Scrumptious Sweet Scrolls

Sweet scrolls make a perfect tea time treat!

I had made a Vegemite and cheese version of these delicious scrolls first and they had proved to be such a hit that I thought I'd try the sweet version. The basic dough recipe comes from an adaptation of the pizza dough recipe I use (which was from Larousse Gastronomique).

Ingredients

• 3 cups plain flour
• 2 1/2 tsps yeast
• 1 1/2 tbsps sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsps olive oil
• 300 - 350 ml warm water (I microwave for 1.5 - 2 mins)
• 3 cups mixed sultanas, raisins, cranberries (dried) and candied peel
• 2 tbsps brown sugar (Muscovado sugar adds a really rich flavour)
• Strawberry or apricot jam (for glazing)

Method

• Preheat oven to 200C.
• Place flour, yeast, sugar, salt and olive oil into food processor with dough hook and mix.
• Add warm water slowly while mixing (don't turn the machine off) till dough comes together and is smooth.
• Continue to mix for a minute or two longer (this means you won't have to knead it afterwards).
• Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
• Leave in a warm spot for an hour or until at least doubled in size.
• While dough is rising, mix the brown (or Muscovado) sugar and fruit and allow to macerate.
• When dough has risen, divide in half and roll each half very thin into a rectangle - I find rolling between two sheets of baking paper works well.
• Sprinkle the fruit-sugar mix over the dough and roll the rectangle into a log from the long end. You should end up with a long log of dough.
• Seal the edge and cut into 4cm pieces.
• Arrange the pieces close together (not touching) on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
• Bake for 20 - 22 mins until scrolls are puffed and nicely browned.
• Remove from the oven. Heat the jam and brush onto the scrolls while warm (not hot - DON'T BOIL THE JAM).
• Allow the scrolls to cool thoroughly, store in an airtight container and enjoy!

Here's a tip about the bowl you place your dough in - if it's too wide, your dough won't rise nicely. Aim for a deep bowl instead, this will allow your dough to rise beautifully.

Bread Dough by Ratio

Freshly baked bread smells divine!

Baking bread has to be one of the most soothing activities I can think of. There's something magical about bringing the yeast to life and watching the dough grow. And nothing beats kneading dough for catharsis. If I'm feeling crabby at someone or frustrated at the world, bread dough can soothe me in a way that very little else can. And the smell of freshly baked bread.... Heaven!

There are some important facts to note about bread dough.

• If you have access to instant or live yeast, you are likely to have better dough than if you have only dried yeast.
• The more yeast you add, the faster the dough will rise, but that doesn't necessarily make for a better dough.
• Leavening a dough for longer can make for a more flavoursome dough... but it is possible to allow a dough too much rising time (thereby killing the yeast - remember yeast is alive).
• Sugar is important. This is what the yeast feeds on.
• You must knead the dough, allow it to rise, knead again and allow to rise before baking. The second kneading is very important. It helps to redistribute the yeast more evenly through the dough and makes for a more evenly risen bread.
• Baking the bread with a tray of water in the oven helps to achieve a moist, fluffy bread.

So here's the recipe that I'm using at the moment. It's a good simple recipe and is based on Michael Ruhlman's recipe in his Ratio book.

Ingredients (based on the ratio of flour : water = 5 : 3)

• 500g plain (baker's) flour
• 300 - 350g water (warm - I heat it up in the microwave for 1.5 mins)
• 10g salt
• 1 tsp yeast (instant)
• 50g butter (softened)
• enough sugar to start the yeast (1.5 - 2 tsps roughly)

Method

• Preheat oven to 200C.
• Measure the flour, salt, yeast, sugar and butter in the bowl of a food processor.
• Mix using a dough hook and add the warm water while mixing. Stop adding water as the dough comes together.
• Do not overmix in the food processor. Remove the dough and knead by hand.
• The dough is sufficiently kneaded when you can stretch a small piece of it into a translucent sheet without tearing it.
• Place in a lightly oiled/greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise.
• When doubled in size, remove from the bowl and knead again. The dough is ready when it is springy and hard to knead.
• Place in a lightly oiled/greased bowl, cover with fresh plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise again.
• When risen, the dough can be shaped (into a loaf tin, into a plait, into a round loaf - whatever shape you like).
• This is when you might add sea salt, sesame seeds or poppy seeds to the top, or brush with milk for a nice glaze.
• Place a tray of hot (or just boiled) water in the oven as a steam bath. Place the bread dough in the oven.
• Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until browned and it emits a hollow sound when tapped.
• Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a board to cool completely.
• Cover in a clean tea towel and store in an airtight container.

Spring onion and sea salt encrusted bread

Remember this is a fresh bread and meant to be eaten within a day or two. It's so delicious, it doesn't usually last more than a day in our house anyway!

You can jazz it up in all sorts of ways. Add cheese, grated potato, sprinkle coarse (sea) salt on the top, brush with milk (makes a lovely glaze), sprinkle sesame or poppy seeds - whatever takes your fancy. You'll probably find that you experiment more once you've made this dough a few times.

Love and Cupcakes

I decided this week to make cupcakes. Those of you who have read previous posts know how deeply I love to cook; how it nourishes my soul as well as my appetite. So making cupcakes is as much an expression of my love as it is a tasty treat for B1 and B2.

If only the cupcakes had known this and cooperated, all would have been well. This week was one of cupcake disasters. I made three successive batches of cupcakes following the recipe to the letter. Baking is exact science and cakes are not forgiving of any deviation from the recipe. The ratio of solids to liquids to fats is precise. Knowing this, I scoured through my cupcake recipe book, double-checked Michael Ruhlman's Ratio book and made sure the butter and eggs were at room temperature before I started.

Three batches of cupcakes were made. Three batches of cupcakes went sailing into the rubbish bin. Well, ok, two batches went into the bin. The third was rescued by B1 who threw himself in the path of the exiting cupcakes and barred their path with his person. His view of food borders on obsessive and the thought of  losing another batch to the bin was more than he could bear.

Then came the four-day-migraine which put paid to any notions of repeating the cupcake experiment. Today, heart in mouth and courage pinned, I went at it again. I threw aside my Cupcake Recipes book, Googled some good recipes and used the principles I'd learned in Ruhlman's Ratio. With all of this, I came up with a scrumptious, lightly chocolate, fluffy cupcake. So if you're in the mood for cupcakes, here's the recipe (and yes, that's them at the top of this post).

Slightly Lightly Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 150 g softened butter
• 150 g superfine (castor) sugar
• 175 g self raising flour
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 3 eggs lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

• Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake papers (use the good ones, they hold their shape better).
• Measure butter and sugar into a bowl.
• Measure and sift flour and cocoa into another bowl.
• Crack eggs into separate bowl and beat lightly with a fork.
• Beat sugar and butter with electric mixer until light and creamy.
• Add vanilla extract and beat again.
• Add eggs a little at a time, beating well between each addition (this is an important step and will stop the mix from curdling).
• Add flour mix and milk alternately and continue beating during additions till all ingredients are well mixed.
• Divide mixture evenly between the patty cases. Do not fill - 2/3 to 3/4 is plenty!
• Bake for 20 mins or until well risen, firm and springs back to the light touch.
• Allow to cool in the tin for 5 mins.
• Transfer to wire rack and allow to fully cool before icing.
• Ice as prefered (though they're delicious without icing too).

The key to this recipe is to work quickly and not overwork the mix. Overworking the mix will result in flat cupcakes (it ruins the raising agent in the SR flour).

Enjoy!