UK Book Club discussion

I have baked for years and the best book I picked up last year was the book of the series The Great British Bake off The Great British Book of Baking: 120 best-loved recipes from teatime treats to pies and pasties by Linda Collister.

The recipes are great and easy to follow. I also still have my old O Level Stork baking book which is falling apart and that has some great recipes too.

I love Lemon Drizzle, my ex loves my Fruit Tea Loaf - can send you recipe for that if you want it. I also finally learnt how to make scones from the book of baking!

I use the silicone bakeware too rather than the metal ones and love them.

Also love the recipes from thepinkwhisk.co.uk which is Ruth's Blog from the bake off programme, she was runner up.

I love baking and experimenting with new recipes!

The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbookis a great book - it's worth buying just for the pictures alone! There are loads of ideas from standard vanilla cupcakes to more exotic flavours, such as green tea. I have only tried a few recipes from it so far but they are all quite simple and taste delicious!

Good Housekeeping cookbooks are really good as well - I have one called 'Favourite Cakes, Bakes and Cupcakes' which contains nearly 250 recipes, and again they are simple to make, delicious cakes.

Fiona, My sister and I were both made to do O Level Domestic Science as it was called then by my mother and we did learn all about the science bit of what certain foods did etc!

Our first lesson was making a cup of coffee with hot milk, hot not to boil the milk over and turn the heat down just before and gently add it to coffee so that it dissolves properly!

Like beating air into mixtures to make them light and to fold in the flour with a metal spoon so it doesn't knock all the air out. Especially good when baking fatless sponges for flan cases and swiss roll.
I don't think schools actually teach real 'domestic science' these days.

I must admit, I hadn't actually looked into where you might get green tea powder, but if it is that expensive than I would definitely be tempted to just rip open a few green tea bags!

You're not wrong about a lack of 'domestic science' in schools, Lynne. I didn't carry it on to GCSE but for the first 3 years of secondary school we occasionally did 'Food Technology' - probably about 6 weeks each school year.

From what I remember, we barely did any what I would call 'proper' cooking. The emphasis was more on how food was mass-produced and how to make things as quickly and easily as possible. We made bread, but it was from a packet mix, and we spent 3 or 4 weeks 'designing' a sandwich that could be sold in a supermarket.

I'm lucky that my parents encouraged me to do a lot of cooking when I was younger, but I do wish that we had learnt some more helpful cookery skills whilst at school.

I reckon ripping open a few green tea bags will be fine, just grind it down so it's a powder and it'll be fine.

We had some pretty good cookery lessons, we made bread from scratch, pizza, crumble and swiss roll as well as getting lessons on balanced diets and where food comes from etc. We even tried a risotto although not all of them were successful.

My mum and nan were also very good at encouraging my kitchen experiments. That's another thing I'd say though, if there's something a recipe you don't like try replacing it with something similiar and see what happens, that's what I tend to do and I've only had a few disasters!

The BBC food website (as opposed to the goodfood website) is also good as it has all recipes from all the cookery shows on the various BBC, past and present, and you can search by programme or chef if you want. And I would highly recommend Party Cakes: 45 Fabulous Cakes for All Occasions, with Easy Ideas for Children's Cakes by Carol Deacon when you ready to delve into cake decorating.

Happy baking :-D

I have also recently discovered baking since my husband bought me Nigella's Feast book for Xmas. He usually does all of the cooking as I have akitchen allergy :o) so I think it was a hint. So far I have made Chocolate Malteaser Cake, Cranberry and Pecan Cookies, Almond Macaroons, Brownies, Choc Cheesecake, Custard Cream Biscuits, Gingerbread Muffins, Maple & Pecan Muffins and Granola Muffins. They have all been lush. The instructions are not always that straightforward but I love the way she describes everything.
Oh, I also did Banana Buttermilk Pancakes for Shrove Tuesday and they were amazing.

Fiona wrote: "Abi wrote: "I must admit, I hadn't actually looked into where you might get green tea powder, but if it is that expensive than I would definitely be tempted to just rip open a few green tea bags!

..."

If you don't want to fork out on baking beans (which you can get in most supermarkets) you can just use coins, just make sure the grease proof paper covers all the pastry. They work just as well, I used coins for ages before getting around to buying the proper beans :-)

Fiona wrote: "Does anyone have any books that might be useful trying to learn the logic behind all that beating and kneading and poking?"

I have a collection of recipe cards that my nan gave to me, they're five ring binders of recipes covering everything you can think of and more. It has a section on basic recipes, including a pastry one, which I'll dig out at some point and see if it has any of that kind of info on it.

The key thing I've found with pastry is keep it cool when your making it (cold hands are best for this) and don't overwork it otherwise it comes out really dense and not quite so nice.

