Celebrations & Party Food

Tortillas Made with Nixtamalised Maize Flour or Masa Harina I like a tortilla as much as the next person, probably more, but what’s this "nixtamalised" business? Maize (corn) is traditionally used to make a flour for tortillas called masa harina. However, unprocessed corn has a tough outer skin, making it tricky to mill into flour and harder for us to digest. Thousands of years ago, the ... Read more

Poffertjes (Dutch for mini pancakes) are little flying-saucer-shaped snacks very popular in the Netherlands and gaining popularity elsewhere, such as Germany. They're made using a special Poffertjes pan and commonly sold from stands at events like Christmas markets, carnivals, on the street for passing shoppers or for a tasty breakfast at home. Served in a paper bag, on a skewer or simply on a ... Read more

Fluffy Middle Eastern Sourdough Flatbreads I love Middle Eastern-style cooking, and having a pliable fluffy flatbread is indispensable for mopping up hummus, pesto or sauces and for wrapping and transporting falafels or fritters laden with labneh pickles and a zesty salad. These are easy to make and whilst being light and fluffy they are strong enough to let you to load them to the gunnels. ... Read more

Brown Bread Ice-Cream using the Ankarsrum Ice-Cream Attachment It might sound like a strange mix with brown bread and ice-cream but it works fantastically well. The toast infused ice-cream coupled with caramelised breadcrumb nuggets that give sweetness, light maltiness and texture to this delightful brown bread ice-cream made with the Ankarsrum Ice-Cream Attachment for the Ankarsrum Mixer. You ... Read more

Panettone Style Cookies   Making a panettone just before Christmas, when time is disappearing quicker than the evening sun, can seem like an indulgent project. However, if you love the taste of panettone and want to bake something everyone will enjoy, these cookies are something you’ll definitely want to "accept". They’re easy to make, the dough can be prepared ahead of time, ... Read more

Torsten's Sourdough Pumpkin Croissants using a Dough Sheeter Great customers don't grow on trees but this one actually grows them. Torsten Junker of family-run "Junker's Nursery" not at all far from us in Wellington grows the kind of trees literally fit for a king. He's also an accomplished home baker and has been trying out one of our Japan Kneader Dough Sheeters to make, Sourdough Pumpkin ... Read more

Tear & share brioche with a pesto and cheesy filling Having a soft and sumptuous, comforting and tasty brioche that is stuffed with cheese and pesto is a marvellous thing, but to share it is even better. This is a great way to use up any odd bits of cheese that are knocking about in the fridge. This recipe is with pesto but you could just as easily use tapenade, semi dried tomatoes, Marmite ... Read more

This soup pairs perfectly with our Pumpkin Bread recipe or works well as a stand alone for whatever bread you have to hand to mop up the last remnants from the bowl after eating. I like to experiment with different types of pumpkins as they give different results. Some of my favourites are Crown Prince, Turban, Butternut and the Hubbards, both Golden and Blue. These all have different taste ... Read more

Having some fun with your baking is always a good idea and getting a great result that tastes as good as it looks is what its all about. Picture Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe gives you just that. I love soup and not just for the autumn, but when the pumpkins are in season I stock up the freezer with homemade soup to see me through the winter. While pumpkin soup making I had some leftover roasted ... Read more

Finnish shortbread are not actually Finnish! Now that's out of the way they are shortbreads and 100% tasty. The Danes say they invented these traditional Christmas biscuits and call them Finnish bread (Finskbrød in Danish) where as the Swedes maintain that they invented these tasty Yuletide treats and call them Finnish sticks (Finska pinnar in Swedish). The Finns could not give a hoot, and ... Read more

I really like the contrast made between the jet black ciabatta burger buns topped with contrasting sesame seeds, and the deep yellow crispy-coated halloumi, topped with a spicy sauce - they are fun to make and are a tasty treat for a Halloween night. The buns are soft and airy - softer still with the addition of the carbon powder -  and sprinkled with sesame seeds for a little contrast and ... Read more

Make 6 jet black brioches for a bit of fun - why not make some with and some without the carbon powder for an interesting mix!   Mix the flour with carbon powder, dried yeast, sugar and vanilla powder then mix in eggs, honey, milk and rum. Knead by hand for about ten minutes or using a mixer for 2-3 minutes, then add the butter cut into pieces and knead again until it is completely ... Read more

These are 21st century Staffordshire oatcakes, filled with soft potato mixed with tarragon, cheese, garlic and shallot, and layered with ham and mustard. Rolled up, chopped into 2-3 pieces and sat cut-side up in a buttered baking dish, they turn into a crisp, utterly rich and delicious lunch or dinner. Perfect with a light salad or vegetables on the side. Serves 3-4Method Put the shallots, ... Read more

A rich and gently-malted chocolate cake with a hint of stout beer and cinnamon. Plus, it uses a mix of white and stoneground wholemeal flour so the crumb has a slightly rough texture that tastes really good. Makes 1 deep 7” diameter round cake (that can be sliced horizontally and filled), or 1 thinner 8” diameter round cake (for a layer of cake)Method Butter the inside of a 7” ... Read more

Our Jubilee Sandwich Bread Using a Pullman Pan is a great simple white-style sandwich bread that slices very smoothly, excellent for sandwiches if you’re making afternoon teas or lunches. And it toasts and grills quickly giving you that perfect mix of a golden outside and soft crumb inside, just what perfect toast should be. The loaf mainly uses strong white flour with a little wholegrain ... Read more

Though it may seem strange to be using a bread flour in something as light and delicate as a scone, it really helps to give the crumb lightness. What’s known as “plain flour” can be made from any quality of grain, better suited to making soft cookies and brownies, whereas strong flour requires the millers to buy and mill high-quality wheat which is what cake makers and bread ... Read more

Here’s an idea: when you make these flavour-packed cheddar cheese scones, try to bring together ingredients from all over Britain, or wherever you live. At BakeryBits we’ve championed small British producers for over a decade, and in this recipe you get to show off the best that independent millers, farmers and artisans offer. Because The Best of British with Cheddar Cheese Scones ... Read more

Get yourself a decent stainless steel dough cutter and make these very easy no-knead Hand-Cut Cornmeal & Olive Oil Rolls. Great flavour and crust but the star is really Mulino Marino’s extra coarse cornmeal which adds these very visible flecks of golden corn through the door, and on top too if you like. You can either make the dough in one go, will take about 3-4 hours, or leave the ... Read more