Sourdough Starter Care

I was recently given some sourdough starter as a housewarming present - I'm stll experimenting with the best loaf recipe to use it in, but James Morton's basic recipe seems to work fairly consistently if you're looking for one to try.

My first attempt... need to work on the crumb

In terms of looking after your starter, it's dead easy! I keep mine in a kilner jar in the fridge and feed it once a week, usually on a Saturday as that's when I tend to bake.

So, for it's weekly feed:
- 100g starter (use the rest for a loaf, give to a friend, or discard)
- 100g flour (I use breadflour as it's what I have the most of)
- 100g water

Mix the above together, then leave to stand (uncovered) for a few hours at room temperature until it's bubbling again. Then back into the kilner jar for another week, or until you need to use it.

Simple!

Happy Baking,

The Baking Ginger x

Hot Cross Buns

This recipe is taken straight from Mr Paul Hollywood, so it's safe to say it's been thoroughly tested! These Hot Cross Buns are deliciously soft, making them the perfect treat to celebrate Easter with; they're definitely worth the effort!

Hot Cross Buns

Makes 15

Ingredients:

300ml full-fat milk
50g butter
500g strong white  bread flour
1 tsp salt
75g caster sugar
1 tbsp sunflower oil
7g sachet fast-action yeast
1 egg, beaten
75g sultanas
50g mixed peel
zest 1 orange
1 apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon

75g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

3 tbsp apricot jam

200oC fan oven/220oC other ovens

Method:

1. Bring the milk to the boil, then remove from the heat and add the butter. Leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature. Put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Pour in the warm milk and butter mixture, then add the egg. Using a wooden spoon, mix well, then bring everything together with your hands until you have a sticky dough.

2. Tip on to a lightly floured surface and knead by holding the dough with one hand and stretching it with the heal of the other hand, then folding it back on itself. Repeat for 5 mins until smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hr or until doubled in size and a finger pressed into it leaves a dent.

3. With the dough still in the bowl, tip in the sultanas, mixed peel, orange zest, apple and cinnamon. Knead into the dough, making sure everything is well distributed. Leave to rise for 1 hr more, or until doubled in size, again covered by some well-oiled cling film to stop the dough getting a crust.

4. Divide the dough into 15 even pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball on a lightly floured work surface. Arrange the buns on one or two baking trays lined with parchment, leaving enough space for the dough to expand. Cover (but don’t wrap) with more oiled cling film, or a clean tea towel, then set aside to prove for 1 hr more.

5. Mix the flour with about 5 tbsp water to make the paste for the cross – add the water 1 tbsp at a time, so you add just enough for a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle. Pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses. Bake for 20 mins on the middle shelf of the oven, until golden brown.

6. Gently heat the apricot jam to melt, then sieve to get rid of any chunks. While the jam is still warm, brush over the top of the warm buns and leave to cool.

These are best eaten lightly toasted with lots of salted butter, although they're also delicious cold - still with generous amounts of butter!

They'll keep for 3/4 days in an airtight container; to refresh them you can sprinkle with a little water and put in a warm oven for 10 minutes.

Happy Baking!


The Baking Ginger xx

Lemon and Blueberry Cookies

Finished cookies

These are a delicious Spring snack; lighter and fresher than their chocolate counterparts, but still a sweet and satisfying treat!

Try serving with greek yoghurt or creme fraiche as a ligher dessert alternative.

Lemon and Blueberry Cookies

Makes 30 cookies

Creamed butter and sugar

Ingredients

250g butter/marg

200g dark brown sugar

250g caster sugar

2 egg

550g self raising flour

small pinch of salt

300g fresh blueberries

zest of 3 lemons
juice of 1 lemon

170oC fan oven/180oC other ovens

With  eggs

Method

1. Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy - once you think you've done give it another minute or so of beating to make your cookies as light as possible!

