simple bread rolls

I absolutely love that after years of dreading the thought of attempting to bake bread, I've finally faced my fears and got the hang of it

These bread rolls are a great way to start off with if you want to ease your way into bread making. 

The amount below makes up either 12 small bread rolls, perfect for soup or as sandwiches for little children or 10 slightly larger rolls for burger style sandwiches.

You will need 

500g bread flour

1 tsp active dried yeast 

1 1/2 tsp caster sugar

1 tbsp soft butter

1 tsp salt

280-300ml lukewarm water

•In a bowl mix together the sugar, salt & yeast. Add the butter rub into the flour

•Slowly add the water in mixing continuously to form a soft, slighty sticky dough

•Knead in your electric mixer with the dough hook for about 6 minutes or by hand on a lightly floured work surface for 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic

•Place into a clean lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise until doubled.

•Once doubled, take the dough out and on a lightlt floured suface gently knead it to knock the air out for a couple of minutes

Divide into 12 equal portions and form into round balls  - perfect size for eating with soup or smaller sandwiches for kids

•For larger bread rolls ( more suited for burgers ) divide into 10 rounds... place the balls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper, cover and leave to prove until doubled in size .. the balls should just be touching each other

Place in the oven at 200c for 20 mins for the small rolls .. 30-40 minutes for the bigger rolls or till risen, doubled  and golden all over. The base of the rolls should sound hollow when they are ready. Use as desired 

Twisted banana loaf

Twisted banana loaf ... It's my version of banana loaf with a little twist from a simple banana loaf .. Every baker has their own little take on this and I genuinely love this version that I've experimented with & hope you'll love it just as much 

To make a loaf that will give 8-10 slices you will need:

6oz soft light brown sugar

3 medium eggs

6oz self raising flour
1 level tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon 

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

2 medium bananas mashed

1 medium banana cut in half lengthways
50g chopped  pecan nuts

50g tbsp porridge oats 

2 tbsp soft brown sugar

2 tbsp softened salted butter 

4 tbsps double cream

2 tbsp salted caramel ( optional )

• On a low heat melt the butter in a frying pan and stir in the sugar, then the double cream.
• Mix together on a low heat, add in the pecans, ( reserve a tbsp) stir again then carefully place the sliced banana into the pan.. let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.. use a spoon to drizzle the sauce over the banana.. take off the heat after 2-3 minutes and set aside Into a bowl, add the margarine, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, cinnamon & vanilla bean paste and whisk until combined, light and fluffy
• Gently mix in the 2 mashed bananas and porridge oats
• Pour into a  greaseproof lined 1 litre loaf tin. Sprinkle over a few more oats, drizzle the caramelized pecans with any caramel over the top then place the sliced  banana on top
• Bake at 160c (fan) for 45-50 mins until well risen and the cake just about starts to come away from the tin. Leave to cool completely before removing from the tin to serve 
• Once its completely cooled, drizzle over the salted caramel and serve

Thanks Sharon

Now i know i don't celebrate christmas but it doesnt mean i can't indulge in all the foods that are a classic and guaranteed to make an appearance at this time of year.

Growing up I always thought that mince pies had actual mince in them - please tell me i am not alone in this - and because we never ate them at home or knew anyone in my family or friends that liked them, i never bothered to investigate what they actually were.


Fast forward to the first time trying  mince pie in school after discovering the actual contents, I found that i didn't like them at all. Every year since then I've tried to force myself into liking them and it just made me dislike them more ever time.

Thank the lord for my amazing friend Sharon who brought her home made mince pies to work last year, i geared myself up to try one since she promised they tasted nothing like shop bought ones, and boy was I amazed at how delicious they were.

So from trying a home made one I knew i had to make my own version. I wasted no time whatsoever and found myself indulging in making as many mince pies as possible and handing them out left right and centre.

So to make my home made mincemeat for mince pies you will need:

170g currants,
          raisins
          sultanas
          dried cranberries
100g mixed peel
1 small cooking apple, peeled and chopped
100g butter
25g vegetable suet
115g soft light brown muscavado sugar
95g soft dark brown muscavado sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice

          ground Nutmeg
100ml orange juice

             apple juice
Zest of 1 lemon

• Start by placing all the dried fruit into a bowl along with the cinnamon, mixed spice and both fruit juices. Stir till well incorprated and leave to soak over night - i normally mix mine up early evening and leave till the next evening before cooking

• When ready to cook, take your soaked fruit along with the rest of the ingredients into a heavy based pan, and on a medium heat stir everything together until the butter and sugar completely melt

• Bring the mixture to boiling point on a high heat, then lower the heat completely and leave to simmer until the mixture has thickened slighty, and the fruit juices have reduced.

