Hot Cross Bun Pudding (al a mode)

Tired of talking about the weather? Well, look no further as right now the most popular small talk topic is how early Easter is this year. So, need something to relieve tension or start an awkward conversation use this catchy phrase: "Easter is early this year."

I guarantee that it will be responded with something like "Yay, it is isn't it? Weird." It will give one all of 20 seconds worth of conversation, but it will be started!

Sometimes starting something is the hard part. Especially for us procrastinators. Sainsbury's contacted be and asked if I'd be interested in creating something for their Little Twists promotions. Specifically something for Easter I leaned towards hot cross buns. I bought two packages of them in anticipation for twisting them up somehow, but as I procrastinated they went hard and un-interesting.

What do most people do with stale bread? That's right bread pudding!! Why not use hot cross buns they are bread like! I twisted up my bread pudding by using hot cross buns. Or did I twist up the hot cross buns by making them into bread pudding?

Does it really matter when it tastes so good? This would make a better small talk topic! No weather or stating the obvious with this pudding!

Hot Cross Bun Pudding

450g hot cross buns, aprox. 6 buns, torn up
550ml milk
100g chocolate chips
50g sultanas/raisins/mixed peel
1 large egg
100g butter, melted
4 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp cinnamon
100g dark brown sugar
demerara sugar
ice cream to serve

Heat the oven to 180C and lightly grease a 20 x 25 or 20 x 32 casserole dish.
Place all the torn up buns in a large bowl and pour over the milk, leave to soak for 20 minutes. In a separate bowl whisk the remaining ingredients, except the demerara sugar and ice cream, together. Then stir this into the soaking buns, it will mush it all together. Spoon into the prepared dish and sprinkle the demerara sugar over the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Leave to cool slightly, it won't be as puffy anymore, before serving it with with a scoop of ice cream on top!

notes: As mentioned above Sainsbury's asked me to make a little twist on a seasonal treat! I was compensated for my ingredients and not much more. Please see my contact/policy page for further information. 

Bath Buns

It goes without saying that I was inspired to make these bath buns by my recent trip to Bath. I like playing the role of tourist ever once in a while. In some ways I still am a tourist. I am not a British citizen, but a guest who has paid quite a lot of money to stay as a permanent resident. Unless I leave for more then two years, then it’s void. So, one could say I am still a tourist. 

The other form of inspiration comes from Jane Austen's books Persuasion and Northanger Abbey; her heroines, in both titles, spend some time in Bath. It is also rumoured that Miss Austen enjoyed a good Bath Bun from time to time. 

While we were visiting Bath we did try Bath Buns from a tea room of he same name. They were good, but these were better. It’s not because I’m some great bun baker; I am still finding my way with bread and yeast risen bakes. I would say it’s because they were fresh … anything fresh out of the oven is usually better then something that came out of the oven that morning or perhaps even the day before. 

I’m really not trying to be rude about bakery’s because I love a good bakery, they are professionals and I’m just a home experimental baker. I just think home baked goods have a different feel/taste to them! 

The sugar cube in the middle of these sweet buns is what makes them a Bath Bun. There are several variations such as sugar covered caraway seeds, sultanas or raisins, or candied fruit peel. I however kept them simple and just used sugar! Sugar is good for you in moderation! 

Bath Buns

7g dried yeast 

250ml milk, tepid

450g strong white flour 

30g sugar

1 tsp salt

225g butter, softened 

12 demerara sugar cubes 

1 egg, beaten

Stir the yeast into the milk and set aside. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt and work in the butter until it resembles bread crumbs. You can use a stand mixer for this, as I did. Stir in the yeast/milk which should look a little bubbly by now, with a wooden spoon until completely mixed together. This is a wet dough, now leave to rest for 10 minutes.  

Since I used my mixer here is what I did: 

After letting the dough rest, using my dough hook I kneaded the wet dough for about 5-6 minutes, before tipping it out on to a floured work surface and finished kneading by hand for another 4-5 minutes until the dough was smooth and elastic. As it was a wet dough I liked using my mixer first as it kept it from being too sticky, but as I’m learning more about kneading I wanted to feel the dough, hence the stopping early. IF you are doing one or the other in the mixer do not knead for more then 8 minutes and if doing it by hand about start by stretching it out in the bowl before kneading it on a floured work surface for 10 minutes.

