Cakes & Bakes: Sourdough waffles

Just a couple of weeks ago, we featured a round up of waffle irons on Price Points. This week, I’ve made my first ever batch of sourdough waffles; the miracle of internet shopping!

I wanted a cast iron, stove-top waffle iron that I could store away in a drawer when not in use – and this is the one I finally decided to purchase.

As with all new cast iron pans, it needed to be seasoned well before its maiden voyage. With all the snow and freezing temperatures we’ve had recently, our wood-burner has been chuffing away almost constantly – so that was the ideal place to do it.

This sourdough waffle recipe – as with most that use a starter – needs some forward planning. Ideally, you’d get your starter/flour/sugar/salt combined the night before if you want waffles for breakfast.

The iron produced delicious crispy waffles. Justin and I both fancied maple syrup with them, but then we diverged slightly.

He went for the sweet/salty thing and opted to serve with crispy bacon. I chose sliced bananas. The possibilities are endless of course. The caramelised bananas I made for this series a couple of weeks ago would work a treat. Also, any other fresh fruit, compotes or preserves, yoghurt, honey and cream would be perfect. They’re going to be a regular breakfast/brunch from this day forth!

Click here to save the recipe to Pinterest

Sourdough waffles

2018-03-20 14:38:23

Ingredients

115g/4oz butter
225ml/8 fl oz milk
275g/9¾oz sourdough starter (100% hydration)
1tsp salt
1tbsp soft brown sugar
170g/6oz plain flour
2 eggs
½tsp bicarbonate of soda

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Instructions

Combine the starter, salt, sugar and flour so it forms a thick batter
Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside at room temperature for 8-12 hours. If you do this before going to bed, you can time the batter to be ready for breakfast the following day
In a small saucepan over a low flame, heat the butter and milk until the butter has melted. Put the mixture aside and allow it to cool to room temperature
Preheat your waffle iron for 10-15 minutes.
Uncover the batter and whisk in the eggs
When the waffle iron is ready, add ½tsp bicarbonate of soda to the batter. Do not over mix or you'll beat the air out of it
Carefully pour enough batter onto the hot waffle iron to cover the base. Place the lid of the waffle iron on top
Cook on one side for about 3 minutes before flipping the waffle iron over and cooking the other side

Notes

You can store any uneaten waffles in zip-lock bags in the freezer for up to 3 months.

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Salted butter chocolate chunk shortbread

It’s been a while since I’ve made a batch of cookies or a round of shortbread. I’ve hit two birds with one stone with this salted butter chocolate chunk shortbread recipe from Alison Roman.

They’ve become so popular that she now simply refers to them as “The Cookies” – all her Instagram fans know what she’s talking about!

The recipe makes two ‘logs’. Cooking off one log at a time is enough for our 2-person household. The other log is now in the freezer, waiting for the first batch to be demolished.

Refrigerator cookies are so convenient. A quick ten or so minutes in the making, about the same amount of time in the oven, cook off as many as you want and no waste.

The recipe is very straightforward. However, there’s one step that needs to be followed to the letter. Chilling the logs in the fridge for 2 hours before cooking is the absolute minimum.

I whisked them out of the fridge a little too early as we wanted to catch some daylight for our photos. That’s why my cookies spread a little too much in the oven and the chocolate chunks didn’t hold their shape very well. The next batch will be super chilled!

They still tasted great – and that second log won’t be languishing in the freezer for long!

Click here to save the recipe to Pinterest for later

Salted butter chocolate chunk shortbread

2018-03-14 14:18:54

Cook Time

12 min

Cook Time

12 min

Ingredients

255g/9oz salted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
100g/3½oz granulated sugar
50g/1¾oz light brown sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
295g/10⅓oz plain flour
170g/6oz dark chocolate, chopped (you want chunks, not thin shards of chocolate)
1 large egg
A few tablespoons Demerara sugar, turbinado etc for rolling
A few pinches of flaky sea salt for sprinkling

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Instructions

Beat the butter, granulated and brown sugars and vanilla with an electric or stand mixer until light and fluffy, scraping down bowl as needed
Add the flour and mix until just until combined
Add the chocolate chunks, mix just until incorporated. The mixture will look crumbly
Divide the dough between two sheets of parchment paper, cling film and use your hands to form the dough halves into log shapes about 5cm/2" in diameter
Chill until totally firm - around 2 hours
Preheat the oven to 175ºC/350°F/Gas mark 4
Line one or two large baking sheets with parchment paper
Lightly beat the egg and open up your chilled cookies logs to brush it over the sides
Sprinkle the coarse, brown sugar on the open paper or plastic wrap and roll the logs in it, coating them thoroughly
Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the logs into 1cm/½" thick rounds. You'll hit some chocolate chunks, so saw gently, squeezing the cookie to keep it from breaking
Arrange the slices on the lined baking sheets 2½cm/1" apart, then sprinkle each with a few flakes of salt
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges just begin to turn golden brown
Allow to cool slightly before transferring them to wire racks to cool

Notes

The dough can made ahead and stored - tightly wrapped in cling film - for up to 1 week in the fridge or 1 month in the freezer. Baked cookies keep in an airtight container for 5 days

By Alison Roman

Adapted from Dining In: Highly Cookable Recipes

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Cinnamon pancakes with caramelised bananas

This week, we had a day out in Skipton – antique centre visit, charity shop trawling, shopping and lunching. We stopped off in our usual coffee shop, down one of the pretty little side streets off the main drag. Justin had eggs Benedict and I went for the pancakes with caramelised bananas.