• Leave to completley cool, and use to make up mince pies using a batch of my Sweet short crust pastry You'll need about 250g of mince meat to make 12 mince pies.

Store any left over mince meat in sterilised jars and keep in the fridge for up to 6 months

Cheese and Marmite scones

When it comes to Marmite, Im a rather late comer to the party, I only dared try it a couple of months ago for brekfast on my toast and I was instantly converted, and left wondering what took me so long to actually try the stuff.


This now meant that I began wondering instantly what else I could use it for, I began trawling through pinterest for ideas. The first thing that caught my eye was a recipe for cheese scones with marmite added into the dough along with a drizzle on top once baked, so cheese and marmite scones it was.

I didn't even need to go out and buy any of the ingredients, luckily i had just about enough to make one batch and so I did and they did not disappoint


To make 12-14 scones you will need

250g plain flour
250g strong bread flour
5 tsp baking powder
100g grated cheese
2 tsp marmite
1 medium egg whisked
80g butter
250ml milk
3tsp marmite to drizzle (optional)

• Preheat your oven to 180c (fan) Place both flours and the baking powder into a bowl and mix together. Add the butter and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour to make a breadcrumb like consistency.
• Add in the cheese, stir through. Then add in the marmite to the whisked egg and add this to the bow, of flour, along with the milk, a little at a time, mix together to form a soft , slightly sticky dough. You may not need all the milk 
• Flour your work surface and turn out the dough onto your work surface. Knead the dough for a couple of minutes till soft. Flatten the dough out using your hands to 1 - 1 1/2 inch thick.
• Use the fluted edge of a round cookie cutter to cut out the scones, place the cut out rounds onto a baking tray and brush the tops with beaten egg. Leave to rest for at least 10 minutes.
• Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until double in size and golden on top
• Melt the 3 tsp of marmite for a few seconds in your microwave then liberally drizzle all over the tops of the still hot scones and tuck in. You can also eat them the next day toasted, with butter for brakfast

fruit scones

Scones are probably one of the first things I ever learned to bake and even now i love the simplicity of them and how they still taste delicious everytime.

The recipe i use now has slightly changed from what i used growing up, but definitely this recipe gives me the best tasting and textured scones to date.

These are the classic sultana scones, but you can swap them for glace cherries, rasins or chocolate chips or even leave them plain if you prefer

To make 12-15 scones you will need 

250g strong bread flour
250g plain flour
5 level tsp baking powder
80g unsalted butter
80g caster sugar
250ml milk
2 medium eggs
100g sultanas/choc chips/glace cherries 

• Preheat your oven to 200c (fan) and line 2 baking trays with grease proof paper
• Place your flour, butter, baking powder and sugar in a bowl and rub the mixture together with your fingers till you get a breadcrumb like consistency. Add in your chosen fillings at this point, mix them through
• Add in eggs and half the milk and mix together to combine everything. Add the rest of the milk a little at a time combining the mixture until you get a soft (but not wet) dough. You may not need all the milk
• Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes till you have a smooth dough.
• Roll out your dough to about 2 and a half cm thick and use a 5and a half cm cookie cutter to cut out rounds. Re roll any remaining dough and cut out more rounds.
• Brush the tops with beaten egg and leave to rest for about 5 minutes.
• Bake in the  oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and they have risen. 
• Serve toasted with butter or with jam and cream

 
 

Ready Set .... Bake !!

Hands up if you're a fan of The Great British Bake off ?  *raises hands super excitedly* I have to admit I didn't quite catch on to it until the 3rd series, but now as it's currently in its 7th series I am a die hard fan .. I even managed to win myself a signed copy (of my favourite contestant)  John Whaite's debut cook book by entering a Heat mag competition which I'm still quite chuffed about to this day.

I decided to treat myself to this years cook book from the show and one of the things that caught my eye straight away was the recipe for viennese whirls, as my husband loves them and there aren't many a sweet / dessert that he'll eat. 

So with a bit of time to spare on a friday morning before work, I gave them a go and actually found them quite easy to do, and took them in for my work colleagues to taste test for me.