Place the smooth and elastic dough in a large bowl and leave for an hour to an hour and a half in a warm place until it’s doubled in size. 
Once it has risen, turn it gently out on to a clean work surface and knock it back by gently punching it. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces as best you can. I start by dividing it in half and then each half into six. Roll the pieces into balls, by cupping the dough in your hand and gently rolling it on the work surface until it become ball shaped. 
With the dough ball seam side up press a sugar cube into the dough and fold the dough around it so it’s completely enclosed. If needed re-roll into balls and place on a prepared baking sheet seam side down. Repeat with all 12, cover with a clean damp towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. 

Heat the oven to 190C. Once doubled in size brush the beaten egg over the buns and bake for 15-20 minutes until they are starting to turn golden and sound hallow when tapped. 

to finish:

Milk Glaze: 1 tbsp milk & 2 tbsp sugar

Sugar Topping: demerara sugar cubes, smashed 

Prepare the milk glaze when the buns are just about to come out of the oven, by gently heating the milk and sugar in a small saucepan until he sugar has dissolved. Once they are out of the oven cover the buns with the milk glaze before topping with crushed sugar cubes. 

notes: the recipe is adapted from Jamie’s Magazine Issue 27 Mar/Apr 12 it can also be found online here. My Bath experience was posted yesterday and can be read here. 

challenges: Bready Steady Go hosted by Jen’s Food along with Utterly Scrummy 

Four for Less: New Baking Books & my thoughts

I haven’t been buying a lot of new cookbooks, but that’s not to say there aren't ones that I want! 

There will always be books I want, but I have been a bit more sensible lately and actually passed along a few of the books that I haven’t used recently.

I have also refrained from replacing ever one of the books I gave away with new ones. I only replaced four of them.

With these:

Which is still less then the amount I gave away! 

The Book of Buns: Over 50 brilliant bakes from around the world by Jane Mason

I like it!

Description (from the back cover): “From every corner of the world this beautiful collection of recipes will inspire you to bake buns – both familiar and new – and share them with your friends and family as part of a wholesome meal or as an indulgent treat to celebrate a special occasion.” 

My thoughts: I bought this from The Book People as it was at a really reasonable price. I don’t have the best of luck with breads, but it is an area that I want to pursue a bit more. Also I like the idea that the recipes are inspired from different cultures all over the world. Jane Mason starts by saying a bun is a bun is a bun. Basically saying buns are universal. She then shares with us the basic bread ingredients we will need to create buns and some shaping techniques used in bun making. Then the book is split into two categories – Everyday Buns and Occasional Buns.

Here are a few recipes, from both categories, I have book marked to try out: Laugenbrotchen, Sfoof, Bun Muska, Iced Buns, Skillingsboller, Coconut Buns, and Apple Buns.

Patisserie by William and Suzue Curley

I love it!

Description (from the inside cover): “Patisserie is an introduction to the most revered of culinary disciplines; it illuminates and explains this often-daunting field, leading you through the basics toward a world of beautiful and elegant patisserie. For beginners and the more advanced alike, this is the essential masterclass in patisserie and is set to become a classic book on the subject.” 

My thoughts: The publishers sent this book to me after I re-tweeted their post and won a copy! It is a beautifully published book, but it’s not just what it looks like it’s smart too. It is a wealth of information. Not only are we given the authors credentials, but they give us the evolution of patisserie, which I found very interesting. Food history is interesting to me. Then they give us the basics so ingredients, equipment, and some tips to get us started. If this isn't daunting then we can move on to the next part which is how to make the foundations of all patisserie which is what you need before you create some beautiful desserts.

This is one of those books that I love looking at and I have been carrying it around with me for a couple of weeks now reading and looking at all the mouth watering and awe inspiring patisserie! I would love to attempt to make all of it! Hopefully with my littlest one starting full time school in September I will have a little bit more time to give to seeing how well I do at patisserie!

Sally’s Baking Addiction: Irresistible Cookies, Cupcakes, & Desserts for Your Sweet-Tooth Fix by Sally McKenney

I love it!

Description (from the back cover): “Sally McKenney started her wildly popular blog Sally’s Baking Addiction in 2011, and she’s made the internet a whole lot sweeter! So whether you like cookies, cupcakes, brownies, bars, candy, cakes, pies, or muffins, there’s a tempting treat for you. Indulge in Sally’s Death by Chocolate Brownies, her Pretzel Peanut Butter Cups, her Nutella Frosted Banana Cupcakes and loads more.”

