A Trip To Bath!

Hi Guys,

So, on the Saturday after Good Friday, my family went to Bath for a day to meet up with some friends there. This meant walking around Bath and eating for practically the whole day!

We went to Sally Lunn's for brunch and it was delicious!

Sally Lunn's is the oldest house in Bath and it's the home of the famous "Sally Lunn Bun," the original Bath Bun. It's still baked to a secret recipe that has been the same ever since Sally Lunn herself started it. She was a French refugee, originally called Solange Luyon, who came to Bath in 1680 and it was in a bakery in Lilliput Abbey that she made the "Sally Lunn Bun", a bread that was similar to a brioche, almost a mixture between a cake, bread and a bun. We got to try it for ourselves. My sister and I tried it with cinnamon butter and the rest of our group had theirs with scrambled eggs.

After doing typical tourist activities, obviously we had to go and eat more! On a previous visit to Bath my family and I'd discovered quite an 'out of the way restaurant, though it was just as good, if not better than any other that we could have gone to! It was called "Yak Yeti Yak" and served Nepalese food.

It was amazing there and the food was delicious! Our entire group love it there! Some of my favorite things that we tasted would definitely be the "Pork Momos"(pork dumplings), "Musurko Dhal"(orange lentil dhal with garlic) and one of the specials that was on the board, the "Beetroot Pakora" and they are in the pictures below.

If you ever go to a restaurant that sells them I most definitely would suggest drinking a lassi! They are like the nicer version of a milkshake!

I hope that you liked this update and look up "Sally Lunns" and "Yak Yeti Yak" at http://www.sallylunns.co.uk/ and http://www.yakyetiyak.co.uk/

Hot Cross Buns

Hi Guys,

So, it's EASTER!!!!! This means "Hot Cross Buns" on Good Friday! Easter is one of my favorite times of year because it gives you the excuse to eat as much chocolate as you can!
Instead of the typical Hot Cross Buns that you usually get at the shop, the ones I made had a more bread-like crust and therefore not needing to be toasted! They were very simple to make, and during the proving time it was possible to do other things throughout the day.

I made these with my twin sister yesterday for my aunt's birthday! Hope she liked them! The pictures that I have provided don't have the sugar glaze on them as they'd only just come out the oven.

Every month I get the magazine from Waitrose and in the latest edition I found this recipe.

Granny Spear's Hot Cross Buns - From " Waitrose Magazine, Issue 72, March Edition"

Making Time - 30mins
Proving Time - 1hr 30mins
Cooking Time - 30mins

Ingredients -

• 12g Dried Yeast
• 680g Strong White Bread Flour, plus extra for dusting
• 175g Granulated Sugar
• 2tsp Mixed Spice
• 100g Margarine/Butter
• 75g Lard, chilled and cubed
• 1 Egg
• 200g Sultanas
• Vegetable Oil, for greasing

Crosses

• 75g Plain Flour

Sugar Syrup Glaze

• 1tbsp Granulated Sugar

1. In a small cup, mix the yeast with 50ml of warm water, until you have a smooth paste. Sieve the flour into a large bowl with the sugar and spice. Rub in the margarine (or butter) and lard until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a deep well in the flour and add the egg, yeast mixture and 250ml of warm water. Draw the flour from the edge over the yeast mixture so that is is completely covered. Cover with a clean tea towel and put in a warm place until it erupts like a volcano and nearly doubles in size (about 1 hour)

2. With lightly floured hands, incorporate the sultanas in the mixture, working it just a little until you have a smooth dough; don't need too vigorously as you would bread dough. Divide and shape the dough into 16 balls, then roll each one on a lightly floured surface to make a smooth bun. Place the buns in even rows on a large oiled baking tray (or 2 smaller ones). cover with a clean tea towel and put in a warm place to rise, until almost doubled in size again (about 30 minutes).

3. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade, gas mark 6. For the crosses, whisk the flour with 80ml water to make a smooth paste and spoon into a piping bag or sandwich bag. snip a small slit in the end and pipe a line along each row of proved buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses. Bake for 30 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven, until a rich golden colour.

4. Meanwhile, make the sugar syrup glaze. In a saucepan, mix the sugar with 3tbsp water and simmer over a low heat until syrupy and all the sugar has dissolved (about 2-3 minutes). Transfer the buns to a wire rack, brush over the sugar glaze and leave to cool before serving.

If you don't wish to use a piping bag to put on the crosses, then use a teaspoon to drag the flour mixture across the buns for an easier alternative.

My family and I found that they were a lot nicer warm! Please enjoy!!!

Tacky Gingerbread Cake

Hi Guys!

As my blog is obviously about FOOD, my first ever post will be showing you how to make delicious "Tacky Gingerbread Cake!"

I decided to make this as previously I'd thought that gingerbread was a biscuit before I actually got the book I found the recipe in! When I made it, instead I found out that it was a light, sticky, slightly spiced cake! I'm sure that I'm not the only one who thought this, and if so please make this using the recipe below; you may like the result better than the traditional biscuit!

Tacky Gingerbread Cake - From "Fast Cakes" by Mary Berry

Making Time - 15mins

Baking Time - 45mins

Ingredients  - 

• 175g/6oz Plain Flour
• 2tsp Baking Powder
• 2tsp Ground Ginger
• 50g/2oz Margarine or Softened/Butter
• 50g/2oz Soft Brown Sugar
• 1tbsp Black Treacle
• 1tbsp Golden Syrup
• 1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
• 210ml/7fl.oz Warm Milk
• 2 Eggs, Beaten
• 1 1/2oz/40g Stem Ginger, Finely Chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees centigrade/ 140 degrees fan/ Gas mark 3 and grease and line an 8 inch (20cm) baking tin.

 

2. Sieve the flour, baking powder and ground ginger into a bowl.

3. Cream the margarine and sugar, with the treacle and syrup in a separate bowl.

4. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda into the milk, then stir into the creamed mixture, along with the flour, eggs and stem ginger. once well blended, turn into your already prepared tin.

5. Bake in the oven for about 45mins until the cake is risen and springy to the touch.

In the recipe it states that you ought to leave it to cool in the tin before eating, but I ate it immediately and it was very nice! Try either way, maybe eat it with ice cream whilst warm!

Please enjoy!!!