill for 30 minutes. and 1 tsp vanilla essence. Stick the suggested adding to butter to the dough and, in turn, by 30cm. Slice the butter and lay this Give the pastry a further two turns, lid on and cook over a moderate this pie and indeed it is excellent. uses less during the rolling. This over two-thirds of the dough. Fold without resting in between, then heat until the butter melts and the It is named in his honour. makes the rolling much easier the unbuttered dough third over the cover and chill again for one hour. apples have softened. Remove the and produces a very delicate buttered one, then flip that over the Give the pastry two more turns, then lid, add 25g caster sugar and cook Jasper’s and tender pastry once baked, remaining buttered third so that the rest again. Before using, it is best to gently for a further 5 minutes until Heat ½ tbsp oil and a knob of and one that I prefer eating. Moderate 5 hr 200C (180C) butter is wrapped inside the dough. give the pastry a further turn. the apple pieces dry a little. Then butter in a large pan over a medium leave to cool and pick out the whole heat. Add 250g sliced chestnut cloves. Next, roll the pastry to about mushrooms and sauté until cooked 3-4 mm thick and cut rounds using a through. Remove the mushrooms saucer. Roll the pastry slightly across from the pan and set aside. Add the centre to turn the disc of pastry another ½ tbsp oil to the pan and into an oval. Lightly brush the edges turn up the heat. Coat 500g cubed with water and spoon on a generous (4cm is perfect) stewing steak and amount of apple to cover one half of 300g trimmed pork kidneys, also the pastry. Fold the pastry over and cubed, with flour seasoned with press the edges with a fork to seal. salt and pepper. Fry the steak and Finish the other pastries, then chill kidneys in batches until slightly or freeze on a tray for 20 minutes browned, remove from the pan and while you heat the oven to 200C set aside with the mushrooms. In (180C fan-assisted). Brush beaten a small pan, boil 18 peeled pearl egg over the turnovers, sprinkle with onions in 300ml beef stock for 10 demerara or caster sugar if you like minutes. Meanwhile, add 150ml and bake for 45 minutes. red wine, 1 tbsp grated horseradish and 3 splashes of Worcestershire sauce to the pan, scrape any flour that has stuck to the bottom of the pan and stir it into the sauce. Let it bubble until thick. Add the meat, mushrooms, onions and beef stock to the sauce and simmer very gently for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally. The mixture should be quite sloppy, so add water if necessary. Season with salt and Tried and tested pepper to taste. Pour the mixture into a pie dish and brush some Making and eating these beaten egg around the rim. Roll out apple turnovers took me back 300g butter puff pastry, cover the to my childhood — a great pie with it, trim around the edge English tradition and press down with your thumb to seal. Decorate the top using the trimmings. Cut a small hole in the top and brush the top with beaten egg. Cover with foil and bake at 220C for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for a further 15 minutes. Serve with roasted vegetables, mash and mustard. Sophie Conran’s Pies is published 1 2 3 4 5 by Collins (£12.99) 84 | Baking Pastry | 85

This is pastry, a nice fatty of the difficulty. I mean, if you let have to. Hot water crust pastry, mixture that bakes to a rich brown on how manageable this pork pie to my mind, is always made and holds in the wet filling and business is, you might stir home with rendered animal fat, either 1 juices snugly. Both the pastry and bakers all around the country to dripping (beef fat) or lard (pig fat). pie are much easier than many make their own. As I can’t think of a vegetarian recipes suggest, and this leads me I prefer to add a tiny bit of butter filling that would suit the long to suspect that there has been a to the dough, but you can keep cooking time it needs, this one is degree of protective ramping up the pastry all lard if you simply just for the meat eaters.

