Baking Tips and Common Mistakes

some of my baking tips and common 

mistakes....

1. Sift your ingredients - (don't skip this step)... Sifting your ingredients such as flour, baking powder and icing sugar provides a smoother consistency - unless otherwise stated. 

2. If a recipe states the size of egg to use - follow it...If you find that you don't have the size egg stated, use measuring scales to crack the eggs to make up the correct weight. And, make sure your eggs are fresh.

3. When baking a cake, biscuit, slice, cupcake, muffin etc....always set the timer to less than the stated time and check it. Some ovens are cooler and others hotter and therefore you need to check your baking. And, if you feel that your cake is getting brown too quickly - you can always cover it will foil which will stop the browning on the top of the cake.

4. My biggest tip - is never attempt something for the first time when guests are coming over!! It is best to try new baking when you have time on your hands and pace yourself. There is nothing worse than trying something new only to find that you have made a mistake and it didn't quite work out!

5. When you have become more confident in your baking skills - you will find that your knowledge and understanding of baking processes is on another level. 

At this stage, I recommend that you begin to stretch yourself and substitute ingredients and play around with your own versions of recipes. 

Personally, I never follow recipes anymore, unless they require exact precision. Substituting ingredients is great especially if you don't like a certain flavor or want to avoid ingredients for certain diet reasons. 

I often will substitute half of my self-raising flour with Quinoa flour and add a little extra baking powder into my muffin recipes. If you don't know what Quinoa is - it is a super food ingredient providing many health benefits. 

Have a Happy Friday

xxx

Cooking and Style: Making Bread - Ciabatta

Don't you love it when you walk past or into a bakery and smell fresh bread and cakes? For me, it is very comforting and it makes me want to go home every time and bake. I love making bread and it really isn't as difficult as some may think. All you really need is a little understanding about the processes and the rest is simple, plus - it is so cheap to do - you will wonder why you never did it earlier!!

ciabatta

Today I am going to show you how to make Ciabatta - an Italian Bread that is white, made from flour and yeast. It is a long oval shaped bread, with a crisp crust and soft texture within. 

Traditionally, Ciabatta takes up to about 5 hours in rising time - but I have created a shortcut and will teach you some tricks so that you can make this bread in approx 3 hours. 

Ingredients:

makes 1 freeform loaf

7 grams - dried yeast ( 1 sachet)

1 teaspoon castor sugar

2 teaspoons salt

3 cups plain white flour

50 ml olive oil

extra flour - used for baking tray and for sprinkling on bread

(you will need to have ice in the freezer too)

Method:

1. Place the yeast, sugar and 75 ml warm water in a small bowl and stir really well. Then place this mixture in a warm place free from drafts - for about 10 minutes until the contents has become frothy and doubled in volume. (NOTE: if nothing has happened to the yeast after 10 minutes - it means that the yeast is dead and you will need to start again). 

2. In a large bowl, place the salt and 2 cups of the flour in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture, oil and 225 ml of water to the bowl. Using your hand, mix to combine and continue to mix with your hand for about 5 minutes. The mixture will be very wet at this stage. 

3. Get another mixing bowl and then using a spatula, place the wet dough into the new bowl - keeping it to a ball shape - as best you can. Cover with plastic wrap. Now here is the trick: put the heater on - or somewhere in the house where it is really warm and place the covered mixing bowl right next to that warm spot. This is going to cut down the hours of rising time for you. Leave to rest until the dough has doubled in size - about 1 hour and 20 mins. 

4. Stir in the remaining flour into the mixing bowl and using your hand again stir until all combined. Scrape down the side the  bowl and again - transfer the dough into a clean mixing bowl. Cover and again, place by the heater or a really warm place and allow to rest and rise - for about 30 mins. 

5. On a baking tray - place about 1/2 cup of plain flour and spread all around the baking tray. Bring the dough contents to the bench and gently and carefully tip the dough onto the baking tray. Using floured hands, shape the dough into a long oval shape - about 30 x 12cm. Then, using heavily floured hands, spread evenly and tuck under the dough edges to plump up the dough. 

6. Cover gently with cling film and allow to rest for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, have the oven ready - set it to 210 degrees Celsius - fan forced. 

7. In a heatproof container, place a tray of ice cubes in it. Place the ciabatta into the oven on one rack and then below it - place the heatproof container of ice. Baked the ciabatta for about 30 minutes in total - at 20 minutes remove the melted ice.

The ciabatta when ready will be golden and sound hollow when you tap on it. 

some of my pictures

This is the beginning of the mixture, flour, yeast mixture, salt, and oil. 

The picture above is the dough at the first stage of being mixed - is looks quite wet at this stage - which is what it is meant to look like. It will rest and double in size quite quickly when you leave it in a warm place. 

Stamping your bread to give it a personal touch is something people will love. 

There is something really special when you can stamp your own bread. It gives it a real artisan feel and so many bread makers that have their own bakeries have a signature trade mark for their bread. Create your own style - it is really fun. 

When baked - this is what the ciabatta looks like. Beautiful and golden brown and sounds slightly hollow when you tap on it. 

Time to make some bread.

xx

Cooking and Style: Scribbled Teapots and Pretty Star Ginger Bread Biscuits

I have always been a fan of making ginger bread biscuits, I think because I love the flavor of ginger so much. 