To make 12 biscuits you will need

for the biscuits:

250g unsalted butter

50g icing sugar

225g plain

25g cornflour

for the filling:

100g icing sugar

200g salted butter

1 tsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract/ seeds of a vanilla pod / 1/2 tsp vanilla paste

raspberry jam

• Start by preheating the oven to 190c/375f/gas mark 5
• line 2-3 baking trays with baking/greaseproof paper and using a 5cm cutter draw a total of 24 circles on to the sheets of paper, making sure they are well spaced. Flip the sheets of paper over on to the baking trays so the pencilled circles are face down.
• Ensuring your butter is very soft* cream it with the sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer or hand held whisk. Whisk until the butter is light and fluffy and paler in colour.
• Sift in the flour and corn flour and whisk again slowly to make a smooth mixture that should be soft enough to pipe 
• Spoon your mixture into a piping bag that is fitted with with either a star nozzle or a 2d nozzle. Starting from the inside, using the pencilled circle as a guide, pipe in a spiral motion finishing on the outer edge.
• Bake in the oven for 13-15 minutes until they are pale gold in colour. Don't let them brown as they will turn into a crunchy biscuit consistency.
• Once removed from the oven, leave to cool for a few minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the filling put the butter- which again should be soft- into a bowl with the icing sugar and the vanilla extract and mix on a slow speed with an electric whisk or in a mixer. Whisk together until the buttercream is pale and light in colour. Add in the milk and whisk on a fat speed for about 2 minutes. 
• Turn half of the biscuits flat side up, fill another piping bag fitted with the same nozzle with the buttercream and pipe the buttercream from the centre going outwards just as the biscuits were piped leaving a slight gap all around the edge.
• In a small plate or bowl, put just under half a jar of jam, and stir the jam together till you get a smooth spreadable consistency.
• Place a teaspoonful of jam in the middle of each buttercream swirl. Gently top the filled halves with the other 12 plain halves and very lightly press together to make the 12 sandwiches. Dust the tops lightly with icing sugar and serve.

*I put my butter in the microwave and softened by defrosting it in 15 second hurts till it was soft to the touch (even though it wasn't frozen) as heating it up just makes it melt which is what we don't want.

A nomination for a Liebster Award

Hi all,

How are we doing ? As some of you may or may not know it's Ramadan and we are almost half way through the 30 days - it will be Eid before we know it !

I have to apologise as again this blog is getting neglected due to house- wife & motherly duties and my new cake baking venture. As neglected as it's been, the lovely Hazel Duke at The Little Welsh House has nominated me for a Liebster award.

The nomination is about answering questions by the blogger that has nominated you, putting forward your own set of questions for the bloggers that you nominate and basically spreading the love between bloggers

Here's Hazel's questions from her post with my answers

What is your favourite animal or bird and why
It would have to be a toss between cats & dolphins. I've loved cats since I can remember and had a soft spot for them. I love Dolphins as they seem so free and elegant in the water and are so intelligent

Who outside your family has inspired you the most
I would say my close knit group of friends that I have, some of which I've known since my early teens. They inspire me as they all have their own individual journeys with highs & lows and how each one of them persevere through it all with a smile on their face

What is the one thing you have always wanted to do but never quite dared to
I would love to at some point in my life go on a Kenyan safari, this is mostly likely not happened yet due to the issue of money, so it's not so much about not daring to do it

If you could travel to any era past or future, when would it be
I would probably travel to the years in which my parents were growing up - the 40's & 50's to be a fly on the wall and see their childhood and what Pakistan was like back them

What is you favourite skill or hobby
This is easy - anything to do with cooking or baking, I'm at my happiest when I'm in the kitchen feeding people 

What song or piece of music really moves you (or your feet )
I would have to say any song by the late great Whitney Houston or Michael Jackson. I grew up listening to their stuff and love it even now

Which woman from history would you love to meet
There are too many to chose from but off the top of my head I would say Rosa Parks - An African American civil rights campaigner who defied an order of giving up her seat on a bus to a white person at the time of the apartheid 

5 blogs that I would like you to check out are:

The Boys Behaviour - a blog of an adoptive mum sharing her experiences of her journey with her son

Skint Dad  - an award winning blogger sharing brilliant thrifty tips for your home & family

The Puffin Diaries  Another blog of an adoptive mum & her journey with her 2 boys

My crazy mad world  One of my High School bestie's that blogs about food, crocheting
& things that make her smile

Red velvet baking a must for all that love cake and all things to do with baking



And my 5 questions for the bloggers I've nominated are :


If you could invite 4 guests for dinner (dead or alive) who would they be and why ?

What would be your dream career if you aren't in it already ?

If you could choose to live someone else's life for a day, who would it be ?

What foods would make up your all time favourite 3 course meal ?

Where would be your dream destination to live  ?



Get spreading the love guys x x x