Basic Baking

[flashy]

Thought i would start a thread about Basic Baking recipes, when i was a kid i used to bake with my gran and therefore have learnt the basics in baking.

Could we possibly share our basic baking recipes on here so we can help some people help their kids to bake?

i'll start

fairy cakes...

4oz self raising flour
4oz sugar
2 eggs
4oz marg or butter
2 tablespoons of milk

mix the butter/marg in with the sugar
add the 2 beaten eggs
sift in the flour
add the milk

put the cooker on, gas mark 5

get some bun cases and put them into bun tins
add the mixture
put them in the oven for 12 minutes

when done take them out and let them cool

if you wanna be really clever you could make some butter cream using icing sugar and butter/marg
cut a hole in the middle of the fairy cake and add the butter cream then replace the bit that you took out


and bobs yer uncle

[Lilly]

Good idea for a thread, Flashy.

[jambutty]

My ex used to cut into two the bit cut out and placed both pieces back at an angle. She also used real cream rather than butter cream.

My speciality used to be pancakes although I haven’t made any for donkey’s years. It’s easier to buy them ready made but they aren’t so nice. No salt.

Some people use all milk and some half and half water. I prefer all milk.

For enough pancakes for two or one greedy person.

½ a pint of real milk
1 large egg
A good pinch of salt
Plain flour. I’ve no idea how much.

Pour the milk into something like a measuring jug. Add the good pinch of salt and the egg.
Stir with a fork or spoon until everything is blended together.
Add the flour and stir until the mixture is thick yet still a bit runny.

If you have a cast iron frying pan, all the better otherwise a steel one will do. I ruined a non-stick frying pan making pancakes, but it was a cheap one.

Add a nob of butter, or marge if you must, to the frying pan on a very hot heat. Spread it around until all the bottom has been covered.
Pour in some of the pancake mix and spread it around most of the frying pan. Leave a bit of room for your spatula. Unless you fancy tossing it.
As soon as the pancake is showing signs of being cooked add another nob of butter and turn the pancake over. Keep shaking the frying pan from side to side over the heat until the pancake is cooked a nice brown colour.
Tip onto a pre warmed plate and cover it with another plate and keep warm.
Next pancake.

Eat with either a spread of jam or sugar with a good sprinkle of lemon juice. Some people eat the pancake flat, whilst other prefer to roll it up and eat it that way. Syrup isn’t bad either and nor is Lemon Curd. If you like honey, try that.

As an alternative to standard pancakes, peel and core a small baking apple or two and slice it into thin slices about 3mm thick. Put the slices into the pancake mix.
Spoon a battered slice and some batter into the frying pan.
Fry as above.

[jambutty]

Catering for one is always a problem but I think that I have solved it as far as chicken is concerned. And a leg/shoulder of lamb or pork. I suppose that I could get a couple of chicken legs or breast pieces and roast them but you don’t get the chicken stock and that is where a lot of the flavour is.

Roasting a chicken for one person or even more.

If you can get a free range chicken all the better, otherwise buy one from a butcher rather than from a supermarket.

You will need a decent sized roasting dish with a lid, a measuring jug and a packet of stuffing. I used to have a decent sized non-stick metal one, until I lent it to a neighbour. She used a Brillo pad to clean it with and over time, slowly but surely it got rusty. So I had to buy an oven proof glass one. £8.99. Absolute robbery!

Pour the stuffing into the measuring jug and add a couple of tablespoonfuls of dried onions. No dried onions, then use a fresh one cut up very small. A pinch of salt wouldn’t go amiss.
Add some boiling water and stir the mixture. Add some more boiling water and stir until the mixture is thick. Don’t worry if you add too much water so that the mixture is sloppy. It will evaporate during roasting. If you add so much that the mixture is runny then pour the lot into a clean cloth and squeeze out the excess moisture.

Look sternly at the chicken and tell it to “Spread ‘em”. It is not necessary to point a gun at the chicken - it's already dead! Remove the packet of giblets if there is one.
Spoon the stuffing mix into the chicken cavity until it is all in or the cavity is full.
Tie the legs together so that the cavity is closed.
Place in the roasting dish, cover with the lid and slide it into a pre-warmed oven at about gas mark 1.
Some four hours later you will have a succulent chicken with the meat just falling off the bones and lots of chicken stock.
If you want to brown off the chick outside, take off the lid, up the gas to about 6 for, oh I don’t know, just keep looking every ten minutes or so.

Now for the gravy.
Follow the directions on the chicken gravy mix box but add the stock first then top up with boiling water to bring the gravy to a consistency of your liking.

My chicken is in the oven now and at around 4 o’clock I will tear off the legs, thighs and wings and with a couple of slices of bread and butter, a chunk of strong Cheddar cheese and a couple of scoops of stuffing I will tuck in with relish. With some of the gravy in a shallow cup I can dip the bread into it.

For tomorrow.
Put the gravy in a saucepan.
Slice the chicken breast into the saucepan, cover and set aside to cool. I use a plastic carrier bag.
Scoop out the remainder of the stuffing and wrap it with some foil.

Tomorrow I will ‘roast’ a few pre-roasted frozen spuds, gently warm the chicken in gravy and some peas and warm up the stuffing.

There could be enough left for a couple of butties in the evening.

[Benipete]

* 85 grams / 3 oz of icing sugar
* 85 grams / 3 oz of castor sugar
* 280 grams / 10 oz of butter
* 450 grams / 1 lb of flour

Preheat your oven to 140°C (280°F or Gas mark 2). In a large bowl cream the butter, icing sugar and castor sugar together. Sift the flour and mix with the other ingredients to a firm dough. On a lightly floured board or bench roll out the dough to approximately 1.5cm (½ inch) thick. Cut into squares. Dot each square with a fork twice and place onto a baking tray. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the shortbread is just slightly golden and crunchy.

