#baking tip

[askwhatsforlunch]

Almond Pastry

A delicately nutty pastry which will beautifully compliment your stone fruit bakes, this Almond Pastry is easy to make and pop in the freezer for your sudden pie and tart needs!

Ingredients (makes about 415 grams/14.6 ounces pastry):

1 1/2 cup plain flour

1/2 cup ground almonds

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1/4 cup ice water

In a large bowl, combine flour, ground almonds, sugar and salt. Add butter, and rub it into the flour mixture between your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Then, gradually stir in ice water until mixture comes together into a soft ball.

Flatten pastry into a disc, wrap in cling film, and chill Almond Pastry, at least one hour before using. You can keep it up to a couple of days in the refrigerator, or three months in the freezer.

[seaside-writings]

🍪 Cookie Tip 🍪

Just a quick cookie tip that I've learned, and that everyone else probably already knows lol.

When making chocolate chip cookies (or really any cookie with morsels in it) add a little less than you want to use.

I know what a horrible thing to say, but believe me, it will save you some trouble!

[yourfoodiedesires]

Pie Crust Tutorials // Handmade Charlotte

Follow For Recipes, DIYs, Ect.

[askwhatsforlunch]

Spelt Pastry

This Spelt Pastry, with its slightly nutty taste will make your end-of-Summer tarts and pies, ideally filled with your harvest gluts!

Ingredients (makes about 415 grams/14.6 ounces pastry):

1 1/2 cup plain flour

1/2 cup spelt flour

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1/4 cup cold water

In a large bowl, combine flour, spelt flour, salt and caster sugar. Add butter, and rub it into the flour mixture between your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse meal. 

Then, gradually stir in cold water until mixture comes together into a soft ball. (You may not need all of it.)

Flatten pastry into a disc, wrap in cling film, and chill Spelt Pastry, at least one hour before using. You can keep it, up to a couple of days in the refrigerator, or three months in the freezer.

[askwhatsforlunch]

Pepper and Chilli Pastry

With this buttery Pepper and Chilli Pastry, speckled with spicy flakes and flavoured with paprika, the crust of your quiches, pies and tarts will be as exciting as their filling! Happy Monday!

Ingredients (375 grams/13 ounces):

2 cups plain flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon Piment d'Espelette

1/2 teaspoon ground chilli or Cayenne Pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

1/3 cup ice water

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Give a good stir.

Stir paprika, Piment d'Espelette and ground chilli into the flour. Rub cold butter into flour mixture between your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually add ice water, stirring ingredients with your hand until a soft dough ball forms. Knead lightly a couple of minutes. Flatten into a disc.

Wrap tightly in cling film, and chill in the refrigerator at least an hour before using.

If not using then, place wrapped Pepper and Chilli Pastry in a zip-lock bag and freeze, up to 3 months. Remove from the freezer a couple of hours before you need to use it, and allow to thaw at room temperature.

[askwhatsforlunch]

Baking Tip: Rose Sugar

You know I don’t like food waste, but even flowers, once withered, I try to find a use for! Edible flowers, like Lavender, Violets or Primroses; those which are not feed the compost. And since I love making Rose Syrup and Rosie Gin Liqueur, I thought why not make Rose Sugar when The Simple Things suggested it in this month’s issue! You can use it in your bakes or sprinkle it on ice cream or cakes; it will make even the humble yoghurt a little bit fancy!

Ingredients (makes a small jar):

1/3 cup Dried Rose Petals

1/3 cup caster sugar

Combine Dried Rose Petals and caster sugar in a pestle and mortar, and grind thouroughly until the Rose Petals are as big or small as you like. 

Keep Rose Sugar in a jar or sugar pot, and sprinkle on ic or l for an instant treat!

[askwhatsforlunch]

Baking Tip: Sourdough Starter

I may be late to the Sourdough party, but third lockdown’s the charm for me! I finally decided to take the plunge and make a commitment to a Sourdough Starter last month! It’s a journey I’m new to, but so far, I’ve been enjoying both the ride (and rise) and the destination!

Ingredients:

700 grams to 1 kilogram/1.55 to 2.20 pounds strong white flour

On the first day, spoon 100 grams/3.5 ounces strong white flour in a medium bowl. Gradually stir in 125 millilitres/1/2 cup slightly warm water until smooth and lump-free.

Spoon mixture into a large (at least 1 litre/1quart) sterelised container or jar. Using a glass jar allows you to watch your Starter more closely! Leave the container lid open, for about an hour in a warm place. Then close, but not air-tightly. Set aside for 24 hours.

Then, feed your Starter every day for at least the next six days. Each day, pour half of your Sourdough Starter in a clean bowl, and stir in 100 grams/3.5 ounces strong white flour and 125 millilitres/1/2 cup slightly warm water until smooth and lump-free, and pour the whole lot back into the jar. Close (not air-tightly). Try and feed your Starter at about the same time every day.

After three days, bubbles should start appearing on the surface, which means the fermentation  is happening. It will smell acidic when you open the jar to feed it, too!

Keep in mind that this is not an exact science and if your Starter feeds too quickly on the sugars of the flour you add every day, you might see a thin layer of liquid on top of it. It’s called hooch, and it’s harmless as long as it’s clear, and there’s only a little of it. Try adding more flour and/or water the next time you feed your Starter, and it should be happy.

On the seventh day, your Sourdough Starter should be quite bubbly and smell much better and sweeter (a little like apple cider vinegar, less acidic). 

It might take a few more days to reach that stage, but when it is very bubbly and has risen, it is ready to use to make bread!

You will need to continue feeding it, though! A Sourdough Starter takes a bit of commitment, but the delicious bread it makes is worth the effort. If you intend to bake quite often -several times a week- with it, you can keep it onto your kitchen counter, albeit not close to heat and not in direct light. And feed it every day!

If, on the other hand you do not plan to use it as often, keep your jar of Sourdough Starter in the refrigerator, and you may only need to feed it once a week, as the cold slows the fermentation process. Keep a regular eye on it, though, as you will be the best judge.

If you have kept you Sourdough Starter  in the refrigerator, and plan to use it, remove from the refrigerator at least 12 hours before you need it. Allow it to come back at room temperature, and feed it as you normally would.

It is a learning process for me too, and so far, it is working rather well!

[askwhatsforlunch]

Baking Tip: Rosemary Pastry

The reason I always have pastry in the freezer is that, when the end of the week comes, you’re knackered and the fridge is close to empty; you can always make dinner if you have pastry and cheese. Or pastry and a few vegs (and cheese! Cheese makes everything better!) And this Rosemary Pastry makes any tart or pie a bit special, too, with his fragrant flavour. It can even make your Friday dinner a party! 

Ingredients (375 grams/13 ounces):

2 cups plain flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 fluffy sprig fresh rosemary

75 grams/2.65 ounces unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

1/2 cup ice water

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Give a good stir. Remove rosemary leaves from the sprig, and finely chop them. Stir chopped rosemary into the flour. Rub cold butter into flour mixture between your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually add ice water, stirring ingredients with your hand until a soft dough ball forms. Knead lightly a couple of minutes. Flatten into a disc.

Wrap tightly in cling film, and chill in the refrigerator at least an hour before using.

If not using then, place wrapped Rosemary Pastry in a zip-lock bag and freeze, up to 3 months. Remove from the freezer a couple of hours before you need to use it, and allow to thaw at room temperature.