Inspiring....never got further than jam tarts myself

Oh I love making pastry (even more than cakes), I've made savoury tartlets, pasties, quiches and even used left over pastry to make pizza like pastry bakes and of course I've made plenty of sweet pastries. My mum like my chocolate tarts the best so far. I want to try making eclairs and that kind of thing next but shoe pastry is a bit more complex so trying to keep it for a rainy day (or one where I've a bit more time to focus and not screw it up anyway) :-)

Sam wrote: "Oh I love making pastry (even more than cakes), I've made savoury tartlets, pasties, quiches and even used left over pastry to make pizza like pastry bakes and of course I've made plenty of sweet p..."

Sam - you're making me hungry. Do you do a delivery service? - lol

I like cooking but never done much baking. Would love to be able to make a kick-arse carrot cake though

Ian wrote: "Sam - you're making me hungry. Do you do a delivery service? - lol"

Sorry Ian, haven't started one yet but you'll be the first to know if I do ;-D lol

Fiona wrote: "How do you know when you have over-worked pastry? "

I find it goes a bit elastic and less pliable when its overworked. The best way to avoid it I've found is as soon as all the ingredients are combined and you can no longer see bits of butter/margarine/lard then stop and chill before rolling it out and lining your tin. The recipe collection I had from my nan also states that pastry should be chilled again once in the tin before baking and I must say it does seem to produce a better pastry, it doesn't seem to rise as much and keeps it shape better. Does that help Fiona?

Kev wrote: "I like cooking but never done much baking. Would love to be able to make a kick-arse carrot cake though"

I would definitely recommend baking, I find it so much more relaxing than cooking for some reason, I tend to find it less frantic and there's nothing better than the smell of fresh baked bread, cakes and tarts :-D

My favourite carrot cake recipe is:

175g/6fl oz sunflower oil
175g/6oz light muscovado sugar
3 eggs, beaten
175g/6oz grated carrots
85g/3oz sultanas
55g/2oz walnut pieces
Grated rind of 1 orange
175g/6oz self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Half tsp grated nutmeg (I use ground nutmeg, works just as well)

Frosting:
200g/7oz full-fat soft cheese
100g/3.5oz icing sugar
2 tsp orange juice
Strips of orange zest (for decoration)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/Gas Mark 4, grease and line a 23cm/9 inch square tin (a round tin of a similar volume works just as well)

Beat together th oil, muscovado sugar and eggs, then stir in the grated carrot, sultanas, walnuts and grated orange rind.

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and nutmeg into a separate bowl then add to the carrot mixture and fold (I find using a plastic spatula best for this to keep the air in, whatever you do don't use a wooden spoon, it flattens the mixture and the cake comes out really dense, still tastes good though).

Spoon or pour into the cake tin and bake for 40-45 minutes until well risen and firm to the touch (again a bit of advice, don't slam the oven door or open it before at least two thirds of the cooking time has past, in this case at least 30 mins, or the cake will sink in the middle, which never looks good).

Once out of the oven leave it in the tin on a wire rack for 5 mins before turning it out (it keeps its shape better) and leaving to cool completely.

To make the frosting combine the soft cheese, icing sugar and orange juice and beat until smooth (I've found wooden spoons good for this bit). Then spread over the top of the cake (make sure its completely cooled or the frosting melts everywhere, as my impatience found out once) and decorate with the strips of orange zest. Then cut it up and enjoy!

Happy baking Kev :-D

Check out Sarah Whitaker's cook books, even I can understand them!! Lynne might remember her from Frome.
All the best Paul Rix [oldgeezer]

Sam wrote: "Kev wrote: "I like cooking but never done much baking. Would love to be able to make a kick-arse carrot cake though"

I would definitely recommend baking, I find it so much more relaxing than cooki..."

This looks like a great recipe going to try this at the weekend....

Lynne - The Book Squirrel wrote: "I have baked for years and the best book I picked up last year was the book of the series The Great British Bake off [book:The Great British Book of Baking: 120 best-loved recipes from teatime trea..."

This is a great book, treated myself to this just after christmas as noone bought it for me.. love it the rhubarb cheeesecake is to die for....

I haven't read any of his books but Richard Bertinet's baking books are well regarded/reviewed. I am actually thinking of taking one of his baking courses, they are a bit pricey but its in Bath, so they are like a mini holiday. He specializes in savory breads I think- someone else teaches pastry.

Fiona wrote: "Sam wrote: "Ian wrote: "Sam - you're making me hungry. Do you do a delivery service? - lol"

Sorry Ian, haven't started one yet but you'll be the first to know if I do ;-D lol

Fiona wrote: "How do..."