My thoughts: I was a little late to the party when I stumbled upon Sally’s blog a while back. There was a recipe for something I was after and when I goggled it her site came up. I was hooked from the first look. The writing and photography were great, but the sweet treats were even better. One of the posts I read was about how her book was out. So, of course I went to Amazon and ordered myself a copy.

The cookie section is my favorite and it’s fitting, as there are cookies on the cover. The other recipes look good too, but I love a good soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside cookie. I can’t wait to give the Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies and the Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Cookies a go! If you like Sally’s blog you’ll love her book.

Jamie Oliver’s FoodTube presents: The Cake Book by Cupcake Jemma

I want some more of it!

Description (from the back cover): Jemma Wilson from Crumbs & Doilies is the cupcake queen of Food Tube. Featuring four chapters of beautiful seasonal recipes, plus the need-to-know basics, this book has all the essentials for amazing baking all year round.

My thoughts: This book I picked up at Sainsbury’s for a bargain at 3.50! I already own a couple of cupcake books and wouldn't have bought it at full price. Mainly because it didn't have anything particularly new to me, but I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't have as many baking books as I do! It also doesn't mean that I won’t be trying out a few of these recipes as soon as I get a chance! It’s a wonderful little book that has a lot of inspiration and it fits in a bag so you can take it anywhere and drool over the pictures!

I think I will be trying the Cookie Dough Cupcakes or the Toffee Apple Cupcakes ... or wait maybe the Cherry Bakewell Cupcakes. Or even better yet I should try all of them as someone on Instagram suggested!

notes: I haven’t had a chance to try any recipes from these books yet. It’s not very often that I “review” books without trying out a recipe, so for this post it’s just me sharing and writing about some new books I required. I bought or won these books, for more information please see my contact/policy page. Find me on Instagram 

Chocolate Cherry Hot Cross Buns!

I thought it would be fun to try a new hot cross bun recipe this year! Seeing that chocolate and cherry are one of my favorite ‘chocolate &’ combinations ever, it didn't take long for me to decide to make these! I pick up magazines randomly never buying the same one every month, but one that I tend to buy most often is the Jamie magazine: I like the recipes, stories, and layout. I have always been a fan of Jamie Oliver, well I can't say always I should say since I moved to the UK. 

Anyhow… I am still a novice when it comes to bread/roll/bun baking. Think these took a while to rise for either or both of 2 reasons: 1. Cold kitchen it is always cold so moved next to pre-heating oven to get a better rise. 2. I didn't let the milk/butter mixture cool long enough before adding it to the dry ingredients which can kill the yeast. My bun rolling also needs serious work. I think I am worried about over kneading (also need to know if I’m kneading the “right” way) that I under knead. Oh and I probably could probably work on my piping skills too!

Overall these tasted delicious!! At the end of the day that is all that really matters!! Fresh out of the oven or put in the microwave for a several seconds with a light coat of butter! Like I already said I love the combination of chocolate & cherry so unless I messed them up completely or the recipe was off I was probably going to like them.

Apparently Sainsbury’s doesn't carry kirsch? I didn't feel like running around after one ingredient and Mr Knightley is allergic to orange juice so I used what was in kitchen: cherry juice (from cherry cola bundt cake) and Bacardi (love the stuff) to soak the cherries in. Enjoy!!