2. Beat in the eggs in two goes until it's all combined. If it curdles don't worry, it'll come back together when you add the flour.

3. Add the salt, lemon zest and lemon juice and beat until combined. Add the flour, mix thoroughly, and then add the blueberries. Mix gently so as not to pop too many of the blueberries; mix until just combined.

With blueberries

4. Put the mix in the freezer for 10 minutes or fridge for an hour just to make it easier to work with - it will be a very very sticky dough!

5. Once the dough is chilled, using two dessert spoons, put a walnut size ball of dough onto a greased or lined baking sheet. (I roll each dough ball quickly between my hands if I want my cookies to have a more uniform finish). Make sure the dough balls have at least 3 inches between them as they will spread whilst baking.

6. Bake in the middle of a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes; they may look raw in the middle still but they'll continue to cook as they cool and you'll end up with a gorgeous, chewy cookie once they've cooled on a wire rack.

Ready for the oven

These can be stored in an airtight container for 4/5 days, and they're equally delicious whether enjoyed with a cup of tea, or a glass of homemade lemonade.

Happy Baking!

The Baking Ginger xx

Pecan and Hazelnut Blondies

I made these with my friend Hannah after we’d finished our finals at uni – they’re very sweet but the nut content cuts through their richness, making them utterly more-ish! White chocolate has a reputation of being a bit temperamental, because of its lack of cocoa solids, meaning it can split easily, but as long as you melt it slowly, stirring regularly you’ll be fine.

Hazelnut and Pecan Blondies

 

Makes 15 pieces

Ingredients:

75g marg/unsalted butter

500g white chocolate

3 large eggs

175g caster sugar

175g self raising flour

pinch of salt

100g hazelnuts (chopped)

100g pecans (chopped)

1.5tsp vanilla extract

10 x 8 in. baking tin, greased and lined

170oC fan oven/190oC other ovens

Method:

1. Melt 125g of the white chocolate carefully in the microwave – stir regularly to prevent it burning.
2. In a separate, large bowl whisk the eggs and sugar together until smooth, then beat in the melted chocolate – make sure it’s not too hot or you’ll end up with chocolate scrambled eggs; leaving it to stand for 5 minutes after it’s melted will do.
3. Fold in the flour, salt, remaining chocolate in chunks, nuts and vanilla essence until everything is incorporated, but don’t over mix.
4. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and bake in the middle of your preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a golden crust has formed on the Blondies but they’re still soft underneath.
5. Leave to cool slightly in the tin, slice into 15 and turn out onto a wire rack to cool further. These are gorgeous hot, cold, warm with tea, coffee or milk – however you fancy, and if there's any left will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

These are ridiculously easy; you can change the nuts to whatever you prefer or use milk or dark chocolate chips instead of the extra white chocolate, they're a great go to bake if you need something quickly!

Happy Baking,

The Baking Ginger xx

Carrot, Sultana and Mixed Spice Muffins

Finished carrot muffins

These are another type of muffin I've created to take to work with me. An adaptation of carrot cake, they're really moist, and heady with mixed spice, which I love, but if you're not such a fan you can always reduce the amount in it.

In another change from previous muffins I also decided to sprinkle some oats on top of the muffins, just for a different texture; they work really well I think!

Carrot, Sultana and Mixed Spice Muffins

Dry Ingredients

Makes 10/12 muffins

Ingredients:

100g wholemeal/wholegrain flour
50g oats
50g brown sugar
1 large handful of crushed branflakes
75g sultanas
0.5tsp baking powder
0.25tsp bicarbonate of soda
1.5tsp mixed spice

1 grated carrot (approx. 50g)
3tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
juice of 1 satsuma/clementine

Wet Ingredients

100-200ml milk (enough to make a loose, pourable batter)

180oC fan oven/190oC other ovens

Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients (keep a small handful of the oats back to sprinkle on the top of the muffins before baking).

