English Muffins/Homemade English Muffins

English muffins, i have some fond memories of this incredible breakfast dish. I had this English muffins with eggs benedict few years back when we visited our French friends who lives in Normandy region. I must say that this cute, small, round and flat yeasted bread was one of my favourite breakfast food when they are toasted and buttered. You can dish out some cute sweet and savory sandwiches with this stove top cooked English muffins. English muffins are sold in all British supermarkets and also in many bakeries. You can bake this english muffins in large quantity and freeze them, which is seriously very handy to make your favourite sandwiches out of it when you dont have enough time to buy your bread.

Yorkshire Tea Cakes

Tea cake in England is a soft yeasted sweet buns prepared with dried fruits which is typically served toasted with butter. Tea cakes can be cookies, or sponge cake depending upon the countries they belongs to. Tea refers to the popular beverage to which these baked goodies are served as an accompaniment. Yorkshire tea cakes is a light,sweet,yeast based bun containing mainly currants, sultanas or orange peel. These tea cakes are typically split, toasted, buttered and served with tea. Usually baked as a flat, circular buns, these buns have a smooth brown crust and a light underside.Many cafes sell these buns for breakfast and for mid morning snacks.

Orange & Chocolate Chips Hot Cross Buns

A hot cross bun is a spiced sweet bun made with currants or raisins, marked with a cross on the top, but many different versions do exists. My today's post is one among those variations. Its completely a kid's friendly baked goodies which i simply baked with orange zest, orange juice and chocolate chips. If you love citrus flavored baked goodies, am sure you will definitely fell in love with this incredible buns.  I piped the top of these hot cross buns with two strips using both flour paste and icing sugar glaze however you can definitely skip the flour paste or else the icing sugar glaze or vice versa. After baking, i simply brushed these buns with a honey glaze to give the sweetness and a super shine.

Homemade Crumpets/Crumpets

A crumpet is a griddle cake and these cakes makes an excellent breakfast or snacks depends upon how its served. This English crumpets are generally round in shaped and their shape is obtained by pouring the yeasted batter by a shallow ring in a pan/griddle. This cakes have their characteristic flat top with many small pores, with a chewy and spongy texture. They are cooked in simmer and served immediately to serve warm. These cakes can be cooked slightly undercooked and toasted later to enjoy for breakfast. Often served with butter, you can enjoy thoroughly this spongy crumpets with jam, honey, spread like nutella, caramel etc.English muffins and Crumpets are two different griddle cakes, though they are both round with spongy texture. However crumpets are served whole with butter and jam while English muffins are splited before serving.

Eggless Hot Cross Buns with Cranberries/Easter Special Hot Cross Buns

Wiki says that A hot cross bun is a spiced sweet bun made with currants or raisins, marked with a cross on the top, and traditionally eaten on Good Friday in the British Isles, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, and India. The buns mark the end of Lent and different parts of the hot cross bun have a certain meaning, including the cross representing the crucifixion of Jesus, and the spices inside signifying the spices used to embalm him at his burial.They are now available all year round in some places.Hot cross buns may go on sale in Australia and New Zealand as early as New Year's Day or after Christmas. I have been looking for a chance to bake some Hot cross buns since a long. Finally i did this ultimate spiced, cranberries loaded buns, these buns are completely egg free but i dont want to skip the butter.

Queen of Puddings

 As per wiki,Queen of Puddings is a traditional British dessert, consisting of a baked, breadcrumb-thickened mixture, spread with jam and topped with meringue.Milk and lemon zest are heated to boiling in a saucepan. Sugar, butter and breadcrumbs are mixed into the hot milk, which is allowed to cool. Egg yolks and a whole egg are beaten into this mixture, which is transferred into a deep pie dish then baked in a bain-marie until set.

