Sweetie Pie's Perfect Scones! Part 2: Written Recipe

After experimenting over the course of a few days (which you can read all about here) I found what I consider to be the perfect scone: light and fluffy with pale sides and a brown top, with only a little hit of sweetness. I like my scones very plain.

To get the consistency of texture, the dough has to be worked through properly. This is tricky with something like scones, which need to be handled as little as possible before baking so they don't get tough. The way around this is to add some extra starch to reduce the overall amount of gluten in the flour. With a higher percentage of starch, the scones are lighter, fluffier, and easier to work with.

Split these beauties in half and enjoy with jam, butter, or cream. Or maybe all of the above, if you're feeling indulgent....

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DIFFICULTY

Very simple! 

TIME

1 hour

RECIPE RATING

Easy!

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INGREDIMENTS

6 ounces (170 grammes) white plain flour: spelt or wheat

2 ounces (55 grammes) cornflour

1 tablespoon baking powder, or 1 teaspoon of baking powder with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda for Irish style scones

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 ounces (55 grammes) butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons (28 grammes) caster sugar

4 fluid ounces (115 millilitres) milk, room temperature

1 teaspoon lemon juice, if using baking soda

Eggwash, made with an egg and a pinch of salt, or you can use milk to omit the egg

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and preheat a flat baking tray also.
• Sieve the flours, baking powder (and baking soda, if using), and salt twice, making sure to hold the sieve high. I like to sieve the mixture out onto a piece of baking paper, then back into the mixing bowl.
• In a mixing bowl, rub the sieved ingredients with the butter until it's like fine breadcrumbs. It doesn't matter what temperature the butter is, as long as it's very well rubbed in. Stir in the sugar.
• Add the milk (and lemon juice, if using baking soda) and mix quickly and throroughly with a metal spoon until just mixed.
• Turn out onto a floured work surface and chaff six times: chaffing is the process of flattening the dough by hand, folding in half, turning through 90 degrees, and then repeating. This is a much gentler process than kneading.
• Cut out scones using a cutter, shape the dough into a rectangle and cut squares, or shape into a round and cut into wedges. You can gather the remaining dough and re-roll, but the second rolling won't be as even as the first.
• Sprinkle flour onto the preheated tray and arrange the scones about half an inch apart from each other: if they're a little huddled together, they will rise straighter. Eggwash the tops, making sure it doesn't dribble down the sides. If you like, you can baste the tops with eggwash another two times during cooking for an even richer colour. You can also sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar or salt.
• Bake near the top of the oven for 15 minutes. This can depend on the size of the scones: when they've risen high and have turned a rich brown on top, they're ready.

These are best eaten the day they are made, but they freeze very well. Freeze any leftovers on the day of baking for best results.

Rich Tea Biscuits (Dairy- and Egg Free, with Wheat Free Option)

Is there anything quite as deliciously dunkable as a rich tea biscuit? Well, now you can make them at home!

Here in Ireland and the British Isles, these biscuits are readily available in every super market as a biscuit barrel staple; supermarkets even have their own brand versions of this crispy, plain treat. Not too fatty, not too sweet, with the perfect level of firm snap to withstand a thorough soaking in a hot cup of tea.

Essentially, a rich tea is a flat, thin, crunchy scone; it was almost exactly the same ingredients, and in nearly exactly the same proportions. If you look at the nutritional information on a pack of rich teas, you'll see that they're generally 15% fat and 20% sugar, and mostly flour. A scone is generally 25% fat and 15% sugar.

I've made this using self-raising wheat flour, and with spelt flour with added raising agents. I've noticed the ones made using shop-bought self-raising flour work the best, because it has just the right proportion of raising agents. However, I've included a recipe for homemade self-raising flour.

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DIFFICULTY
Requires a light touch with dough

TIME

About an hour

RECIPE RATING

Intermediate

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INGREDIMENTS

Ingredients for about 14 to 16 biscuits, depending on size

5 ounces (140 grammes) self raising flour*

Good pinch of salt

1 ounce (30 grammes) caster sugar

1 ounces (30 grammes) very cold margarine, or butter if you like

Water to bind, about 1 to 2 tablespoons

* - If you want to make your own self-raising flour, sieve 1 teaspoon of baking powder into every 4 ounces (115 grammes) of plain white spelt or wheat flour

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METHOD

• Line a one or two baking trays with non-stick baking paper, and preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F, Gas Mk.2).
• In a large mixing bowl, sieve the flour (and baking powder, if using), salt, and sugar. Rub in the margarine, or butter, until you have a very fine mixture.
• Gradually add the water, bringing the dough together with your hand. Add just enough water to bring the dough together into a stiff ball.
• Wrap the dough in cling film, or place in an airtight container, and allow to rest in the fridge for an hour to relax the gluten and set the margarine.
• Roll the dough out as thin as you dare on a floured work surface, making sure the turn the dough frequently as you roll so it doesn't pull back against the rolling pin. Cut 3 inch (7.5 centimetre) circles with a glass or biscuit cutter and prick each biscuit with a fork.
• Lie them gently on the baking trays, about half an inch (1 centimetre) apart, and bake in the centre of the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are completely dry and a light golden brown.
• Transfer the biscuits from the tray to a wire rack to cool to room temperature before eating. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Multicoloured Sweet Popcorn (Gluten-, Egg-, and Dairy Free) with Video!

