All posts filed under: From the Bakery

Blueberry and Orange Polenta Cake

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Blueberry and Orange Polenta Cake A couple of years ago I tasted the most heavenly polenta cake with a rosemary sirup in the cafe of The Scottish National Galley of Art. The soft texture and sticky sirup was a cake triumph! And even after thinking about this cake more than one should think about cake, it’s taken me this long to give polenta a go myself. If you need a gluten free friendly cake, this is a good start. Adapted from Sainsburys Baking Collection. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 100g unsalted butter 100g caster sugar 2 large eggs 100g almonds 50g cashews 90g fine polenta zest and juice of half a orange 1 ½ tsp baking powder 100ml of crème fresh 100g blueberries ____________________________________________________________________________________ Preheat your oven to 180 °c /fan 160 °c / gas mark 4. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin. In a food processor, whiz the almonds and cashews to a fine dust, set aside. Cream the butter and sugar together, until soft and fluffy. Then add the eggs, one at a time, beating after …

Spelt Bread

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Spelt Bread This year for my birthday I received a beautiful artisan rising basket, and a kilo of small batch milled spelt. The basket is made out of one long piece of wicker that is coiled together to make a round bowl shape. After preparing the dough, it is put into the basket for a slow rise of 6 hours. And just like magic, when you turn out the dough and stick it in the oven, it keeps the lovely pattern from the rising basket. Not only does it look fantastically impressive, it tastes amazing too! If you dont have a rising basket (get one!) you can just prove the bread as normal in a regular bowl.   _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 550-600g organic spelt flour 150ml cold water 250ml organic yoghurt 1 sachet easy bake yeast (or 7g) pinch of salt _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________   Tip your flour, yeast and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour the water and yoghurt into the hole. Combine the ingredients by gathering more and more flour …

Homemade Peshwari Nan with Coconut and Pistachio

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Homemade Peshwari Nan with Coconut and Pistachio Making your own homemade nan is extremely satisfying! Ill not be going back to shop bought nan after having attempted these. The flavours are gorgeous and the texture is soft and fluffy. Sprinkling the baked nan with chopped pistachio give’s the bread a splash of fantastic colour. I used this recipe, but changed the filling to what I associate with Peshwari Nan. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Dough 250g plain flour plus extra for dusting 1 tsp sugar ½ tsp salt ½ tsp baking powder 130ml milk Filling  2 tbsp olive oil 30g chopped pistachios 50g desiccated coconut 1 tsp pilau rice spice mix 2 tbsp juicy sultanas 1 tbsp ground almonds 2 tsp agave syrup or sugar 1 drop red food colouring (optional) 1 tbsp salted butter melted, for serving ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sift together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Mix the milk and oil together in a separate bowl. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid ingredients. Combine the …

Chai Cinnamon Buns

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Chai Cinnamon Buns These buns are truly heavenly, especially when it is snowing outside! They are time consuming, but worth the effort on special occasions or at the weekends when you have extra time. With this recipe, I have merged two great taste experiences together, Canadian Cinnamon Buns and Indian Chai to form the perfect Chai Cinnamon Bun. After graduating from Art College, I traveled around India and Nepal with my friend Mary for 3 months. We saw wonderful things, from the snow peaked Himalaya, farmers washing their buffalo’s in the Ganges River to the glistening walls of the Taj Mahal, all along the trip drinking many cups of Chai. See more here and here Authentic Indian Chai is made using a wonderful blend of warming spices and sweet honey steeped in milk then boiled. In India it’s served in tiny cups sometimes made of clay that can be bought from street sellers for 5 rupees (penny’s!). After gulping down the tea, it’s customary to smash the little clay cups on the ground and walk on. …

American Style Blueberry Pancakes

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American Style Blueberry Pancakes When my boyfriend and I took a month out of our schedule and headed to California, we ate a lot of pancakes. Not because we ordered them as such, but whenever we ordered eggs or any other breakfast dish, pancakes came on the side, whether you wanted them or not! I had so many, I haven’t made my homemade version since getting back. But the other day my lovely friend Dorte reminded me of them once more, this time with added blueberry’s. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Makes roughly 8 small pancakes, or 4-5 medium ones. 135 g plain flour, preferably organic 1tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 2 tbsp sugar 130 ml milk 1 large free-range egg 2 tbsp butter, melted 100g blueberrys extra butter for frying _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Start by melting the butter on low heat and leave to cool for 5 min. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, then add the salt. Whisk the milk and eggs together and pour the mixture into the flour and stir. Then add the …

