Mary Berry's Hot Cross Buns

Good Friday with great Hot Cross Buns

It's that time of year again! The Easter bunny is getting ready to deliver all those delicious Easter eggs, and we've had our Easter bonnet parade at school (the hot glue gun has never seen so much action!). Now we are busy creating the Easter egg hunt strategy, and marzipan will be in full action in our beautiful Dark Chocolate Marzipan Easter Eggs - have we forgotten anything?

Good Friday!

More excuses for yummy baked goods!

I used to love hot cross buns until four years ago. I was about 9 weeks pregnant with my youngest and I could only eat hot cross buns. Now the smell reminds me of those nauseous weeks - so I'm not as fond as I used to be. But I'm not a quitter. So every year I try to get that love back and I know that a gorgeous batch of these homemade buns will do the job.

This year I'm relying on the queen of cakes - Mary Berry for her fool-proof Hot Cross Buns recipe. I know Mary Berry won't let me down!

Mary Berry's Hot Cross Buns

PREP + RISE TIME	COOK TIME
2 hours 50 mins	20 mins

Makes 12

Ingredients:
500g/1lb 2oz strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
75g/2¾oz caster sugar
2 tsp mixed spice powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 lemon, finely grated zest only
10g/¼oz salt
10g/¼oz fast-action dried yeast
40g/1½oz butter
300ml/10fl oz milk
1 free-range egg, beaten
200g/7oz sultanas
50g/1¾oz finely chopped mixed peel
oil, for greasing

For the topping:
75g/2¾oz plain flour
2 tbsp golden syrup, for glazing

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Put the flour, sugar, spices and lemon zest into a large bowl and mix together. Then add the salt and yeast, placing them on opposite sides of the bowl.

2. Melt the butter in a pan and warm the milk in a separate pan. Add the butter and half the tepid milk to the dry ingredients. Add the egg and use your hands to bring the mixture together, incorporating the flour from the edges of the bowl as you go. Gradually add the remaining milk, to form a soft pliable dough (you may not need all of the milk).

3. Tip the dough out on to a lightly floured work surface. Knead by hand incorporating the sultanas and mixed peel into the dough. Lightly knead for 10 minutes until silky and elastic and forming a smooth ball. The kneading can also be done in a food mixer with a dough hook.

4. Oil a bowl and place the dough in a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rest in a warm place for about 1½ hours or until doubled in size.

5. Turn the dough out on to a floured surface and divide into 12 balls. Line 1-2 baking trays with paper and place the balls on the tray, placing them fairly close together and flattening them slightly.

6. Slip each baking tray into a large clean polythene bag, making sure the bag doesn’t touch the buns. Leave for 40-60 minutes until the buns have doubled in size.

7. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.

8. For the topping, add the flour to a bowl with 100ml/3½fl oz water. Mix together to make a paste and spoon into the icing bag.

9. When the buns have risen remove the polythene bags and pipe a cross on each bun. Bake for 15-20 minutes until pale golden-brown, turning the baking trays round halfway through if necessary.

10. Melt the golden syrup in a pan and while the buns are still warm, brush the buns with a little syrup to give a nice shine, before setting aside to cool on a wire rack.

Recipe by Mary Berry

How To Make Nigella's Soft White Dinner Rolls

I've made Nigella Lawson's Soft White Dinner Rolls from Nigella's website many times now and they are always lovely. The children adore these little rolls that are super hard to resist. They are a real treat with a bowl of hot soup or made into little sandwich rolls - perfect for packed lunches or picnics. I love these toasted with butter and jam. Yum!

Carrot Cake Tray Bake Recipe

I thought I might try a bit of a healthy cake this week for the kids to have as a snack, although I'm not sure carrot cake is overly healthy! But it is mightily light, moist and tasty! I'm sure it's better than a chocolate biscuit? Anyway, I'll stop worrying about health benefits this week, maybe next week, I'll try a healthy version and I'll let you know how it goes. But so far, this Carrot Bake Tray Bake is a hit!

I haven't used a cream cheese topping, just a simple orange icing. I thought it can be used sparingly, so the kids still think they are getting icing - just not too much.

This cake is super easy to make. You don't have to mess about creaming butter and sugar together - just a bit of gentle mix and your away.

Grantham Gingerbread Recipe Revisted

I posted this recipe four years ago, but I thought it demands a re-visit due to it's simplicity of biscuitiness! Now I'm not a huge fan of the gingernut, but the balance of ginger in these Grantham Gingerbreads is just right!

