Do you have Roku? We bought it primarily to watch the first few seasons of GBBO that aren’t available elsewhere. While the BBC was learning how to produce GBBO the early seasons provided local knowledge and history about the various baked items. This in-depth part of the show has since disappeared. The show that contained Bath Oliver Biscuits was one of those shows.
After making these biscuits once I learned they should be rolled out to NO MORE than 2mm (~ 1/8”) thick. It will take several rest stops to relax the dough enough to roll it that thin. Be patient, it will get there.
Originally developed as a digestive aid for patients (and others) suffering from maladies such as obesity and gout. Supposedly, his biscuits helped balance the “four humors” of the body.
Bath Oliver Biscuits
INGREDIENTS • 30 ml (2 Tbl) warm water • 3g (1 tsp) dried yeast • 50 g butter • 150 ml (5 oz) milk • 5g (1 tsp) salt • 340g AP flour
METHOD
Combine the yeast and water and set aside to bloom.
Gently heat the milk and butter together over a low heat, keep the temperature down, just warm enough to melt the butter.
Combine the yeast and liquid in a bowl and add half the flour.
Mix well, cover and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Combine the rested batter with the remaining flour and salt to form a ball of dough. I had to wet my hands a couple of times to help the dough come together and form a ball.
Knead the dough until smooth, allowing it to rest now and then.
Place into a clean bowl and cover tightly, allow it to rest for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to convection 350ºF and set up a rack in the top third and another in the lower third.
Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 2cm thick.
Fold into thirds and roll back out, repeat this 8 times. You will need to rest the dough every 2–3 folds as it will be resistant to re-rolling.
Roll the dough out to 2mm thick. You may need to let the dough rest (covered) several times to achieve this thinness.
Dock the pastry all over, then using a cutter press out large circles.
Arrange on lined trays, spray the rounds with a light misting of water and sprinkle over some flaky salt.
Bake for 25 minutes, swap the trays over halfway through, until golden and crisp, this may take a little longer sometimes.
When cooked move the biscuits to a cooling rack and then store in an airtight container
I made Millionaires Bars once before and decided it was time to make another batch. They are just as good the second time around! Follow the link for the recipe etc.
A sheet of cookies, or one BIG one?Sensible portion control
We went to a luncheon with a group of friends today. As usual, we volunteered to bring a dessert. During yesterday’s golf game I discussed this with one of my golf companions. I was vacillating between raspberry and key lime tarts or tartlets.
On the 18th green she asked me if I made a decision. I told her the key lime. Of course, I could still change my mind as I wasn’t baking until this morning. Untimately, I made a single 8”x11” key lime tart with a gluten free shell, Italian meringue and lime zest topping.
There were several desserts on the table, but at the end of the meal there was no key lime tart remaining.
Key Lime Tarts and Tartlets
(Gluten Free suggestions at the end)
INGREDIENTS SHELL • 100 g cold butter cut into small cubes • 60 g icing sugar • 200 g all-purpose flour • ½ tsp vanilla • ¼ tsp salt • 2 eggs – 1 for the dough and the other 1 reserved for an egg wash.
FILLING (For the large tart, double the amount of filling.) • zest (grated rind) of 1 lime • 4 large egg yolks • 14-ounce can (397g) sweetened condensed milk, (1 1/4 cups) • 3/4 cup (170g) Key lime juice or lime juice • 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon lime oil, optional
METHOD
SHELL
Mix butter with sugar until well incorporated 3-5 min
Add salt then vanilla.
Add egg and mix 3-5 min – for almond flour: suggest using only the egg white to reduce the moisture in the dough.
Stir in flour. Mix by hand until incorporated and forms a thick smooth(ish) sticky dough
Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30 min.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Butter or lightly spray tartlet pans or use non-stick pans. (I sprayed them then wiped with a paper towel.) For AP Flour a. Roll dough on floured surface b. Cut into circles 1” larger diameter than the mold c. Press into molds filling all parts of the mold For Kim’s Gluten Free Flour a. Roll dough between parchment paper to about ⅛” thick b. Freeze rolled dough still between parchment paper until firm: 20 – 30 minutes c. For tartlets: Cut frozen dough to rounds about 1” larger diameter than the mold. Cut all the rounds at once while still frozen. I used an offset spatula to remove the circles from the parchment paper. Keep the spatula clean. d. Lay tart dough circles over molds. This allows the dough to thaw slightly and be pressed into the molds and fill all crevices. e. For tarts: Refrigerate rolled dough and parchment paper on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes. f. Remove upper layer of parchment paper and gently lay the tart pan upside down on the cool rolled tart dough. g. Gently flip the cookie sheet, dough and tart pan h. Gently press the dough into the pan assuring there is adequate dough on all edges and corners. Pinch off excess with wet fingers. (Dough is sticky) i. Use excess scraps from the sides if necessary.