2. Mix the wet ingredients, apart from the milk.

3. Combine the two mixtures, beat into a batter and add enough milk to make a loose, pourable batter.

4. Divide between 10/12 bun cases in a bun tray and sprinkle on the left over oats.

5. Bake in the middle of a preheated oven for 15/20 minutes, or until a knife comes out of the centre of a muffin clean.

Combined Batter

6. Cool on a wire rack, store in an airtight container until you need them.

Like I said, these are delicious, really simple, and a sustaining snack for a busy day - perfect!

Happy Baking!

The Baking Ginger

Ready to eat!

Ready for the oven

Banana, Honey and Cinnamon Muffins

Finished muffins

 I made up this recipe from an amalgamation of several others I’d seen online; I wanted to make something that I could take for lunches at my new job – so it had to be filling and sustaining, hence the wholemeal flour and oats! I also wanted to use some of the delicious thyme flavoured honey my Mum and Dad brought me back from their recent trip to Cyprus.

This recipe makes 6 large muffins, approx. 180 calories each, and they’ll keep in an airtight box all week for your lunchbox! It’s easily doubled if you want to make a batch for afternoon tea.

Dry Ingredients

Banana, Honey and Cinnamon Muffins

Makes 6 large muffins, or 10/12 normal size buns as I've done here.

Ingredients:

100g wholemeal/wholegrain flour

50g oats

50g brown sugar
large handful of crushed branflakes (optional)

0.5tsp baking powder

Wet Ingredients

0.25tsp bicarbonate of soda

1tsp cinnamon

1 banana, thoroughly mashed

1tbsp honey

3tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil

1tsp vanilla essence

100-200ml milk (enough to make a loose, pourable batter)

180oC fan oven/190oC others

Pourable Batter with Milk

Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl

2. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, apart from the milk

3. Combine the two mixtures, beat into a batter and add enough milk to make a loose, pourable batter

4. Divide between 6 muffin cases (or more if you're making them smaller) in a bun tray

5. Bake in the middle of a preheated oven for 15/20 minutes for large muffins, 10/15 minutes for small muffins, or until a knife comes out of the centre of a muffin clean
6. Cool on a wire rack, store in an airtight container until you need them

Ready for the oven!

Like I said, these will keep for up to a week in an airtight container, if they get a little dry 30 seconds in the microwave just before eating will freshen it up! They’d make a great pudding with some custard too!

Happy Baking!

The Baking Ginger xx

Finished muffins

Chocolate Éclairs with Crème Légère

Finished Éclairs

Today myself and Katie thought we'd make something that we've read a lot about and seen a lot of, but never actually attempted ourselves before; crème légère, which is essentially crème pâtissière, or custard (the thing we'd never made from scratch before) and whipped cream. It was a pleasant surprise how easy the crème pâtissière was to make, and how delicious it was with the extra cream folded through too! The éclairs recipe is adapted from a BBC GoodFood post, and was also surprisingly quick and simple to make, the effort is definitely worth it! 

Chocolate Éclairs with Crème Légère

Makes approx. 16 éclairs

Egg yolk mix before adding milk

Ingredients:

Éclairs:

140g plain flour

pinch of sugar

pinch of salt

125ml milk

125ml water

100g butter

4 eggs

Adding flour to choux mix

Crème Légère:

300ml milk

50g caster sugar

2 egg yolks

1.5tsp vanilla extract

4tsp plain flour

4tsp cornflour

300ml double cream

100g milk chocolate for coating

200oC oven/180oC fan oven

Method:

Chilling dough

1. Start by making the crème pâtissière filling; first heat the milk until almost boiling in a saucepan. Meanwhile, mix together the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla in a bowl, then stir in the flours, a couple of tsp at a time, to a smooth paste. 

2. Once the milk is almost boiling, gradually whisk it into the egg yolk mix, pour everything back into the saucepan and cook over a high heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 mins until thick; keep stirring it vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth. 