If there's something that kid's particularly love, it's sweet things. And if there's something they love more than that, it's brightly coloured sweet things! Although, sometimes adults like it too.. especially this adult.

This is a simple way to make frosted popcorn of any colour you have available, that doesn't require a sugar thermometer: all you need is a microwave and an oven, and you'll have multicoloured popcorn in under 15 minutes.

If you want to add flavourings, you can add any flavouring oil or essence to the sugar syrup before tossing the popcorn. My companion likes popcorn that is sweet and salty, so I usually add a good few pinches of salt for that sweet/savoury experience.

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DIFFICULTY

Requires mixing and using a microwave

TIME

Under an hour

RECIPE RATING

Easy!

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INGREDIMENTS

Makes enough popcorn for 6 people

3 ounces (85 grammes) popped popcorn kernels
3 ounces (85 grammes) caster sugar
3 tablespoons (45 millilitres) water
Liquid food colouring

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FREE FROM

Eggs, nuts, dairy, gluten, yeast

CONTAINS

Maize, refined sugar

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STORAGE

Best eaten on the day it's made, but can be eaten the net day if kept in a airtight plastic bag or container.

Gingerbread Skeletons (Egg Free) with Video!

About two or so years ago, a friend of mine came to visit me around Halloween time, and she brought to me a small gingerbread man with a skeleton iced onto it; it was branded as a "Jack the Skeleton" biscuit, which made me chuckle. Ever since then, I've been curious about making some myself, but have had difficulty finding a gingerbread recipe that mimicked the soft, chewiness of the Jack the Skeleton biscuit.

This recipe, unlike the usual recipe I use, has a high ratio of sugar and syrup to flour, which renders the need to use egg as a binder redundant. Also, if you replace the butter with some good ol' margarine this recipe can be completely vegan! The icing is a very simple mix of butter, icing sugar, and water, so this doesn't use the traditional royal icing decoration. 

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DIFFICULTY

Requires mixing, rolling out, and cutting shapes

TIME

About 3 hours

RECIPE RATING

Easy!

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INGREDIMENTS

Makes six 3 inch gingerbread men

4 ounces (115 grammes) white spelt flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon mixed spice

One pinch to a ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, to taste

2 ounce (55 grammes) unsalted butter, or margarine

2 ounces (55 grammes) golden syrup

2ounces (55 grammes) dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

To decorate

2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) melted unsalted butter, or margarine
2 ounces (55 grammes) icing sugar, sieved
Water, to mix

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FREE FROM

Eggs, nuts, wheat

CONTAINS

Spelt, dairy (italics show alternatives), refined sugar

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METHOD

First, make the biscuits

• In a jug or bowl, heat the butter, syrup, and sugar in the microwave at 50% power for a minute at a time until the butter has melted and the syrup is runny. Mix well.
• Sieve the flour, salt, spices, and baking soda into a mixing bowl, make a well in the centre, and pour in the melted butter and syrup mixture. Mix with a spatula or spoon until you have a very soft dough.
• Pour the dough out onto a piece of cling film, and wrap it up. Pop it into the fridge for an hour, or until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4), and line one or two flat baking trays with non-stick paper.
• Roll the dough out on a floured surface to a quarter inch (5 millimetres) thick, and cut into gingerbread man shapes. Re-roll the scraps, trying not to mix in too much of the flour dusting.
• Lie the gingerbread men out on the tray(s), and chill for about 10 minutes before baking on the centre shelf of the oven for only 6 to 7 minutes for soft chewy biscuits, or up to 9 minutes for crispy biscuits.
• After the biscuits are baked, remove the tray(s) from the oven and cool the biscuits on the tray for about 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

To decorate

• Mix the icing sugar and melted butter together in a small bowl, adding only enough water to make a thickly flowing icing.
• Make a small baking paper piping cone, and fill halfway with icing. Snip off the end, and pipe on the skeleton bodies.
• Allow to set for about 30 minutes before serving.

STORAGE

These keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.

Flapjack Bars with Yoghurt Topping (Wheat- and Egg Free)

There are very few things in the world of bakery that scream "I am an Englishman!" as much as an oaty flapjack. As far back as the 16th century, the word flapjack has been used in the English language to refer to a variety of different baked things: pancakes, tarts, biscuits, and more. Nowadays, though, it conjures up an image of a buttery, golden syrupy, oaty traybake.