Chocolate, Sea Salt and Shortbread Squares

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Chocolate, Sea Salt and Shortbread Squares When I bake, I usually make a big deal out of it, with the ingredients list going on forever. But at times that task can be a little much, especially if you are in a hurry to whip up something homemade and need a sweet treat fast! At Christmas my friend Pat brought round a fridge load of superb homemade sweets and nibbles in preparation for the mass gathering we were having over the festive period. Among the delights were Pats Chocolate Squares. And I fell in love with them! They are very quick and easy to make with a no bake no fuss attitude. All Ive changed to her original recipe is the addition of sea salt for added depth and balance between the rich chocolate and crunchy shortbread. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 225g unsalted butter 3 tbsp golden syrup 50g cocoa, sieved 300g shortbread 100g fair trade dark or milk chocolate a pinch of sea salt ____________________________________________________________________________________ In a pan, gently melt the butter, golden syrup and sieved cocoa powder. …

Seaweed and Wholewheat Rolls

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Seaweed and Wholewheat Rolls The first time I tasted fresh Seaweed, was on Iceland. I was up there doing an exhibition with my Icelandic friend Eva. Jon, the owner of the gallery we were exhibiting in took us on a long walk along the coast from the town of Bildadur, stopping along the way to sample bits of fresh seaweed. The vast beauty and magic of Iceland is hard to explain briefly. But a good word is however, empty. It’s empty in an amazing way. The landscapes are mostly untouched my man, which allows your imagination to wander as you realize that the first Norse settlers who came to the island, would have seen the landscape in exactly the same way. Iceland is relatively small as countries go, but standing on the shore with towering, near vertical mountains rising up above is at once overwhelming and immensely inspiring. I didn’t initially swear to forever more eat seaweed on a regular basis, after being presented with a few strands to eat on the beach that day. …

Homemade Pita

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Homemade Pita Bread On my way home from the beach with my dog yesterday I stopped off at the local shop to get some pita bread for my favourite Girl-Slaw recipe. Get that recipe here. And as I stood in line, I thought to my self; Why have I never made my own pita? I know it must be simple. And boy is it simple! And tasty. I found this recipe, and adapted it using half wholemeal flour instead of just white. I loved the simple process of making the pita, seeing them puff up in the pan is very satisfying indeed. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Makes 8 200-250ml luke warm water 2 tsp dry yeast 175g wholemeal flour, organic 175g plain flour, organic 1 tsp salt 2 tsp olive oil ____________________________________________________________________________________ Mix the 200 ml of the water and yeast together in a bowl, and let sit for about five minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour, salt and olive oil. Mix the dough together, and if needed add the remaining 50ml of water until …

Bolo de Arroz – Portuguese Rice Cakes

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Bolo de Arroz – Portuguese Rice Cakes The first thing I always need to get when I land in Portugal is a Bolo de Arroz – or Portuguese Rice Cake. I love everything about them, I love the taste and sweet lemon butter aroma and I especially love the cute little wax paper wrapper that holds the little cake together. They are a must to have alongside a strong coffee and a good view from a street side cafe or bakery. So, back in the UK I set out to make my own batch in order to recreate my fond Portuguese memories…But they didn’t turn out as expected. They were in some regards, perfect in taste and appearance, but in texture they were all wrong. They were not light and slightly greasy as I remember them, they were instead slightly dense with a crispy top! I immediately blamed the recipe and delved into a lengthy research spree, but as I soon discovered, my beloved Bolo de Arroz I know and love, are not actually traditionally …

Wholewheat Focaccia with Whole Garlic, Lemon and Balsamic Onions

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Wholewheat Focaccia with Whole Garlic, Lemon and Balsamic Onions I am the very happy owner of a super Panasonic bread machine. I prefer to make and eat homemade bread, made with locally processed organic flours, but I also like to free up some valuable time, so getting a machine to kneed, rise and bake the bread for me is a kitchen revelation! This recipe is a very simple Focaccia recipe that can be made by hand or via your bread machines dough setting. I have made this particular recipe using 50% wholewheat for a little extra nutrient value, but if you prefer the more authentic version, simply make with 100% strong white flour and reduce cooking time by 5 min. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Focaccia dough ½ tsp dry yeast 150g strong white organic flour 150g strong wholewheat organic flour 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing 1tsp salt 170ml water . Focaccia Topping 1 small onion (red or white) 1 tsp balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp olives 6 cloves of garlic, skins left on 2 sprigs of …