Makes just over 750g pastry, enough Rub 75g butter (or lard) into the Place the jar in the fridge for a for two pies holding 450g meat each flour until the mixture resembles moment to set. Once the pastry is 2 breadcrumbs. Place 100g lard in slightly firm (after about 5 minutes), 475g flour (half strong and a saucepan and heat until it just remove from the fridge and carefully half plain) melts. Pour 125ml boiling water into prise the dough away from the jar 75g unsalted butter or extra lard the lard. Add the salt, stir until it with a blunt butter knife. Carefully 100g lard or dripping dissolves, then pour this over the pack the pastry shell tightly with 125ml boiling water flour and mix quickly to a dough. 450g meat mixture (see below), then 1 ½ tsp salt Work it with a knife to begin with, roll the remaining pastry to cover the then, as soon as it is cool enough to top. Brush a little water around the dig your hands in without scalding inside top of the pastry shell, then lay them, work the dough well with your the pastry lid over. Press it down so 3 fingers until it is mixed evenly and that it sits tightly against the meat, shape into a ball. Press the dough and up to the edge of the shell. Trim Easy 2½-3 hr 200C (180C) out on to a plate, cover with paper or away any excess, but leave a 2cm cling film and leave until barely warm pastry join. Pinch this together firmly (about 24-26C). with your fingers. Brush the lid and lip with beaten egg and cut a hole in the Lightly flour the work surface, roll centre of the lid, pinky finger width, the dough to about ¾cm thick, fold for steam to escape. Chill the pie for it in on itself by thirds, then repeat an hour before baking, then heat the this roll and fold again. I prefer to oven to 200C (180C fan-assisted) and 4 leave the dough until it is room- bake on a foil-lined tray for 1½ hours. temperature cold (about 21C), as I Leave to cool for 30 minutes before Tried and tested find it produces a smoother finish. pouring in the jelly (see below), then If the dough looks a bit lumpy, give chill overnight before eating. This is a very easy recipe it another roll and fold, then let it to follow and the pork pie was rest somewhere cool for 20 minutes Gammon and pork pie delicious, with just the right before using. Enough for two pies holding 450g amount of spices. I’ll think meat each twice about buying pork pies To shape a large pie to hold 450g The gammon will make the filling in future meat; serves 2-4 stay pink after cooking and the 5 This is the easiest rather than the mixture is best made the night before most traditional way and works very and left in the refrigerator overnight. well. It will look quite straight-sided Place ¾ tsp dried sage, ¾ tsp white before baking, but will develop pepper and a pinch of ground mace the traditional bulging sides as it and ginger in a food processor. bakes. Use a large jar about 10cm No salt, as the gammon contains in diameter — a 750ml “le ” enough. Add 50g gammon cut into storage jar is perfect. tiny pieces and 50ml cold water. Blitz this to a smooth paste, then add For each pie, roll 350g dough to 675g boneless and fatty pork chops 6 about 23cm square and cut a disc and another 125g gammon, both cut the same diameter from it. Save the into 1cm dice and pulsed to a coarse trimmings for the lid. Stand the jar mince. Shape the pie and bake as on its lid, dust the base with flour, above. Make a little jelly (for 2 pies) then lay the pastry over it evenly so by dissolving a meat stock cube (I the edges drape down. Now press use chicken) in 300ml boiling water the dough tightly in against the in a jug with a pouring lip. Sprinkle in sides, working it smooth with your 4 tsp powdered gelatine and stir till fingers to remove any pleats of the dissolved. Pour the jelly into each pie pastry, letting it stretch to about through the hole in the top, then chill 7 8-10cm in depth. before serving. 86 | Baking Pastry | 87 Sweet

Sometimes this kind of rich, slightly 250g plain flour Brandy and walnut mince pies with sweet shortcrust pastry is made 50g icing sugar almond pastry with more butter and egg, but this Pinch of salt For every 100g bottled mincemeat, makes the pastry very difficult 150g unsalted butter, softened stir in 2 tsp (10ml) brandy, 25g to roll and often overly greasy if 2 egg yolks chopped walnuts and the finely filled with, say, a buttery almond About 2 tbsp (30ml) ice-cold water grated zest of half an orange. Mix cream, as the pastry draws oil from well and leave for a few hours for the filling during baking. Here I’ve the flavour to soak in. For the pastry, reduced the butter and used just add 75g ground almonds to the flour egg yolks rather than whole ones, and proceed as directed above. and instead added a small amount of ice-cold water. This has the effect Easy 1½ hr 200C (180C) Lightly butter and line deep muffin of making the dough very slightly tins with two-thirds of the pastry elastic. Now, this will make the Sift the flour, icing sugar and salt rolled about 5mm thick. Spoon the crumb of the pastry a little tougher, into a bowl. Break the butter into filling into the cases just short of but it also allows the pastry to be small pieces and rub this through the top, then roll the remaining rolled thinner. And that in itself the flour until it vanishes. Beat the third of the dough to about 5mm makes the pastry a joy to eat. yolks with the water and stir this into thick. Cut discs slightly wider the flour. Mix to a very soft and than the diameter of the cases, smooth dough. Wrap the dough in brush the underside edges with cling film and chill for at least a little water, then pop them on 30 minutes before using as it and press to seal in the filling. Cut needs time to firm up. a clear hole in the top of each to let the steam escape, brush with a little milk and sprinkle with caster sugar. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan-assisted) and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a rich golden brown, then remove and leave to cool for 5 minutes before easing the pies carefully from the tin and placing to cool on a wire rack. ‘Can we bake something, Granny?’

Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall Big Granny’s chicken and ham pie My mother was a terrific baker of Set the oven to 190C. Mix 350g cakes, and as a child I spent a lot of cooked chicken (cut into bite-sized time in the kitchen, “helping”. Pies pieces) and 275g ham (roughly and tarts, sweet or savoury, were diced) together in a large bowl. also part of her repertoire, and In a saucepan, melt 55g butter there was always enough pastry and soften 1 large chopped onion. left to make a few little men with Add 175g sliced mushrooms and currants for eyes, nose, mouth, and cook gently for 5 minutes. Remove buttons down their fronts. the mushrooms and onion and It came naturally to me to follow add them to the chicken and ham. her example with my own children, Add 55g flour to the butter and cook who both took to cooking like ducks for a few minutes, but don’t let it to water. Hugh soon graduated to brown. Add 200ml milk and stir until making fudge and Turkish delight, smooth. Add 150ml white wine and Brush water over the strip. Cover putting in a request for a sugar enough chicken stock to bring the the pie with pastry, trim off the thermometer for his eighth birthday sauce to a creamy consistency. Stir surplus and press around the rim present. Now I bond with a new in 200ml cream and a large bunch to seal. Make a hole in the centre generation over the pastry board. of tarragon, chopped, season with of the pie to let out steam and, if My grandchildren greet me with salt and pepper and add the sauce you like, use pastry remnants to “Can we bake something, Granny?” to the chicken mixture. Stir and put decorate the top. Brush with beaten My mother made the following it in a 850ml pint pie dish. Roll out egg. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until pie to be eaten hot in winter or cold some flaky or puff pastry. Cut a golden brown. in summer. She was known as Big 1cm wide strip to cover the rim of Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Granny to distinguish her from my the dish. Brush the rim with water Good Granny Cookbook is published husband’s mother, Little Granny. and press the strip around the rim. by Short Books PASCAL SAEZ 88 | Baking Pastry | 89 Savoury shortcrust pastry Great and small and a gluten-free variation Being able to travel as a chef is great — you pick up so many tips. In America, I came across a guy called Kermit (his real name!) who This is a straight-up shortcrust chopped parsley, slivers of green makes for an extra crisp pastry, 300g plain flour For gluten-free shortcrust made key lime pie with a twist. The pastry, best combined with a olives and a few generous twists but you can use just butter if you ½ tsp salt 300g gluten-free flour (I use pie is traditionally a thick dish with well-flavoured, strong filling such of black pepper, or chopped fried prefer. The gluten-free variation ¼ tsp baking powder Doves Farm) creamy cheese: sticky and heavy. as beef cooked with wine or ale, aubergines and lentils stirred with lacks the elasticity of wheat-flour 75g unsalted butter, softened ¼ tsp salt Kermit whisked the egg yolk, pieces of coley in an oniony white tahini, lemon, chillies and garlic. pastry, so don’t expect too much 75g lard, or more butter ½ tsp baking powder added lime juice and condensed sauce dotted with capers, roughly The combination of butter and lard from it, as it will crumble when cut. 75ml ice-cold water 75g unsalted butter milk, and baked it for 15 minutes. 75g lard Then he cut it into wedges and 2 egg whites froze it on sticks. After freezing them, he dipped them in quality Belgian chocolate — wonderful. My favourite sweet pies are rhubarb , apple, gooseberry and cherry. Just thinking about a good Easy 2 hr + 200C (180C) pie makes me want to make one tonight. Pies have a great comfort Sift the flour, salt and baking powder factor, especially down at football into a bowl. Cut the butter and lard matches. I’ve got a mate who has into small bits, then rub these 6,000 pies to prepare for the through the dry ingredients. Add the Saturday match-day rush. water (or egg whites for the gluten- Phil Vickery is chef for ITV’s free pastry, plus a drop of water if This Morning needed) and knead into a smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for Lynda Bellingham at least 30 minutes before using. I’m a farmer’s daughter and I remember my mother baking as Big match pie with mustard pastry a way of amusing us. As children Makes two individual or one large pie we learned to cook by getting Make the filling first by frying 500g our hands in the bowl with the not-too-lean minced beef in a pan flour and eggs — making a mess with a little oil until brown. Add 1 was part of the process. My mum medium-sized onion, finely chopped, would make an apple pie and then and cook until soft with the meat. give me the leftover pastry, which Crumble in 2 beef stock cubes with I’d cut into stars and we’d put 2 tbsp plain flour (or cornflour) and them on the baking tray beside 1 tsp ground white or black pepper. her pie. When it was cooked, she’d Stir well and cook for a minute, then give me the stars and I’d eat them add ½ tsp salt, 2 tbsp Worcestershire with jam. In turn, I baked with my sauce, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 200ml sons ; they loved putting the egg dark ale and 200ml water. Boil over into the middle of the flour and a high heat, stirring often, for about getting their hands mucky. There 10-15 minutes until thick but not is nothing better than a cake you dry, then remove and leave to cool. make yourself. It’s like gardening: When you make the pastry, add 2 you put the work in and it offers tbsp dry mustard powder with the up a lovely result. Also, baking flour when you mix the dough. Roll is very therapeutic. My youngest two-thirds of the pastry 5mm thick son always whips together a cake to line 11cm-diameter deep pie foils when he’s stressed . or ceramic pie dishes. Fill just short When I played of the top with the cold meat filling, Helen Herriot then roll out the remaining pastry in All Creatures on a lightly floured surface and cut Great and Small, discs slightly larger than the diameter whenever anything of the pie foil. Brush the underside was going of each disc with water, lay the disc wrong, it over the meat and press the edges would cut to a of the base and top together to seal. scene with Helen in Cut a hole in the top to let the steam the kitchen up to her escape. Beat an egg with a pinch of arms in flour, kneading salt and 1 tbsp water, brush the tops, bread — her way of and bake at 200C (180C fan-assisted) restoring some calm. A

