What are you baking this week?

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Just looked at my ceramic baking beans - they are indeed described on the tub as 10mm spheres, but looking at them they are only approximately spherical and the size varies a fair bit, so they pack down in a layer better than you might anticipate if regularly sized spheres

Whatever the theory, they have worked well for at least 40 years, I think I'll keep them

They have been through the dishwasher a few times, in a stainless steel sieve

Not sure what drove me to buy them - I suspect an early Delia effect, a lot of my baking recipes at the time came from her Evening Standard column

[karadekoolaid Profile]

Made some shortbread yesterday, for the first time ever, to accompany some strawberries and cream which might have gone off if I hadn´t eaten them!
The recipe was 240gms flour, 240 gms butter, 120 gms sugar and a pinch of salt. 350°F for 30-35 minutes.
I put it at 35 minutes and it burned a bit on the bottom, so next next time, 30 minutes.

[Earthmaiden Profile]

Gosh, I don't think I've seen a recipe for equal amounts of butter and flour before. More usual 4 parts flour and up to 3 parts butter (though others may disagree). Was it hard to handle?

[scullion Profile]

my baking 'beans' consist of (stoneware) vaguely round balls, stylised ducks and 2" buttons.
the latter were made to attach ceramic fibre blanket to the inside of a raku kiln - they haven't been used for that purpose yet.
i used to use kidney beans for blind baking. my stoneware selection works a little better, i would say, as it compacts less and allows a little more moisture to escape while still keeping the dough down.

[liketocook Profile]

Gosh, I don't think I've seen a recipe for equal amounts of butter and flour before. More usual 4 parts flour and up to 3 parts butter (though others may disagree). Was it hard to handle?

Me neither, I usually use 3:2:1 ratio of flour, butter and sugar.

[karadekoolaid Profile]

Wow - thanks for the suggestion. Yes, it was difficult to manage and I was a bit surprised that some of it burned a bit - probably the excess butter, don´t you think?
Next time I´ll do the 3:2:1.
All this making sweet dishes/desserts is new to me. Thank the pandemic

[Wic Profile]

I'm probably late to the bread-making party, and everyone else has known about it forever, but I’ve recently discovered Overnight Bread. I’ve made my own for years, on and off, the conventional way, and we’ve had a few flirtations with sourdough, but as we don’t eat much, (a loaf can last us three weeks), keeping the starter alive is more trouble than it’s worth. Then I read about overnight bread, which you mix up with a wooden spoon, using only ¼ tsp of yeast, leave it overnight on the kitchen side, then bake it in a Dutch Oven in the morning. Magic. The best loaves I’ve ever made.

The only trouble is, it is such nice bread, that we are eating more of it than usual ...

[Badger's Mate Profile]

The only trouble is, it is such nice bread, that we are eating more of it than usual ...

That's a fact of bread making life.

Fresh bread one day, bread again the next, toast the third, repeat.

There are some leftover egg whites in the fridge and raspberries in the freezer. I intend to make friands over the weekend.

[KeenCook2 Profile]

I'm probably late to the bread-making party, and everyone else has known about it forever, but I’ve recently discovered Overnight Bread. I’ve made my own for years, on and off, the conventional way, and we’ve had a few flirtations with sourdough, but as we don’t eat much, (a loaf can last us three weeks), keeping the starter alive is more trouble than it’s worth. Then I read about overnight bread, which you mix up with a wooden spoon, using only ¼ tsp of yeast, leave it overnight on the kitchen side, then bake it in a Dutch Oven in the morning. Magic. The best loaves I’ve ever made.

The only trouble is, it is such nice bread, that we are eating more of it than usual ...

Yes, Wic, we only discovered this relatively recently, too, last year, during the first lockdown! I've had to stop as we were indeed eating too much of it - just couldn't help it! You name it, with cheese, honey, marmalade, jam ... always with lots of butter ... I bake it in a regular loaf tin, rather than a cast iron casserole dish or similar. After a while I actually started using a long thin tin as the slices were smaller

ETA Nigella's lemon drizzle is in the oven ... I offered OH the choice between that, ginger biscuits or a fruit cake ...

[liketocook Profile]

Wow - thanks for the suggestion. Yes, it was difficult to manage and I was a bit surprised that some of it burned a bit - probably the excess butter, don´t you think?
Next time I´ll do the 3:2:1.
All this making sweet dishes/desserts is new to me. Thank the pandemic

Yes probably too much fat caused it to catch. 3:2:1 has never failed me and over the years I've made a lot of shortbread. To help get it nice and "short" after mixing (I usually use a processor these days ) chill the dough for 30 mins before rolling.
Not baking as such just melting blitzing, melting, stirring and folding but I was very pleased with the raspberry and chocolate mousse cake I made for my son's birthday yesterday. My baking these days tends to be bread and "plain" stuff like scones etc. and I seldom make desserts so it was good to make something "fancier" for a change.

WhatsApp Image 2021-05-30 at 11.44.27[2305843009226106792].jpeg

[Earthmaiden Profile]

Looks very good indeed ltc!

[liketocook Profile]

Thanks EM it was delicious but very rich. Recipe said served 8 but it would easily do 12 generously IMHO.

[KeenCook2 Profile]

ooooh, looks fab, LTC

[liketocook Profile]

Thank you

[aero280 Profile]

I made some Potuguese tarts earlier in the week. A new recipe and they didn't turn out well. Edible, but the pastry was overwhelmed and was cooked, but more like a suet crust...

However, it meant that there was a bowl of egg white left over!!

Waste not, want not...

IMG_3760.JPG (58.87 KiB) Viewed 2766 times

[slimpersoninside Profile]

I made some Potuguese tarts earlier in the week. A new recipe and they didn't turn out well. Edible, but the pastry was overwhelmed and was cooked, but more like a suet crust...

However, it meant that there was a bowl of egg white left over!!

Waste not, want not...

IMG_3760.JPG

Address please Aero, I'll be there shortly .

[aero280 Profile]

Now with added cream.

Form a queue!!

IMG_3761.JPG (49.37 KiB) Viewed 2759 times

[Pampy Profile]

Pick me up on the way, Slimpersoninside!

[slimpersoninside Profile]

Pick me up on the way, Slimpersoninside!

Sorry Pampy, I think I might have passed you by in my haste .

[liketocook Profile]

Pick me up on the way, Slimpersoninside!

Sorry Pampy, I think I might have passed you by in my haste .

Could you save some for me, I adore meringues and these look delicious aero.