Christmas Food!

Mini Focaccia

500g strong white bread flour

2 tsp salt

2 sachets of yeast

2 tbsp olive oil

400ml cold water

 

Chilli flakes, garlic and rosemary to garnish

 

Place the flour, salt, yeast, olive oil and 300ml of the water into a large bowl. Gently stir to form a dough then knead for ten minutes, gradually adding the remaining water. Cover and leave to rise until doubled in size. Divide the dough into roughly twelve equal balls then leave to prove for one hour in the mini loaf tin. Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7. Drizzle the loaves with oil, sprinkle with fine sea salt and the garnishes then bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

 

Christmas Viennese Jam Tarts

Short crust pastry

Jam of your choice

 

150g unsalted butter

150g plain flour

30g cornflour

30g icing sugar

 

Cut out pastry circles to fit the tart tin. Fill each tart with a spoonful of jam. For the Viennese whirl topping, cream all the ingredients together and pipe onto the tarts. Bake at 180C/gas 4 for 15-20 minutes.

 

Irish Cream Trifle

This is my favourite dessert of the festive period.

Chocolate cake or chocolate Swiss roll

Big slosh of Irish cream

1 carton of custard

140g chocolate

600ml double cream

 

Break up the cake into a trifle dish. Soak with Irish cream. Top with the custard. Melt the chocolate and leave to cool. Whip the cream until peaks form. Set half the cream aside and whisk the chocolate into the remaining half. Layer the chocolate cream mix into the dish then top with the cream. Decorate with biscuits or chocolate of your choice.

Hot Cross Buns for Easter

625g strong white flour

2 tsp mixed spice

25g butter

85g sugar

zest of 1 orange

1 and 1/2 tsp yeast

1 egg

275g tepid milk

125g mixed fruit

100g marzipan

3 tbsp melted apricot jam

 

Add the flour and mixed spice to a mixing bowl then rub in the butter. Make a well and add the sugar, zest and  yeast. Pour in the egg and tepid milk and combine to a dough. Lightly knead for 5 minutes.

Cover and leave to rise for an hour.

Knock the dough back and leave to rise for a further 30 minutes.

Divide into 12 equal pieces. I added the pieces to a greased a mini loaf tin but you could roll the pieces into balls. Leave to rise again for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 240C/Gas 8.

Roll the marzipan into thin strips for the crosses on the buns. Add the strips onto the buns to make the cross.

Bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown. When they come out the oven, brush the hot jam over.

Chilli Cheese Pinwheels

500g strong white flour

350g tepid water

7g yeast

pinch of salt

 

small block of chilli cheese, or any cheese of your choice

4 chillies, finely chopped

 

Combine the dough ingredients and knead for about 10 minutes. Leave to rise for an hour.

Roll out into a rectangle, sprinkle over the chillies and grate the cheese on top. Roll the far edge towards yourself like a swiss roll, then cut into thick strips. Lay the circles flat into a greased baking tray, spread apart. Leave to rise for a further hour.

Bake in at gas 6/200C for thirty minutes or until golden brown.

 

 

 

Soda Bread

This is my first attempt at soda bread.

 

170g plain flour

170g self raising whole wheat flour

1/2tsp salt

1/2tsp bicarb

 1/2 pint warm milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice

Combine all ingredients with a fork. Turn onto a baking tray, score, sprinkle with oats and bake for thirty minutes at 200C/gas 6.

Broadstairs Food Festival, Kent

Here is a selection of the delicious baked goods at last weekends Broadstairs Food Festival.

 

I had a hog roast roll, crepe, falafel wrap, Viennese finger and a blackberry cider over the weekend. All were delicious!

Fig and Cheese Bagels

I got this recipe from The Great British Bake Off Showstoppers book.

The original recipe was for fig, walnut and gruyere bagels. The walnuts and gruyere was meant to be drizzled on top after they baked. I didn't have any gruyere so just sprinkled on cheddar when they came out of the oven.

The recipe made twelve, so I froze most them.

They still taste great defrosted.