I’m going to go on to week 2 now but if anyone wants to still make Chelsea Buns and post them here, please do.
Yeah we all had a great time - many thanks for starting this thread. Also, judging by the look of the ‘finished article’ Stevie Wonder was part of the ‘creative’ process! Looking forward to next weeks task.....
WEEK 2 - Scones. sk_on_sz or sk_own_sz I’m not fussed how you say it. Really easy to make but ideally need to be eaten on the day they’re made. At the request of @chizel the (my) recipe is; 1lb self raising flour 4oz butter 2oz sugar 1 egg A handful of dried fruit Buttermilk Makes about 6. If you want to make more or work in metric then the proportions are 100 flour 25 butter 12.5 sugar If you’ve no self raising flour you can use plain flour and 1heaped tsp of bread soda or baking powder If you can’t get buttermilk you can use plain yoghurt and milk 50/50. There’s no measure for the liquid element as it depends on too many factors the science of which I’m not going into here. Put the dried fruit in a bowl and pour some boiling water over it, it rehydrates it and makes it nicer in the scones. In a large bowl mix the flour & sugar. Cut the butter into 1/2” cubes and add to the flour & sugar. Using your fingers rub the butter through the flour until the whole lot resembles biscuit crumbs. Drain the fruit, add it and evenly distribute it. Crack the egg into the dry ingredients and mix it through. Now add the buttermilk a small amount at a time and mix it into the ingredients to make a dough; use your hand. You need to keep adding and mixing in the buttermilk until the dough has a PlayDoh consistency. If you add too much liquid and the dough becomes too wet then just add a little more flour. Break off a piece of the dough and using your hands make a ball about the size of a snooker ball (bigger than a golf ball but smaller than a tennis ball)*. Roll the ball back & forth on the worktop to make a cylinder. Stand the cylinder on a greased or lined baking sheet. Repeat to make the others. Egg wash the scones and cook in a preheated oven, 180c, for 20 mins or until golden brown on top. Remove, let cool and eat. Simples * you can use a pastry cutter if you have one. Just bear in mind these don’t rise like bread does so cut them to be about 2” thick. I’ll make mine tomorrow morning and post some pics.
Prep for a later week - sourdough starter culture. You can make bread without yeast and if there’s no yeast in the shops this will help. It’s real easy but takes a week at least. Get any clean plastic container or glass jar with a lid. Add 200g of flour. Any flour but not self raising. Wholemeal, rye or spelt work best but plain white flour will also work it just might take a little longer. Add 200g of water. Mix thoroughly, place the lid on and leave in the kitchen at room temp for 24hrs.
A heads up for week 3 as well. You will need Porridge oats Wholemeal flour Strong white flour Bread soda Treacle/Golden Syrup A can of Guinness
I've never done it with buckwheat but I see no reason why it shouldn't work. All the process is doing is feeding the natural yeasts that are present in flour (and the air and which find their way into the mix). Go for it.
No, ‘twas a chocolate joke, Tempering chocolate is an advanced technique that requires skill, concentration and a good thermometer. It involves slowly heating and then slowly cooling the chocolate so that the fats crystallise uniformly and the chocolate 'snaps' rather than crumbles when broken.
