Baking
June 30th, 2010 by Jackie
Submitted by Fiona Ballantyne.
This recipe is adapted from a recipe in a book called ‘Scones, muffins and teacakes’ by Murdoch books and works very well.
Ingredients
90g butter or margarine
⅔ cup golden caster sugar (from the wholefood co-op)
2 fresh eggs (large)
1 ½ cups self raising flour, sifted (from the wholefood co-op)
¼ cup orange juice (freshly squeezed)
¼ cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed) also available from Wholefoods Co-op
½ cup chopped pecans (from the wholefood co-op)
I use a teacup or small mug as a measure so its never the same size twice!
Method
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition.
Stir in the flour alternately with the fruit juices.
Stir in the nuts.
(This also works well by combining all the ingredients together in the food mixer – apart from the nuts, stir them in at the end.)
Spread into a greased 2 lb loaf tin.
Bake at 180°C (160°C fan), 350°F, GM 4 for 50 minutes.
Turn out and cool on a wire rack.
All done.
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June 30th, 2010 by Jackie
Submitted by Fiona BallantyneThis is adapted from a recipe from a book called ‘Home baking’ by Carole Handslip, which was 99p well spent in a bargain book shop!Ingredients
125g (4oz) margarine
125g (4oz) golden caster sugar (from the wholefood co-op)
2 eggs (duck eggs work very well)
175g (6oz) self raising flour, sifted (from the wholefood co-op)
4 tblsps desiccated coconut (from the wholefood co-op)
2 tblsps milk (may need slightly more)
Method
Cream the fat and sugar together till light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a little of the flour with the second.
Add the remaining flour, 3 tblsps of the coconut and the milk.
(This recipe also works well by adding all the ingredients to the food mixer and mixing together, and I often add all the coconut to the mix rather than sprinkling on the top and it binds well with a little extra milk.
Turn into a lined and greased 1lb loaf tin and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.
Bake at 180°C (160°C fan), 350°F, GM 4 for 1 to 1¼ hours.
Turn out and cool on a wire rack.
Nice plain but also very good with home made jam and desiccated coconut on the top.
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June 6th, 2010 by Jackie
A gluten and dairy free cake which is best served the day after making to allow the flavour to develop. This is another BBC recipe and is a firm favourite.
Ingredients
5 egg whites from local eggs (at room temperature)
pinch of salt
75g/3oz organic, fair trade or unbleached caster sugar (from the wholefood co-op)
175g/6oz organic ground almonds (from the wholefood co-op)
1 orange, zest only, grated
1 tbsp orange liqueur (optional)
25g/1oz organic slivered almonds (from the wholefood co-op)
1tsp almond extract
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
Grease and line a 20cm/8in springform cake tin.
Whisk the egg whites with the salt until they stand in soft peaks. Whisking constantly, add the sugar a little at a time. Continue whisking until the mixture is firm, shiny and very thick.
Fold in the ground almonds,almond extract, orange zest and the liqueur, if using, with a metal spoon. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and sprinkle the slivered almonds over the top.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Allow to stand in the tin for 10 minutes, then loosen, turn out and leave to cool on a wire rack.
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June 2nd, 2010 by Jackie
This is the Bakewell tart served at the recent AGM - I left the skin on the almonds to give a more wholesome appeal - you will have to grind your own almonds to achieve this as most ready ground almonds have been blanched. The recipe includes links to the bbc food pages, which have a good recipe for gluten free pastry. If you are not sensitive to gluten, then ordinary shortcrust or sweet pastry would do.
Ingredients
500g/1lb 2oz Gluten Free shortcrust pastry
3 tbsp icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
175g/6oz organic butter, softened (available from MacLennans)
175g/6oz organic, unbleached or fairtrade caster sugar (from the wholefood co-op)
4 free-range local eggs
175g/6oz organic ground almonds (from the wholefood co-op)
4tbs Meridian Raspberry Fruit Spread (from the wholefood co-op)
40g/1½oz flaked toasted organic almonds (from the wholefood co-op)
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
Roll the shortcrust pastry out onto a lightly dusted work surface to a 0.5cm/¼in thickness.
Carefully line a 23cm/9in, deep-sided tart tin with the pastry, pressing the pastry into the edges of the tin.
Next beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy.
Crack in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until all of the eggs have been fully incorporated into the mixture.
Fold in the ground almonds until well combined.
Spread the raspberry jam in an even layer all over the bottom of the tart. Spoon in the almond mixture and smooth the surface with a palette knife.** Dust the top of the tart with icing sugar, then sprinkle over the flaked almonds.
Place the tart to the oven and continue to cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the filling has risen and is cooked through and the surface is pale golden-brown (NB: The filling is cooked through when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.) Remove the tart from the oven and set aside to cool slightly before serving.
** If you prefer an iced tart then omit the icing sugar and flaked almonds. Allow tart to cool before icing with water icing and perhaps decorating with glace cherries.
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April 18th, 2010 by Rhona
I’m not entirely sure where this recipe came from. I might have lifted it from my old home economics class, or found it on-line. It’s one that’s probably a mix of different recipes that I’ve been told. It’s completely gluten free, and can be dairy free depending on the filling you prefer.
Ingredients
175g Fair trade/organic Dark Chocolate
175g Fair trade caster sugar
6 large local free range eggs, separated
30ml fair trade/organic cocoa powder
300-250ml double cream, or a few large spoonfuls of jam
Method
Set the oven to 180°C.
Break up and melt the chocolate in a bowl set in a pan of boiling water, or a Bain Marie if you’re lucky enough to have one, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, whisk the sugar and egg yolks until light and creamy.
Allow the chocolate to cool slightly, then stir into the egg yolk mixture.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Take a spoonfull of egg white and stir it gentle into the chocolate and egg yolk, to loosen up the mixture, then fold in the remaining egg whites and cocoa powder.
