New to baking, What to bake ?
- Thread starter 2013
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Shortbread.
Caporegime
OMG those cinnamon donut muffins sound amazing!
They are.
I now do them with a vanilla cinnamon glaze instead of the cinnamon sugar.Also, solidifying the apple sauce before hand in small moulds in the freezer helps a lot. *not totally frozen, just more solid*
am wondering about a large Cinammon doughnut in savarin/kugelhoff tin, full Homer size ?
what role do electric mixers have in your baking ?
never had a hand mixer but got an electric mixer, with food processor attachment a couple of years back, and that made the activity much more pleasurable, both creaming for cakes, preparing the wet mix for batters, pastry, can all be done within minutes, with butter practically direct from the fridge. (on the otherhand never invested in a microwave)
.. so this should be on yours/hers christmas/prime-day list
what role do electric mixers have in your baking ?
never had a hand mixer but got an electric mixer, with food processor attachment a couple of years back, and that made the activity much more pleasurable, both creaming for cakes, preparing the wet mix for batters, pastry, can all be done within minutes, with butter practically direct from the fridge. (on the otherhand never invested in a microwave)
.. so this should be on yours/hers christmas/prime-day list
Soldato
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- 17 Jan 2006
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I definitely wouldn't be without an electric mixer, it's such an essentially basic thing it's doing, it would be madness to do it by hand when an electric mixer is so much less hard work and is quicker!
I love all things savoury so for me when it comes to baking it has to be pies, try something simple like mince of steak pie. Short crust pastry is so easy it's hard to get ti wrong, oh and at the moment I'm loving apple pie thanks to the tree we have in the garden.
Nostalgic for version I had tried in the USA,
I had intended to try out a pumpkin pie, until I learned that debuting Pumpkins in the UK shops are not really good for culinary use (does anyone in uk sell ones that are - or if I bought a small one ?)
Consulting the Guardian (good for recipes) they suggest using a butternut squash instead (even sweet potatoe)
and was now somewhat divertd by the Marlborough pie suggestions/comment the article had, since currently, have a windfall apples, surplus.
I had intended to try out a pumpkin pie, until I learned that debuting Pumpkins in the UK shops are not really good for culinary use (does anyone in uk sell ones that are - or if I bought a small one ?)
Consulting the Guardian (good for recipes) they suggest using a butternut squash instead (even sweet potatoe)
and was now somewhat divertd by the Marlborough pie suggestions/comment the article had, since currently, have a windfall apples, surplus.
Soldato
We're having a bake off for Halloween at work, I won last year with Salted Caramel cupcakes, this year I am going to try and one up that as I am planning a 4 layer Red Velvet cake, with cream cheese frosting inside, vanilla buttercream frosting around and then hopefully a raspberry flavoured ganache drip icing to finish it off. Fingers crossed I can pull it off.
so did you use tinned pumpkin ?, or is there a UK variety that is clearly distinguishable for culinary use.
Soldato
Tinned for ease of use. Takes a few minutes to prep and is full of flavour.
Halloween pumpkins are too watery and flavourless. You can use smaller fleshier pumpkins if you can get them from a farm shop but it can be hit and miss.
You can pretty much use any sweeter tasting squash as replacement but tinned pumpkin puree is easier and tasty. There are plenty of recipes and a lot of the flavour actually comes from the 'pumpkin spices' rather than the pumpkin itself, as well as the sugar in it. Recipes vary a lot in consistency, from a light quiche to thick tart, but flavours are the same. More eggs or use of condense milk and cream instead of evaporated milk and sugar nets you a thicker pie top. Serve it with sweetened cream by whipping a bit of icing sugar and whipping cream with a blender until stiff.
Halloween pumpkins are too watery and flavourless. You can use smaller fleshier pumpkins if you can get them from a farm shop but it can be hit and miss.
You can pretty much use any sweeter tasting squash as replacement but tinned pumpkin puree is easier and tasty. There are plenty of recipes and a lot of the flavour actually comes from the 'pumpkin spices' rather than the pumpkin itself, as well as the sugar in it. Recipes vary a lot in consistency, from a light quiche to thick tart, but flavours are the same. More eggs or use of condense milk and cream instead of evaporated milk and sugar nets you a thicker pie top. Serve it with sweetened cream by whipping a bit of icing sugar and whipping cream with a blender until stiff.
Thanks, naivley had not realised tinned pumpkin is available in tesco, but may try butternut, since also saw NewYorkTimes recommended it
(EDIT - they were right on Trump)
(EDIT - they were right on Trump)
Soldato
It is worth a go but with butternut being rock hard raw, requiring some pealing and boiling, i would have a go at the tinned stuff to start to see whether you like the flavour of pumpkin spice.
The recipe with that stuff for the speedy version is:
1.blend up the tinned pumpkin, condensed milk/evaporated milk and sugar, cream, eggs
2.pour into pre-made pie crust/base
3. cook on on about 200 degrees for 10-15 and then turn down the temperature and cook longer so the mixture sets and the crust does not burn.
The recipe with that stuff for the speedy version is:
1.blend up the tinned pumpkin, condensed milk/evaporated milk and sugar, cream, eggs
2.pour into pre-made pie crust/base
3. cook on on about 200 degrees for 10-15 and then turn down the temperature and cook longer so the mixture sets and the crust does not burn.
Soldato
Interesting, might try this. After one Halloween and making about 5l of pumpkin soup I decided I didn't want to cook pumpkin ever again
Soldato
Pumpkin can be very nice but the pumpkins you get for carving are 'giant pumpkins' and are basically mostly water and more flavourless than marrows.
You can roast them, mash them, make them into a pie or risotto but if the original pumpkin flesh you use has little flavour, it wont add much. I remember roasting a supermarket pumpkin with garlic, oil and herbs and it was so watery it came out like a flavourless melon cubes.
Save the supermarket ones for carving, get tinned stuff or normal sized pumpkins/squashes from farm shops. I grabbed a few mini pumpkins from the shop which will remain uncarved and stacked as decorations, these will end up as food for fireworks night.
This is the stuff i use:
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/default.aspx?id=273861046
I normally skip the crust part and buy a premade one, as i can leave it to cool in the foil. I don't know if you can classify anything this easy as baking though
You can roast them, mash them, make them into a pie or risotto but if the original pumpkin flesh you use has little flavour, it wont add much. I remember roasting a supermarket pumpkin with garlic, oil and herbs and it was so watery it came out like a flavourless melon cubes.
Save the supermarket ones for carving, get tinned stuff or normal sized pumpkins/squashes from farm shops. I grabbed a few mini pumpkins from the shop which will remain uncarved and stacked as decorations, these will end up as food for fireworks night.
This is the stuff i use:
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/default.aspx?id=273861046
I normally skip the crust part and buy a premade one, as i can leave it to cool in the foil. I don't know if you can classify anything this easy as baking though
next time with pumpkin, but, for now, the windfall's won't eat themselves, albeit, the insects have a good try.
pretty similar recipe - evaporated milk/2 eggs/melted-butter/cinnamon/pureed bramley/light muscavado
I keep a stash of used glass rammikens or whatever "luxury" deserts from the supermarket come in are called.
Especially for cooking with lots of spices and the like, because they're all the same you don't have to tare the scales each time and you've got everything you need right in front of you.