Here in Ireland, flapjacks can be bought individually as breakfast bars, and often they have a yoghurty topping. I have travailed for many days to bring to you the perfect recipe for a yoghurty topping.

Only after I failed in the attempt of developing the recipe. Four. Times. I eventually got it, though. The flapjack was harder than the icing, it has to be said.

The yoghurty topping requires a little experience of sugar boiling, but it's nothing too complex. If sugar boiling is a no-go for you, you can use any other icing you want, or leave it out altogether.

If you have a flapjack recipe you prefer, feel free to use it! I used this flapjack recipe more as a vehicle and an excuse to demonstrate the yoghurty topping, if I'm going to be completely honest.

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DIFFICULTY

Requires experience with sugar boiling stages

TIME

Over 6 hours

RECIPE RATING

Intermediate

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INGREDIMENTS

Makes one 8 inch (20 centimetre) tray of flapjacks

For the flapjacks

12 ounces (340 grammes) porridge oats

6 ounces (170 grammes) butter, salted or unsalted

4½ ounces (130 grammes) soft brown sugar

1½ ounces (40 grammes) golden syrup

1 fluid ounce (30 millilitres) water

Cinnamon, to taste

Vanilla essence, to taste

For the icing,

8 ounces (225 grammes) caster sugar
4 ounces (115 grammes) Greek yoghurt
4 ounces (115 grammes) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) vanilla essence

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FREE FROM

Eggs, nuts, wheat

CONTAINS

Oats, dairy, refined sugar

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METHOD

First, make the flapjacks.

• Line an 8 inch (20 centimetre) square tin with non-stick baking paper. Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F, Gas Mk.2).
• Take a quarter of the oats and grind to a flour in a blender or food processor. If you don't have heavy machinery, you can replace a quarter of the flour with instant oat cereal, like Ready Brek.
• In a saucepan, melt the butter, sugar, syrup, and water together and bring to the boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and add in the porridge oats and the ground oats. Add in the cinnamon and vanilla essence to your liking.
• Spread the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the centre shelf for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack until cooled enough to handle.

Then, make the icing. 

• Cook sugar, yoghurt, and half of the butter over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the butter has melted. Simmer to soft ball stage, about 118 to 120°C (235 to 240°F), stirring all the time.
• Remove from heat and allow to stop bubbling, then begin to beat the icing: every time is thickens, add a quarter of the butter. 
• Once the butter is completely beaten in and the icing has thickened, pour as much as you'd like over the still warm flapjacks. If you have icing leftover, store it in the fridge for another project.
• Put the flapjacks in the fridge for about 4 hours to set the icing. Allow to come up to room temperature after the icing has set to cut easily. Cut into as many pieces as you'd like.

STORAGE

These will keep in an airtight container for up to two weeks. If you live in a warm region, keep them in the fridge to stop the icing from melting.

Ice-Cream Month: Mint Toffo Sundae

Happy Ice-Cream Month, everyone! July is recognised as the month where we celebrate his delicious frozen confection, which is what I plan to do, starting with this delectable offering: Mint Toffo sundae!

Ice cream has been eaten in one form or another in Europe since the 17th century, but its only since the end of the 19th century that it became available to the regular Joe Soap, both in Italy and England. Since then it has done nothing but expand in popularity, helped along by the introduction of the domestic freezer in the 1950s.

Nowadays, ice-cream contributes nearly $40 million to the US economy alone, and is easily commercially available in nearly every supermarket. And seeing as nearly everyone has a freezer these days, it's super easy to make at home.

Over the years I've run this blog, I've dabbled in ice-cream making, but this month will be taking it to the next level: from simple no-churn ideas, to designer ice-cream flavours, to sundaes, to cheating at "churned" ice-cream with a food processor, this month will be epic!

So, let's start with the aforementioned Mint Toffo Sundae.

The inspiration for this recipe lies in childhood nostalgia: when I was a little girl, you could buy a brand of chewy caramel sweets called "Toffo", produced by Mackintosh (and later Nestlé), and they came in plain vanilla and mint flavours. The sweets were individually wrapped in red or green waxed paper, then wrapped up in a roll of gold foil, then packaged in a paper label.

These are one of the things that made my childhood.

I absolutely love the combination of toffee and mint, and I thought it would translate well into an ice-cream sundae. I wasn't wrong! I also gold-dusted a wafer fan with some fondant dust, and it looked great! I make my own wafers with a new updated recipe, which I'll be sharing later in the week.

I'm really enjoying designing sundaes. I think I got the sundae bug last year when I went to the Creams ice-cream parlour in Maidstone.

