FOOD CLUB - BAKING

FOOD CLUB - BAKING

ALISON LAMBERT

Tips for baking

·        Ingredients must be measured exactly

·        The order in which ingredients are combined, must be correct

·        The temperature of the ingredients when they are mixed has to be suitable for the preparation method – if the fat is too cold in a creaming recipe, for example it is likely to curdle when the eggs are added.

·        The time and temperature at which the ingredients are cooked must be carefully controlled  - get to know your oven, settings positions that work

·        Planning in advance – read through the recipe, preheat the oven, measure out all your ingredients, prepare tins

·        Do not over mix mixtures as you can take the air out of it which prevents rising, toughen the dough (peaks form in cakes/muffins)

Baking terms

Rubbing in – this describes the process of blending the fat and flour to get a sandy mixture for short and sweet pastry.

Relaxing or resting (pastry) – leaving short and sweet pastry in a cool place before and after rolling.  This gives the starch in the flour time to absorb the liquids more evenly.  It also helps the fat firm up so the pastry keeps a better texture, shape and cuts more easily, and shrinks less when cooking.

Creaming - the fat and sugar are beaten together until they make a light, fluffy, creamy mixture

Whisking – the eggs and sugar are whisked (sometimes over hot water) until they become light and creamy, and doubled in volume

Folding – gently folding dry ingredients into wet with a folding and cutting motion.

Greasing – preparing the baking container

Glazing – scones can be brushed with egg wash before cooking, to produce a golden finish after cooking.

LEMON TART

serves 8-10

for the pastry
120g unsalted butter at room temperature, diced
75g icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
3 egg yolks
250g plain flour
2 Tbsp cold water

for the lemon cream
5 medium eggs
150g caster sugar
85ml fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
200ml cream

Method - 24 cm tart tin
Making the sweet pastry - in a large bowl, with a spatula or wooden spoon, mix the soft butter and icing sugar to a cream: then beat in 2 of the egg yolks. Add the flour and with your fingertips rub the butter mixture and flour together to achieve a crumbly texture. Add the water and press the mixture together to form a ball.
With the palms of your hands, knead the pastry on lightly floured work surface until it is blended (maximum 30 seconds). Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes (this helps the dough lose its elasticity).

Line the tart tin by rolling the pastry on a lightly floured bench, evenly roll out the pastry into a circle to fit you tart tin and about 3mm thick.
Roll the pastry over the rolling pin and unroll it over your tin. With one hand lift the pastry and with the other gently tuck it into the bottom edge of the tin so that it fits tightly. Be careful not to stretch it. Cut off excess pastry by rolling the pin over the top edge of the tin. Take a small ball of pastry and gently press it all around the base of the tart to ensure a snug fit. Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork and refrigerate for 30minutes (this helps prevent shrinkage during cooking)

Preheat oven to 160C

Make the lemon cream by mixing together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and zest together in a large bowl, whisk in the cream, then place in the fridge until required.

Cooking the pastry. Line the pastry case with tin foil and fill with dried beans, pushing them against the side. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and lift out both foil and beans. Return the tart tin to the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes. Brush the inside of the pastry with the remaining egg yolk and return to the oven for 1 minute (this creates a seal on the pastry and prevents it becoming soggy when the lemon cream is added). Turn the oven down to 140C.

Cooking the lemon tart (at long last). Pour the lemon cream mixture through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Place the tart on a baking tray and put the tart in the oven, carefully pour the mixture into the pastry shell and bake for 25- 35 minutes. It should be still slightly wobbly in the centre. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for at least an hour.

Dredge with icing sugar around the edge of the tart and serve.

SCONES

Makes 12

3 cups standard plain flour or use self-raising flour and only 1 additional teaspoon baking powder
6 teaspoons Edmonds baking powder
75g butter, cold
1 - 1½ cups milk, approximately (the older the milk the better)

VARIATIONS

·        Add 1 cup sultanas, dates or dried fruit

·        Grated lemon or orange rind

·        The dough can be rolled into a large rectangle, brushed with butter and generously coated with cinnamon and sugar then rolled tightly into a Swiss roll shape and cut into rounds and baked.

·        To make cheese scones - I omit the butter and add 1 ½ cup grated cheese and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Freshly chopped herbs, rocket or spring onions are a great addition.