This firm, brownish bread crumb base is then spread with jam, usually raspberry or blackcurrant and a meringue mix made from the reserved egg whites is spooned over the jam. The pudding is returned to the oven and baked until the meringue is golden, but still soft. The pudding is eaten hot. When you get a chance of making this beautiful Queen of puddings, who will resist to give a try to this delightful dessert, i baked mine few months back and today am posting this beauty just i want to clear my draft.Sending to Srivalli's Anniversary Mela.

Guernsey Gâche

Guernsey is an island which in the English channel, of to the coast of Normandy region of France.The capital of Guernsey is St Peter Port and its official language is English.Gâche is a local dish of Guernsey and its a traditional bread made with raisins, sultanas, mixed peel. Actually Gâche means cake in Guernésiais.However this fruit loaded gâche tastes more like a cake than the bread. This gâche is often served as a traditional part of afternoon tea in the island. Served often toasted with local butter, this fruit loaf makes an excellent evening tea time snacks.

Banoffee Pie~~Sweet Punch

Our this month's Sweet Punch Challenge is to prepare the fabulous and super addictive Banoffee pie from Swapna's Space.. Banoffee Pie is english pastry prepared made with bananas, cream,biscuit based crust and dulce de leche, a famous thick,creamy,caramel-like milk based sauce or spread..This dulce de leche is prepared slowly heating sweetened condensed milk to form a caramel sauce,this caramel milk-based sauce is the highlight of this banoffee pie..Its seems this banoffee pie can be prepared on a pastry base too..

For making dulce de leche i used my pressure cooker without whistle and my sweetened condensed milk turned prefectly as caramel like toffee sauce within 45minutes..Also instead of preparing a large size pie,i went for single serving, yep i simply prepared this pie in 5 glasses to serve my family as i know this pie will be definitely addictive and highly caloric, after the xmas celebration am trying to feed my family simply with healthy foods just to get rid of the calorie we gained coz of some festive foods we enjoyed during the xmas & new year celebrations..Thanks to Swapna for sharing this incredible pie and we just loved it..

1can Sweetened condensed milk
2nos Bananas
1cup Whipped cream
15nos Digestive biscuits
75grms Butter
Cocao powder
Chocolate sauce

Put the condensed milk can in a pressure cooker,cover the can with water(the can should be submerged in water), bring to boil and close the cooker with the lid,dont put the whistle and boil for 45minutes to 50minutes, remove the can and let them cool completely..You can prepare this dulce de leche even a day before and keep in room temperature..

Powder the digestive biscuits and melt the butter, mix them together..Line the pie mould or a glass with enough mixture and bake for 10minutes at 250F..

Open the cooled can and spread the toffee like sauce over the crust, meanwhile slice the bananas and arrange over the sauce, whip the cream until thick and spread over the bananas..

Finally drizzle the chocolate sauce and dust the top of the pie with cocoa powder, enjoy this yummilicious pie...

Foolish Bread

I got this foolish bread recipe through British Food which i wanted to try out immediately and prepared making this bread friday, this bread goes for a starter dough which u have to make before a day, this bread turned out super prefect,very much like a bakery bread we get here..This foolish bread turned out dense, slightly chewy with a prefect crust...This bread slices suites awesome to serve along with sounds, ideal for making sandwiches and y not a for a toast..We guys enjoyed having this bread for our breakfast with butter and jam along with a cup of coffee and for snacks with nutella spread..This bread is quite easy to prepare if u have prepared ur starter dough before a day..Also the original recipe says that no one seems to know y this bread is called as Foolish Bread, even i dont care coz we loved this bread, no matter about the name at all na..




Starter:
1+1/2cups White flour
1/2tsp Dry yeast
2/3cup Warm water

Bread:
2cups White flour
1/2cup Luke warm water
1 +1/4 tsps Dry yeast
2tsp Salt

Place the flour and yeast into a large mixing bowl, add the water, stirring until a wet dough is formed. Cover with a lid and leave overnight...

Next day,place the flour in a large mixing bowl..Add the water and yeast and sprinkle the salt around the edge of the flour.Add the starter dough. Stir well all the ingredients until they turns as little bit sticky dough.