These aren't strictly gingerbreads as we know them - they are more like crunchy biscuits. But that's what they're called, so I'm gonna go with it! Either way, they are a real treat with a cuppa!

James Morton's Spiced Tea Loaf

Tea Loaf - Makes 1 large or 2 small loaves

Prep 20 mins, Total time Up to 16 hrs, including overnight proving

Recipe taken from Brilliant Bread by James Morton (Ebury Press, £20) 

"Take your time with this recipe. Adding fat, spices and fruit to the dough slows the activity of the yeast and the gluten development, so it's slower to rise. For a sweet bread with flavour to blow your socks off, rest the dough for ages, ideally in the fridge. You can't rush this one."

My friend has James Morton's book about bread and says it's very good. She made this recipe and her whole family loved it, so I thought I'd give it a go. I was a bit surprised by the colour of the loaf once baked - and I only left it in for 30 minutes. Apparently, this is normal, so don't be alarmed at the dark colour. It is delicious! Fresh or toasted when it's a little older. Also great for the kid's snacks - they loved it!

Triple Chocolate Brownies

If you like chocolate stop right now. Don't read any further - just forget about whatever you've seen or heard. Step away from the computer, because once you try these Triple Chocolate Brownies, you won't be able to put them down. In fact you'll be getting up in the middle of the night to make a batch they're that good - so be warned and be very careful! I just love them!

The Relish Brownie Recipe

It's tough being a new mum, but there are some things you can look forward to: cake. And lots of it. With a new little buddle of joy in your life there are things that need to be done, like feeding them every other hour as it seems. That means finding a café, sitting down and eating cake. You also need to contact other new mummies and sit in cafés and eat cake, whilst you chat about leaking boobs, nappy contents and sleep deprivation. But cake is the main focus (or maybe that's just me).

Luckily for the ladies of Beeston, Nottingham, there is Relish. A little gem hidden away on Chilwell High Road, (an absolute nightmare to get to with the current tram works) which always has the right cake to lift your day! 

Date & Brazil Nut Bites

After living off chocolate biscuits since the birth of my son four months ago, I need a change! These yummy little nibbles are perfect. Date and Brazil Nut Bites are super simple. 

English Scones Recipe

My old cookery book (folder) had been in storage for nearly a year now. I had been waiting for a long time to get the old thing out so I could finally bake some of my Nana's famous scones! 

You see I have a thing about scones. I am almost always disappointed with the scones they have in cafes and such establishments. They are always puffed up with far too much baking powder. The texture is nasty and slightly springy and you can always taste the excessive use of rising agent because they really couldn't be bothered to invest time in the right method of scone making ( I'm not fussy, honest!).

My Nana was a scone making expert. Every Friday, she would bake a batch of scones, as well as, two different cakes for the weekend (my Grandad had a very sweet tooth and would always have a big slice of cake before his sandwiches!). Before I started school, I would love to go round to Nana's house on a Friday and help her bake. Now my children really enjoy helping me bake and I'm really pleased I have my much-loved Nana's recipe to share with them...

THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE-OFF'S EARL GREY CUP CAKES

I love a good cup cake, so when I came across these little Earl Grey beauties in The Great British Bake-Off book - I just had to give them a go. Just the cake to have with a morning cuppa - perfect! They have a very subtle flavour and with the addition of the sharp lemon butter icing makes for a glorious combination. They keep very well too and were as equally, if not more delicious the following day.

My son helped me knock this batch together, so they are perfect for making and eating with kids.

Mini Date & Walnut Loaf/Cake

I bought these really cute mini loaf cases from Lakeland the other day, so I had to find the perfect recipe to match. I was thinking of some mini brioches or Panettones, but settled on this Date & Walnut Loaf. It's got dates and walnuts in it - so it's nearly health food in my book! 

Light Rye Bread

This Light Rye Bread is lovely and tasty without being overly strong in flavour. I made mine by making a sponge the night before.

Super Cereal Bars

After the big success of the Healthy Breakfast Muffins, I thought I'd make some sort of homemade cereal bar to keep those pesky kids fuller for longer! I already love a bit of flapjack, but when it's full of other nice bits too - all the better I say! So, these really are Super Cereal Bars and I must say they are very tasty - and yes, the children love them too!