Method
Preheat oven to 220C

In a large bowl add the flour and baking powder (it can be sieved). Either cut the butter into small pieces or grate it into the flour mixture.  Using your finger-tips rub the butter through the flour, aerating as you go (you do not want to soften the butter) until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Using a bread and butter knife pour in 2/3 quantity of milk and cut through the mix with your knife.  Add more milk if needed - you are looking for a tacky dough but not too wet! Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and bring the dough together gently.  It is important that you do not handle the dough too much or it will become tough. Knead it a couple of times to form a smooth dough and pat out with your hands to form a rectangle 2cm deep and approx. 18 cm long.  Cut into 12 even sized pieces.

Place well apart on a baking tray, turn oven down to 200C and bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until the scones are lightly golden and well risen.

Cool on cooling rack wrapped lightly in a clean cloth

PAVLOVA

Makes one medium size

4 egg whites at room temperature

Pinch salt

1 cup caster sugar

2 tsp cornflour

1 tsp wine vinegar

½ tsp vanilla extract

Method

Preheat the oven to 150C

NOTE: Because ovens vary, cooking times may need slight changes. Pavlovas with space below the crust and compacted middles have been cooked too long. If centres are not completely set, cook a little longer next time. Fan bake for the first 10 minutes if you have this option. If fan baking for whole time, lower temperature by about 10 degrees Celcius

Before you start give your mixing bowl a wash just to ensure that the bowl is free from any greasy residue as this can hinder the whites beating and also double check that you have no yolk floating in them as well.

Add the egg whites to the mixing bowl along with the sugar and salt.  Place the whisk attachment onto your mixer and whisk on high until the whites have trebled in size and no traces of sugar are visible (rub a little mix between your fingers) approx. 10 minutes.

Meanwhile mix the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla together so there are no lumps.

Turn the mixer down to slow and add the cornflour mixture to the egg whites, beat for another minute then turn off.

Place a tiny dot of mixture on each corner of a sheet of baking paper and stick to your baking tray.

Using a spatula spoon the mixture into the centre of the tray and pile it high (4cm approx.), then spread to about 18-20cm in diameter.  Tidy up the sides and top of your pavlova.

Turn the oven down to 100C and bake your pavlova for 60 minutes, then turn oven off and leave for a further 30 minutes or longer if possible.

Remove from oven and cool.

Place a large plate on top of pavlova and holding firmly, yet not heavily flip it over remove tray and carefully peel off paper. 

Decorate generously with whipped cream and fruit, chocolate or nuts

SWISS ROLL

4 eggs, at room temperature

100g caster sugar

100g flour, plain

Method

Preheat oven 210C

Grease a Swiss roll tin lightly with butter and a dusting of flour (remove excess) line base snuggly with greaseproof paper.

Warm your mixing bowl in warm water for 5 minutes. Drain and dry.

Add the eggs and sugar to the warm bowl and place onto your mixer, using the whisk attachment whisk until the mixture is light, creamy and double in bulk.  Continue whisking until your mixture is cold and thick (ribbon stage).  Fold in the flour very gently.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and spread lightly but evenly.  Bake for 6 minutes or until sponge bounces back when lightly touched.

Meanwhile place a sheet of baking paper onto your bench and sprinkle evenly with caster sugar.  Place the sponge directly onto the sugar; remove the paper attached to the sponge.

Spread with warm jam (remember less is more) and roll tightly from the longest side, leaving the paper on the outside for a few minutes.  Remove the paper and allow to cool.

Cut into desired thickness and serve.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (American style)




2 ½ cups plain white flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
145g chocolate buttons
145g 70 to 72% chocolate, cut into chip-sized pieces
225g cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup packed dark brown sugar, preferably molasses sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs

Method

Position the oven racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 180`C. Line two baking sheet with baking paper.

Sift the flour with the baking soda into a medium bowl. Stir in the salt.
Put the ½ the cold butter into the bowl of an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until fairly smooth. Add both sugars and the remaining butter, and beat until well combined, then beat for a few minutes, until the mixture is light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until the first one is incorporated before adding the next and scraping the bowl as necessary. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed to combine. Mix in the chocolate.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold the dough with a spatula to be sure that the chocolate is evenly mixed through.
The dough or shaped cookies can be refrigerated, well wrapped, for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 weeks. Freeze shaped cookies on the baking sheets until firm, then transfer to freezer containers. (Defrost frozen cookies overnight in the fridge before baking).
Mould the cookies into either 45g balls or roughly 2 Tablespoons per cookie. Arrange 8 cookies on each tray, leaving about 3cm between them.
Bake for 12 minutes, or until the tops are no longer shiny, switching the position and rotating the trays halfway through baking.
Cool the cookies on cooling racks.