As soon as the food arrived, Justin wished he’d ordered what I’d ordered. Not that his eggs weren’t cooked to perfection – they were, It’s just that my pancakes looked magnificent!

I felt a little sorry for him so I decided that I’d make some cinnamon pancakes with caramelised bananas for this week’s Cakes & Bakes offering.

This pile should keep him going for a while!

The caramelised bananas were unctuous and sweet – and layered generously between the pancakes. Clotted or whipped cream makes for the perfect accompaniment.

It’s a great dish for extravagant brunch or hearty dessert.

Fancy trying it yourself? Click here to save the recipe to Pinterest.

Cinnamon pancakes with caramelised bananas

2018-03-07 12:03:10

Serves 4

For the pancakes

200g/7oz self-raising flour
1½tsp baking powder
½tsp ground cinnamon
1tbsp golden caster sugar
pinch of salt
3 eggs
25g/⅘oz butter, melted
200ml/fl oz milk
A little butter or vegetable oil for cooking

For the bananas

2 bananas, peeled and sliced
60g/2oz soft brown sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
2tbsp hot water
knob of butter

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For the pancakes

Preheat the oven to 120ºC/250ºF/Gas mark ½
In a large measuring jug (or mixing bowl), combine the flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, caster sugar and salt Make a well in the centre and add the eggs, melted butter and milk. Mix well until there are no lumps
Use a little butter or vegetable oil to grease a griddle or heavy-bottomed frying pan(s)
Heat over a medium to high heat. When it begins to sizzle, carefully pour on the batter to form small circles of about 10cm/4" across
When the top just begins to dry out around the edge flip it over and cook for a further minute
Remove from the griddle/frying pan, place it on a heat-proof plate and put in the warm oven. Repeat this until all the batter is used up

For the bananas

Put the sugar, vanilla extract and hot water into a heavy bottomed skillet frying pan over a high heat
Allow it to begin bubbling rapidly before you add the sliced banana.
Turn the banana over so that it's completely covered in the caramel
Add the knob of butter and carefully mix in until completely melted and combined

Notes

Serve hot with clotted or whipped cream

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Sticky toffee loaf cake with fudge icing

Another week, another afternoon loaf cake requested by Justin. The one I’ve chosen this time is Delia’s sticky toffee loaf cake with fudge icing. None of Delia’s recipes have ever let me down!

Thanks to the treacle and spices, it’s quite a dark, wintery, warming cake; perfect, considering that I can see a light flurry of snowflakes falling outside as I write this!

It’s a straightforward recipe – a bit of heating, a bit of mixing – and a long, slow bake. As Delia recommends, this cake is best left overnight before tucking in. The various ingredients have time to combine and settle into each other.

The resulting cake is full of flavour – substantial, yet not hard going. Perfect with a cuppa!

My ‘dark brown’ soft sugar was quite light in colour and I didn’t have any golden icing sugar, so I used Muscovado sugar and plain white icing sugar instead. I reckon the resulting shade of my icing matched Delia’s fine. I had to apply it a little sooner than I would have ideally liked to ensure there was still a bit of daylight for a photograph. Make sure that your loaf is completely cooled before topping with icing otherwise it will just melt.

Click here to save the recipe to Pinterest

Sticky toffee loaf cake with fudge icing

2018-02-21 15:27:39

Yields 1

Cook Time

1 hr 30 min

Cook Time

1 hr 30 min

For the cake

1 level tsp mixed spice
2 level tsp ground ginger
1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
110g/4oz stoned dates
50g/1¾oz pecan nuts
110g/4oz spreadable butter
50g/1¾oz black treacle
175g/6oz golden syrup
150ml/5¼fl oz milk
2 large eggs
225g/8oz plain flour

For the icing

4 tbsp evaporated milk
3 tbsp dark brown soft sugar
50g/1¾oz butter
150g/5¼oz golden icing sugar

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If you don’t have Buy Me a Pie! app installed you’ll see the list with ingredients right after downloading it

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 150°C/300ºF/Gas mark 2
Line a 500g/1lb loaf tin with a loaf tin liner

To make the cake

First, place the tin of black treacle (without its lid) in a saucepan of barely simmering water to warm it up and make it easier to measure (I needed to do the same with the golden syrup)
Next prepare the dates and pecans. The nuts should be chopped fairly small and the dates should be chopped into equally small pieces
Put the butter, black treacle and syrup into a large saucepan and melt them together over a gentle heat
Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it cool for a few minutes, then mix in the milk
Beat the eggs before adding those to the syrup mixture as well
Sift together the flour, spices and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Gradually whisk the syrup mixture into the dry ingredients, bit by bit, until you have a smooth batter
Lightly stir in the pecans and about ⅔ of the dates, then pour the mixture into the prepared tin
Lightly drop the other ⅓ of the dates over the top, pushing them down gently with a skewer (adding this amount of dates last of all gives a better distribution of fruit as the mixture is a fairly slack one)
Place the cake on a lower shelf so that the top of the tin is aligned with the centre of the oven and bake it for 1½ hours to 1 hour 50 minutes by which time it will have a very rounded, slightly cracked top
Allow it to cool in the tin for about half an hour before turning it out on to a wire rack

To make the icing

In a small saucepan melt together the evaporated milk, brown sugar and butter. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes
Tip it into a bowl and set aside to cool
Sift in the golden icing sugar and whisk everything together till smooth
Using a palette knife, spread the icing all over the top of the cooled cake

Notes

Store the cake in an airtight tin, in its paper liner. The cake does seem to improve if kept for a couple of days before eating

By Delia Smith

Adapted from Delia's Cakes

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/