INGREDIMENTS
Makes four sundaes, with one scoop of each flavour

For two-thirds of a pint (370 millilitres) caramel ice-cream,

• 8 fluid ounces (230 millilitres) whipping cream
• 3 fluid ounces (85 millilitres) condensed milk
• 1 tablespoon (15 grammes) butter
• 1½ ounces (45 grammes) caster sugar

For two-thirds of a pint (370 millilitres) mint ice-cream,

• 8 fluid ounces (230 millilitres) whipping cream
• 6 fluid ounces (170 millilitres) condensed
• Up to ½ teaspoon (3 millilitres) natural peppermint essence
• ¼ teaspoon (2 millilitres) vanilla essence
• Two drops green food colouring

To serve

• Caramel ice-cream sauce
• Wafer fans, or follow the directions at the end of the article to make your own
• Gold dust fondant colouring

METHOD

The night before serving, prepare the ice-creams, starting with the caramel.

• To make the caramel ice-cream, mix the caster sugar with a teaspoon or two (5 to 10 millilitres) of water in a saucepan with a pale interior. Heat over medium heat, stirring consistently, until it begins to turn brown.
• When it browns, turn the heat down to low to continue cooking the sugar to a deep, dark brown. If it burns, don't worry: sugar is cheap, and burnt caramel comes off with hot water and soap.
• Once it comes to the right shade of brown, remove from the heat and mix in the butter and condensed milk. Return to the heat and cook gently until everything is dissolved together.
• Add in the cream, and stir until the mixture is smooth and consistent in colour. Remove from the heat, and cool completely to room temperature.
• Once it comes to room temperature, transfer to a mixing bowl big enough to whip the ice-cream, and then pop into the freezer for 20 minutes.
• After chilling, beat with an electric whisk until it reaches medium-firm peaks. Transfer it to a one-pint (580 millilitre) pudding basin, cover with the lid or some cling film. Then, prepare the mint ice-cream.

For the mint ice-cream,

• In a large mixing bowl, mix together all the ingredients, except the peppermint essence, with a wooden spoon. Add a few drops of peppermint essence, give it a taste, then decide if you want a stronger flavour: peppermint essence is intense, and you can always add more, but you can't take it out once you've added it. 
• If the bowl fits into the freezer, chill in there for 20 minutes. If not, chill in the fridge for an hour.
• After chilling, whip with an electric whisk until it holds medium-firm peaks. Transfer to a one-pint (580 millilitres) pudding basin, cover with the lid or some cling film, then pop into the freezer, along with the caramel ice-cream, and freeze overnight, or for a minimum of 6 hours.

Paint the wafers, then assemble the masterpieces,

• Using a nice soft paint brush, brush the wafers with the gold dust until to the gold-ness you like.
• Serve the sundaes with one scoop of each ice-cream flavour, a gold wafer fan, and some caramel sauce.

Crumpets (Wheat- and Egg Free)

Readers of Sweetie Pie Bakes Stuff, I present to you a project I have always thought about since I was very young: crumpets!

When I was much younger, I was given a book called The Book of Afternoon Tea by Lesley Mackley, which I'm sure I've mentioned many times in the past. In this book, is a recipe for crumpets. Now, if one is a half-English person living in Ireland, there are some creature comforts of England that are kinda misunderstood here: one of which is crumpets. They go in and out of the supermarkets every so often, but don't have much staying power. I don't think the locals quite understand them.

Not only are regular crumpets widely unavailable, wheat- or gluten free ones are unheard of all together. You can buy them at great expense in Marks and Spencer, but it turns out that making them at home is much cheaper, even if spelt flour has risen to an eye-watering €3.80 per kilogram (ouch!). But to make them at home you need a specific piece of kit: a crumpet ring.

Recently, as I mentioned in my last post, I was in England with my companion to collect a car from his friend. While I was there, I went looking in a local kitchen supply shop and found just the thing I was looking for: crumpet rings! I bought two in a pack for about £4.50, which isn't too bad. And on my return home, I couldn't wait to use them!

I did a little research online for the best recipe, and many recipes advise to add some bicarbonate of soda to help a) the production of the little holes, and b) neutralise some of the acidifying nature of yeast. I don't know if there's any science behind this, but I trusted the advice. As such, this recipe is basically the same one as found in the Afternoon Tea book, with the addition of bicarb.

INGREDIMENTS

• 8 ounces (225 grammes) white spelt flour
• 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) caster sugar
• ½ teaspoon (3 millilitres) salt
• One quarter-ounce (7 gramme) sachet of dry active yeast
• Half a UK pint (285 millilitres) milk, lukewarm
• 2 fluid ounces (60 millilitres) water
• ½ teaspoon (3 millilitres) bicarbonate of soda

METHOD

• In a medium mixing bowl, mix 2 ounces (55 grammes) of the flour, the salt, the sugar, the yeast, and half the milk until is is a well combined, thin mixture. Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes until all the little yeast particles dissolve.
• Mix in all the remaining ingredients, using a balloon whisk, until you get something like a thin pancake mixture.
• Cover the bowl with cling film or a clean tea towel, and allow to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to one hour, until doubled and bubbly.

