Experiment: Yeast and Wheat Free Hot Cross Buns

So, after the success of my Bakewell tart slices, I decided to get even more experimental in the kitchen and do something completely different. Seeing as it is Good Friday, I thought I'd try my hand at making some yeast and wheat free hot cross buns.

Hot cross buns are a big part of out family's Easter festivities, but for years my mother and I haven't been able to eat them. A few years ago I tried my hand at traditional yeast risen buns, and they turned out really well. But generally speaking I avoid using yeast because the temperatures of my house and the houses of my family members (where I would bake if I'm there for a holiday) are too unreliable for proofing dough.

As such, I though I'd try to make some using my yeast and wheat free quick pizza base recipe, which I successfully converted into bagels. I thought of the theory, and thought it would work, and just made a few little changes: I replaced some of the warm water with a medium egg, and added some dried mixed fruit and spices. I kneaded it for about 5 minutes, allowed it to sit for 20 minutes, then rolled it into 8 balls. I put them together in close proximity on a flat baking sheet and baked them at 200 degrees Celcius for 15 mintes.

And here is what happened:

For some reason, the crusts baked up to hard, and they didn't spread properly in the oven. as you can see, they turned into balls instead of buns, and the crusts split. This suggests to me that the temperature was too high, and the dough was too firm.

The texture of the buns was really convincing and bread-like, and the taste was very good. But the shape was wrong and they were a little too dense. Next time I'll have to make the dough softer, maybe even more like a brack batter.

At least I gave it a go! And I'll know better for next time. Maybe between now and March 25th 2016 I'll have the recipe perfected.

THIS TIME 2014: No blog
THIS TIME 2013: Different Sponge Cake Flavours (no April Fool, it's after 12pm)

Bakewell Tart Slices (Wheat Free)

Recently I've been feeling a little lacking in inspiration in the kitchen, as I've just been baking the same old things for months. So, I thought I'd try something completely new and different, and try my had at making some Bakewell tart, and here's the result!

Bakewell is a town in County Derbyshire (pronounced DAR-bi-shur, for those who take that first letter E literally), and this confection is said to have been made there as far back as the mid 1800s. Nowadays, it is best known as a little individual cake manufactured by Mr Kipling, which has fondant icing and a glacé cherry on top.

Although the original Bakewell tart recipe doesn't include the aforementioned icing and cherry, the combination of pastry crust, raspberry jam, and almond sponge (also known as frangipane) is absolutely delightful. It's one of my Dad's favourite things.

Usually the name Bakewell tart conjures up the image of individual tarts in foil cases, but it is traditionally baked as a large round tart. However, I decided to go tray bake on it and make Bakewell slices.

FREE FROM

☑ Soya (check for soya lecithin)
☑ Yeast
☑ Wheat

CONTAINS
☒ Gluten
☒ Refined sugar products
☒ Dairy
☒ Eggs
☒ Nuts (Almonds)

INGREDIMENTS:
To make one 4x8 inch (10x20 centimetre) tart, which yields eight decent slices

For the base:

• 3 ounces (85 grammes) white spelt flour
• 1 ounce (30 grammes) cornflour
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) butter or margarine, at room temperature
• 1 ounce (30 grammes) icing sugar
• 4 tablespoons (60 millilitres) raspberry jam

For the filling:

• 1 ounce (30 grammes) ground almonds
• 1 ounce (30 grammes) white spelt flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) butter or margaine
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) caster sugar
• 1 medium egg
• Several drops of almond essence
• 1 fluid ounce (30 millilitres; 2 tablespoons) milk, or water or milk alternative

For the topping:

• 4 ounces (115 grammes) icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon (15 grammes) butter, or margarine
• Water, to mix
• 4 whole glacé cherries, halved

METHOD

• Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4, or moderate).
• In a small mixing bowl, beat together the butter and icing sugar until fluffy with an electric mixer or wooden spoon. Add in the two flours and mix into a soft but crumbly dough.
• Tip the dough into an ungreased loaf tin and press down into a smooth and even layer. To make it easier, moisten your fingertips to stop the dough sticking to your hands.
• Spread the raspberry jam over the base in an even layer, like you were putting jam on toast. You don't want it too thick. Set aside.
• In the same bowl, beat the butter and caster sugar until fluffy with the same beaters or wooden spoon. Beat in the egg until fully mixed, then then the almond essence. Different brands have different strengths, so go by taste if you don't have an issue with raw egg: it should have a good almondy taste that's not offensively strong.
• Put the almonds, spelt flour, salt, and baking powder in a sieve. Sieve in half the ingredients into the bowl, mix in, then add the milk, mix in, then add the last of the dry ingredients and beat to a smooth batter.
• Spoon the mixture carefully over the jam in blobs, and then smooth out without disturbing the jam too much. Even out the surface, and then put in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
• Once removed from the oven, cool fully in the tin on a wire rack.
• When your tart has completely cooled, make the icing. Melt the butter in a small bowl, and add in the icing sugar and mix until the icing sugar is moistened with the melted butter. Add water, a teaspoon at a time, until it is a thick but spreadable icing. Spread all over the top of the tart, and press 8 glacé cherry halves into the top of the tart, spaced evenly. 
• Allow to set for at least 3 hours. Cut unto eight even slices, trimming the sides if you like to make it neater.