for 45 minutes until golden. P 90 | Baking Pastry | 91 Showy

When I first started working in Place the butter, water, salt and Mini chocolate Paris-Brest kitchens in the early 1990s, choux sugar in a saucepan and bring Make the recipe as directed above pastry was deeply unfashionable quickly to the boil. While it’s heating, and pipe the pastry (using a 1.5cm and I was banned from making sift the flour. As soon as the liquid round or star nozzle) into wheel it. Well, the anarchist in me was reaches boiling point and the butter shapes 9cm in diameter on to a aroused, and I guess from that has melted, remove from the heat, buttered tray. Sprinkle flaked point on I was hooked — making tip in the flour and beat well with almonds over each and bake as everything from dainty cream a wooden spoon until a dough ball above. Remove from the oven and puffs to mountains that forms that leaves the sides of the leave to cool. Make a whipped Sir Ranulph Fiennes would have saucepan clean. Return the pan chocolate custard cream (see page approved of. The secret is to beat it to the stove, lower the heat and 64). Cut the choux rings horizontally well, until your arms are falling off. beat for 1 minute to let the mixture and pipe or spoon the custard into dry a little. Then remove the pan the base of each generously. Pop from the heat and leave to cool for the tops on, then make a caramel by 50g unsalted butter 3-4 minutes. boiling 150g caster sugar and 25ml 125ml water water for 5 minutes or until a clear ½ tsp salt Next beat in the eggs, one at a time, golden toffee forms. Drizzle this over 1 tbsp caster sugar mixing each one thoroughly into the the top of each Paris-Brest, let it set 125g strong white flour dough before adding another. Spoon hard, then serve. 3 large eggs or pipe the mixture while warm on to a buttered tray and bake at 200C Tried and tested (180C fan-assisted) for 20 minutes. Then, without opening the door, This was delicious. Mine was reduce the heat to 180C (160C fan- a bit too runny to pipe, so I just assisted) and bake for a further 10-15 spooned it. The custard cream Moderate 2 hr + 200C (180C) minutes until firm and golden. was really easy and good 92 | Baking Crunchy crumble mix