The more you mix the batter the more gluten (a protein complex that is very elastic) forms, which is good for a baguette as it makes it chewy, but bad for a cake as it makes the crumb tough. You want to blend the least amount necessary to mix the ingredients and never more so you get a nice tender crumb. I highly recommend Shirley Corriher's books on the science of cooking, when you get to the point where you want to start modifying recipes this book helps you understand what to change to get your desired result.

Sam wrote: "Kev wrote: "I like cooking but never done much baking. Would love to be able to make a kick-arse carrot cake though"

I would definitely recommend baking, I find it so much more relaxing than cooki..."

WOW! Thanks for going to the effort for typing that out, it sounds amazing. Will try it when I'm off over Easter! :)

Fiona wrote: "Sam wrote: "Ian wrote: "Sam - you're making me hungry. Do you do a delivery service? - lol"

Sorry Ian, haven't started one yet but you'll be the first to know if I do ;-D lol

Fiona wrote: "How do..."

Yea I know what you mean. The only reason I've worked it out is because I've had things go wrong then started asking people why (my nan usually, she's like a cookery queen).

It is a good recipe, I find the sultanas add a nice bit of moistness to the cake and between them and the nutmeg the flavour is amazing!

Kev wrote: "Sam wrote: "Kev wrote: "I like cooking but never done much baking. Would love to be able to make a kick-arse carrot cake though"

I would definitely recommend baking, I find it so much more relaxin..."

No problem Kev, I like to share the better recipes I come across. My friends reckon that my aim is to have the whole world baking eventually...at times I think they might be right hehe!

Fiona, check out Delia Smiths website you can't go far wrong with her.


Sam, I am going to try your carrot cake recipe, thanks for sharing it.

Sam wrote: "I would definitely recommend baking, I find it so much more relaxing than cooking for some reason, I tend to find it less frantic and there's nothing better than the smell of fresh baked bread, cakes and tarts :-D

My favourite carrot cake recipe is:..."

You're all making me hungry!!! I love carrot cake, but have never actually cooked it, I will have to have a go.

Both my brother & I were taught to cook by my Granny and I've always loved it - baking is almost magical. My brother is a serious foodie and he cooks amazing Thai food. I cook anything and always like to experiment.

Now my son is old enough to roll out pastry and stir mixtures (scraping out the bowl being his treat at the end), he's learning too - although the flour does tend to end up all over the place....

I have too many cookbooks to mention, but on the baking front, I do like Nigella's How to Be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking and I have a great book called 500 Fabulous Cakes and Bakes which has never let me down. (Made a delicious banana & coconut cake at the weekend with a couple of spotty over-ripe bananas).

Mmmm.........

So has anyone else noticed that we are all much more passionate about food than books here? lol. So all this baking chatter has inspired me to book Bertinet's 3 day bread class next August down in Bath- maybe we can have a Goodreads reunion near the beach in August as there seem to be a lot of members in southern England.

Dalia wrote: "I haven't read any of his books but Richard Bertinet's baking books are well regarded/reviewed. I am actually thinking of taking one of his baking courses, they are a bit pricey but its in Bath, ..."

I have Richard Bertinet's Dough and it really is all you'll ever need to bake perfect bread. (I used to live in Bath and always fancied doing one of his courses too, but yes, they are rather expensive, so it never happened for me....)

I bake a lot of cakes and cookies (you wouldn't need me to tell you this if you could see my thighs) but I have never learned to bake savory breads. It is expensive- and the hotels in Bath are very pricey also, especially compared to Scotland- but all that kneading is exercise right? So this is like going to exercise camp and not just foodie porn! :-)

Dalia wrote: "I bake a lot of cakes and cookies (you wouldn't need me to tell you this if you could see my thighs) but I have never learned to bake savory breads. It is expensiv e- and the hotels in Bath are very pricey also, especially compared to Scotland- but all that kneading is exercise right? So this is like going to exercise camp and not just foodie porn! :-) ..."

Sure, all that kneading, you will have wonderfully toned arms! Bath is lovely - do it Dalia. (I used to live in a little house on a bridge by the river - *sigh*! One day, I will return....)

BTW anyone tried www.foodari.co.uk ? I have a virtual cookbook on there with recipes I've collected etc. It's a great site.

I must say I have never tried making bread - well apart from a packet mix whilst at school. I love making cakes, but something about baking bread really scares me, to me it seems so much more complicated than cake baking what with the kneading and the resting - the same goes for pastry! Maybe this summer I will finally pluck up the courage to do some 'savoury baking'!

I have been experimenting with pizza crusts and a few other yeast flatbreads over the past 5-6 years and have gotten flatbreads down but I think you need a special bread oven to make that "perfect" baguette- but ask me again in late August after I have finished the Bertinet class! It is a huge amount of money but you only live once.... and if I don't spend it my teenager will spend it for me!