Makes 30 squares.

Alternatively nip down the £1 shop and buy a tin

[West Ender]

Shortbread biscuits. These are so simple to make, children can easily manage them, and they're delicious.

8 oz. butter
4 oz sugar
12 oz plain flour

Cream the butter and sugar then mix in the flour. Leave the mixture for half an hour then roll it out to about 3/4 inch thick. Place it on a greased baking tray and prick the surface all over with a fork (you can cut it into biscuit shapes if you like) and bake at Gas Mark 4 (350F) for about 30 minutes until golden coloured.


OOPS! Just saw your recipe above, Benipete. Still, mine's ever so slightly different.

[Benipete]

Originally Posted by West Ender

Shortbread biscuits. These are so simple to make, children can easily manage them, and they're delicious.

8 oz. butter
4 oz sugar
12 oz plain flour

Cream the butter and sugar then mix in the flour. Leave the mixture for half an hour then roll it out to about 3/4 inch thick. Place it on a greased baking tray and prick the surface all over with a fork (you can cut it into biscuit shapes if you like) and bake at Gas Mark 4 (350F) for about 30 minutes until golden coloured.

Forgot to mention - My recipe was for Shortbread also.

[onlyme]

A tip I was once given, was, when making a basic sponge cake mix, weigh the eggs, then add the same weight in flour sugar and marg. Cream the marg and sugar together and then add the rest.

Apparently makes the mixture the right consistency etc (?!)

[flashy]

Originally Posted by onlyme

A tip I was once given, was, when making a basic sponge cake mix, weigh the eggs, then add the same weight in flour sugar and marg. Cream the marg and sugar together and then add the rest.

Apparently makes the mixture the right consistency etc (?!)

ahhhhhhhh, i've never heard that one before, sounds right though, you dont want to end up with more egg than other ingredients

[Benipete]

Egg Custard Pie;

Ingredients

* 3 eggs, slightly beaten
* 1 cup sugar
* 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
* 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups milk
* Sprinkle of nutmeg
* 1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell


Directions

1. Combine eggs, sugar, butter, and vanilla; beat until well blended.
2. Stir in milk, and pour into pastry shell.
3. Sprinkle top with nutmeg.
4. Bake at 350-degrees F for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted 1-inch from edge of pie comes out clean.
5. Cool 10 minutes.

[keetah992000]

i alway add an extra egg in the sponge mix - oo it goes so stodgy and moist - i love it yum.

[Benipete]

One for the kids.
Title: RICE KRISPIE TREATS
Categories: Candies, Desserts
Yield: 24 servings

1/4 c Margarine or butter
1 pk 10 oz. mini marshmallows
6 c Rice Krispies

Melt Margarine in large deep pan over low heat. Add marshmallow and stir
until completely melted. Remove from heat add Rice Krispies and stir until
they are well coated. Using buttered spatula press mixture into buttered
pan 13x9x2. Cut when cool.

VARIATION: Stir in 1/4 cup of peanut butter into marshmallow mixture
before cereal is added. You could also use colored marshmallows too.

[West Ender]

That's reminded me of a favourite of mine. My kids made this when they were very small.

Chocolate Crispies

All you need is a large bowl of cereal, cornflakes, rice crispies or similar, and a slab of chocolate (I like plain but milk chocolate works too).

Mum or dad's job is to melt the chocolate, either in a pyrex bowl over a pan of simmering, boiled water, or in a microwave oven (careful it doesn't burn in a microwave). Once it's melted and runny pour the chocolate over the cereal and mix it in well. If it's too sloppy you can add a bit more cereal but make sure you combine it well.

Spoon the mixture into baking cases and leave to go cold.


My children also always made a jam tart from lumps of grey pastry (left over when I baked - and rolled, dropped on the floor, stretched, knotted and generally mishandled) that had to be cooked "for daddy".

Daddy, brave man that he was, always ate it too.

[vicky1]

Originally Posted by Benipete

One for the kids.
Title: RICE KRISPIE TREATS
Categories: Candies, Desserts
Yield: 24 servings

1/4 c Margarine or butter
1 pk 10 oz. mini marshmallows
6 c Rice Krispies

Melt Margarine in large deep pan over low heat. Add marshmallow and stir
until completely melted. Remove from heat add Rice Krispies and stir until
they are well coated. Using buttered spatula press mixture into buttered
pan 13x9x2. Cut when cool.

VARIATION: Stir in 1/4 cup of peanut butter into marshmallow mixture
before cereal is added. You could also use colored marshmallows too.

You've forgotten to mention how sweet they are and your grandaughter has run out of them

[AccyLass]

This makes about 12 jam macaroons
Depending on how big you want them

8oz S/Raising Flour
4oz Marg
4oz Sugar
1 Egg
Jam

METHOD

Rub the flour and marg together until it makes it all bitty (falls through ya fingers)
Stir in the sugar
Mix the egg to stiffen the dough
(You might wanna add drops of water so it's not hard)
Roll some dough into your hand forming a ball (Repeat this however many times you need)
Place on a greased baking tray
Put a ditch in the middle of the dough and put a teaspoon of jam in the middle
Gas Mark 6/200 degrees for 15-20 mins

You can also add desiccated coconut to the dough mixture for coconut macaroons

Mmmm