This might sound like traditional 250g plain flour Damson with oat and recipe heresy, but I prefer a Pinch of salt hazelnut crumble crumble mixture rubbed with 100g caster sugar Place 750g pitted and chopped a spoonful of liquid, preferably 125g unsalted butter, damsons or other dark-skinned plums double cream, though whole milk softened in a saucepan with 100g caster sugar will do. And if I have a spare yolk 1-2 tbsp double cream or and heat until the mixture is hot and in the fridge, I’ll rub that in, too. whole milk the plums are soft. Spoon the cooked The reason I do this is that it stops fruit into a deep ovenproof dish that the topping from staying powdery Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. leaves a few centimetres space at and makes it, well, more crumbly. Add the sugar and rub in the the top. Leave this aside while you Don’t overdo it or you’ll have a butter until combined and make the topping. Roast 75-150g ball of dough. Just a spoonful or the mixture resembles fine unskinned hazelnuts on a tray in the so rubbed in at the end to very breadcrumbs. Spoon in the cream oven at 200C (180C fan-assisted) slightly moisten the flour. (or milk) and rub this through until the skins darken. Remove, tip on well until the mixture is crumbly. to a tea towel and rub with the cloth Chill for 30 minutes, then crumble until the skins flake off. Pick out the the topping over the cooked toasted kernels and chop roughly. fruit. Continue with the basic recipe, replacing the caster sugar with brown Bake at 200C (180C fan-assisted) sugar and adding 100g rolled oats for about 30-35 minutes until the and nuts to the flour after the butter fruit is bubbling and the topping is rubbed in (should fill a 20cm round Easy 1½ hr 200C (180C) golden brown. deep ovenproof dish). Pastry | 93 Rich plain

Rich milk makes for a rich scone. Sift the flour and baking powder Dalwhinnie fruit scone If you tend to keep semi-skimmed, into a bowl, add the sugar, then OK, Dalwhinnie is 26 quid a bottle, so use a few spoonfuls of the cream rub in the butter until it disappears. use another whisky if you must. But meant for filling the scones in the Beat the egg, milk and cream it has a sweet smokey honey flavour dough. I love scones mixed with all together, and mix with the dry that works very well in baking. The cream instead of milk — very tender ingredients to form a dough. day before you want to bake, or and flaky. It’s up to you. Knead this very lightly, then roll on a earlier, take 125g mixed dried fruit (I floured surface to 2cm thick. prefer raisins, currants and mixed peel in equal measure), place in a bowl 225g plain flour Dust the top lightly with flour, then and pour boiling water over them. 3 level tsp baking powder cut out 5-6 rounds using a sharp Leave for 5 minutes, then thoroughly 50g unsalted butter, softened scone cutter or glass and place on a drain the water and cover the fruit 2 tbsp caster sugar lightly floured tray no more than with 75ml whisky and 75g soft dark 1 egg 2-3cm apart so they stay moist. brown sugar. Cover the bowl and 50ml cold milk leave overnight. When you make the 2 tbsp cold double cream Heat the oven to 220C (200C scones, add 75g wholemeal or spelt Beaten egg and milk for the tops fan-assisted). Beat the egg with flour. Leave out the sugar, milk and 1 tbsp milk, brush this lightly cream, and stir in the fruit and liquid over the tops, and bake for 10-12 to make a soft dough (adding a little minutes until risen and coloured on milk if necessary). Roll out and cut on the tops. Leave to cool on a wire a well-floured surface. Brush the tops rack, covering the scones with a with beaten egg and bake for 18-20 Easy 1 hr 220C (200C) tea towel. minutes until a rich golden brown. 94 | Baking Pastry | 95