Ingredients:
40g desiccated coconut
150g ready-to-eat dried apricots
30g dried cherries
30g dried cranberries
100g rolled oats
30g crispy rice
30g puffed rice
50g light brown sugar
30g sunflower seeds
60g salted peanuts
3 tablespoons clear honey
1 tablespoon golden syrup
2 tablespoons light olive oil or sunflower oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

HOW TO MAKE:
Preheat oven to 170C. Spread the coconut on a baking tray and lightly toast for 5 mins.

Finely chop the apricots, cherries and cranberries. Now chop the peanuts in half (feel free to use unsalted) and add to the fruit with the rest of the dry ingredients.

Put the honey, oil, syrup and vanilla in a small pan and heat gently until they are mixed together. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix. Press into a lightly oiled baking tin (I used a 19cm square cake tin) and bake for 20 minutes and press the mixture down again after baking. Leave to cool in the tin and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Flatbread Recipe

I love this flatbread recipe from River Cottage Everyday, it's just so easy! At the moment I'm on a serious economy drive - like every January! I've decided not to buy any bread - firstly, because I'm not too keen on shop bought bread, and secondly, we eat so much bread in this house, I figure it's a lot cheaper to make it. But when time has run out these flatbreads are amazing. They take hardly anytime to make and lunch is so much nicer with these fresh and warm flatbreads - better than the usual rubbish you'd buy from the supermarket.

This is a great recipe too if you are trying to avoid excess yeast. You certainly won't feel like you are missing our with this yeast-free flatbread. 

Flatbread Recipe

PREP TIME	RESTING TIME
15 mins	15 mins

Makes 8

Ingredients:
250g (9oz) plain flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon rapeseed or olive oil
150ml (5.3floz) warm water

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the salt. Add the oil and water and form into a dough with your hands..

2. Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough feels smooth and elastic. Cover the ball with an upturned mixing bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes.

3. When you are ready to cook and eat the flatbreads, roll the dough into a sausage shape and divide into 8 balls. Flour the work surface and roll out the dough to around 2-3mm thick, using plenty of flour. I find that the dough needs to rest once rolled out for at least 3-5 minutes.

4. Place a heavy-based, non-stick frying pan - or a cast iron griddle - over a high heat and when it's good and hot, turn the heat down a bit. Have a plate lined with a clean tea towel so you can put your cooked flatbreads on it to keep them warm and soft.

5. Shake off any excess flour and carefully lay a flatbread in the hot pan. Let it sit for a minute or two, until the dough looks 'set' on top and has started to lift away from the pan. Flip over and cook for another 30-45 seconds.

6. Wrap the cooked flatbreads in the tea towel to keep warm while the rest are cooking.

7. Serve the flatbreads while they are still soft and warm. Once cold, they won't be quite the same. But they can be recycled by tearing them into pieces, brushing with a little oil, then crisping them up in a hot oven to make dipping chips, or flat croutons for soups or salads.

Recipe by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Lemon Curd & Banana Muffins

I hate waste. So when I've got a bunch of bananas that are going brown and are really past their best for eating - it means they are just right for adding to some yummy baking! And what a great excuse for baking something lovely to go with my afternoon cuppa! Perfect!

The lemon curd is a recipe from The Great British Bake Off book, although if you haven't got the time, just buy a jar. I happened to have some left in the fridge and thought this would be the perfect recipe to use it up. I've adapted the recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Lemon Curd Marble Muffins in his River Cottage Everyday book.

Queen Raspberry Birthday Cake

Yummy cake...

If you want a scrummy cake to make for a special occasion - this one seems to tick all the boxes! I made this layered cake from a half-fat sponge made in two sandwich tins. Once the sponge is cold, carefully slice both cakes in half to make four layers. Then you can start to assemble the cake. There is a layer of sponge, followed by a layer of lemon curd, then whipped vanilla cream, then sponge, then raspberries...

It's best to make the lemon curd the day before so it has plenty of time to cool. You may also want to make the sponge the day before, then all you have to do is assemble the cake on the day. You will need two punnets of raspberries to make the cake.


For the Lemon Curd (recipe from The Great British Bake Off)
Ingredients:
Makes about 560g
125g unsalted butter, softened
225g caster sugar
finely grated zest and juice of 3 unwaxed lemons
3 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten

HOW TO MAKE:
Put the butter, sugar, and lemon zest and juice into a heatproof bowl. Set over a pan of simmering water (the base of the bowl should not touch the hot water) and stir gently with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and melted, and you can no longer see or feel any grains of sugar.