Pour the mix into a lined and lightly greased Swiss roll tin (15” by 10”), making sure the mixture is evenly spread. Tipping the the tin gently from side to side is the best way to do this, so you don’t loose much air from the mixture by disturbing it.
Bake for 20 mins or until the sponge feels springy to the touch. Set the sponge aside while you prepare the filling, so it can cool. How long it is allowed to cool can be important. Too long and it can become hard, and too short a time will cause the filling to melt out. Some recipes I’ve read recommend covering the sponge with yet more greaseproof paper and then a damp towel, then leaving it for 30 minutes. I imagine this keeps it from drying out while letting it cool completely, but I’m impatient and usually don’t bother. I usually let the sponge cool for just as long as it takes to chop any fruit or whisk the cream. By then it’s cool enough to spread with the filling but hasn’t dried out at all.
Dust a sheet of greaseproof paper with sugar and gently tip the sponge onto this, with the bottom of the sponge facing upwards. Carefully peel off the paper from the back of the sponge, then trim the edges if they need tidying up.
Your filling can be entirely up to you. Whipped cream with pieces of fresh seasonal fruit is delicious, but a dairy-free option that I love it just a thick spreading of marmalade. Spread your chosen filling evenly over the sponge, leaving a gap of a few inches at the end you intend to roll from. Make a score about half way through the depth of the sponge at this point, then roll up your roulade using the paper it’s resting on to help you. Decoration is another bit that’s up to you. A sprinkle of icing sugar or some melted chocolate are simple and go well, or you could make it into a Yule log with chocolate butter-cream icing.
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March 2nd, 2010 by Kate
This is another recipe sent in by Libby Patterson. On this occasion she has adapted a Jamie Oliver recipe to turn it into a dairy free version, with reduced fat. She says the secret is to use a really heavy-based tray.
Ingredients:
9oz dairy free marg.
4.5 oz caster sugar
9oz plain flour
4.5 oz cornflour
Method:
Preheat the oven to 150 oC.
Grease a 9inch baking tray.
Cream the butter & sugar together with a whisk or wooden spoon until pale, light & fluffy.
Add the plain flour and cornflour. Mix very lightly with a wooden spoon and then your hands until you have a smooth dough.
Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and roll out until it’s an even 2cm thick all over.
Place the rolled out dough on your tray or tin, poking into the corners with your fingers. Prick the dough all over with a fork then cook for 50 minutes until lightly golden.
While it is still warm, sprinkle with a generous dusting of caster sugar. Allow the shortbread to cool slightly then cut into 12 chunky finger sized pieces.
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March 2nd, 2010 by Kate
This is Gemma Patterson’s adaptation from the dairy free cookbook
Ingredients
6oz of plain or rice flour (organic, from the wholefood co-op)
2 teaspoons of baking powder
5oz Brown Sugar (organic and/or fairtrade, from the wholefood co-op)
1/2 Teaspoon of Mixed Spice (organic, from the wholefood co-op)
2 large Free Range eggs
10floz apple juice
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3.5 oz of dairy free margarine
Method:
Sieve and then mix all the dry ingredients together.
Beat the eggs, apple juice, vanilla extract and margarine together until frothy.
Blend into the flour mixture.
Spoon into paper cases and bake at 200 oC for 15-20 minutes until well risen and spongy to touch.
Serve warm or cold.
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March 2nd, 2010 by Kate
Libby Patterson sent in three dairy free recipes for us. This one is from her great great grandmother.
Ingredients:
1 cup of each of the following:
Bran Flakes or All Bran
Rice Milk, available from the wholefood co-op
Brown Sugar, organic and/or fair trade, from the wholefood co-op
Dried Fruit, organic and/or fair trade, from the wholefood co-op
Self Raising Flour, organic , from the wholefood co-op
&
1 teaspoon of Mixed Spice, organic, from the wholefood co-op
Method:
Soak all the dry ingrediants in the rice milk over night or for at least two hours.
Put in a greased loaf tin and cook in the centre of a moderate oven for appox one hour.
Serve cold, or toasted, with dairy-free margarine.
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October 27th, 2009 by Jackie
I bought a box of this mix a few months ago and finally got round to making them this afternoon with the children. This mix is very versatile in that you choose whether to add milk and/or eggs. It also works perfectly well with plain water. I chose to use free range eggs from my own chooks and half milk/water. Simply add the mix to the water/milk/egg, whisk and cook. I have to say I did think that there were lots of lumps in the mixture, but these were actually little pieces of apple. I did also add an extra 1/2tsp of cinnamon as we are all addicts of this wonderful spice in our house. I managed to make approximately 30 pancakes each about 2inches wide. The children were very impressed with the taste, as was I; I manaaged to quickly squirrel away half a dozen for my breakfast in the morning. We also had them for tea, spread with a little butter. You can order the mix from Highland Wholefoods : Orgran PANCAKE MIX APPLE AND CINNAMON 375g 9807 or occasionally you can purchase from the Co-operative store in Creagorry.
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October 27th, 2009 by Jackie
Another pumpkin recipe courtesy of the chairwoman. As usual, ingredients marked * are available organically from the Wholefoods Co-op, and items marked ^ are available as organic, fairly traded, or locally produced from local shops and food producers. ” indicates produce that can be grown locally
Ingredients
500g cooked pumpkin
2 eggs ^
120 ml apple sauce
3 tsp vanilla extract *
500g self raising flour *
1/2 tsp cinnamon *
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg *
1/2tap ground cloves *
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two baking sheets.
Beat the pumpkin, eggs, apple sauce, and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl.
Stir in the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until well blended and creamy.
Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake in preheated oven until tops are firm when lightly touched, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on racks.
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