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Includes a [email protected] England was getting used to the the mark of a worthy pie), and a clear Books (£16.99) Art of the Tart is a mini-pie bible. section that helps you tell whether A fourth-generation Scottish family republican way of life, English baking distinction grew between sweet and Includes a chapter on “Other People’s or not you are eating an authentic bakery with stores in Cupar, Dundee was undergoing a quiet revolution of savoury dishes. Fine “pastry-work”, More slices of history Pies”, with contributions from the Melton Mowbray pie. and St Andrews, and the bakery its own at the hands of a few French for both flavour and appearance, Enhance your baking by exploring likes of Claudia Roden, business to survive out of nine craft patissiers. underpinned the new style. past traditions in these library and . pastryscoop.com bakeries in the Cupar area at the end The first English translation of Dispensing with the medicinal collections (and don’t forget the A free resource dedicated to of the second world war. Feast your François Pierre de la Varenne’s The concoctions and domestic lore British Library) … Egg Pies, Moss Cakes, and Pigeons supporting and celebrating the eyes on the chocolate eclairs. French Cook, published in 1653, that accompanied earlier “receipt” Like Puffins: 18th-Century British pastry arts. Founded in 2004 by introduced the then emerging books, this new generation of Brotherton Library Cookery from Manuscript Sources the French Culinary Institute in Lisboa Patisserie French style of baking to a hungry cookery literature distinguished Leeds University Library, Vincent DiMarco, iUniverse, £16 New York, PastryScoop offers a Lisboa Patisserie, 57 Golborne Road, English public. The popularity of once and for all the role of the Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, Yorkshire DiMarco shares three previously fun and interactive information- London W10, 020-8968 5242 Varenne’s seminal book, with its modern, professional chef from the 0113 2335513 unpublished cookery manuscripts packed site, along with dozens of Look out for the very special promise of imparting “the whole apothecary and alchemist. At the Several special collections, including from 18th-century England. 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Owners and a concern for accurate Cooks, both French and English”. David’s own library of cookbooks. from America’s Back Roads Known as the place of the “world’s Ian and Debra Stewart also run a quantities and times, these popular Many 17th-century favourites now Pascale Le Draoulec, HarperPerennial, best cream pies”. Sweet and puffy. delivery service of their wholesome tomes helped to establish the seem like the exotic curiosities of a Warburg Institute £12.99 homemade pies. conventions that continue to shape bygone age. But for how long? University of London, Woburn Square, If Jack Kerouac had eaten pie on Campbell’s Bakery the cookery books featured on With today’s Michelin-friendly London WC1, 020-7862 8949 the road, instead of amphetamines, 59 King Street, Crieff, Perthshire M Manze these pages. fashion for “nose to tail” eating, sas.ac.uk/warburg this might have been the result. 01764 652114 87 Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 RON The arrival in England of French- surely the time is once again ripe Food books from the Italian A B

American Pie is a recipe-fuelled road campbellsbakery.com 020-7407 2985, manze.co.uk K style cuisine signalled a gradual for Marnette’s delectable “tart of Renaissance. Admission by writing. N A R trip through America’s piescape: part Established in 1830, Campbell’s The oldest surviving example of a F Successful Cakes,Biscuits,Breads Bake All YouNeedtoKnow The BasicBasicsBakingHandbook: Books 96 For moreresources, shops andcourses, Bread, Cake the seethe attheendof directories sections Pastry and books onfoodand drink. Antiquarian, rareandsecondhand janetclarke.com Bath, 01225723186 3 WoodsideCottages,Freshford, Janet Clarke this stocksahugerange,oldand new. Founded byClarissaDickson Wright, Edinburgh, 0131-2264445 118 WestBow,Grassmarket, The CooksBookshop shop, withcookeryclassesupstairs. the testincafeatback the of the tasty titles,whoserecipesareput to Cooks iscrammedwiththousands of smelling shopintheworld”,Books for best- With areputationforbeing“the booksforcooks.com 020-7221 1992 4 BlenheimCrescent, London W11 Books forCooks Bookshops the sameaddress. seek freeadviceonhomebakingat , LancsBB01GR. Youcan POBox100, to: TheBe-RoKitchen, Book” £1.50 payableto“Be-RoRecipe or sendachequepostalorderfor Available inselectedsupermarkets, Be-Ro HomeRecipes,40thedition completely new. — old favouritesupdatedandsome recipes Over 50ofhermostpopular likethis.If youlikeDelia,thenyou’ll Delia Smith,BBCBooks,£9.99 The DeliaCollection:Baking altitudes upto3,000m.Really! This bookadjustsrecipesforvarious aware ofafewpotentialproblems. be needto high altitude,butyoudo or exoticequipmentforbakingat You don’tneedspecialingredients Susan GoldPurdy,William Morrow High Altitudes Pie intheSky:SuccessfulBakingat useful tohaveatyourfingertips. Exactly whatitsayson thetin. So Marguerite Patten,GrubStreet,£7.99 and Pastries directory General |