• Once it has risen, grease a heavy frying pan and two to three crumpet rings. Preheat the pan over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Place the rings onto the pan, and fill each one halfway full, about half an inch (1 centimetre), being careful to keep all the lovely bubbles in the mixture. Cook until the tops are pitted and dry, about 6 minutes. If the bottoms are browning too quickly, turn down the heat.

• One the tops are pitted, dry, and nicely full of holes, flip over and cook for a further minute. Serve immediately with butter, or jam, and any left overs can be cooled on a wire rack and stored for three days.

Bibliography: Mackley, L. The Book of Afternoon Tea. HP Trade. July 1992

THIS TIME IN 2015: June Afternoon Tea Party: "Picnic"

THIS TIME IN 2013: Vegan Banana Bread (Wheat-, Dairy-, and Egg Free)

No blogs on this day in 2014 or 2016

Success, at Last! Hazelnut Ice Cream (No Churn, Egg Free)

Mögen Sie Haselnuss-Eis? Ich mag!

I'm sure throughout the four years that I have been blogging, and you have all been reading and supporting, I have mentioned my trips to Germany often. In 2008 and 2012, I visited North and East Germany, travelling to Lübeck, Ratzeburg, Magdeburg, Hamburg, Leipzig, Berlin, Bernburg, and many other villages in the mountains whose names I never knew. Both times were to visit my good friend who I met in secondary school, whom I've known ever since.

I will admit it has been way, way, way too long since I was in Germany, and I often find myself missing it dearly. My companion and I hope to go over this year for the Christmas markets in Berlin, and I want to promise myself that from hereon in I'll go at least once every two years. Hell, if I could afford to, I'd divide my year between living in Ireland and living in Germany.

There are many flavours of Germany I miss—from their delicious meat dishes, like hamburgers and sausages, to their incredible doughnuts and cream cakes—but of all of them it's the ice cream I miss the most.

When I was last in Germany, I was in Berlin on what was possibly one of the worst holidays I've ever had: I went with my companion at the time, and our relationship was cracking. It wasn't long after we returned that our partnership dissolved. We both wanted very different things out of life, and we especially wanted very different things from that holiday!

The only thing that made that holiday bearable was the ice-cream: at pretty much every corner in Berlin was an ice-cream stand that sold scoopable ice-cream of many flavours. Not only was it delicious, but it was also very cheap: even in the capital, which was more expensive on the whole, a cone with a scoop of ice-cream was €1.50, and each additional scoop ranged between 80c and €1. Here in Ireland, ice-cream parlours charge a hefty €2.60 per scoop!

When I was there, I always got any nut flavoured ice-cream—hazelnut and pistachio are particularly tasty—or coconut; and also a German speciality, Waldmeister!

Since then, I have tried to recreate some of my favourite flavours, but to no avail. Nut flavoured ice-cream always alluded me, until now! This is my take on a no-churn hazelnut flavoured ice-cream, that isn't Nutella.

I still have to work on getting my Waldmeister ice-cream right. Keep your eye out for any upcoming attempts!

INGREDIMENTS

Makes about 2 UK pints (1 litre) of ice cream

• 16 UK fluid ounces (455 millilitres) whipping cream, about 35% fat, plus extra if needed
• 12 UK fluid ounces (340 millilitres) condensed milk, cold
• 3 to 6 ounces (85 to 170 grammes) hazelnuts, to taste
• 2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) vanilla essence
• Generous pinch of salt
• Roughly chopped hazelnuts, to decorate

METHOD

• In a food processor, or with a large plastic bag and a rolling pin, crush the hazelnuts to a fine powder. 3 ounces (85 grammes) will give you a mild nutty flavour, whereas the full 6 ounces (170 grammes) will produce an intense nutty flavour. Grind as much as you think you'd like.
• In a dry frying pan, gently toast the ground hazelnuts over medium heat. Cook only until the nuts become fragrant and take a little bit of colour. Be careful, because nuts burn easily.
• Pour the hazelnuts into a medium saucepan, and add the whipping cream and salt. Place the saucepan over medium low heat, and bring to boiling point. Once it begins to boil, remove from the heat and allow to cool completely before chilling for at least 2 hours to steep. The cream needs to be good and properly cold.
• Strain the cream through a fine sieve to remove the ground hazelnuts; discard the ground hazelnuts. In the process of straining, you may lose some cream, as such you might need to top the cream level back up to 16 fluid ounces (455 millilitres).
• In a large bowl, beat the infused cream, condensed milk, and vanilla essence together until it becomes light and moussey.
• Pour into a 2 pint (1 litre) container and decorate the top with hazelnuts, if you like. Freeze overnight.

