Cheese & Onion Loaf

We saw on twitter that the Box Bakery were selling #GlutenFree mixed packs containing bread and chocolate cake. Always on the look out for simple bakes, particularly bread, we placed an order. It was speedily delivered and the contents seemed tempting... and more importantly, required just warm water to be added!

Looking at the bread options, we decided to try the white bread mix. We thought that it would be nice tweaked with the addition of cheese and onion. 

To make the onion, a medium red onion was sliced thinly and fried in oil until it was starting to look transparent. It was then taken off the heat and left to cool. The cheese (we used Red Fox vintage red leicester) was grated.  

The instructions on the Box Bakery packaging were then followed. 

Opening the box on the corner, the lukewarm water was added. Having shaken the box as instructed, the lid was carefully peeled off and a fork was used to ensure the mix was fully combined.

At this point the onion and cheese was stirred into the dough and mixed through. The top of the loaf was brushed with olive oil. 

Following the instructions, the loaf was placed, in its box, in a cold oven with the temperature set for 50C, then cooking for 25minutes (a little longer than stated in the instructions to allow for the additional ingredients included in the loaf)

The oven temperature was then increased to 210C (fan) and the loaf was baked for 50 minutes.  It was checked after this time and the oven was turned off, leaving the loaf in the hot oven for a further 10 minutes. 

Taking the loaf out of the oven, it was left to cool.

Finally, it was removed from the box and sliced... 

We thoroughly enjoyed the bread and it was very good toasted as well. The concept of Bake in the Box is very good for easy, cupboard options...and also for those who aren’t #GlutenFree but want to offer pals who are a home baked and SAFE bread! I will be making sure my mum has a box for our next trip to see her 😉

Amaretti Biscuits

Looking through this week's Waitrose Weekend paper, we spotted a recipe by Martha Collison for Amaretti Biscuits.  As they contain very few ingredients and are naturally glutenfree, we decided to give them a go.

As usual, it would be too simple to actually follow a recipe... and due to 'ingredient limitations' (only had one egg...) we decided to make a half batch.  This meant we needed to use - 1 egg white, 75g caster sugar, 87.5g ground almonds, a few drops of vanilla bean extract and icing sugar (for dusting).

Using an electric hand mixer, the egg white was beaten to stiff peak consistency.



The caster sugar was added in thirds and thoroughly combined.

Next the almonds were also added in thirds and mixed in well using a silicone spatula.

Finally, a few drops of almond bean extract were added and mixed through well.

The mix was then divided into (roughly) 10g balls and rolled in icing sugar before being put on a silicone sheet covered baking tray.

Baking the biscuits in a pre-heated oven (170ºC) for 10 minutes, they were checked to see if they had expanded and turned a light golden shade... they were returned to the oven for another couple of minutes before being removed and allowed to cool completely.

The biscuits were lovely freshly baked... but seem even more delicious the next day (having been stored in an airtight container overnight) as they have a crisp outer and soft, gooey centre. Very tasty indeed... and will be added to the 'must bake regularly' list!

Flat Bread

Having bought a ceramic frying pan (finally convinced because a/ J can't stand the smell from 'traditional' non-stick coatings, b/ pal had been raving about the wonders of ceramic coated pans, c/ it was on offer and below £10 and d/ it was YELLOW!)  we've been trying out its thermal transfer prowess, non-stickability and easy cleaning.  Also, we've been going to make a flatbread for ages...so, decided to give it a go (to accompany tonight's Bean and Pepper Chilli).

Ingredients -

200g self raising flour (we used Dove's Farm #glutenfree)
150ml plain yogurt/water mix (we used about half and half, mixed in a jug)
1 Tablespoon oil (we used olive oil)

This is the simplest of 'bakes'. 

The flour was weighed into a mixing bowl.

The wet ingredients were added and mixed through thoroughly using a silicone spatula (making sure to incorporate all the flour from the bottom of the bowl)  [a little more liquid MAY be needed to allow the dough to form... add small amounts of cold water, if so...]

Next we divided the dough into three 120g balls (because there are three of us... but you could halve the dough or quarter it... it's up to you and how you do this will depend on the size of the breads you make in the end). 

Using a silicone sheet and a dusting of flour, the dough balls were then rolled out into roughly cirular shapes, about 5mm thick. 

Each dough circle was cooked in a pre-heated DRY ceramic frying pan for 3-4 mins on each side (the time needed to cook your breads will depend on the thickness of the dough and the temperature of your pan... keep an eye on them and SET THE TIMER!)  The breads is done when the underside is starting to turn golden brown in places and holds together when you lift them carefully with a spatula... at which point we flipped the bread over and repeated cooking on the other side.

Once cooked the breads were kept warm in a covered dish until all three were ready to be served.

These would be good brushed with butter, or spread with garlic butter, but we ate them plain with our chilli dish. 

We'll definitely make these again because they were warm, moist and Sous Chef J polished his flatbread off before starting on the chilli!

Trilobite 'tatoes

We are always on the look out for really simple 'dishes' to make.. and these potatoes, a variation on Hasselback, work out well every time they are made.

Starting with some mid-sized potatoes (we used King Edward), they were cut in half along the 'long' axis. 

Placing the potato, cut side down, on the work surface next to the chopping board, a sharp knife was used to slice finely without going through to the surface (the chopping board ensures the knife doesn't cut all the way through.)

Once all the potato halves were sliced, they were put in a pot, drizzled with oil (we used sunflower) and shaken to ensure an even coating.

The potatoes were transferred to a baking tray (cut side down), seasoned with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt, and roasted in a pre-heated oven (170C fan) for about 20 minutes.  After this time, they were checked, and returned to the oven until they were thoroughly cooked.