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LINDA NYLIND Supplies | 97

Equipment The Natural Store Golspie Mill, Sutherland thenaturalstore.co.uk golspiemill.co.uk Try your local kitchen shop first — if Nisbets Stoneground flour and meal from your high street still has one. But if nisbets.co.uk Golspie Mill, deep in the Scottish you can’t find what you’re looking for Next-day catering equipment. Highlands, is ground and packed to there, the internet offers up virtually Professional Cookware order. Sold throughout Scotland or everything you could need … cookware.co.uk by mail order. & Co AGA selfridges.com Sharpham Park, Somerset agacookshop.co.uk Typhoon sharphampark.com Alessi typhooneurope.com Organic spelt is stone-ground on the alessi.co.uk Wares of Knutsford premises. Cath Kidston waresofknutsford.co.uk cathkidston.co.uk Traditional bakeware. Shipton Mill, Gloucestershire Conran Shop What’s Cooking shipton-mill.com conranshop.co.uk stores.ebay.co.uk/whats-cooking Organic classic and rare flours using Coolskin For pie foils and all sorts. the finest grains from around the coolskin.com world. From selected outlets or from Cucina Direct Flour the mill’s Flour Direct online shop. cucinadirect.co.uk David Mellor NB When buying by mail order, most Sugar davidmellordesign.com mills will ask that you buy more than Manufacturer as well as retailer. one bag. A minimum order of 6 x 1kg Silver Spoon De Cuisine bags is typical. silverspoon.co.uk decuisine.co.uk Leading supplier of domestic Divertimenti Traditional Cornmillers Guild refined . divertimenti.co.uk tcmg.org.uk DoyBags Established in 1987 to increase Billington’s doybags.com awareness of traditionally milled billingtons.co.uk Heals meals and flours. The website Leading supplier of unrefined sugars, heals.co.uk includes a directory of member mills including organic and Fairtrade. John Lewis throughout the UK. johnlewis.com Tate & Lyle Joseph Joseph Bacheldre Watermill, Powys tasteandsmile.co.uk josephjoseph.com bacheldremill.co.uk Home of the much-loved Lyle’s KitchenWare Organic and traditional flours. The Golden Syrup. kitchenware.co.uk (non-organic) Strong Bacheldre Labour & Wait Wholemeal, made with locally grown Other ingredients labourandwait.co.uk wheat, is ideal for bread-making. Lakeland Crazy Jack lakeland.co.uk Doves Farm, Berkshire crazyjack.co.uk Le Creuset dovesfarm.co.uk Organic ingredients, including dried lecreuset.co.uk One of the country’s best-known fruits and nuts, sugars and . Liberty independent millers. Produces 17 liberty.co.uk different types of baking flours for Freebake Mermaid all tastes and diets. freebake.co.uk mermaid-bakeware.com Wide range of baking ingredients, Trusty, hard-anodised bakeware. The Flour Bin, Derbyshire including gluten-free mixes, seeds, Natural Collection flourbin.com dried yeast and sourdough. naturalcollection.com Specialises in very strong Canadian Eco-friendly alternatives. wheat-based bread flours. Traidcraft traidcraft.co.uk Growing range of Fairtrade products.

Essential Trading essential-trading.coop A workers’ cooperative that supplies foods from around the world.

Whitworths whitworths.com Suppliers of sugars and dried fruits, including a growing Fairtrade range.