The combination of crumbly, butter pastry, with the moist soft almondy sponge, and the tartness of the fruity jam, topped off with the campness of fondanty icing and glacé cherries, is absolutely wonderful; and quintessentially English. This turned out so well, and it went down very well with the family.

THIS TIME IN 2014: Spanner in the Works: White Spelt Flour No Longer Exists
THIS TIME IN 2013: Basic Sponge Cake (Wheat Free)

Happee 2nd Birthdaee, Sweetie Pie Bakes Stuff!!

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday, dear Sweetie Pie Bakes Stuff;

Happy birthday to you!

And thus it was, another year came to pass. My blog is now two years old! And it has been great craic. Sometimes it has been tricky to keep on top of my bi-weekly updates due to work and whatnot, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the process.

To celebrate the occasion, I thought I'd stick with the St' Patrick's Day green theme and make a mini birthday cake: coffee and mint flavour.

I bet you're thinking Coffee and mint? Really, Sweetie Pie? but it's actually a very pleasant combination. Most things that work with chocolate work with coffee (as I discussed in one of my very first recipe posts where I made a coffee and raspberry cake), because coffee is a slightly milder and more bitter tasting cocoa, really. However, when it comes to pairing flavours with coffee cake, the coffee flavour has to be fairly strong to match up to the accompanying flavour.

I used my usual sponge cake recipe, flavouring it with a little fine espresso powder and some ground coffee beans, and then made some very simple buttercream icing, flavoured with natural peppermint essence and coloured with some green gel food colouring.

Of course, I didn't eat the whole thing myself; I actually cut it up and brought it to work. This Holy Week I have taken it upon myself to fast from waking to sunset every day until Easter, which is roughly 10 to 12 hours a day. It's actually not as tough as people think.

So thank you to all of my readers and commenters and co-bakers! I hope that the year ahead will be just as fun as the last two, and that I will be baking all sorts of new and wonderful things, and raising the profile of my recipes a bit more; maybe I might give video making another try, and see if I like it better this time....

Here is a list of the ten most popular recipes of 2014 (in order):

• Millionaire's Cheesecake (Wheat Free)
• Christmas Cake 2014!
• Minty Mint Brownies of Mintiness, with Marbled Glaze (Wheat Free) 
• Orange Chocolate Fudge
• Variation on a Theme: Malted Chocolate Ice-Cream with Caramel Swirl (Egg and Wheat Free)
• Spelt Doughnuts (Wheat Free)
• Lemon Meringue Tarts (Wheat Free)
• Experiment:Syrup Sponge Pudding in the Microwave! (Wheat-, Egg-, and Dairy Free)
• Peanut Butter Cup Mini Cheesecakes (Wheat Free)
• Quick Pizza Base(Wheat-, Dairy-, Egg-, and Yeast Free)

But for those of you who are here for the recipe of how I made this lovely mint coffee cake (which is a totally legit combination of flavours) read below:


You will need:

• 1 four inch (10 centimetre) coffee sponge cake, which can be made using a 1-egg quantity of my classic sponge recipe
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) white chocolate, broken into pieces
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) caster sugar
• 2 fluid ounces (60 millilitres) milk
• Several drops of peppermint essence
• Green food colouring

To make it:

• If your cake has a dome, slice off a little from the top to flatten it. Slice the cake in half horizontally, and use the bottom half upside-down as the top layer, so the top will be nice and level.
• In a saucepan over low heat, heat the sugar and milk until the sugar melts. Bring to the boil; once it has boiled for a few seconds, remove from the heat and immediately add in the chocolate, stirring until melted. Return to the heat and cook gently for about 30 seconds until smooth and flowing once more. Take off the heat and mix in the peppermint essence and green food colouring until to tastes and looks like you want it.
• Allow the icing to cool completely for about an hour, Once it is a spreadable consistency, fill and ice the cake, swirling the icing to make it pretty.

March Afternoon Tea Party: St. Patrick's Day

I'm back! But only for a this one blog. Right after my film project (which unfortunately we'll have to extend due to a camera hiccough) my mother got ill and I've had to take on a few of her responsibilities, meaning I'm not at home half the time at the moment.

So on Saturday we had this month's afternoon tea party at the community centre, and we themed it obviously around St. Patrick's Day, meaning lots of green.

I have very fond memories on St. Patrick's Day. My older brother is called Patrick, and every year as children we'd sort in a way treat is like his second birthday: my mother would dye her usual daily bread loaf green, and make green biscuits, and we used to put green dye in lemonade; my Dad even put green dye in his lager. And to this day, even at my ripe old age of 482, I make green cakes and things for St. Patrick's Day.

Coincidentally, this month's tea party fell on the same day as Pi day, so I made a no bake key lime pie with the symbol Pi on it for added nerd factor. I also made some minty chocolate chip cookies, decorated with milk chocolate drizzle and green homemade sprinkles.

To make the key lime pie, I used the recipe available on the BBC Good Food website. However, I halved the filling quantity because I used a smaller tin, but used the same amount of biscuit base so I could make a biscuit base with sides; I also replaced digestives with gingernuts for the green-white-and-gold vibe. I decorated the top with a Pi symbol made up of green Jelly Tots.

Sorry that the photographs aren't great, and that my blog posts are sporadic at the moment, but work is work! Hopefully I'll be back to my baking self soon.