Baking – Page 11 – The Food Wife

White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies

17th August 2019
by thefoodwife

Makes approx. 20

Here is an easy cookie recipe that you can whip up in no time. They are also perfect to bake with children.

I make the dough the night before I want to bake them but you can use it straight away. You could always swap the chocolate and cranberries for something else, but these are a bit of a winning combination.

Ingredients:

125g caster sugar

100g soft light brown sugar

125g butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg, beaten

225g self-raising flourÂ

100g white chocolate chips

85g dried cranberriesÂ

Step 1: Cream together the two sugars and butter until pale in colour (a couple of minutes in an electric mixer should do it).

Step 2: Add the vanilla and egg. Beat again, this time slowly.

Step 3: Add the flour and beat until completely smooth. Fold in the chocolate and cranberries.

Step 4: Use a large piece of grease-proof paper and lie flat on your work surface. Place the dough onto the paper and then use the paper to roll into a fat sausage. Twist the ends to keep it tight and then place in the fridge to chill, until ready to use (alternatively, use immediately by leaving this stage out and simply putting spoonfuls of the mixture onto prepared baking trays).

Step 5: Preheat your oven to 180c (fan). Line baking trays with baking parchment.Â

Step 6: Cut slices of the prepared dough and place on the trays (it should make 20 cookies). Leave space in between them as they will spread when cooking.

Step 7: Bake for eight – 10 minutes. They will still be soft when you remove them from the oven, but will set as they cool. Allow to cool fully on a wire rack.

Store in an airtight container.

Whatâ€™s Cooking?

21st May 201923rd May 2019
by thefoodwife

If youâ€™re looking for some culinary inspiration hereâ€™s a round up of some of the recipes from The Food Wife that weâ€™re having this week.

Pizza, The Food Husbandâ€™s favourite, has been off the menu for a while as he’s eliminating gluten from his diet, but I made up a batch of sourdough pizza bases with the addition of two teaspoons each of garlic powder and dried oregano to the dough. I had a go at a potato base for a gluten-free version, which was a big hit (think giant gnocchi base). Watch this space for the recipe as I try to recreate it next time pizza is on the menu.Â Â

Weâ€™re still working our way through the jars of wild garlic pesto I made recently, and tomorrow weâ€™ll be enjoying it simply with pasta and green beans for a light and summery meal.Â Â Iâ€™ll also be adding it as a topping to a salmon fillet before roasting it in the oven another evening this week.

The Food Baby has not been forgotten either. Still in the quest to smuggle more vegetables into his diet (he can spot a pea from the other side of the room) Iâ€™ve batch-cooked a tomato and carrot pasta sauce and a three bean chilli along with a double batch of cheese and vegetable scones for the freezer. This time using grated parsnip, carrot and broccoli along with chopped spinach and sundried tomatoes, he devours them without the knowledge that Iâ€™m getting sneaky veg inside him!

And finally if, like me, you love rhubarb, then youâ€™ll be loving the abundance of it at the moment. Why not give my rhubarb crumble traybake a go, or if you can wait a while, have a go at my rhubarb gin. Itâ€™s worth the wait!

Dairy-Free, Vegan, No-Knead Sourdough Hot Cross Buns

18th April 201919th May 2019
by thefoodwife

Makes 12

I made my first sourdough starter back in December. Named Cuthbert, he has gone on to make regular loaves and pizza dough without any need for yeast.

This Easter I decided to use him as the base of my hot cross buns. Iâ€™ve opted for a no-knead method. Essentially a 24 hour process with very little human input and no need for any machinery to produce the dough.

This year Iâ€™ve gone for a dairy-free bun, due to dietary requirements, but these can be made with butter if no such requirements are needed.

They can also be made in advance and frozen; simply defrost for a few hours before re-heating or splitting and toasting.

Ingredients:
330g recently fed sourdough starter (fed 2-3 hours before using)
80ml/g vegetable oil (or melted butter if youâ€™re not making these vegan/dairy-free)
300ml luke-warm water
10g salt
50g caster sugar
250g strong white bread flour
250g strong wholemeal bread flour
30g mixed spice
200g dried fruit (I used 150g sultanas and 50g of candied peel)

For the crosses:
50g plain flour
Water

For the glaze:
25g caster sugar
25ml water

Step 1: Begin by placing the bubbling starter in a large bowl, add the oil, water, salt, sugar, mixed spice and flours and use a wooden spoon to mix into a combined dough. This will not take long and will be a rather wet mix. Cover the bowl with cling film or a damp tea towel and leave for an hour.

