Bake Off with The Bake Off - Bread!

So last week, my challenge was to make a biscuit that I have never made before. This week was bread week and my challenge was to make my own show stopper bread. 
I had the stipulation that it had to be savoury, here's what I made, how I did it and the results:

Week 3 - Bread!

Sun dried tomato pesto bread with Camembert 

Ingredients:
14oz Plain Flour
120ml Milk
120ml Water
2 tbsp Butter
2 1/2 tsp Sugar
3/4 tbsp Instant Yeast
1 tsp Salt
Sun dried tomato pesto
Camembert

Firstly, melt the butter in a pan with the water and milk. Set aside whilst you measure out the other ingredients to allow it to cool

In a large bowl, mix together the Flour, Sugar, Yeast and Salt. Add the melted butter mixture and mix well. 

Once combined, tip onto floured work surface and knead for a few minutes, until smooth

Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in the bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to rise for 60 minutes.

Knock it back by kneading for a few seconds. Split into four equal parts and roll out into circles

I decided that it was easier to place on a plate to spread the layers of red pesto and have enough space to keep rolling the other layers. Place the dough onto the plate and spread the red pesto evenly over the dough.

Roll out the next layer and place on top, cover with pesto and repeat, finally roll out the final layer and place on top. I used the plate to flip the layered dough upside down and cut around it to neaten the shape up.

Next, cut into eight equal parts.

Make a cut in the middle of each one and widen it slightly so that you will have enough room for the next step. Whilst holding the triangle by the top, take the bottom through the hole at the back and pull it forward. Then you roll the top, to make a swirl.

Repeat for all 8 pieces. Next you need to place them onto your baking tray. I used a pizza tray with tin foil underneath. I placed some of the offcuts I had leftover in a circle, to provide a nice case for the cheese to stop it from filling out, I then placed the the 8 pieces around it like a flower. They will need to prove for a little longer, so I put the box for the Camembert in the middle, to ensure that it keeps shape whilst it rises again. I left it for 30 minutes, covered in cling film. About half way through, I preheated the oven to 175c

Swap the cheese box with the actual Camembert. Now it's ready to pop in the oven!

I turned mine around half way through to ensure that I had an even bake. Mine only took 25 minutes, give it a gentle tap on the top, it should sound hollow when it's ready.

Pretty delicious looking right? It was really tasty! Definitely a hit! Between 3 of us, we managed to demolish it within about 7 minutes. 

I earned full points for this one, I'll definitely be making this again, so many different flavour combinations to try! I might try a sweet one next :)

Bake Off with The Bake Off - Biscuits!

I've been quiet for a while, I've had a couple of projects but mostly I have just been busy doing other things, but now, I'm back and I have a challenge.

I'm a big fan of The Great British Bake Off, I love watching it, love seeing the new recipes, the techniques that others use in their baking, I even love the cringe worthy moments when everything goes wrong, that would probably have had me crying on the floor if it had happened to me. Anyway, Gavin has decided to issue me with a challenge - Bake off the Bake off! 

Every week, I'm going to make something along the same theme as covered on the latest episode. This challenge is brimming with potential - whether that's fun or stress, it will probably differ between weeks! I've skipped week 1 - Cake, simply because I've made lots of cakes in the past and I'm keen to try new things. This is where the challenge starts:

Week 2 - Biscuits!
The Challenge:
4 Identical Biscuits that I have never made before

I chose Brandy Snaps

Ingredients:
2oz Butter
2oz Demerara Sugar
2oz Golden Syrup
1 1/3 oz Plain Flour
1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
300ml Double Cream

After preheating the oven to 180C, the next step is to oil wooden spoon handles (I know, weird, but go with it). Melt together the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan, until the sugar granules have dissolved.

Sieve the flour and the ginger together and add to the sugarysyrupybuttery mixture, along with the lemon juice.

Using teaspoons, measure out small amounts of the mixture and place onto the baking tray, you need to allow plenty of room in between each blob of mixture because they will spread out.

Bake in the oven for roughly 10 minutes (it may be a little longer if you are not using a fan oven), until they are a golden brown and well spread  out.

At this point, you are meant to leave them for a minute to firm up slightly and slide a fish slice or a pallet knife underneath them to peel them off of the parchment. I had an issue with the first batch, and the second batch, and the third batch. They all decided that they would fuse to the parchment, which was an absolute nightmare. I'm not sure what caused it, I even tried oiling the parchment lightly on the last batch. I ended up using foil on the third batch and managed to get my 4 that I needed.

Once you have managed to get them off of the parchment or foil, you need to quickly wrap them around the oiled spoon handles to create the identical roll. Leave to firm up. Once firm, whip the double cream and pipe into the middle of the brandy snaps to fill.

Mine are fairly messy, I did not press together the edges after I rolled them and the pipping was a mess too. Overall, I found the process of making brandy snaps fairly stressful. They tasted good, but I am not convinced that I could not have done them better. 

Points Awarded: 3/5