Prick holes in bottom and sides of formed dough
Fill tarts with pastry weights (I put beans in mini cupcake papers or parchment paper.)
Paint edges of the tartlet with the egg wash.
Bake in preheated oven 350 deg F (175 C) for 8 min until edges are dry
Remove pastry weights and bake an additional 4-6 minutes to dry the bottoms. Bake until the edges begin to turn light brown.
Immediately remove from pans and cool on a wire rack
FILLING
Whisk the lime zest and egg yolks at high speed of an electric mixer for about 4 minutes. The mixture will lighten in color and thicken somewhat, appearing similar to Hollandaise sauce.
Stir in the sweetened condensed milk, mixing until smooth. Beat at high speed for 3 minutes; the filling will become slightly thicker and gain a bit of volume.
Add the lime juice, stirring just to combine. The mixture will thicken again. Add lime oil to taste.
PIPE the filling into the crust and return the tart (on the baking sheet) to the oven. Bake the tart for 12 to 18 minutes, until it appears set around the edges though still a bit wobbly in the center. The center should read about 145°F on a digital thermometer.
Remove the tart from the oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.
Once chilled, serve the key lime pies cold with whipped cream, or merengue and a lime slice or zest, if desired.
Store leftover pies in the refrigerator (covered) for up to 1 week. If they last that long!
ITALIAN MERINGUE
INGREDIENTS • 80g (or 0.4 cup or 6.5 Tbl) granulated sugar • 30ml (or 1/8 cup) water • 60g (or ¼ cup) egg whites (about 2 large egg whites) • 20 g icing sugar
METHOD
Whisk the egg whites into a light and fluffy foam, using an electric (stand) mixer.
Add the icing sugar and continue whipping until you’ve got a glossy stable foam. It should stay in place if you turn the bowl upside down. Set aside.
Add the granulated sugar and water to a pan and bring to a boil. Once all the sugar has dissolved, refrain from stirring. Continue boiling at moderate/high heat while continuously keeping an eye on the temperature.
Once the solution has reached 121°C (250°F), take it from the heat immediately*.
While SLOWLY beating the egg whites, gently pour the hot sugar solution into the whipped egg whites (this is where the stand mixer comes in handy!).
Once all the sugar syrup is in, turn up the speed to high and continue whisking until the foam is lukewarm.
Use the meringue immediately to top whatever it is you want to cover.
NOTES Italian meringue can be made two days in advance and stored in the fridge until needed (covered with plastic wrap). Store in a piping bag, sealing the tip.
Kim’s Gluten Free Bread Flour Blend
Yield: 700g (5 c)
285g Bob’s Red Mill potato starch 250g superfine white rice flour (DON’T use regular rice flour, ie Bob’s Red Mill) 75g Tapioca flour 75g Whey protein isolate or egg white protein. 15g Xanthan gum
As they say, “Build it and they will come.” Dan and Frances built it and they came. It was our granddaughter Grace’s 7th birthday party and she requested FunFetti cupcakes as her party dessert. With an anticipated attendance of 100 kids and parents I figured 10 dozen cupcakes would be plenty. Well, I was wrong. They managed to eat only 40 cupcakes and we gave away an addition couple of dozen. Best laid plans of mice and men often go awry!
Kitchen at lift offField of dreamsFun!Ready for deliveryCupcake towerDessert tableReadySetGo!A little known fact. The candle was lit with a blowtorch!
FunFetti Cake
makes one 3-layer 8″ cake or 24 cupcakes
INGREDIENTS CAKE: • 2 ½ c AP flour • 1/4 c cornstarch • 1 tsp kosher salt • 2 tsp baking powder • 1 c unsalted butter, at room temperature • 1 ½ c sugar • 4 large egg whites • 1/4 c vegetable or canola oil • 1 Tbl clear imitation vanilla • 3/4 c whole milk (2% OK) • ½ c rainbow sprinkles (artificially colored cylinders)
Pairs nicely with Edna’s Crusting Buttercream or Italian Meringue Buttercream or Less Sweet Buttercream.
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 350ºf. Grease and line the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans or line 24 cups of two muffin tins.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg whites, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the oil and the extract.
By hand add the dry mixture and the milk in two or three alternating batches and mix until just barely combined, using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the sprinkles until they’re evenly distributed. Distribute the batter among the cake pans or muffin cups, spreading it out evenly if using cake pans.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (~200 F. Do not overbake!) Begin checking for doneness at 20 minutes for cakes and 15 minutes for cupcakes.
Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Buttercream Frosting – Less Sweet
For 3 cups of buttercream:
INGREDIENTS
• 1 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened slightly • 2/3 cups (208g) light corn or glucose syrup • 1 1/4 cups (141g) powdered sugar (unsifted) • 1/8 teaspoon fine salt (to taste, start with a pinch) • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 3-6 tablespoons of heavy cream, room temperature • purple gel food coloring (optional)
METHOD
Add the softened butter to the bowl of your stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until it’s paler in color and slightly more voluminous.
Add the corn syrup in 3 to 5 additions. Stop the mixer, add a little bit first, and mix it in at medium speed (still using the whisk attachment). Repeat until all the corn syrup has been added. Scrape down the bowl a couple of times to ensure everything is mixed well.
Once all the corn syrup has been added, mix at the highest speed for two minutes. This is an essential step, so make sure to time it. You need the butter to emulsify the sugar syrup, which won’t be visually apparent because the syrup is clear. If you under-whip at this step, your final frosting will have an overly buttery (fatty or greasy) feel. Proper emulsification will ensure that the syrup integrates evenly within the butter, giving it a much more pleasant texture.
Now give the frosting a taste. It should be smooth, creamy, and very buttery, with a slight sweetness. This is to gauge how much powdered sugar to add in this step. Notice how glucose (the sugar type in corn syrup) is not as sweet as the sucrose in powdered sugar.
Add the powdered sugar in a few additions, mixing on low speed to reduce the mess. Once all the sugar has been added, mix on high speed for 30 seconds. Give it another taste. Do you want it sweeter or need a firmer consistency of buttercream? Add more powdered sugar. You can add as much powdered sugar as you like. This buttercream can handle more, but remember that the more you add, the sandier the finished frosting will be.
Now let’s flavor and color the buttercream. Add the vanilla, a pinch of salt, and, optionally, a toothpick’s end of purple food coloring (to achieve a whiter shade). Mix on high speed for another minute.
Give it a taste. If it’s too buttery, add some heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time, until you like the consistency. Whip it in on high speed for at least one minute when you like the texture. (See my footnotes about this below.)
Switch over to a paddle attachment and run the frosting on low speed to get out any large air pockets. The finished buttercream will have minimal air bubbles and be ready to use.
I am making FunFetti cupcakes for my older granddaughters birthday party this week. I made two practice batches of cupcakes and one of American buttercream. The cakes are now great but the frosting was too sweet. (Think 60 seven-ish year old kids on sugar highs.)
Today I made a recipe of Italian buttercream frosting. It uses about one fourth the amount of sugar and will (hopefully) stand up to the expected outdoor temperature.
I had about a dozen chocolate cupcakes frozen that needed to by used soon, and I had a nice frosting, so, why not?
Mix 1½ cups (3/4c) of the sugar and the water in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar. Continue to cook,without stirring, and bring to the softball stage (240°F).
As the simple syrup is heating, whip the whites at high speed in a stand mixer until soft peaks form, approximately 5 minutes. With the motor running, add the remaining ½ cup (1/4c) sugar gradually, continuing to whip until medium peaks form.
When the simple syrup reaches 240°F, and the motor running on slow, very slowly pour it into the egg whites in a thin stream, to avoid cooking the eggs. Raise the speed to high and continue to whip until the mixture has cooled to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.
Whip in the butter at medium speed, add the butter in 5 increments, stopping the motor between additions, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula before adding each addition of butter.
With the motor running, add the vanilla, and whip just until it is blended.
Those of you who follow this blog know I almost always make a practice cake of any new bake. My almost 7 year old granddaughter wants a “FunFetti cake” for her birthday in a couple of weeks. I found this recipe and method and tried it this morning.
I think I over-baked the cake by about 3 or 4 minutes and know I over baked the cupcakes. I’ll try again making only cupcakes (as that is what we will serve at the party.) 80 cupcakes!
Funfetti Cake
INGREDIENTS CAKE: • 2 ½ c AP flour • 1/4 c cornstarch • 1 tsp kosher salt • 2 tsp baking powder • 1 c unsalted butter, at room temperature • 1 ½ c sugar • 4 large egg whites • 1/4 c vegetable or canola oil • 1 Tbl clear imitation vanilla • ½ tsp almond extract • 3/4 c whole milk (2% OK) • ½ c rainbow sprinkles (artificially colored cylinders) FROSTING: • 1 3/4 c unsalted butter, at room temperature • 3 ½ c powdered sugar • 1/8 tsp kosher salt • 1 ½ tsp clear imitation vanilla • 1/4 tsp almond extract (omit for nut free) • 2 Tbl whole milk
METHOD CAKE:
Preheat the oven to 350ºf. Grease and line the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans or line 24 cups of two muffin tins.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg whites, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the oil and the extracts.
