I’m Rebecca Bishop of The Next Loaf Baking School in Wenhaston, Suffolk. I teach fun, informative and hands-on baking classes that’ll leave you feeling inspired and eager to get back to your own kitchen to practise what you’ve learnt! With Christmas fast approaching and lots of classes to choose from, a baking class gift voucher might be the perfect present for the baker in your life so they can choose the class they attend.
I’m also the author of the baking book Two Magpies Bakery and founder of Two Magpies Bakery. Each month my column will feature a delicious seasonal bake, book recommendations, insider tips for ingredients, equipment and much more. To get the latest information sign up for my newsletter www.thenextloaf.co.uk or follow me on Instagram @thenextloaf
This month I’m mainly making… Granola.
I love breakfast– there’s something so comforting and energising about the routine of a cuppa followed by fresh fruit, yoghurt and a bowl of granola. However rushed I am or early I need to get up I always make the time so I’m set-up for the day ahead. My larder has plenty of half-open packets of seeds, nuts and rolled grains and I can never resist tweaking the recipe – my current batch comes with sweet spices chunks of dried apple and candied ginger. A great start to any day!
Baking know-how: Flour part 3
Last month we looked at bread flour and how high protein levels, AKA gluten, make it ‘strong’. Gluten is really helps when making bread because it creates a strong, chewy dough that’s strong and elastic. However gluten isn’t actually something we generally want or need in cakes and cookies. If you’ve ever accidently baked a chewy cake or a tough muffin (or been the unlucky recipient of said item) it’s probably because overmixing developed the gluten in the cake batter.
Nowadays It’s relatively easy to buy gluten free flour mixes, from company’s such as Doves farm. You can make a direct substitute with the plain or self-raising wheat flour in your recipe. Gluten free cake flours are usually made from a mix of starches (such as potato and tapioca) and proteins (such as rice and sorghum flour). Gluten free bread flour usually has the addition of Xanthan gum, a naturally produced binder that gives some elasticity and stretch to your proving dough though this type does have a different texture than bread developed with wheat flour.
You can also make cakes and cookies with naturally gluten free ingredients such as ground almonds (usually called almond flour in American recipes), buckwheat flour, cocoa powder, oat flour or cornflour. Essentially what theses ingredients are doing is binding together the raising agents (eggs, baking powder etc) with the sweetener (sugar, honey etc) and holding your sweet treat together as it bakes. There’s a great recipe for gluten free salted caramel and buttered almond brownies made entirely with cornflour below and more recipe on my website.
SALTED CARAMEL & BUTTERED ALMOND BROWNIES
These brownies have a thin crackly top and a dense fudgy interior which comes from taking them out of the oven as soon as you see the mix start to ‘souffle’ (rise up) slightly at the edges. Leave them to cool in the tin then chill before slicing. Make sure you beat the mix for a full minute to create a thick glossy batter that pulls away from the side of the bowl – with no gluten in the mix there’s no danger of developing a chewy brownie!
Ingredients: Serves 16
- Buttered almonds
- 120g whole almonds, skin on, roughly chopped
- 20g unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
- Salted caramel
- 50g unsalted butter
- 150g caster sugar
- Generous pinch of flaky sea salt
- Brownie mix
- 150g unsalted butter
- 50g milk chocolate, roughly chopped
- 150g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 3 Eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
- 150g caster sugar
- 150g light brown sugar
- 80g cocoa powder
- 30g cornflour, sieved
- ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
Method:
To make the salted caramel, grease and line a shallow tin. In a heavy-based pan, gently melt the butter and sugar together until the sugar is fully dissolved. Increase the heat and continue to boil until the caramel reaches 150°C (use a thermometer). Carefully pour the caramel into the prepared tin and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Cool completely then turn out of the tin and bash with a rolling pin to create shards.
Preheat the oven to 185°C/160°C fan/gas 4-5. Grease and line a 23cm x 23cm x 5cm baking tin.
Place the chopped almonds on a baking tray with the butter. Roast for 2 minutes so the butter melts then remove and toss the nuts in the butter with a generous sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Bake for 5–10 minutes until lightly toasted and smelling irresistible.
Make a bain-marie by selecting a heatproof bowl that is slightly larger than your saucepan. Fill the saucepan with an inch of water and place over a medium heat. Place the butter, milk and dark chocolate in the bowl and set it on top of the saucepan, so that it doesn’t touch the top of the water. Alternatively, use a microwave on full power in 30-second bursts. Remove before the chocolate is fully melted, then stir the butter and chocolate together until emulsified and leave to cool slightly.
Using a hand whisk, gently beat the eggs and vanilla essence with the caster and light brown sugar. In a separate bowl, combine your cocoa powder, sieved cornflour and salt. Using a spatula, gradually combine the chocolate mix with the egg, stirring in a figure-of-8, then add the dry ingredients in three stages. Continue to beat the mixture for a full minute until glossy and starting to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin, smoothing the top. Generously scatter with the almonds and caramel shards – pressing them slightly into the batter.
Sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt, then bake for 20–25 minutes. Test for doneness with a skewer, trying to avoid pools of caramel – it should come out with a few damp crumbs stuck to it. If it’s still liquid, give it 5 minutes more.
Allow to cool in the tin. Make sure you pop the baked brownie in the fridge for half an hour before slicing.
Baking classes
From January 2024, I’m launching ‘The Next Loaf’ baking school in Wenhaston, Suffolk. If you’ve already attended one of my classes at Two Magpies Bakery you’ll know they’re perfect for raising your baking game or as a gift for a loved one.
Classes are small so there’s lots of personal attention and suitable for beginners or bakers looking for more consistency and challenge. We’ll be mixing, shaping and baking our way through an exciting range of classes including Scandinavian baking, Easter baking, sourdough, parent and child baking and Italian baking – to name a few! Classes (and gift vouchers) are now available to book on my website www.thenextloaf.co.uk
Private baking classes
Planning a special get-together, hen-do or just love to bake with friends and family? If you’re interested in a bespoke classes in your own home for a maximum of 6 people get in touch with rebecca@thenextloaf.co.uk
Upcoming events
• January 2024 onwards – Baking classes in Wenhaston (just off the A12 near Southwold)
visit my website www.thenextloaf.co.uk to book.