THIS TIME IN 2013: Jammie Dodgers (or Linzer Biscuits) (Wheat Free)

No blogs on this day in 2014, 2015, nor 2016.

Pi Day Special: Mississppi Mud Pie (Wheat- and Egg Free)

Happy Pi Day! It is finally March the 14th, and the day to eat pie! And to commemorate this occasion, I'll share with you how I made today's offering: Mississippi Mud Pie!

The only thing I new about Mississippi Mud pie for many years is that my Grandad loves to eat premade ones from the local supermarket (I think it's a Sainsburys), and that there's an infamous scene in the film The Help that revolves around one. But until I researched what maketh a mud pie, for the purposes of making one for Pi Day, I never knew what it comprised of.

I had always assumed it was a cake, but it's actually a chocolate biscuit base filled with some chocolate pudding. Sort of like a South African melktert, but chocolate version. Knowing how much I like melktert, and how much I like chocolate, I thought this would be a winner!

(Insidentally, I've never actually made a traditional vanilla melktert for this blog, only a chocolate one. Maybe that's one to do in future...)

So, without further ado, this is how I made it.

INGREDIMENTS


For one 9 inch (22 centimetre) pie

For the crust,

• 8 ounces (225 grammes) chocolate sandwich biscuits, regular or gluten free
• 3 ounces (85 grammes) butter, at room temperature
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) brown sugar

For the filling,

• 16 fluid ounces (2 cups, 455 millilitres) whole milk
• 4 fluid ounces (180 millilitres) whipping cream (about 30% fat)
• 2½ to 3 tablespoons (37 to 45 millilitres) cornflour
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons (30 millilitres) cocoa powder
• Good pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) vanilla essence
• ½ teaspoon (3 millilitres) instant coffee
• 1 tablespoon (15 grammes) butter

To decorate,

• Whipped cream
• White chocolate
• Cocoa powder

HOW-TO

• Prepare the biscuit crust in the same way as the key lime pie recipe.
• In a saucepan off the heat, mix together the sugar, cornflour, cocoa powder, and salt until completely combined and all the lumps are gone.
• Gradually add the milk, mixing all the time, slowly but surely to avoid lumps. Add in the cream and coffee and mix well.
• Cook the custard over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Cook at a boil for about 3 or 4 minutes until it has thickened.
• Take off the heat and add in the vanilla and butter, stirring until the butter has melted into the custard completely.
• Pour the custard into the crust and smooth out, shaking the tin a little to settle the top. If you don't want a skin on the surface, cover the top directly with clingfilm.
• Allow to cool to room temperature before putting in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
• The next day, make a Pi symbol as in the key lime pie recipe, using cocoa powder to coat instead of sprinkles. Allow to set completely in the fridge, about half an hour.
• Remove the clingfilm and cover the surface of the pie with lightly whipped cream. Set the Pi symbol on top.

No blogs on this day in previous years.

Soft White Bread Rolls (Wheat-, Egg-, and Dairy Free)

There are very few things in this life that are better than freshly baked bread. And luckily, using this recipe, it can be enjoyed if you are a spelt eater

 I remember when I was a little girl, Mum used to bake delicious white bread. The excitement of watching the dough rise, then watching the loaf go into the range (yes: we had a range. I was brought up in very rural West Clare in the '90s), then watching it emerge as a delicious treat waiting to happen. When it was St. Patrick's Day, Mum used to tint the dough green, so we could have green toast. It was exactly the kind of novelty that little children revel in, especially my brother, who is called Patrick.

I'm just wondering how many other applications there are for this dough: it seems incredibly versatile. This recipe uses exactly the same bread recipe as I used to make the pork dim sum, but applied to a slightly different context. I also discovered that this bread dough can be used to make delicious thin crust pizza, but I want to experiment with deep dish pizza, which has always been a favourite of mine.
FREE FROM

☑ Soya (check for soya lecithin)
☑ Wheat
☑ Nuts
☑ Eggs
☑ Dairy

CONTAINS
☒ Gluten
☒ Yeast
☒ Refined sugar products


INGREDIMENTS
For 10 small buns, or 8 medium sized buns

• 12 ounces (340 grammes) white spelt flour
• 1 quarter-ounce (7 grammes) package of instant yeast
• ½ teaspoon (3 millilitres) baking powder
• 6 fluid ounces (180 millilitres) hand hot water
• 1 ounce (30 grammes) sugar
• 1 ounce (30 grammes) sunflower oil

METHOD

First, prepare the yeast dough.

• In a large mixing bowl, mix 8 ounces (225 grammes) of the flour, the yeast, sugar, oil, and warm water together. Mix into a sticky paste, cover, and leave to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size and very spongy in appearance.
• Once risen, remove from the oven and sieve in the rest of the flour, the baking powder, and salt and mix together by hand until fully incorporated.
• Knead in the bowl until it forms a dough ball, and until the bowl is completely clean. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead continuously for 4 minutes.
• Return the dough to the bowl, cover again, and leave to rise again for 1 to 1½ hours, or until about doubled in size.

