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.
Tuesday 1 May 2012
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.
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.
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.
Saturday 28 April 2012
Mulled cider recipe
Mulled cider is a wonderful winter warmer. It is a tradition recipe that seems to be becoming a forgotten pleasure. I first experienced it at a tradition English pub but was not able to find a venue that sells it since. Of course, I then said to myself; you know what, I can make it myself. The best bit, it is so easy to make. :)
Ingredients:
1 Litre of cider
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg cloves
4 cloves
Directions:
Important note: It is important not to let the mixture boil at any point during the heating process. Alcohol has a low boiling point and will very quickly evaporate off.
Mix 100 mils of the cider with the spices and honey in a frying pan. Pour the rest of the cider into a large saucepan and leave this to the side for the moment. You don't want to heat this yet. Place the frying pan on medium high heat and stir as it simmers. Heat this mixture for approximately 12 minutes. Take the frying pan off the heat and place this to the side to cool. Begin to warm the rest of the cider, being careful not to over heat. After this warms a little mix in the spiced cider from the frying pan. When the cider comes up to a comfortable drinking temperature, remove the saucepan from the heat.
Serve an enjoy.
Suggestions:
Mulled cider makes a nice compliment to most desserts. :) It is also fantastic chilled.
Ingredients:
1 Litre of cider
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg cloves
4 cloves
Directions:
Important note: It is important not to let the mixture boil at any point during the heating process. Alcohol has a low boiling point and will very quickly evaporate off.
Mix 100 mils of the cider with the spices and honey in a frying pan. Pour the rest of the cider into a large saucepan and leave this to the side for the moment. You don't want to heat this yet. Place the frying pan on medium high heat and stir as it simmers. Heat this mixture for approximately 12 minutes. Take the frying pan off the heat and place this to the side to cool. Begin to warm the rest of the cider, being careful not to over heat. After this warms a little mix in the spiced cider from the frying pan. When the cider comes up to a comfortable drinking temperature, remove the saucepan from the heat.
Serve an enjoy.
Suggestions:
Mulled cider makes a nice compliment to most desserts. :) It is also fantastic chilled.
Friday 27 April 2012
The importance of sifting
Sifting is an important, and often forgotten, element in baking. Historically, the act of sifting flour came about as a way of removing the lumps from the grinding stones used to mill the flour, insects and insect parts and removing the solid lumps of flour that form when flour was kept in poor, damp conditions. However, the practise has continued into modern baking for one very good reason - it separates and aerates the flour. This is an important step to achieving light and fluffy cakes and muffins. Aerating the flour allows more space between the flour molecules so the yeast have more space to grow or allows for more air for the reaction that causes baking soda/bicarbonate to create air pockets. Whether you use yeast or bicarb, sifting clearly helps to create a lighter product.
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