3. Pour into a bowl, lay a sheet of cling film directly on the crème pâtissière surface, then cool and chill until you’re ready to fill the éclairs.

Smooth dough with eggs

4. Put the milk, water and butter into a medium saucepan and gently heat so the butter melts but the liquid doesn’t boil. Once the butter has completely melted, increase the heat until the liquid comes to a fast rolling boil. 

5. Immediately turn off the heat, tip in the flour, sugar and salt and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until you a have a smooth dough that comes away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the pan and leave to cool until it's almost room temperature - to speed this up you can spread it over a large dinner plate and place in the freezer for one minute.

Piping dough

6. Once the dough mix has cooled, scrape it back into your pan. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and then gradually beat them into the dough mix, approx a quarter at a time. Using your wooden spoon, beat after each addition until you have a smooth, shiny mixture.

7. Line a baking tray, or two, with baking paper and draw on 16/18 10cm long lines, at least 5cm apart. Turn the paper over so the lines are on the underside of the paper, or they'll transfer onto the bottom of the éclairs.

8. Fill a piping bag with the dough (use a 1/2cm nozzle), and pipe along the guidelines. Smooth any points on the éclairs down with a wet finger.

9. Bake in the middle of a preheated oven for 20/25 minutes, or until crisp and golden.

Eclairs after baking

10. Once baked, make a small slit in the base of each eclair with a sharp knife, turn upside down and bake for another 5 minutes to dry out the pastry cases. Set aside to cool on a wire rack.

11. Whilst they're cooling, you can make the crème légère; whisk the double cream until thick and it stands in strong peaks. Fold the cream into your cooled crème pâtissière.

12. Once the éclairs are cool, spoon the crème légère into a piping bag (this time with a long, thin nozzle), and gently fill each éclair with a generous helping of the crème légère - they'll feel heavy when they're full.

Creme Legere before piping

13. Melt the chocolate carefully in the microwave in a shallow bowl and then dip each of the filled eclairs into the chocolate, so they have an even coating. Set on a plate and leave the chocolate to set - it's best to keep them in the fridge.

These won't keep for very long once they're filled, approx. 1 day before they go soggy, but they're so delicious and moreish they won't be around for long! There's lots of alternative toppings you can put on them too, such as sprinkling with flaked almonds or chopped hazelnuts - they're a great starting point for lots of experimentation.

Happy Baking,

The Baking Ginger xx

Finished éclairs!

This is just something I saw this week and fell completely in love with! Enjoy!

Supersized Carrot Cake

Finished slice of cake!

Today I made a massive carrot cake for a coffee morning tomorrow, it'll cut into 45 generous pieces, but I thought I'd just put the original recipe in here - I tripled it! It's an adaptation of the BBC GoodFood carrot cake recipe, but with extra carrots and spices to make it really moist and delicious!

It has the added benefit of being dairy free, so if you've got friends coming over with dietary requirements this is the cake for them!

Wet ingredients

Carrot Cake Traybake

 Makes approx. 16 generous portions

Ingredients

175g light muscovado sugar

175ml sunflower or veg oil

3 large eggs , lightly beaten

150g grated carrots (about 3 medium)

150g raisins/sultanas

grated zest of 1 large orange

175g self-raising flour

Adding dry ingredients

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp grated nutmeg

175g icing sugar

enough orange juice to make a thick icing

160oC fan oven/180oC all other ovens

Method

1. Line the base and sides of an 18cm square cake tin with baking parchment. The easiest way to do this is to cut a long strip of parchment and lay it across the bottom and up the sides of the tin, it also makes the cake easier to lift out when its cooked.

Monster cake ready to bake!

2. Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl, pour in the oil and add the eggs; mix until combined. Stir in the grated carrots, raisins/sultanas and orange rind.

3. To the wet ingredients add the flour, bicarb and spices. Mix until everything is combined - it'll be a very runny batter.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 40- 45 minutes, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre. It'll be quite a dark golden brown colour because of the muscavado sugar and spices.