With the mixer running on low speed, add the dry mixture and the milk in two or three alternating batches and mix until just barely combined. Do NOT over beat!.
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the sprinkles until they’re evenly distributed. Distribute the batter among the cake pans or muffin cups, spreading it out evenly if using cake pans.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Begin checking for doneness at 20 minutes for cakes and 16 minutes for cupcakes. (Depends on your oven.)
Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. FROSTING:
In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and gradually beat in the powdered sugar. Add the salt, extracts, and milk and beat to combine.
Last night I made a clone of the macadamia nut cookies we had in Kauai. Basically, they are a shortbread cookie with fine ground macadamia nuts in the batter, and a dark chocolate coating.
Roll the dough into an approximation of a rectangle to minimize waste and chill for two hours. Cut the chilled dough into 1”x2” rectangles and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. They do not spread so they can be placed fairly close together (like 1/4” – 1/2” apart.)
Once baked and completely cooled melt ~200g of dark chocolate and 1 Tbl corn syrup and dip one corner in the mix. Transfer the remainder to a piping bag. Sprinkle some coarse crushed macadamia nuts on the still wet chocolate and let the piping bag of chocolate cool and thicken slightly. Snip the end off the bag and pipe a chocolate swirl across the cookie. Leave to dry at room temperature or in the fridge.
QC said these may be the best cookies Dede’s Bakery and Confectionery ever made! High praise indeed.
Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies
INGREDIENTS • 1 cup butter, room temperature • 3/4 cup powdered sugar • 1 tsp vanilla extract • 2 cups flour • 1 cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped • 8 oz. dark chocolate • 1 Tbl corn syrup • 1/4 cup macadamia nuts, finely chopped
METHOD
Beat the butter until smooth and add in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Gradually add flour then mix in the 1 cup of chopped macadamia nuts.
Transfer the batter to a sheet of parchment paper. Lay a second sheet over top and roll to 1/4-inch thickness. Try to shape into a rectangle as much as possible. Place it onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 300°F and remove dough from refrigerator.
Slice the cookie batter into 1×2 inch rectangles. Transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment and bake for 20 – 25 minutes. The edges should be slightly browned.
Cool the cookies completely.
Melt and mix the chocolate and corn syrup then dip the corner of the cookies in the chocolate. Gently remove any excess chocolate, lay it out on a sheet of parchment and sprinkle with some finely chopped macadamia nuts.
Place into the fridge to set the chocolate and then serve.
An early episode of GBBO featured English Teacakes. They simply called them Teacakes but as American Tea Cakes are very popular in the southern US, I added the ‘English’ modifier for clarity.
Teacakes are a classic sweet yeasted bun with dried fruit and aromatic spice. English cafes serve teacakes, usually toasted, liberally buttered along side a pot of tea.
The term, teacake, derives from a tradition of ‘yeast cakes’ and are more bread-like than cake-like. They are basically a simple bread dough enriched by adding extra fat (usually butter and/or eggs) so it becomes softer with a delicate crumb.
Teacakes – Traditional English
INGREDIENTS • 1 cup milk (236 ml) warmed to 100 – 110 °F (38 – 43°C) • 2 teaspoons instant dried yeast • 4 tablespoons sugar • 3 ½ cups (455 grams) all-purpose flour • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1 teaspoon all spice • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger • 1 cup (128 grams) dried currants, raisins or cranberries • 6 tablespoons unsalted melted butter • 2 large beaten eggs • Zest of a large lemon – optional replacing some spices from above • 1 additional beaten egg combined with 1 Tbl water for an egg wash
METHOD
Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the milk, yeast and sugar in a stand mixer bowl. Allow to sit for 3-5 minutes (maybe more) until you start to see it bubble a little.
Add the flour, salt, spices and currants and mix well.
Add the butter and beaten eggs. Use a flat beater to incorporate the liquids into the flour. When the dough comes together, use a dough hook and knead the dough for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. It should be slightly but not overly sticky. Add more flour by the tablespoon until that is achieved. It should not clean the walls of the bowl.
Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel and leave in a warm place for about 45 mins to rise.
Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly for a few minutes until smooth. Divide the dough into 12 balls (~90g each) and shape each into a bun that is a flat round.
(12 balls will make a traditional teacake size. Divide into 45g balls for small snack sized cakes. Adjust the bake time accordingly.)