Remove the bowl from the pan. Strain the eggs into the mixture (straining removes any membranes or pieces of shell) and stir well. Replace the bowl over the simmering water and stir until the mixture becomes very thick and opaque. Take your time and don't turn up the heat. The lemon curd is ready when you can draw your finger through the mixture on the wooden spoon and see a clear path.

Immediately remove the bowl from the heat and transfer the lemon curd to a clean bowl or screw-topped jar. Leave to cool, then chill. The lemon curd can be stored in the fridge for two weeks - mine lasted about two days!

Ingredients:
For the sponge:
225g self raising flour (I use a sponge flour)
125g unsalted butter, softened
225g caster sugar
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
100ml milk

HOW TO MAKE
Grease and line two cake sandwich tins with baking parchment. Cream the butter and the sugar together until pale and fluffy, add the vanilla and the eggs - one at a time. Add the sieved dry ingredients alternating with the milk until you have a smooth batter. Smooth equally into the tins and bake at 180ºC for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Ingredients:

For the Vanilla Cream
300ml double (heavy) cream
1 tablespoon icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

HOW TO MAKE:
Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and whip until the cream forms soft peaks. 

HOW TO ASSEMBLE:
Place the first sponge layer on your cake stand. Spread a layer of lemon curd and then a layer of cream. Add your next sponge layer and spread a layer of lemon curd and cream. Place the raspberries around the edge of the cake. Place the next layer of sponge on top of the raspberries and spread another layer of the lemon curd and then the cream. Place your final layer of sponge on top of the cream. Now dot a little of the lemon curd around the edge so you can stick the final raspberries in place to create a crown effect. Dust with icing sugar and enjoy!

Healthy Breakfast Muffins

After still having some old bananas left that needed some baking wizardry, I decided to opt for a healthier muffin. This is a great treat for breakfast - or even with your morning cuppa. They are packed full of goodies that will make anyone feel good in the morning. I had two for breakfast and didn't even think about food until lunchtime. Okay, that's a lie. I was cooking for most of the morning - but not tasting!

Healthy Breakfast Muffins

Makes 18
Ingredients:
300g (11 oz) plain flour
50g (2 oz) rolled oats
3 teaspoons baking powder
half teaspoon mixed spice
half teaspoon cinnamon
80g (3 oz)raisins
120g (4.5 oz) apricots, chopped
50g (2 oz) sunflower seeds
50g (2 oz) caster sugar
100ml (4 floz) sunflower oil
150ml (5.5 floz) natural yoghurt
150ml (5.5 floz) milk
1 egg, beaten
2 bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 medium carrots, grated

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Prepare the muffin tins with 18 muffin cases.

2. Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

3. Mix the wet ingredients in a jug.

4. Add the bananas and carrots to the dry ingredients and add the wet mixture.

5. Combine with as few stirs as possible and fill the muffin cases three quarters full.

6. Bake in a preheated 190C (375F) oven for 20 minutes.

7. Remove and leave to cool on a wire rack.

The Great British Bake Off's Lemon Curd Recipe

My sister bought me The Great British Bake-Off book for Christmas this year. So, as it was my son's second birthday party (the first one was for kids, this one was for family), I thought I'd make birthday cake number two a bit more classy. After having a think, I decided to go for a vanilla sponge layered with lemon curd, whipped vanilla cream and raspberries. The cake was a huge success, as was this lemon curd recipe! Not only did I have enough to use on the cake, we've also had it on toast, blueberry pancakes and in some banana and lemon curd muffins (recipes to follow very soon!). I think I'll be making some more very soon!

Olive Bread

I made the biggest batch of bread ever today. In fact, I may as well call it the Mean Bakery!

Everything got off to a late start this morning. We were all so reluctant to get out of our warm beds to face the blustery rain... brrrr! And what with it being the first day back to work for Mr Mean - it was all a bit of a rude awakening! Mr Mean's car wouldn't start from having so little time on the road over Christmas and two fence panels had been blown over in the wind too! Happy 2012! So, Mr Mean ended up taking my car and I thought I better get making some bread for lunch.

Tea Loaf

Scrummy Tea Loaf

We went for a little family trip out at the weekend to Lanes Garden Centre in Risley, Derbyshire. You can buy buckets of veg to feed to the animals (a goat tried to eat my jumper!) and there's a little cafe at the back of the shop to have a cuppa and cake (it also has the worst food photographer ever - but this kind of adds to the shabby charm!). So, we shared some tea loaf and Victoria sponge - they tasted a lot better than their mug shots looked!