Anzac Day Bake: Anzac Biscuits

Back in 2008 I collected a few family favourite cake and biscuit recipes from my mum's recipe book to give to the 'next generation' at Christmas. I still have a very battered copy of the first version which I kept for myself.

The recipes are nothing out of the ordinary; in fact in many ways that is their charm. They are each named after the person who baked them for the family and that makes them special.

Looking through the list of unwitting 'contributors', including my sister and auntie shown above, not one of them is still living, but they have left behind something we can enjoy.

Today being Anzac day I decided to bake Anzac biscuits following my mum's recipe:

As usual, I had to substitute gluten free flour and used a combination of Doves Farm Self Raising and Rice Flour..

Unfortunately the result was a little disappointing. I added more liquid and syrup to counteract the properties of gluten free flour, but nevertheless they are drier than I would like and not the lovely moist offerings mum used to bake.

However, the taste isn't bad. So thank you mum!

And you see, Gaynor, you're not the only one with baking nightmares!!

Crackle cookies and Taupes (moles) Episode 4

Not sure whether the title of this posting might be a bit off putting. but here goes anyway...

Two successes to report today. First the discovery that Colin had won another round in his fight against the Taupes. Total Taupes now trapped ............. 4.

Second was of a culinary variety. Jean, who writes the blog, Baking in Franglais, posted a recipe for Crackle Cookies a few weeks ago. As we are having my family over at the weekend this was a perfect time to try out the recipe.

Armed with a copy of the recipe, a table full of ingredients and his food mixer, Colin set to. And here is the result:

Thank you Jean!!!!!

PS They taste delicious. Elizabeth is going to try the recipe using the gluten free flour. but until then. Ohhhh Elizabeth they dooooo taste nice...yum yum. C

Click here for Jean's recipe.

Gluten-free baking

I've no excuse now for not baking since we moved here and I've time to do that sort of thing..

Today it was the turn of the humble sponge cake, with the added twist that this one was gluten-free.

Gluten-free baking is a hit and miss affair at the best of times so I was very pleased when this version worked. So for any coeliacs out there, here is the recipe I used:

Gluten-free, wheat-free sponge cake

Ingredients:
120g butter
120g sugar
2 medium eggs
160g Doves Farm gluten-free, wheat-free Self raising flour
Juice and finely grated zest of two lemons
pinch of salt

Method:
Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs.
Add the grated lemon zest.

So far so good. The next bit can be fun with gluten-free flour. It is much more powdery than ordinary wheat flour and it has a tendency to fly anywhere but where you want it. Consequently it's a good idea to keep a cloth handy and take extra care when adding flour to the bowl!

Next add the flour and lemon juice alternately a little at a time.

Gluten-free flour absorbs more liquid so you'll find you need more than you would with ordinary flour, hence the two lemons

Mix until smooth. If necessary add a little milk to get the required consistency of a 'normal' cake mix.

Put into a greased or lined loaf tin or 7" round cake tin and bake for approximately 30 mins until the cake is risen and golden in colour. To test if the cake is baked through insert a skewer and if it comes out clean, the cake is done.

Leave to cool in the tin before turning out.  

If you prefer, the cake can be iced:  

Cream together:

                  4oz half-fat cream cheese

                  2 oz softened butter

                  1-2 tbsp icing sugar

                  half tsp vanilla essence

but it is equally good just as it is.

Happy Baking!

 

Baking Day..

Coconut macaroons and bird cake were on the list of things to make today and all the ingredients were lined up ready.

The coconut had been a bit of a challenge but we eventually tracked down 'Noix de coco rapee' in the supermarket. Perfect - all set!

In one pan the suet was melting ready to add all the bits and pieces which are classed as left-overs, and some which are not - such as a few handfuls of dried fruit and some of Colin's muesli... and a bit of the dessicated coconut.

Another bowl had the macaroon mixture all ready to shape,as I remember doing as a child, using an egg-cup. Then disaster struck....

Since moving here neither of us had seen the egg-cups. Nothing daunted I set about shaping them with my hands but as I'm unable to flour my hands first, the adhesive qualities of the mix got the better of me.

I have to admit that at this stage the bird cake looked decidedly more appetisinng!

Desperate times call for desperate measures! The baking was abandoned whilst I searched for those egg-cups. As I'd half suspected they were in the box marked 'miscellaneous kitchen bits' and stacked in the grenier.

So back to the macaroons.. All the mix was put back into the bowl and the shaping process began again.

Egg-cup filled with mix

The trick with the turning out is to use an egg-cup with a hole in the base then you can ease it out with your finger.

Twenty minutes later the macaroons had been reincarnated as something wonderful to behold!

And even better to eat...

Hope this leaves your mouth watering!

ps. the birds are quite pleased with their little treat too!

Postscript to France sans Gluten..

When writing "France sans Gluten" the other evening I left out an important section.

I omitted to mention that I had been treated to a most enjoyable gluten-free lamb stew,  followed by gluten-free chocolate Angel Food Cake made with chestnut flour, when we were invited to a very special  "Nouvelle New Year" with Susan, Simon and friends in Preuilly-sur-Claise.

Apologies to Susan for this omission and a special thanks for her comment on "France sans Gluten".

For those of you who haven't already read Simon and Susan's blog,  Days on the Claise,  they show how it should be done!!

Thanks to them for giving us the inspiration to have a go ourselves.

France "sans gluten"

How can you live in France and not eat the wonderful baguettes, croissants, pain au chocolat and all the gorgeous confections the French are so good at?

Unfortunately I have an autoimmune disease called Coeliac disease. Gluten, which is found in wheat, barley and rye triggers an immune reaction in people with coeliac disease and damages the lining of the small intestine and sometimes other parts of the body.

Hence no baguettes, croissants, etc... etc...

Over here in France I've struggled to find anything much manufactured specifically for Coeliacs and this has limited my diet as even a trace of gluten is sufficient to cause damage.

I've tried baking my own bread using flours made from rice, potato and maize to name a few, but success has been limited.

Then this week I had a break through! I took a recipe from the Doves Farm website and adapted it slightly to match what I had in store and the result was edible! In fact it was more than edible; it was very good!

My version of the recipe for Gluten-free, wheat-free White Bread is as follows:

1kg Gluten free flour (I used half Doves Farm and half Glutafin multipurpose white mix)
5ml Salt
20ml Dried yeast
60ml sugar
700ml half milk and water mixed
10ml red wine vinegar
90ml sunflower oil
4 eggs

Method:
Mix flours, salt, yeast and sugar
In another bowl mix milk and water, vinegar and eggs
Add flour mixture and mix - I used a mixer with a dough hook.
Spoon oil over and bring together into a ball.
At this stage the mix is very sticky so flour your hands well and knead for five to ten minutes.
Put into a 2LB loaf tin and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
Bake in preheated oven for 50-55 mins at 220C or 200 in a fan oven

If it comes out looking and tasting like mine I'm sure any Coeliac would be happy with the result. It's a vast improvement on most of the commercially available Gluten-free breads out there.

  

So happy bread making to any Coeliacs out there wondering if they will ever enjoy the taste of bread again!!

p.s.Any sources of gluten free flour here in France would be greatly appreciated. I imported all mine from the UK!!