Step 2: Uncover the dough and start folding the sides into the middle. Add the dried fruit as you go. Keep rotating the bowl, moving the outside in until you have done about 20 folds. Re-cover and leave, revisiting three more times over the next few hours to turn and fold a few times each visit. Each time the dough should have risen slightly and become smoother.

Step 3: Cover and leave in a cool place to prove over night.

Step 4: The next morning you should have a smooth, well risen dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 pieces (I cut in half, divided each half in two and then each quarter into three).

Step 5: Line a baking sheet with parchment and roughly shape each piece into a ball and place on the baking sheet.

Step 6: Mix the paste for the crosses by combining the flour with a little water until a smooth paste is formed. Place in a piping bag and pipe crosses across each bun (each row can be piped as a continuous line).

Step 7: Bake in a preheated oven (200c/190c fan) for 25 minutes, or until browned, risen and have a hollow sound when tapped underneath. Make the glaze whilst they are baking by heating the water and sugar to a bubbling syrup in a saucepan.

Step 8: Brush each bun with the glaze and allow to cool.

These are best eaten warm. Either eat fresh from the oven, re-heat in the oven or split and toast. They can be frozen too; just make sure to remove and defrost a few hours before needed.

Whatâ€™s For Dinner?

15th April 201919th May 2019
by thefoodwife

The week ahead is sure to contain a fair amount of chocolate but I thought Iâ€™d share some of the recipes weâ€™ll be having over the next week to give you some inspiration too.

Since I posted my recipe for Chinese Lemon Chicken a couple of weeks ago, Iâ€™d been thinking about when I can have it again. I probably mentioned it a couple of times a day to The Food Husband, So I decided it was back on the menu this week and it made an excellent accompaniment to the new series of Game of Thrones!

Weâ€™ve also been using up previous batch cooking stores from the freezer and have had an easy meal of bolognese, simply defrosted and reheated and stirred through freshly cooked pasta.

As the freezer supplies need replacing Iâ€™m planning to make a new batch of my Moroccan-inspired chickpea and preserved lemon tagine later this week. I love the zingyness and potent flavour from the preserved lemons and it makes a cheap yet hearty meatless meal.

And of course Easter Sunday: we will be having lamb. Last year we had the glorious Mechoui leg of lamb. This year we are having a roasted shoulder with the classic garlic and rosemary. But on Monday we will be turning the leftovers into lamb rissoles to have with salad.

And for the Food Baby? Iâ€™ve just restocked his cheesy vegetable fritters in the freezer; this time a combination of carrot, broccoli, sweet potato, potato and sweetcorn with cheddar and smoked paprika instead of curry spices. And Iâ€™m replenishing the successful cheese and vegetable scones, switching the courgette for grated broccoli. A couple of veg-filled winners!

Hopefully thatâ€™s given you some inspiration for your meals ahead. If you are still in need of inspiration then head over to www.thefoodwife.co.uk and if you havenâ€™t already, why not sign up to the newsletter, sending you recipe inspiration each week. Wishing you all a happy Easter, The Food Wife.

Banana and Chocolate Loaf

9th April 20199th April 2019
by thefoodwife

Serves up to 12

Many fruit bowls will gather a collection of over-ripe bananas from time to time and making a loaf cake with them is a great way of using them up, especially if, like me, you will only eat a banana when itâ€™s slightly green; a hint of brown and I can no longer palate them raw.

Using the bananas makes for a wet batter, but allows you to use less fat and sugar than a standard cake. I have chosen to pair the sweet banana with chunks of bitter dark chocolate. Not only a great combination but it also gives you delicious pools of chocolate throughout the cake.

Today is the Food Husband’s birthday, and so this was one of the cakes he took into work, along with a Lemon and Blueberry Polenta Cake.

Ingredients:
110g softened butter
60g caster sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2 large/3 medium/4 small very ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
170g self raising flour
100g dark chocolate, chips or broken into pieces

Step 1: Cream together the butter and sugar.

Step 2: Add the eggs, one at a time, beating the mix after each addition. Add the vanilla extract.

Step 3: Fold in half of the mashed banana, followed by half of the flour. Repeat with the remaining banana and flour.

Step 4: Fold through the chocolate pieces.

Step 5: Pour into a lined 2lb loaf tin and bake in a preheated oven at 180c (fan) for 50 mins, or until golden, risen and springs back to the touch.

Step 6: Remove from the oven and allow to cool for half an hour before transferring (out of the tin) to a wire rack.

Store in an airtight container and it should last a few days. Excellent served with a cup of tea or coffee.