What are you baking?

[polly]

It was lush but a swig of gaviscon wouldn't go amiss

I thought it was buttermilk and cocoa! No vinegar in my cake please

 

[Saffy]

There was vinegar and buttermilk in this. You couldn't taste it at all but the cake was so soft and moist.

 

[Rebelda]

Last week I made a cherry and almond loaf cake. Very pleased with the cherry distribution (i.e. not all at the bottom)



Today I'm making a banana loaf cake but I've swapped out the honey and lemon juice for golden syrup and rum. Plus some desiccated coconut and chia seeds for crunch.

 

[Biddlybee]

Ooh that looks good.

What's your banana recipe? I have bananas and rum

 

[Orang Utan]

I bought that Dan Lepard book and will be trying a lot of new things, hopefully.
Made some really nice cheesy bread. His kneading and rising tips are good. And he recommends oil on surfaces instead of flour to prevent stickiness. What a revelation!

 

[Rebelda]

4 bananas, 4tbsp honey and juice of half a lemon mashed in a bowl. Mash in 120g of pure (it's from a pure recipe book, other df spreads are available ).

120g caster sugar and 2 eggs. 250g plain flour and 1tsp baking powder. Recipe includes 50g sultanas but I usually leave these out. It's supposed to be a recipe for gluten free flour but it makes such a gorgeous squidgy cake with the regular stuff.

1hr-1hr15 in the oven at 180.

When it comes out the oven spread a bit of honey on top and sprinkle with demerara

It's a really flexible recipe. I leave out and add/sub things all the time.

 

[Biddlybee]

I've only got three mini bananas

 

[Rebelda]

I've done it with two before. It's a very wet recipe with 4 so it can take a bit less.

Oh man oh man it's good with rum in. Is made it banana-ier. The coconut is good too.

 

[Orang Utan]

I want to make one now!

 

[polly]

I bought that Dan Lepard book and will be trying a lot of new things, hopefully.
Made some really nice cheesy bread. His kneading and rising tips are good. And he recommends oil on surfaces instead of flour to prevent stickiness. What a revelation!

I prefer oil too but always felt a bit sheepish about it - didn't know it was a proper thing

Sounds good Rebelda and kudos on your cherries. I made myself a bdy cake and all the raisins sank to the bottom I cannot make cakes.

 

[wtfftw]

Commiserations Polly. And happy bday.* Mine will be delayed as the oven is utter shit and I started late and I'll be icing tomorrow so good job I'm taking a bday week.



*Excellent day for it.

 

[mrs quoad]

His kneading and rising tips are good. And he recommends oil on surfaces instead of flour to prevent stickiness. What a revelation!

Think this is part of the reason we've got through a litre of olive oil in the last 8 days, ffs!

 

[Orang Utan]

He still recommends dusting with flour, mind. Loads of pics in the book that are of loaves are covered in a dusting of flour. I just don't get it.

 

[mrs quoad]

He still recommends dusting with flour, mind. Loads of pics in the book that are of loaves are covered in a dusting of flour. I just don't get it.

Don't know how he does it. But I use oil in vast plastic tubs, for the initial bulk prove. (Proof?!) Quite a bit of this gets incidentally folded in.

For all the subsequent shaping stuff / in bannetons, I'd use flour. Because the prospect of an oiled cane / cotton lined banneton is too ghastly to contemplate.

 

[Orang Utan]

No, I mean the presentation. Loads of pics of loaves coated in dust. It's all over recipes online and in books too. I don't get how they make a loaf look more attractive. They just look like they've been dug out of a grave, rather than fresh lovely loaves. Maybe I saw to many Fields Of The Nephelim vids as a youth.

 

[mrs quoad]

No, I mean the presentation. Loads of pics of loaves coated in dust. It's all over recipes online and in books too. I don't get how they make a loaf look more attractive. They just look like they've been dug out of a grave, rather than fresh lovely loaves. Maybe I saw to many Fields Of The Nephelim vids as a youth.

Ideology, dude. Your belief is in an ideological loaf

There are tonnes of ways of making / shaping loaves that literally can't use oil - it's just not an option. To try and do away with flour in bannetons etc would be artificial and weird!

 

[Orang Utan]

Ideology, dude. Your belief is in an ideological loaf

There are tonnes of ways of making / shaping loaves that literally can't use oil - it's just not an option. To try and do away with flour in bannetons etc would be artificial and weird!

it's not the science of it I disagree with, just the aesthetics of a grey dusty loaf from the grave. mind you, i don't like the taste of flour on the outside of a loaf either

 

[polly]

Commiserations Polly. And happy bday.* Mine will be delayed as the oven is utter shit and I started late and I'll be icing tomorrow so good job I'm taking a bday week.



*Excellent day for it.

Happy birthday! I applaud your birthday week policy. It's in effect here, too. Good luck with your cake.

 

[polly]

it's not the science of it I disagree with, just the aesthetics of a grey dusty loaf from the grave. mind you, i don't like the taste of flour on the outside of a loaf either

The feeling of flour on crusty bread really puts my teeth on edge. I used to work in a deli/sandwich shop and it was a proper hindrance (for my colleagues ). But I think it looks pretty.

Well that was a pointless post, apologies.

 

[mrs quoad]

Forgot to feed the starter last night. So cookies instead! (Baked whilst making a particularly healthy salad, lol.)

 

[mrs quoad]

I *think* this lot cost c.£4.50.

Which (cheap pizza) is pretty much the reason we got a breadmaker about 7 years ago, now I think of it

 

[mrs quoad]

The one I took into work was shit. Properly hadn't risen, think the ovens "dough proofing" setting battered fuck outta the yeast.

The other may've gone in second. Fingers crossed it did, and bulked up a bit in the intervening.

Oh well!

 

[Rebelda]

Chocolate orange loaf.

 

[mrs quoad]

It's a 2kg mess

Fruit, cinnamon, fennel. Got confused whilst shaping it tho, and think I baked it with the seam on top. Or around the middle.

It's cracked like buffery, and the main slash down the side has just blown open like a crevasse

Wouldn't've made this, only I made a cracking fruit loaf last night, and ended up selling half of it to a colleague today. Didn't really want to! But can't afford to say no. So re-baked tonight, attempting to "improve" it. And failed

 

[Rebelda]

Victoria sponge.

And hot cross buns later.

 

[Rebelda]

Success

 

[polly]

That sponge looks so fluffy and good, Rebelda. What recipe do you use?? Mine have been absolute crap recently.

 

[Rebelda]

That sponge looks so fluffy and good, Rebelda. What recipe do you use?? Mine have been absolute crap recently.

I only had 200g flour, so that plus 200g of caster sugar and dairy free spread each. 4 eggs, which I was weighing for 200g too because they're mixed sizes.

I've gone off the all in one technique and use a hand mixer.

 

[polly]

I only had 200g flour, so that plus 200g of caster sugar and dairy free spread each. 4 eggs, which I was weighing for 200g too because they're mixed sizes.

I've gone off the all in one technique and use a hand mixer.

Thanks lovely. I don't do the all in one either, but i don't weigh the eggs. Maybe will start. No baking powder?

 

[blairsh]

Hello thread! Haven't baked anything for many years and have found myself in a must bake situation. Any advice from you knowledgeable baking lot would be appreciated but i'm hoping its not that hard

Going to do baklava, hopefully i won't fuck it up. Will report back