Recipes - basic scones & caramel scones

Vintage fabric news will resume soon - I promise! But I wanted to share these recipes with you while I can locate the ingredient list. I baked these last weekend - these recipes are from NZ (Justin's Mum)...and, like all recipes I follow - they are super easy!

I first baked the caramel scones (aka cinnamon scrolls). That recipe has:

Caramel Scones
2 x cups of flour
2 x heaped ts baking powder
pinch salt
1 x tbsp of butter
1 x egg
1 x cup of milk
Topping is 1 x cup of brown sugar and 1 x tbsp butter (1 x ts of cinnamon is optional - we added this)...

Rub butter into flour, baking powder, salt - in centre of dry ingredients add milk and break egg into milk and combine these two - then mix everything quickly with a knife. Roll or pat out on a floured surface, making an oblong shape and spread topping over. Roll up like a chocolate roll, cut into slices and put onto a cold tray. Place in a 450f degree oven (220c) for 8-10 minutes and then let cool on a wire rack.

Basic scones
2 x cups of flour
2 x heaped ts of baking powder
pinch salt
1 x tbsp sugar
1 x tbsp butter
1 x cup of milk

Rub butter into flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, into centre of dry ingredients add milk - mix quickly with a knife. Roll of pat out lightly, cut into shapes or squares. Place in a 450f degree oven (220c) for 8-10 minutes and then let cool on a wire rack.

Recipes - baking your own bread

Our lives are changing in 2010 - there is now no doubt about that for us. Our move in to a more frugal - or simple - way of living has been an effortless and a welcoming change for us. One of these changes concerns our food - our focus now is to grow what we can and to make what we can.

This weekend I baked seven loaves of amazing bread - it is a no fault recipe I got via Nikkishell some time back. Knowing we were moving towards this lifestyle, I stashed the link to the bread recipe and have a ball of a weekend, filling the house with the addictive aroma of baking bread...

If I can do it - you can do it! This is all you need to do:

Get 1kg of strong bakers flour (I got this at my local bulk foodstore - 25kg for AUD$27 - I buy in bulk!)
1 tbsp of dried yeast (supermarket)
1 tbsp of salt (supermarket)
950ml of luke warm water

1. Basically mix the dried ingredients and then mix the water in well. Leave in bowl, cover and put in the fridge to prove overnight.

2. Take the mixture out early in the morning and allow to come to room temperature. This takes around an hour for me.

3. Put bowl on its side and take the mixture out (quite sticky) onto a floured surface. Shape. Flop over. Shape again.

4. Put in a tin or on an oven tray and put it into a cold oven*, turn on temp to 450 degrees (220c). Close door. Walk away for 45-50 mins. Take out when the bottom of the loaf sounds 'hollow'.

* I don't have a fan forced oven, so turn on my oven around 2-3 mins before putting the tins into the oven.

This bread has turned out perfectly every time - and, as you can see, we have tried different pans. It's a slightly dense Italian/French style bread with a nice crusty crust, perfect for sandwiches, dipping - anything, really!

I baked up a storm this weekend - I baked Easter buns, scones and cinnamon scrolls. I'll put the recipes up soon...

1957 'vintage recipes'...sweet tooth, anyone?

I love whipping around the kitchen. And whip I do - like a tornado. I make mess, spill things, whip things onto walls...all in the name of baking. You see - I cook dinner, but it doesn't flick my switch. But baking and cooking sweeties does - and popping healthy home cooked alternatives into my sons lunchbox.

I have the biggest sweet tooth in the world - yes, it is even bigger than yours! I could eat chocolate all of the time, but now without the gallbladder - well, no can do! I baked a cake this arvo - a yummy vanilla tea cake - and this thought struck me...is there such a thing as a vintage recipe? Or - are recipes timeless? Methinks they are - even if I don't want a hock pie or a braised liver (weekly meals way back when) - I think baking and cooking is timeless...

To honour the art of baking I am popping on some lovely recipes today - featured in 1957. Enjoy Treacle Cake, Apricot Custard Pie, Green Tomato Pickles and Peanut Butter Cookies. Delish!

Well...here's to the blogging world...

I think it's the wanna-be writer in me that craves to write blogs. We started on blogger a long time ago - and then we lost our password and Blogger couldn't give us a new one! So then we went onto Typepad, but found that a little clunky...

Now I have a simple blog on our website....but I want more! Like a second helping of chocolate self-saucing pudding with ice-cream and cream...I want more! If you're into CSSP then here's a little recipe for you care of the ABC Australia...

Degree of difficulty: Low

You need:
Pudding

1 cup SR flour
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons melted butter

Sauce

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cups hot water

Method:
Sift dry ingredients together and add melted butter, milk and vanilla.

Mix well and pour into a greased ovenproof dish.

Combine sauce ingredients together and pour over cake mix.

Bake in a moderate oven for 25 minutes

And here's a yummy pic to go with it go with it...yum!



It's not really vintage fabric though, is it? No - that will have to wait until next time :) In the meantime whip yourself up a yummy dessert...it's raining here in Vic, Australia, and there's nothing like a warm dessert on a cold night...