When cooked, the potatoes open up slightly and have a lovely, fluffy interior with a crispy base.  We find this is a quicker and more reliable way to make crunchy-enough potatoes for J to eat!

Biscotti

This is such a simple recipe... do give it a go, the ingredients you'll need are -

90g Plain Flour (we used Dove's Farm gluten free)
50g caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder (we used Dr Oetker gluten free)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
40g pistachio nuts
25g dark chocolate chips/chunks

We mixed the first three ingredients together in a bowl. 

Next, the egg was lightly beaten and the vanilla extract was added to it.  This egg mix was then poured into the dry ingredients and thoroughly combined by hand. (just use one hand to 'squish' it together, it will form a dough after a while - if it's over dry, just add a little water a couple of drops at a time)

Once it was formed into a dough, it was time to add the nuts and chocolate chips.

Finally the dough was placed on a silicone sheet on a baking tray and placed in a pre-heated (160ºC fan oven) for 10 minutes.  We checked it at this point and, as it was still soft in the thickest part, returned it to the oven for a few more minutes before checking and removing to cool.

Having allowed the biscotti dough to cool for about 15 minutes, it was moved to a chopping board and sliced (using a sharp knife) into 1cm thick slices.

The slices we returned to the baking sheet and cooked for a second time in the oven... after about 5 minutes, we turned the oven off and allowed the biscotti to dry using the oven's residual heat.  (take care not to burn your biscotti - set a timer to remind you!)

Beware - the Biscotti are very more-ish and are great with a coffee or a cuppa.  Enjoy.

Pineapple upside down cake

Sous Chef J has been wanting to try making a Pineapple Upside Down Cake for ages.  Last week I bought a couple of fresh pineapples (one medium and the other HUGE sized).  So, when they had ripened and we were looking for inspiration on a chilly afternoon, he suggested the cake.  We searched for a suitable recipe to follow and came up with this slightly tweaked amalgam recipe -

For the topping -

50g softened butter
50g soft brown sugar
1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced (we reserved the juice from this undertaking for later use) - if you don't have fresh, then tinned pineapple rings in juice will be fine.

For the cake -
100g softened butter
100g golden caster sugar
100g self-raising flour (we used Dove's Farm gluten free SR Flour)
1 tsp baking powder (we used Dr Oetker gluten free)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs

We set the oven to 160C fan and prepared the topping.  To do this, we beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. The topping mix was then spread over the base and a quarter of the way up the sides of a 21cm round spring-form cake tin. 

The pineapple was prepared using an Oxo Good Grips pineapple
device... it was a two person job but we were pleased it worked well.  Next, Sous Chef J arranged 4 pineapple rings on top of the butter/sugar mix. 

Placing the butter and sugar in a bowl, we used an electric hand mixer to cream them together.  The eggs were add, one at a time, before including the flour and baking powder.  The mix came together nicely and looked creamy and light in colour.  We then mixed through about 2 Tablespoons of the reserved pineapple juice and made sure it was fully combined to a soft consistency. 

The cake mix was put into the tin on top of the pineapple and smoothed. 

We baked the cake, having placed the tin on a baking sheet (as the springform tin leaked - use a tin without a loose bottom if you have one!  We learnt from this for subsequent bakes) for 35 mins. 

Having left the cake to cool for 10 minutes, it was turned out onto a platter.

Sous Chef J has developed a liking for helping with "cook's reward" activities and is keen to assist with "checking the mix tastes OK".

We have also repeated this recipe making a square traybake cake (pics show both baking sessions) and Sous Chef J's "Singular Pineapple Upside Down Tarts" ....they were fab and are the header pic.

Simple, surprising, Chocolate Mousse

Having spotted a recipe of Lorraine Pascale's that looked interesting, we decided to give it a go.

As is usual for us, we didn't have *quite* the right ingredients so made a couple of minor tweaks.  However the recipe remains gluten free, dairy free, added sugar free and egg free.  Plus, it's a one pot 'whiz up' mix which is an added bonus!

The ingredients we used were -

One ripe banana, peeled
One ripe avocado, peeled and stone removed
62g dates, with stones removed
42g unsweetened cocoa powder

(this made enough for three quite large servings)

The banana and dates were put in a food processor, they were whizzed to combine and then the avocado was also added.

Finally, the cocoa powder was added and mixed until all ingredients thoroughly combined.

Splitting the mousse between three serving dishes, they were then cooled until it was time to eat them.  Having a smooth texture, they were very chocolatey and not too rich.  A lovely end to our meal.  Really simple to make and not as bad for you as other chocolate puddings!

Sous Chef J has suggested adding coffee to them the next time we make them - the finely ground instant coffee beans type - and we think the addition of a teaspoon of this will create a lovely rich mocha dessert.

Baking Coconut Biscuits

It was the return of Great British Bake Off on TV in the UK this week.  We'd seen on twitter that @HBFreeFrom were running a competition called Big Free From Bake Challenge - each week a different free from bake will be given.  We entered and were selected for week one which was gluten free baking... and our bake was BISCUITS.

Here's what we said as part of our entry -

We decided to bake a recipe that we make regularly, that is really simple and uses a small amount of ingredients whilst still making tasty biscuits.

Our recipe is printed on yellow paper (for easy reading) and laminated so Sous Chef J can use a white board pen to tick off the steps as they’re completed.

It’s a good beginner’s recipe and, as its steps are detailed clearly, is something that anyone can bake… you most definitely do not have to be a Master Baker to make this!

Here's  a link to the video we submitted... now uploaded to youtube

and this is the recipe

Take a look at the video... we hope you like it.  It really is how we bake... we shot exactly what we do and then had fun with our first ever foray into mp4 files and editing.... quite a lot of editing to get it down to 2 minutes (ish!)