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 Cobhay Nurseries 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
We came up with this idea, Pwdin Bara Menyn (Bread and Butter Pudding), as a way to re-use leftover croissants years ago when I had a café attached to the bakehouse, and it’s real comfort food – a perfect dessert for these chilly, last days of winter. Because it’s made with croissants and baked on parchment, there’s no additional butter (normally used to grease-proof ... Read more
Tear and 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 or ... Read more
What exactly is a Mendiant?
Mendiants have quirky roots in France from the Middle Ages. They were part of the Provençal tradition with toppings denoting the original robes of the four Mendicant order of friars. Today they are a well-loved tradition in many a French household and if you try making these they could be a firm favourite in yours. They are commonly eaten over the Christmas period so ... Read more
Finnish shortbreads 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, ... Read more
Like many countries in Europe, Belgium has a tradition for waffles with two very popular varieties widely eaten today: the "Brussels" waffle and the "Liege" waffle. The Brussels waffle, has been adopted by the USA, where it has become known as the "Belgian" waffle. In the USA, the recipe has evolved to make a lighter and sweeter waffle, risen by egg rather than yeast. On the other hand, the Liege ... 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
Hot Cross Bun recipe by artisan baker Aiden Chapman
For Easter, baker Aidan Chapman of the Phoenix Bakery in Weymouth likes to do things properly and his annual two-week stint making 1000s of hot-cross buns is no exception. Here is his recipe for exceptional buns, perfect to make at home, that don't take too long to make.
Makes about 12 buns
Method
For the dough
In a large bowl, add all the ... Read more
An old English Georgian-era recipe for a great Shrove Tuesday “Pancake Day” pancake, that flips really well without falling apart. If you want something more delicate and less flip’able you can add ½ tsp baking powder to lighten it. There’s a range of milk given: the smaller amount will give a slightly thicker pancake; the greater amount will create a much thinner ... Read more
Whether for Easter, a birthday, or just a delicious cake for everyday, this smooth extra light frosting will be a great finish for you best cakes.Method
1. For the cream mixture, gently stir together the cream and the icing sugar until smooth, then leave to one side. Don't whisk it, it should remain liquid.
2. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then beat in the cream ... Read more
A delicious and fun take on the usual Valentine’s Day dessert so loved around the world. I’ve left alcohol out of the recipe, but if you like you could spoon a little marsala and rum over the warm cake when it’s fresh from the oven, so it soaks in.
Makes one 6” or 7” round cake, our Chicago Metallic tins are perfect for this.Method
1. Butter the inside of a 6” ... Read more
Whether for Easter or everyday, brioche is a simple yet versatile bread, perfect for making into different shapes and providing a good base for additional flavours. We've teamed up with Angus McCaig, Head Chef at The Holt, Honiton, to create an authentic brioche baguette recipe. You can make a 'plain' version, but here we've used our Aroma Panettone essential oil together with Candied Orange peel ... Read more
Whoopie pies had a moment of fame just when my book Short & Sweet was coming out, so I dedicated several pages to recipes for chocolate and vanilla versions, with maybe five or six other flavour variations as well: enough to stock a cake stall at the next village fete! If you want to try them all, you can buy the book HERE, but as a taster, this recipe which I wrote for Patrick at ... Read more
A crisp easy-to-roll rugged buttery shortcrust made with mix of dark rye and white bread flour, and a hint of real honey. Filled with your very best mincemeat. Then topped with a scotch whisky and walnut sugar crust. Giving you a very impressive Christmas mince pie with a knockout flavour too. And of course you can replace the whisky with rum (that's Faith at our BakeryBits HQ's preference), ... 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
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
Give me a box of homemade malted oatmeal cookies and I’m a happy camper. These are especially delicious as the special BakeryBits dark barley malt flour gives the cookies a rich dark colour and just a hint of malt flavour. Mixed with our BakeryBits Jumbo Rolled Oats, or Hodmedod’s Organic British-Grown Rolled Oats, and our omega-3 packed linseed and you will be full energy and a smile ... Read more
Here you have a rich butter cake recipe with a delicate soft crumb, suited to layers cakes and loaf cakes as the texture is somewhere between a pound cake and the more delicate genoise sponge. Very easy to make, and a great cake to wake up and suddenly choose to make as you don’t need to have butter at a soft room temperature. For more on the unusual technique used here see below at the end ... Read more