Once the kneading is complete,arrange the dough in greased bowl and cover with a towel and leave in a warm place for one hour .Remove the dough from the bowl and shape into a round, flat disc. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm, but not hot place for another hour. The dough should have doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450F..Once the dough is doubled, take a very sharp knife and lightly slash the surface of the dough two or three times diagonally make sure you only slash the surface, not cutting down into the dough. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 425°F and bake for 25 minutes until the crust turns golden brown. The bread is ready when it sounds hollow when tapped on the base.

British Flapjacks

British Flapjacks is a sort of cookies which looks almost like granola bar prepared using oats, golden syrup,packed brown sugar,butter...This cookies are truly addictive with rich buttery flavour and with a mild sweetness..As like most of the British desserts, this flapjacks doesnt need lot of sugar to be delicious, they are really a prefect treat to enjoy anytime at the same time very hearty..Usually flapjacks are used be triangular in shape, but i wanted to make them quite different and went for a diamond shape, no matter about the shape na..Wat we all need is to munch this healthy cookies rite, also i have added some black dried raisins to this flapjacks..



2+1/4cups  Quick cooking oats
1/2cup Butter
1/2cup Packed brown sugar
1/4cup Golden syrup
Few dry black raisins
Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350F, take the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan, stir continously until the butter melts,the sugar gets dissolved, remove the sauce pan from the heat, add the oats,salt and stir until the oats gets well coated..Transfer this mixture to a greased square pan, bake for 20-25minutes until the top turns golden..

Once get cooled, cut into triangles or watever shape u wish for..Enjoy with a cup of tea..

English Pancakes

English Pancakes are similar to french crepes but not lacy in appearance, this pancakes goes for three ingredients and the batter will be runny and forms a thin layer on the bottom of the pan when the pan is tilted..It forms some bubbles during cooking which results to a pale colour pancakes, they are usually served with lemon juice and sugar drizzled with golden syrup or with savoury stuffing and eaten as main course...I tried out this easy pancakes sterday for our breakfast which is served with lemon juice,sugar and golden syrup..A few days back i picked this golden syrup from Indian stores without any knowledge, now i know how to use and make dishes with this golden syrup..



1cup All purpose flour
2nos Eggs
2cups Milk
Pinch of Salt
Oil for cooking
Lemon juice as per need
Sugar as per need
Golden syrup

Mix the all purpose flour, eggs and milk with salt as a thin batter, heat few drops of oil in a pan, pour a laddle of this pancake batter,tilt the pan to form pancakes..cook until the pancake turns lightly golden and cook another side for few minutes..

Drizzle the lemon juice, sprinkle the sugar, roll the pancakes and drizzle the golden syrup while serving..

English Muffins

English muffin is a small,round and flat shaped yeast leavened bread almost dusted either with flour or with cornmeal which is usually served toasted or sliced horizontally served along with butter and jam..These muffins are eaten as snack or as a part of meal for breakfast or for snacks in United Kingdom or in Ireland..I tried making this famous english muffins today at home and they turned out super prefect, my teddies enjoyed having this english muffins with nutella spread while i enjoyed having butter and jam..We loved it..Sending to AWED-British guest hosted by Reva,event by DK and Pari's Only Cooking With Bread..



4cups All purpose flour
1no Egg
1/4cup Butter (melted)
1tsp Salt
1tbsp Sugar
1+1/2tsp Active dry yeast
1cup Luke warm milk

Mix the active dry yeast ,sugar and salt to the luke warm milk and keep aside,until the yeast turns foamy, meanwhile take the flour, egg, melted butter and gradually add the foamy yeast,water to the flour and knead everything as a smooth dough..Keep aside in a greased bowl for 2 hours..

Once the dough double their volume, punch down the dough and roll as a thick disc, using a cookie cutter cut the dough as small circles,dust the circles with flour..arrange them over a baking sheet lined over a baking tray,cover the muffins with a damp cloth for an hour.. Bake in middle rack for 25-30minutes until they crust turns brown..

Serve with butter,jam or nutella...