Huffkins {inspired by Paddington by Michael Bond} #storybookbakes

I don’t know how many times I have written about my love of books so I won’t go into too much detail all you need to know is that I love books. Okay? Okay, so I have been trying to figure out a way to combine my love of books and food for a while now on a regular basis and I think I have found a fuss free easy way to do it! 

Basically I am going to be baking and making from whatever novel or children's book or autobiography that inspires me to do so! See that wasn't so hard! Originally I was going to make it a linky post, but I started to find that a bit stressful. The stress of getting people involved etc... however I think I've come up with an easy solution for that too! See the notes below! 

I hope to do this at least once a month, possible 2 as I actually have a list of stuff I have been wanting to make inspired by my favorite books! This month I was inspired by Paddington and here's what I made! 

My girls and I went to see Paddington with some friends before Christmas and they loved it. It is very cute! After that my girls started asking for their Paddington book to be read at bedtime. Then they dug out their Paddington Cookery Book and insisted we make something from it.

They choose Huffkins! I tried to convince them to make something else, because I didn't want them to be disappointed. See bread and I have a love hate relationship. Meaning it either loves me or hates me and I never know which it will be!

However, love or luck or something was on my side the other night when we made these! They turned out just fine! The girls loved filling the indent with marmalade and munching on them before bed!

Huffkins

500g plain flour

50g butter

pinch of salt

2 tsp sugar

7g fast action yeast

120ml milk

120ml water

12 tsp marmalade

Start by sifting the flour and rubbing the cold butter into it, to make it look like breadcrumbs. Stir in the salt and sugar before adding the yeast, leave to the side while you heat the milk and water together until it’s just warm to the touch. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients before pouring in the heated milk and water. Using a wooden spoon start to bring the dough together, once it’s started use your hand to finish making the dough into a big ball. On a clean counter surface knead the dough for a few minutes until the dough is smooth and completely combined. Place in a clean bowl and leave in a warm place to rise for an hour.

Heat the oven to 220C and lightly grease a baking tray. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces the best you can, then gently roll them into balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Press them down lightly to slightly flatten them, then using your thumb press a hole in the middle of each one (this was the girls favorite part.) Leave them for another 20 minutes to rise, or until they double in size. Once they are ready, bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. They should have a lightly tan/brown color to them, place a teaspoon of marmalade in each indent and enjoy while reading Paddington stories!

What is your favorite Paddington story? Leave a comment below! Mine will always have to be the original and first book about how the Browns came to have him living at their house!

notes: Recipe is adapted from Paddington's Cookery Book by Lesley Young. If you, like me, have been inspired by the books you read then I would love to see what you create whether it be food or a craft or art! Please get in touch in one or more of these ways: on Twitter tag me and use the hash tag and I will like and re-tweet! On Instagram tag me and hash tag and I will like it and leave a comment. If you have Facebook like my page (or not) but add your image to the page and I will share it with the rest of my readers! If you are on Google+ good luck to you! Just kidding I'm just not very good at being active on it. So, if you do share on there please be patient with me. If you prefer Pinterest, I will be starting a group board, if you would like to be added email me at unitedcakedom(@)gmail.com, unless you tell me otherwise I will use the email you emailed me with. 

Looking for inspiration? Here are a few of my old posts that were inspired by books I have read!

• Harry Potter series by JK Rowling: I made a Snitch Cake, Pumpkin Pasties, and Rock Cakes! 
• The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman: Forgotten Blackberry Pudding from the Hempstock Farm
• Cupcakes at Carrington's by Alexandra Brown: Everything is not as it seems Red Velvet Cupcakes
• Judge Dredd: The Dark Judges: Slo-Mo Cupcakes

Fizzy Jellies

Some children will be going back to school today after a long week off, others like mine, still have an inset day.

I feel lucky at the moment to have a part time job that allows a lot of flexibility. Which means more time to play with my girls!

Although to be honest I have become chopped liver as of late. 

Who wants to play with me when they have each other and Monster High, their latest obsession?

Ah well, I do come in handy when it comes to making fun and easy treats. Also when they need anything else for that matter. 

Jelly is one of the things I let them make pretty much on their own, which they love!

Of course they love eating it as much as they love making it! They are so very impatient though and if it's not setting high enough in the fridge there tends to be finger marks in it!

There isn't much you can do with jelly, but layer it or possibly add some fruit or something or mold it in fun molds... okay there is a lot you can do with jelly! 

One of them is making it fizzy. Basically fizzy jelly is just replacing some of the water with 7-Up or any clear carbonated soda. Make sure the 7-Up or lemonade is chilled in the fridge before hand.

Fizzy Jelly

1-2 packages of different flavored jelly

7-Up or lemonade

water

Start with one flavor and break the jelly block into squares along the indented lines into a measuring jug. Fill with water up to the 150ml or ¼ pint mark. Place in the microwave for 10 seconds and stir until dissolved. If needed place in the microwave again for a further 10 seconds until it’s completely dissolved. Leave it to cool for a minute or two. Tilting the jug slightly (helps to keep the bubbles) pour 7-Up along the side of the jug to the 570ml or 1 pint mark. Then pour into whatever jelly molds you have or glass cups. Leave to set for about 4 hours in the fridge. 

Repeat as we did with a second flavor, you could do three or four different flavors if you had the patience and enough molds/glasses to divide into.

notes: Lemonade in the UK is a fizzy carbonated drink, not like the lemonade in the USA that kids sell at stands. Also "Jelly" is Jello and it comes in cube forms not a powder. I am curious if champagne or prosecco would be a good replacement to make them for adults? Might have to try it out sometime. The idea was inspired by Paddington Bear and his cookery book.