Place evenly spaced onto the baking sheet and cover loosely with a towel. Leave in a warm place for 30 minutes until they double in size.
Preheat oven to 400°F /200°C.
Brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown (time may vary depending on your oven). I rotate the pan after 8 minutes to compensate for uneven temperature in the oven.)
My friend Rita, and her daughter Sarah, recently returned from an Italian vacation. This bread’s for them!
I woke up this morning and decided to cut the Next Up list in Dede’s Bakery and Confectionary list with Italian bread. This loaf has a nice crumb, open structure, good chewy crust and great taste. “ ‘O sole mio!”
Italian Bread
INGREDIENTS • 2 ¼ tsp (7g) active dry yeast • 1 ¾ c (413g) warm water • 1 tsp (4g) sugar • 3 ¼ c (455g) bread flour • 2 tsp (12g) salt • 1 egg white
METHOD
In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix your yeast, warm water, and sugar. Allow the mixture to sit until the yeast becomes frothy, about 5 minutes.
Once the yeast is ready, add the flour and salt to the bowl. using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until the dough comes together, about 3-4 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and mix it for 3-5 minutes to develop the gluten. Add additional flour by the Tbl until the dough barely cleans the sides of the bowl.
Once the dough is done mixing, remove it from the mixer and place it into an oiled bowl. Cover and let the dough rest until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. It should weigh ~862g.
Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and pound the air out of it, fold it back in on itself into a round and place it back into the bowl, seam side down. Cover and let it rest for another 30-40 minutes.
Once it has rested and risen back up again, dump it out onto a lightly floured surface and degas it again. Cut the dough in half and toll them both up into 10 inch baguette-like loaves. Place the loaves onto your prepared baking sheet, seam side down and cover them. Preheat your oven to 375F.
Whisk egg white and 1 tbl water to use as an egg wash
Proof your loaves until they are nearly double in size about 30-45 minutes. Once the loaves are ready, score your loaves and bake them for 25-30 minutes After the first 15 minutes brush egg wash on the bread, sprinkle with sesame seeds and return to finish baking.
They should have a light golden crust and bake to interior temp of 190F.
While traveling last week I saw a recipe for 3 ingredient sugar cookies. QC loves sugar cookies so they moved to the top of DeDe’s Bakery and Confectionery ToDo list.
The original recipe called for just three ingredients, butter, powdered sugar and AP flour. After following the recipe I determined it was not nearly slack enough to pipe into swirls, so I added a fourth ingredient, milk.
I used the first attempted recipe to judge if, with modification, the batter could be modified to allow it to pipe. The second go round (below) I actually measured the amount of milk required to produce a very, very, firm peak, pipeable batter.
I used an Mi piping tip on the first attempt. The piped cookies were very nice, much like roses, but as expected they lost definition after baking. Typical of this type of cookie the butter melts out during baking.
For the second attempt, I used a B4 tip and expected the same result, but perhaps due to the less pronounced ridges it held its shape a bit better. Lucky guess in piping tips. Also, I froze the second attempt rather than just refrigerating.
Light, fluffy whipped cream-like butter and sugarB4 on the left, Mi on the rightM1 piped batterB4 piped batterB4 in the foreground, M1 behind
Swirled Butter Cookies
INGREDIENTS • 227g (1 c) Unsalted butter • 118g (1 c) Powdered Sugar • 256g (2 c) AP Flour • ¾ c + 2 Tbl milk to thin to piping consistency
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350°F (325°F Convection.) Line 2 large baking sheets with silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
In mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add butter and sugar. Cream at highest speed for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. The mixture should turn from yellow to white and look like whipped cream when you are done. Make sure to stop and scrape the sides of your bowl a few times with a spatula so that all the butter gets creamed.
Add in the flour ½ cup at a time. Mix in at low speed and then gradually increase speed once flour is incorporated. The mixture will be crumbly at first but then should form a thick, soft dough, almost like a thick paste.
Add milk sparingly until the dough achieves a firm piping consistency. (Think very firm peaks.)
Transfer the dough to a piping bag. Using a large open star tip (an M1 or B4 with a 1/2 inch opening), pipe swirls or whatever design you prefer. Space cookies 1 inch apart. Place piped cookies into freezer for 30 minutes so the dough is chilled. This will prevent them from spreading as much when they bake.
Place the cookie sheets into the middle of your oven. Bake for ~20 minutes or until edges and surface start to turn a light brown. (Rotate cookie sheet after 10 minutes). The fine detail of the piping will flow out as the butter melts, but the swirl should remain.
Let cookies cool on cookie sheet before removing. Store uneaten cookies in an airtight container.