Chocolate Cherry Hot Cross Buns

from Jaime Magazine issue 37 March 2013

100g dried sour cherries

3 tbsp kirsch/orange juice or 2 tbsp cherry juice + 1 tbsp Barcardi

250ml milk

50g unsalted butter + extra for greasing

1 egg

2 tbsp cherry compote or jam

500g strong bread flour + extra for dusting

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 heaped tbsp cocoa powder

2 x 7g sachets dry yeast

75g milk chocolate chips

75g caster sugar + extra for glaze

1 tsp fine sea salt

50g plain flour

3 tbsp runny honey

1. Soak cherries in your chosen “juice” over night. The following day, place the milk and butter into a sauce pan and heat until the butter is just melted. Cool slightly before whisking in the egg and compote. Set aside.
2. Drain the cherries and mix well in a bowl with flour, cinnamon, cocoa powder, yeast, chocolate chips, caster sugar, and salt. Make a well in the mixture and pour in the milk mixture, use a fork to stir it all together until it forms soft dough! Turn out on to a lightly dusted work surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a lightly buttered bowl and cover with cling film, keep it in a warm place for about an hour to rise or until it doubles in size. 
3. Once it's raised, grease and line a baking tray or two, depends on your baking tray sizes. Knock back the dough, on a lightly dusted work surface, by kneading for about 2 minutes. Cut the dough in half and roll each half into sausages then cut each “sausage” into 6 pieces. Roll them into balls and place on baking sheets cover with cling film and let rise in a warm place for further 45 minutes. Mine took longer then that. Its really cold in the kitchen like I said above. 
4. Once they have doubled in size preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5. Mix the plain flour and about 5tbsp of water until it makes a thick paste. Then pipe unto buns. Use a sandwich bag if you don’t have any piping bags and nozzles. I have them and I still used a sandwich bag. Pipe a cross on each one and then pop into the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden. When the timer goes off check to see if they are golden-ish -hard to tell on a chocolate roll. Once they are out of the oven cool on a rack and make the glaze by gently heating the honey and 1tbsp sugar over a low heat for about 5 minutes. Generously cover each bun/roll with the sugar glaze. Cool before eating… or not!

notes: Jamie Magazine, last years buns

introducing My Mixtape! Usually when I'm baking I have music on so I thought I would start sharing my playlist. Since I grew up in the 80-90's and I used to record songs off the radio (music pirating at it's finest) to make mix tapes I thought that's what I would call this addition to my posts! Even though now I just download music off iTunes and I pay for it.....

Joss Stone: While You're Out Looking for Sugar
Bush: Glycerine
Bruno Mars: The Lazy Song
Foo Fighters: All My Life
Savage Garden: I Want You
   

Hotcross Buns!!

These are traditional made on Good Friday, but I had things going on. Plus it’s my first time working with yeast so I wanted the time to get it right! I think I did too! It could have done with a little less time in the oven. I had made a ham for our Easter lunch so the oven was already very warm and one of the buns in the back has a blackened corner. Still edible though!!

I am glad my first experience with yeast has been a success….I see lots of breads and cinnamon rolls appearing on my blog in the near future!!

I think my family and I are (hopefully) done with germs. It seems like we keep catching everything that’s going round atm!! You should be seeing more of me again! I’m working out how to use twitter, so you if you want to help you can find me @unitedcakedom, is that all you need to find me??

I found this recipe in Sue Lawrence’s Book of Baking. It’s a wonderful book of baking! It’s recently out of print; I found my copy for something like 40p on amazon (not including shipping). It has basic, but delicious looking baked goods!!

Hope everyone has a great Easter/Spring break!!

for Buns: 

500g unbleached strong white flour, sifted

1 tsp salt

40g  light muscovado sugar

½ tsp mixed spice

½ tsp ground cinnamon

55g unsalted butter, chilled and diced

100g raisins and currants (I just used raisins)

25g chopped mixed peel, optional in my opinion

7g sachet of fast-action/easy-blend dried yeast

300ml mixed milk and water, heated to tepid

1. Sift flour into mixing bowl and stir in salt, sugar and both spices.
2. Rub in the butter until it looks like breadcrumbs.
3. Stir in raisins and peel if using.
4. Then stir in the yeast.
5. Slowly stir in the tepid liquid and bring the mixture together with your hands to form a ball.
6. Turn out on to a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.
7. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with oiled cling film. Leave for about 2 hours (or 1 ½ hours if your house/kitchen is warmer) until well risen.
8. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Knock back the dough (knock the air out) and divide into 12 pieces. Mine were nowhere near even, but you could weigh it out to get them the same size.
9. Put in a warm place for about 45 minutes or until well risen again.
10. Pre-heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas7 

for Pastry and Glaze

70g plain flour

40g unsalted butter, chilled and diced

1 tbsp golden syrup

1. Place the flour in a bowl and rub in the butter.
2. Slowly add enough cold water (1-1 ½ tbsp) to combine into stiff dough.
3. Break into 12 pieces and roll out into snake shapes and divide into two to make a cross on each risen bun.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until puffed up and golden brown.
5. While the buns are baking gently melt the syrup in the microwave or in a pan on a low heat.
6. Place buns on a cooling rack and glaze each bun with the golden syrup.
7. Leave to cool and Enjoy!!