5. Leave to cool slightly in the tin, turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Baked, pre-icing

6. Make the icing and cover the top of the cake with it. Leave to set then cut into pieces. 

This cake is best enjoyed with a cup of tea (what cake isn't?!), it'll keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container, but it's better eaten sooner rather than later - its too easy and tasty not to give it a go!

Happy Baking!

Iced - before slicing

The Baking Ginger xx

Fruit Scones

Scones ready for butter and jam!

Impulsively decided to make fruit scones this afternoon, don't know why, but they were just what we fancied! This is an adapted version of Mary Berry's plain scone recipe, so they're not too sweet, but the makes them even better with loads of butter (clotted cream is even better if you've got some...) and jam!

Fruit Scones

Makes 12 big scones

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients

16oz self raising flour

4oz marg/butter

4 tsp baking powder

2oz caster sugar, plus extra for the top

5oz dried fruit (I used 3oz sultanas + 2oz raisins)

2 eggs

0.5 pint milk

Bringing mix together

160oC fan oven/180oC other ovens

Method:

1. Rub the marg into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the baking powder, sugar and dried fruit and combine well.

2. Crack the eggs into a measuring jug, whisk, and make up to 0.5 pint with the milk.

3. Add the egg and milk mixture to the dry ingredients, keeping a little back to glaze the tops with.

4. Bring the mix together, I use a palette knife to stop it getting too messy. Tip out onto a well floured surface and knead lightly to bring it all together into a smooth, soft dough.

Rolled out dough

5. Roll out to an inch thick and cut out rounds using a 2 inch fluted cutter (or into whatever shape you want!). Place onto a lined baking sheet, with at least 2 inches between each scone. Repeat until all the mixture is used. (It should make 12).

6. Brush with the leftover egg and sprinkle on a small pinch of sugar onto the top of each scone.

7. Bake in the centre of a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown and firm to the touch in the centre.

Ready for the oven!

8. Leave to cool slightly - these are best eaten straight out of the oven so the butter melts, although they're just as good once they're cool.

They'll keep for 3 or 4 days in an air tight container, if there's any left!

These are so easy, a great stand by for when you fancy a sweet treat for afternoon tea!

Happy Baking!

The Baking Ginger xx

Lemon Marmalade and Poppy Seed Cookies

I made these on a whim as I had some leftover lemon marmalade that I needed to use up, so adapted a recipe for orange marmalade cookies, and added poppy seeds too. The batter is very easy to work with, and these cookies make a nice change to rich chocolate cookies, you could even pretend they're healthy...

I used oil as an egg substitute, as it only acts as a binding agent, but you could easily sub an egg back into the recipe - or use dairy free butter and make them vegan.

Lemon Marmalade and Poppy Seed Cookies

Makes 36

Ingredients

Wet ingredients

80g butter

140g granulated sugar

0.25 cup vegetable or sunflower oil

350g plain flour

1.5tsp baking powder

4tsp poppy seeds

6tbsp marmalade (of any variety), plus 1tbsp to glaze

190oC oven, 180oC fan

Method

1. Cream butter and sugar together until it’s pale and fluffy

Pre-oven mix

2. Beat in the oil and marmalade

3. Fold in the flour, baking powder and poppy seeds

4. Use two teaspoons to place small piles of dough onto a lined baking sheet, leaving spreading room between them (approx. 3 inches) 

5. Bake in the middle of a preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until light brown, then remove to a wire rack 

6. Put the 1tbsp marmalade for the glaze in a bowl, microwave for 30 second intervals until it becomes spreadable 

Before glazing

7. Apply to the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven using a pastry brush and leave to cool

These cookies are lovely and chewy in the middle, with a nice lemony tang - they go well with a cup of coffee. They will keep in an air tight container for 3-4 days.

Happy Baking!

The Baking Ginger xx