Tuesday 1 May 2012

Deadlines

Gotta love deadlines.  I am currently chained to my laptop, dealing with impending assignments and contemplating the a breakfast bound to upset all allergens.

Croissants, cinnamon rolls, banana's, grapes and satsumas - breakfast, not of champions, of students.. -_-  Stomach so going to be up set later.

Monday 30 April 2012

Baking with yeast

Yeast is a very handy raising agent.  Without it bread would be as dense as bricks.  However, yeast can be very tricky to bake with.  Yeast is a complex organism.  The emphasis with yeast is that it is a living organism.  As such certain factors must be taken into account.

Water:  Yeast like moist environments.  However, as bread is made by mixing flours with liquids this is a fairly easy need to fulfil.

Air:  Yeast need oxygen just like us - this is why it is important to sift the flour before use as this allows for the most aeration of the flour as possible; ensuring the larges air pockets for the yeast.

Food:  Yeast live on sugars.  This is why sugar is added to bread mixtures - too feed the yeast.

Heat:  This is a big factor.  This often where people fail in the baking process.  It is important to keep all ingredients of the bread dough at a temperature between 20-37 degrees Celsius.  This is because yeast's optimal growth happens in this 20-37 temperature range.  It is equally important for the rising process to place the dough in a place where the temperature is 20-37 degrees for an hour prior to baking.

Sunday 29 April 2012

Crumbed chicken, like kfc only better; Gluten-free

This a good recipe for chicken fans.  IT can be as health or unhealthy as you like.  The chicken will make a nice addition to salad or roast veggies.  It is a versatile option.

Ingredients:

8 Chicken pieces
1/2 cup Cornflour
water
Gluten-free bread crumbs
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 sage
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 thyme

Directions.

This recipe can be used for deep frying or oven baking.  Temperate setting in either case is ideal at 180 degrees Celsius.

Place the bread crumbs and corn flour into separate containers.  Mix the herbs, salt and pepper into the cornflour.  When these ingredients are thoroughly combined, start mixing water in slowly; until the cornflour forms a paste that is fairly thick but still runs (you can test this easily by spooning some of the mixture out and allowing it to fall back into the container).  One at a time, dip the chicken pieces in the cornflour paste and then into the breadcrumbs.  This will be a messy process but is worth the effort.  To cook, either place the chicken pieces on a greased tray and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes or Place in a deep fryer until the chicken pieces brown and float.