I make bread every few days! I cheat though as I have a bread maker!

Abi wrote: "I must say I have never tried making bread - well apart from a packet mix whilst at school. I love making cakes, but something about baking bread really scares me, to me it seems so much more comp..."

I would recommend Nigel Slater's Lazy Loaf, there's no kneading or resting involved, so it's really easy and the bread is lovely at the end. I use this recipe a lot as I often don't have the time to do it all properly. You can find the recipe on the BBC food website, here's a link for you:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/nig...

Hi,
my lovely missus made ten bread cakes and a loaf this afternoon, six of the 'baps' have gone already!!! what are they like? well...oooooh.. ummmm...aaaah, I think I'll take a chance and nick another one as she has just gone to bed!!
I'll let you know which hospital I'm in later, if I can! I'm bound to get caught!
All the best Paul Rix [oldgeezer]

Sam wrote: "Abi wrote: "I must say I have never tried making bread - well apart from a packet mix whilst at school. I love making cakes, but something about baking bread really scares me, to me it seems so mu..."

Oooh that looks like a really good recipe, and not too difficult - I am definitely going to give it a go. Thanks Sam!

No problem Abi, let us know how you get on with it. I'd love to know if other people find it as good as I do!

Ladies and Gentleman I want to thank you!! I am a Brit banished to the deepest darkest Alaska, despairing of finding good old english recipes and you have supplied some fantastic links here... my favourite recipe from US site ( i feel I should try and offer quid pro quo as they say) is lemon bars

http://www.food.com/recipe/lemon-bars...

Once again I thank you!

Hi Mandy these look yummy, can I just ask what sort of flour do you use Plain or Self raising ?

I love the Great British Bake Off now back for a 2nd series. The book accompanying the last series was excellent, I use it often now.

The Great British Book of Baking: 120 best-loved recipes from teatime treats to pies and pasties. To accompany BBC2's The Great British Bake-off

I love baking, I have made a dundee cake and orange drizzle cake this afternoon. A good cook book I use is Simple Cakes and also "Mums Know Best": The Hairy Bikers' Family Cookbook. Mary Berry I use for making scones and coffee & walnut cake.

Karen wrote: "I love baking, I have made a dundee cake and orange drizzle cake this afternoon. A good cook book I use is Simple Cakes and also [book:"Mums Know Best": The Hairy Bikers' Family Cook..."

Next time I visit the cafe I am in for some cake!

Jane, not entirely sure..they call it all purpose flour here in the US but the fact you use baking powder in the recipe (it looks like it is a rising agent )would suggest self raising would be the one to use in UK - leave the baking powder out if using self raising flour though!

Personally I am in favour of cake (mmm cake), particularly Lemon Drizzle :)

Sadly my baking skills leave something to be desired - but I do make a mean Key Lime Pie (mmm pie)

The Hummingbird Bakery cookbook (already mentioned) is worth the price just for the raspberry cheesecake brownies :)

If you're interested in learning cake decoration techniques I own one very good introductory book: Cakes and Cake Decorating which covers pretty much everything we did on the college courses I took, with how-to pictures.

I have a few recipes for classic cakes on my blog, too, at least it covers some of my favourites - most especially the simnel cake and the bakewell tart. (And please, please shout at me if anything isn't clear in the instructions, and I'll make it clearer!)

Hi Mandy, thanks going to try this over the weekend it our bank holiday here this weekend so a extra day off work. Yippee ..........

I have bee following http://www.thepinkwhisk.co.uk/ all year since Ruth was runner up in last years Great British bake off. Her lemon curd recipe is to die for! I make it regularly and it is enough for 2 kilner jars, one for me, one for ex hubby who now has to make his own lemon curd tarts!

Lynne - The Book Squirrel wrote: "I have bee following http://www.thepinkwhisk.co.uk/ all year since Ruth was runner up in last years Great British bake off. Her lemon curd recipe is to die for! I make it regularly and it is enou..."

I follow Ruth too, she was my favorite. Do you have her e-mails come through to you, also get her feed on your facebook page. I make her Berry Tea Cake loads,it is really nice.

MMMMM FOOD!

hehe

@ Karen, yeah I get her updates and she was my favourite too. Not sure how the next lot of contestants will fair yet, they seem to be all making some errors so far.

Will have to check out her Berry Tea Cake, I usually make a Tea bread for ex-hubby, an old recipe from my old O Level stork cook book.

Lynne - The Book Squirrel wrote: "@ Karen, yeah I get her updates and she was my favourite too. Not sure how the next lot of contestants will fair yet, they seem to be all making some errors so far.

Will have to check out her B..."

I agree that this years lot seem to be making a lot of errors.