Next, assemble and cook the rolls.

• When the dough is fully risen, take it out and gently deflate it. Gently flatten the dough into a circle, and cut the circle into 10 or 8 pieces. If you like, you can use a digital scale to be more precise with the division.
• Take each piece and wad up into a ball, keeping the surface nice and taught. Place on a floured baking tray about an inch apart, so they can grow into each other.
• Cover lightly with a piece of cling film, put back in the warm place, and proof for a further 25 to 35 minutes, until doubled in size and touching.
• While the dough is proofing, preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F, Gas Mk.7), with a oven proof jug of boiled water on the bottom to make it steamy.
• When the buns are risen, sprinkle with a little bit of flour, score the tops in a cross shape, then place in the steamy preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, until brown on top.
• Once cooked, allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before eating.

Like with any kind of bread rolls, they are best eaten on the day they are eaten. I follow the adage: today it's bread, tomorrow it's toast, the next day it's for the birds.

However, these can be frozen raw. Once you have formed the dough balls, freeze on a tray before proofing the second time, pack them into bags once frozen, and freeze them for up to 2 weeks. When you want them, line them up on a floured tray as instructed, and allow to thaw and proof in a warm place for about 4 or 5 hours. Bake as instructed.

American Style Cookie Dough Ice-Cream (No Churn, No Cook, Egg Free)

It's May, which means in Ireland it's finally summer! And nothing says summer like some lovely, rich, ice-cream!

I was inspired to make some cookie dough ice-cream because I've been trying out some American style stuff recently, and also my brother and sister really like it. But, I had some challenges. (And also, I've been feeling quite sorry for myself over the past few days, as this time last year was a time where my companion and I were enjoying his birthday, so I wanted something to challenge me and take my mind off it.)

The thing is raw cookie dough is pretty, well, raw tasting. There is a very distinctive taste off raw flour: it's quite acidic, and burns a little bit; raw bicarbonate of soda tastes like soap; and raw egg is a bit of a no-no in frozen things. So, I did some research about how to make edible 'raw' cookie dough, that's actually been cooked.

After looking around a few blogs, I was particularly inspired by Ann Reardon's approach to making a roux-style cookie dough. So, I cooked the dough in a saucepan to get rid of the raw taste, but I used my own recipe, just scaling it down.

So here is the final thing! It's pretty much just my go-to ice-cream base with some 'raw' cookie dough in it. But it's pretty tasty!

FREE FROM
☑ Soya (check for soya lecithin)
☑ Yeast
☑ Gluten
☑ Wheat
☑ Eggs
☑ Nuts

CONTAINS
☒ Dairy
☒ Refined sugar products
☒ Cocoa (yes, I thought I'd contain it because I was allergic to cocoa for a time)

INGREDIMENTS

For the ice cream base.

• 8 fluid ounces (225 millilitres, 1 US cup) whipping cream, 35%-40% fat content, well chilled
• 6 fluid ounces (170 millilitres, ¾ US cup) condensed milk, well chilled
• 1 vanilla pod or 1 tablespoon vanilla essence
• Pinch of salt

For the cookie dough,

• 2 ounces (55 grammes) white spelt flour
• 1 ounce (30 grammes) light brown sugar
• 1 ounce (30 grammes) butter
• 2 tablespoons (30 millilitres) milk
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) vanilla essence
• 3½ ounces (100 grammes) milk chocolate chips, or milk chocolate cut into small pieces

HOW-TO
First, make the cookie dough:

• Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper, or use a silicone tray.
• Mix the milk, sugar, butter, and vanilla essence together in a small saucepan. Heat together over low heat until the butter and sugar have melted, but don't boil.
• Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once. Stir until completely mixed with no lumps of flour remaining.
• Return to medium heat and cook until it becomes a thick paste. While still hot, thinly spread out on the tray and allow to cool completely.
• When the dough is cool, mix with the chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate) to make a cookie dough. Congratulations! You now have edible raw cookie dough.

Then, make the ice-cream:

• Using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream and condensed milk together until light and a soft-peak consistency. It wants to look like a soft whipped cream. For best results, put the bowl and the beaters in the freezer for about 15 minutes beforehand.
• Pour a third of the mixture into a 2 pint (560 millilitre; 2½ US cup) container, then break up about a third of the cookie dough over the top. Mix a little to distribute the dough chunks.
• Repeat with the remaining two thirds of ice-cream and dough, finishing with a sprinkle of dough.
• Cover with the container's lid -- or clingfilm, directly touching the ice-cream's surface -- and freeze for 4 to 6 hours.
• Allow to temper for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve as a sundae with syrups, sprinkles and other nice things, on its own, or with cake.

