Bake Text Only
TEXT ONLY EBYour best friend in the kitchen and bestselling author, Rachel Allen, offers a collection of delicious and easy cakes and bakes, tarts and pies, quiches and casseroles.What could be better than the smell of freshly baked bread or the joy of eating warm cookies straight from the oven? Do you pine for the pleasures of gingerbread houses and holiday delights or the warming goodness of home baked casseroles?These are just some of the treats that await in Bake, which tie in with the TV series. She shares both the sweet and the savoury sides of baking, whether quick snacks, wholesome breads and pies, exotic cakes and tarts or easy baked meals for friends and family.Rachel take the mystery out of traditional baking and pastry making, offering troubleshooting techniques for common problems and wheat or gluten-free recipes so nobody is left out of the fun!Rachel’s friendly and expert tuition make this easy-to-use book the best friend to every home baker.Recipes include:• Cardamon bread• Crispy bacon and cheddar bread• Cheese straws and pretzels• Pork, chorizo and spinach pie• Beef pasties with mint, ginger and peas• Baked cheese fondue in a squash• Seville orange meringue pie• Cornish saffron bread• Lime and yoghurt cake with rosewater and pistachios
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For my sister and best friend Simone
Table of Contents
Baking has always been one of my greatest joys. I have such happy memories of my sister and I when we were little, standing on kitchen chairs so that we could help Mum make biscuits or buns for the family. Even today, the wonderful, warm aromas of baking bread, cakes or cookies always transport me back to these times.
Baking makes you stop and really enjoy your time in the kitchen. Of course, there is a lot more to baking than just cakes and cookies, it’s a versatile and very homely method of cooking, whether you’re baking a fresh loaf of bread or just a simple jacket potato. It’s warming, comforting and nurturing, and fills the house with such welcoming smells.
Giving something that you have baked to someone you love is real generosity—whether it be a delicious pie for friends on a cold winter’s evening or a special cake for a birthday.
There is no mystery to baking; baking is a simple science, which is precisely why it is so satisfying. Your friends may think you’re a genius if you present them with a beautiful cake, but it’s really just the right ingredients in the right quantities!
I have chosen my favourite baking recipes in this collection to give you a wide range of delicious treats and meals that can be baked in your oven. I hope these become part of your everyday life. There are also many special recipes for those once-in-a-while occasions and celebrations. If you can master a set of weighing scales, then you have all the skills you need to bake…so what are you waiting for? Get that pinny on and start baking!
Rachel
PS The oven temperatures in this book are for a conventional oven, but if I am using a fan oven, then I usually reduce the temperature by 10 per cent.
OATMEAL AND RAISIN COOKIES
An American favourite, these cookies are moist, sweet and very moreish.
MAKES ABOUT 30 COOKIES
110g (4oz) butter, softened
110g (4oz) caster sugar
110g (4oz) soft light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g (9oz) porridge oats
110g (4oz) self-raising flour
1 level tsp salt
110g (4oz) raisins
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4.
2 Cream the butter in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer until soft. Add the sugars and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg, water and vanilla extract while still beating. Reduce the speed and gently mix in the oats, flour, salt and raisins to form a dough.
3 Using your hands, roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and place spaced slightly apart on two baking trays (no need to grease or line).
4 Bake in the oven for 15-25 minutes or until light golden brown, but still slightly soft in the centre.
5 Allow to cool on the trays for a minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
VARIATION
Oatmeal and chocolate: Chocolate chips can be used instead of raisins, if you prefer.
BASIC COOKIE RECIPE
This recipe is a basis for many combinations. Experiment with ingredients—flavourings, dried fruits, nuts, spices and even herbs such as lavender—to find your favourite.
MAKES ABOUT 35 COOKIES
225g (8oz) butter, softened
110g (4oz) caster sugar
275g (10oz) plain flour
Ground spices or finely grated zest (optional; see Variations below)
1 Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F), Gas Mark 3.
2 Cream the butter in a large bowl or in a food mixer until soft. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
3 Sift in the flour and spices or grated zest (if using) and bring the mixture together to form a dough.
4 Using your hands, roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and place them slightly apart on a baking tray (no need to grease or line). Flatten them slightly with the back of a damp fork and bake in the oven for 13-15 minutes or until they are light golden brown and slightly firm on top.
5 Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
VARIATIONS
Poppy seed: Add 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds to the flour.
Lemon: Add the finely grated zest of 1 lemon to the flour.
Orange: Add the finely grated zest of 1 orange to the flour.
White chocolate and orange: Dip the tops of the orange cookies in 50g (2oz) melted white chocolate, then allow to set on greaseproof paper.
Spices (cinnamon, mixed spice, ginger): Add 1 teaspoon of a ground spice to the flour.
Crystallised ginger and dark chocolate: Add 25g (1oz) finely chopped crystallised ginger to the flour. When the cookies are baked and cooled, dip the tops in 50g (2oz) melted dark chocolate, then allow to set on greaseproof paper.
Double chocolate chip: Use 250g (9oz) plain flour and add 50g (2oz) sifted cocoa powder to the flour. Bring the dough together and mix in 125g (4½oz) dark or white chocolate chips.
White chocolate and dried cranberry: Add 50g (2oz) chopped dried cranberries to the flour. When the cookies are baked and cooled, dip the tops in 50g (2oz) melted white chocolate and allow to set on greaseproof paper.