More food for thought at: lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/ foodmonth Lighthouse Bakery will open a new school in Sussex in the spring 98 | Baking

Recipes in Great expectations this guide:

Rick Stein, whose travelling more widely, making Bread them realise that there is a place White farmhouse tin loaf 19 patisserie for high-class patisseries offering Milk loaf 20 something really special: classy Olive oil and potato flatbread 22 opened four years ago, tarts and cakes. Wholemeal loaf 24 sees a bright future for In my eyes, baking and pastry- Chewy light rye bread 26 making is like a science — all the Oatmeal soda bread 28 British baking measuring of quantities and Cider vinegar muffins 30 temperatures. I remember taking a Perfect plain pitta 32 I’m not a baker, but timer into a pastry exam at college, Soho-style socca 33 my patisserie is my and the examiner had never seen Teacakes 34 ≥ baby. I love the idea of that before, but I was adamant Brioche 36 good-quality cakes about precision: getting it just right made with top ingredients. I and paying attention to detail. Cake opened my patisserie four years There is something wonderful Sour cream butter cake 46 ago, and for the first three years about the way you glaze a fruit Coconut layer cake 48 it didn’t make much money. cake, nonchalantly drop some Moist rich chocolate cake 50 People would ask me why I orange on as a topping, dust the Three ginger parkin slab 51 wanted the shop; my answer sugar on top of a sponge cake or Golden syrup cake 52 was that I just love cakes and the fan the apples on a tart. Then Quinoa hazlenut cake 54 idea of a patisserie. there’s the smell of a small bakery Carrot, orange & pistachio cake 56 It seems that the British public or patisserie — that rich, homely banana cake 58 has now come round to the idea smell. A freshly prepared chocolate Cherry crumble cheesecake 60 too. There’s been a resurgence of cake, fresh bread, homemade Double espresso Brazil nut cake 62 enthusiasm for traditional British biscuits and cupcakes, or a Cornish All-purpose cookie dough 63 cakes. People are interested in pasty fresh out of the oven, is Icings and toppings 64 high-quality products again, and hugely gratifying. it shows in our sales. There was a There is really nothing better Pastry period when big bakeries wiped than a cup of tea and a slice of Light cream cheese pastry out smaller branches with mass- lemon drizzle — it’s heaven Chicken and mushroom pie 74 produced goods. Up and down (though I have to say that my Butter and suet crust the country, people wanted cheap favourite is a sunken chocolate Guinea fowl pudding 76 baked products. But recently cake or a classic such as dundee). Golden syrup suet crust there has been a fantastic renewed What can I say? People are a Bramley and currant pudding 78 interest in baking. Perhaps it has pushover for a great cake, Rough puff dripping crust something to do with people especially me. Steak and swede pasties 80 All-butter English puff pastry Rick Stein’s award-winning Apple turnovers 82 patissier, Stuart Pate, offers three Hot water crust pastry tips for the perfect cake: Gammon and pork pie 84 1. Make sure your ingredients are at Sweet shortcrust pastry room temperature. Mix the butter Brandy and walnut mince pies 86 and sugar together until a pale Savoury shortcrust pastry colour, then add the eggs. Beat until Big match pie 88 light and fluffy (avoid any separation Choux pastry in the mixture). Mini chocolate Paris-Brest 90 2. People often question why you Crunchy crumble mix have to sift the flour, but it makes Damson cobbler 92 such a difference. It gives the Rich plain scone mixture that extra bit of volume. Dalwhinnie fruit scone 93 3. Be aware of your oven temperature — this is vital. Plus Don’t put a cake into a cold River Café cherry focaccia 25 oven . Pay attention to this Ahdaf Soueif’s Eid cakes 51 little detail and you’ll get a Jane Asher’s lemon madeira 56 sponge that comes out of Helen Simpson’s Burns cake 59 the oven feeling almost Helen Pidd’s apple & cider cake 65 lighter than air — what Marguerite Patten’s Famous greater satisfaction is there Christmas Cake 66 than that? Sophie Conran’s steak & kidney pie 83 Stein’s Patisserie, Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Big Lanadwell Street, Granny’s chicken and ham pie 87 C B

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