THIS TIME IN 2015: Battenberg Birthday Cake (Wheat and Dairy Free)
THIS TIME IN 2014: Minty Mint Brownies of Mintiness, with Marbled Glaze (Wheat Free)
THIS TIME IN 2013: How to Use and Abuse Royal Icing, and Wholemeal Gingerbread (Wheat Free)

Egg-Free Marzipan

One of my all-time favourite bakery and sugar craft staples, and something I have touched on surprisingly seldom in my blog, is marzipan! I forget about it all year, and then Christmas comes around and I'm marzipan mad.

Marzipan is one of my most favourite things: I could eat blocks of marzipan until I felt very ill, and still like it. When I was in school, I had a good German friend who one year got a solid marzipan Easter egg from her father back home in Germany. She gave me some, and it was some of the nicest marzipan I had tasted; she told me it was by a company called Niederegger, and that the factory shop was in Lübeck, which was a town close to her own home. I visited her home in 2008 (my first foreign holiday) and asked her to take me to the shop, where I bought a nice amount of the delicious marzipan to nibble on and bring home.

Despite my love of marzipan, I'd never tried to make it before this year. In May, I made a circular Battenberg layer cake, which was my first attempt at making it. I never realised it was so easy! It is a little fragile because it lacks those good egg white proteins, but it's easily moulded like clay and sets quickly.

FREE FROM

☑ Soya
☑ Yeast
☑ Dairy
☑ Gluten
☑ Eggs

CONTAINS
☒ Nuts
☒ Refined sugar products

INGREDIMENTS:

• 7 ounces (200 grammes) ground nuts of your choice: almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, etc.
• 7 ounces (200 grammes) icing sugar
• ¼ teaspoon (2 millilitres) almond essence, or to taste
• Cold water, to bind
• Optional: 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) lemon juice
• Optional: 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) lemon zest
• Icing sugar, for dusting

HOW-TO:

• In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ground nuts and icing sugar until well combined. Add in the almond essence (and lemon juice and zest if using), and stir with the tip of a knife.
• Continuing to mix with the knife, add in water a teaspoon (5 millilitres) at a time until it comes together in a soft dough.
• Dust the work surface with a little icing sugar, and turn out the marzipan. Knead and squash the dough together very gently until smooth; if you over knead it, it becomes oily and unworkable.
• You can use the marzipan straightaway, or wrap it in cling film and keep in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

Marzipan is used very often in Northern European bakery and sweet-making: Denmark, Holland, and Germany all produce a lot of almond based delights. I will be exploring all of these things in the New Year.

Chocolate Pudding (Egg and Wheat Free)

Recently I've been abstaining from all sweetie things, except for my 40 calorie hot chocolate sachets and my occasional four square line off a Lidl bar of chocolate, in an attempt to lose the half a stone that I gained over the Christmas period. So far, since last Sunday, I have lost about four and a half pounds, and I'm fairly pleased with myself! Also, I'm saving my allotted calorie expenditure for the week for my birthday, which is on Sunday coming.

So this week I thought I'd try out a new recipe, which is an egg-less chocolate pudding, akin to an American style pudding.

My association with the word "pudding" is that of a boiled cake, but this is what the Americans call a pudding. I don't know what our folk would call this: custard? A dessert? A chocolate pot? But regardless of its name, it's fairly tasty.

It is by no means low calorie, though: if you make this recipe for one person, it's about 310 calories (155 if shared between two people equally), so it's a naught treat; but a delicious naughty treat.

FREE FROM

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

☑ Gluten

CONTAINS
☒ Cocoa
☒ Dairy
☒ Refined sugar products

INGREDIMENTS
For 1 generous or 2 small helpings

• 2 ounces (55 grammes) chocolate of your choice, broken into small pieces
• 4 fluid ounces (120 millilitres) whole milk
• 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) sugar
• ½ tablespoon (8 millilitres) cornflour
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) butter
• 1 teaspoon (5 millitires) vanilla essence

METHOD

• In a small saucepan, blend the sugar and cornflour with a little bit of milk to make a smooth paste. Add the rest of the milk, stirring continuously.
• Put the mixture over a medium heat, mixing all the time with a whisk. Bring to the boil, and boil for about 2 minutes or until thickened.
• Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate, vanilla and butter until fully melted and combined. Pour into a cappuccino cup, or into two glasses.
• Cover with cling film, making sure the film directly touches the surface of the custard, and allow to cool to room temperature before chilling for at least 2 hours.
• To serve, remove the film and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.

This is a very simple way to make custard or pudding without having to worry about scrambling eggs, or if you're trying to avoid eating eggs. It's nice and smooth and creamy, but if you prefer a smoother or firmer pudding, adjust the cornflour by half a teaspoon each way.

THIS TIME LAST YEAR: Caramel Ice-Cream (Egg- and Wheat Free)