What are you baking this week?

[aero280]

Yes please!

They look nice. My scones taste nice but they keep falling over. I’ve been careful cutting them, and have reduced the liquid quantity bit by bit from the recipe, but it seems to make no difference. I was too embarrassed to photograph the last lot…

[Earthmaiden]

They'd have to feature somewhere on my top 10 foods . I might have to make some now ...

Do you roll your scones quite thickly (thus making tall ones) aero? Also, do you add egg?
I only learned relatively recently that a lot of people add egg. I find it harder to control the uncooked liquidity if I do.

[Suffs]

No egg … I find that makes them cake-y rather than fluffy.

I use Tamasin Day-Lewis’s recipe

I usually use buttermilk if I have it … today I used a mix of yoghurt and milk 50/50 with the bicarbonate and cream of tartar.

[aero280]

I’ll have a look. I’ve been using the Paul Hollywood recipe, which has eggs in it.

But I won’t be doing any cooking until I get over this Covid. I think I caught it at a birthday party on Sunday.

[Uschi]

They look lecker, Suffs. I could have some now.

[scullion]

i think i heard, recently, that that they are much lighter and regular if you don't twist the cutter when you cut them out - i can understand the theory.

[aero280]

I have been avoiding "the twist"...

[Suffs]

The recipe I use instructs that after cutting out you leave them to stand for ten minutes for the raiding agents to begin to work … so I cut them out then switch the oven on and put them in the oven when the light goes out. Seems to work.

[Earthmaiden]

MIL was always insistent that the dough should be well kneaded. I was brought up to think that anything with a non yeast raising agent should be handled as little as possible.

MIL's scones were always excellent .

[aero280]

Not something that I have baked yet, but I saw a picture and it reminded me of the cake slices that I used to buy from Backhaus in Ham, Richmond, SW London.

The picture was of "Bienenstich". Does anyone (Uschi???) have a recipe for this? I fancy having a go. It's a kind of traybake with a creme pat filling and a caramelise almond topping.

I used to visit Backhaus when I was working down that way, but it seems to have become a Swiss bakery, and there's a "Hansel & Pretzel" German Deli nearby.

[Uschi]

Just let me check for the Bienenstich.

[Uschi]

Dr Oetker's offering sounds good

Bienenstich

Classic–popular (about 20 pieces)

Preparation time: about 50 minutes,excluding rising time

Baking time: about 15 minutes

For the baking sheet:

some fat

For the yeast dough:

200 ml/7 fl oz (7⁄8 cup) milk

50 g/2 oz (4 tablespoons) butter or margarine

375 g/131⁄2 oz (33⁄4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

1 packet fast action dried yeast

50 g/13⁄4 oz (4 tablespoons) sugar

3 drops vanilla essence in 1 tablespoon sugar

1 pinch salt, 1 medium egg

For the topping:

200 g/7 oz (1 cup) butter

100 g/31⁄2 oz (1⁄2 cup) sugar

3 drops vanilla essence in 1 tablespoon sugar

3 teaspoons honey

3 tablespoons whipping cream

200 g/7 oz blanched chopped almonds

For the filling:

80 g/3 oz (9 tablespoons) custard powder, vanilla flavour

750 ml/11⁄4 pints (31⁄2 cups) milk

100 g/31⁄2 oz (1⁄2 cup) sugar

100 g/31⁄2 oz (1⁄2 cup) butter

Per piece:
P: 6 g, F: 23 g, C: 33 g, kJ: 1514, kcal: 361

1. Warm the milk in a small pan and melt the butter or margarine in it.

2. To make the dough, sift the plain flour in a mixing bowl, carefully mix with dried yeast, add the other ingredients and the warm margarine or butter mixture. Stir with a hand mixer with a kneading hook, first briefly at the lowest setting, then at the highest setting for about 5 minutes, until it forms smooth dough. Cover with a tea towel and put in a warm place until it has visibly increased in volume.

3. To make the topping, slowly heat the butter with the sugar, vanilla sugar, honey and cream while stirring, bring briefly to the boil and stir in the almonds. Leave the mixture to cool down, stirring occasionally. Grease the baking sheet.

4. Preheat the oven. Dust the dough lightly with flour, remove from the bowl and knead again briefly on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out and line the baking sheet with the dough. Spread the topping evenly on the dough and put the baking sheet in a warm place again until the dough has visibly increased in volume. Put the baking sheet in the oven.

Top/bottom heat: about 200 °C/400 °F (preheated),

Fan oven: about 180 °C/350 °F (preheated), Gas mark 6 (preheated),

Baking time: about 15 minutes.


5. Leave the cake on the baking sheet to cool down on a rack. Cut the cake in half vertically and then cut each half horizontally.

6. For the filling, make the custard with custard powder, milk and sugar following the instructions on the packet but, using only 750 ml/11⁄4 pints (31⁄2 cups) milk, and stir the butter into the hot custard. Put the cream filling in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally. Spread the cold cream filling on the lower cake halves, then put the other halves on top.

[aero280]

That's great! Thanks.

I won't be trying it until I'm over the Covid. I did another test this afternoon and I'm still positive

[KeenCook]

Another successful outing for PP's blueberry and polenta crumble cake

Recipe yet again passed on to the friends who were enjoying it for the first time (on election night)

Thank you PP

[Pepper Pig]

Thanks KC. I haven’t made it for a while as my lot are fed up with it but I think I have an art group shared lunch coming up! The lady who every weeks asks if there are gluten-free biscuits will have to lump it and hope somebody else brings a suitable dessert.

I am really quite cold watching the tennis. And the helicopters!

[slimpersoninside]

I made a dozen cinnamon buns yesterday, overnight in the fridge and baked today. No photo I'm afraid, they are now in the freezer, but they are very nice!

[scullion]

bread.

[Amber]

The lady who every weeks asks if there are gluten-free biscuits will have to lump it and hope somebody else brings a suitable dessert.

Hmm, I wasn’t paying much attention, but I’m fairly sure Asda had lots of ‘regular’ gluten free biscuits today. Not exactly, but possibly digestives and Jaffa cakes and something else with a red label?

I’m another making lots of bread this week. Rye soda bread for OH. (I like Warburtons seeded)

[Uschi]

Thanks KC. I haven’t made it for a while as my lot are fed up with it but I think I have an art group shared lunch coming up! The lady who every weeks asks if there are gluten-free biscuits will have to lump it and hope somebody else brings a suitable dessert.

Just an idea for the future. Gluten free biscuits as the base for a no-bake gateau, mixed with butter and a topping of a fruity yoghurt/quark and gelatine mix. No baking, delicious and inclusive. Not every time, but once in a while.

[scullion]

The lady who every weeks asks if there are gluten-free biscuits will have to lump it and hope somebody else brings a suitable dessert.

why doesn't she take her own? if she is a celiac sufferer i would have thought she would be vigilant enough to keep her's separate rather than trust someone else not to mix any gluten free ones on a plate with ordinary ones, anyway.
i always used to take my own coffee to places that i knew were unlikely to have decaf as the problem was mine, not theirs.