Last year when I first started blogging, I shared my ginger bread biscuit recipe which if you love biscuits, baking or have kids - it is a really easy, delicious and fun activity.  

Click here for the recipe.

royal icing
ingredients: 

2 egg whites
2 tsp lemon juice
3 cups icing sugar - sifted
food coloring of your choice

method:

1. Using a mix master or electric beaters, whisk egg whites with lemon juice until combined.

2. Gradually add the icing sugar until all combined - on a low speed until the mixture is smooth. Then add the coloring and mix for another minute.

3. Place the royal icing into a piping bag and decorate the biscuits. You will need to allow 1-2 hours to ensure the icing has set. As soon as I have piped the icing, I also add some colored sugar sand and sprinkles for a really pretty touch.

Practicing piping is a really useful thing to learn - especially with baking. Using royal icing to learn is so cheap and it will really help to make you a master of decorating. 

   

The great thing about using Royal Icing is that when you do decorations - such as what I have done above, they will take a few hours to dry and then you can store them in an airtight container and decorate with when you are ready. These are great for using to decorate biscuits, cakes and especially cupcakes. 

I am such the tea lover....and I love this cookie cutter that is in the shape of a teapot!! I wanted to be a little quirky and playful - perhaps a bit of what my head is like at the moment - all fuzzy and full of scribbles with the kids - lol!! 

If you haven't already discovered, I am on the following social media networks too - 

   

xx

Some girly inspiration...

a little bit of sweetness

some beautiful images to brighten a Tuesday morning

image: martha stewart

image: via pinterest

image: via bakedbree

a beautiful elderflower drink

 click here for the recipe

via: pinterest

via: pinterest

have a lovely day

xx

Part 3: Are you on a budget? Its Frugal Kitchen Time

a beautiful chicken stock

Making your own chicken stock is one of the easiest things to do and not expensive at all. You can make the stock in advance in large batches and keep in the freezer - this is a great way of being frugal. And, chicken stock can be used in so many recipes to add depth of flavor, especially in soups. 

image: nectar and stone

my hainanese chicken rice with soup

The trick to making a really flavorsome chicken stock is using all the bones and carcasses from the chicken. Most poultry and grocery shops sell the bones in bags - for usually around $1 for 3 carcasses and $3 for the wings or necks per kilo. One carcass is not going to give you adequate flavor, you need to have at least 3 carcasses and about 200 grams of wings or necks as well. 

My Chicken Stock Recipe

Ingredients: 

3 Chicken Carcasses

200 grams Chicken Necks

1/2 spanish (red) onion

1 bunch coriander roots

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 tablespoon coriander leaves chopped

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil (or olive oil)

1 carrot - chopped in thirds

1 knob fresh young ginger (optional)

-- and enough water in the pot to just cover the chicken carcasses and necks (about 2 litres)

Method:

1. In a large pot - add all the ingredients and bring to the boil.

2. Reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid halfway - simmer for about 2 hours and check at half hour intervals to see if you need to add extra water or any extra seasoning.

3. Once ready, strain through a colander into an clean pot - OR - if you have a muslin cloth and can place inside the colander, this will help you to achieve an even cleaner stock. 

4. Allow to cool and then place in individual containers and freeze for up to 2 months. 

some recipe ideas using stock

soups 

 Pumpkin soup

Onion Soup 

Tomato soup

Chicken Broth 

Noodle with vegetable and dumpling broth  

Asian chicken and noodle soup

Minestrone

casseroles

Vegetable casserole

Chicken with carrot and pea casserole

Spanish chicken casserole with red capsicum and eggplant

dishes

Cauliflower and Parsnip Puree

Hainanese Chicken Rice (my favorite and featured in picture) 

Poached Chicken

Flavored Steamed Rice

 Boston Baked Beans

And the list could go on and on....

If you haven't had a chance to read my posts on Frugal Kitchen Ideas - click here for Part 1 and 2 of the series. 

Feel free to add your comments with what you may use the chicken stock recipe for. 

xx

Cooking and Style: Hummingbird Cupcakes with White Chocolate and Peach Essence Icing

There is something about Hummingbird Cupcakes that always makes me go for seconds....I love the fact there is fruit and vegetable in the cupcakes, it makes me feel less guilty! Today I am going to share with you my version of this glorious cupcake...

image: nectar and stone

hummingbird cupcakes

Ingredients:

makes 11-12 cupcakes 

for the cupcakes

125g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

115ml soybean oil (you could use vegetable oil or safflower oil)

125g castor sugar

2 eggs

150g mashed bananas

zest of one mandarin

60g grated carrot

90g tinned pineapple - crushed

60g desiccated coconut

for the icing

115g unsalted softened butter

150 soft icing mixture - sieved

100g white chocolate - melted

3 drops peach essence

decoration

colored sugar sand

colored nonpariels

sprinkles

cake toppers

Method:

1. Pre heat oven to 175 degrees Celsius on the conventional setting - if using fan forced - about 160 degrees Celsius. 

2. Line 12 baking cases in a muffin tin. 

3. In a bowl, sieve the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. 

4. In a mix master or a large bowl using electric beaters - whisk the soybean oil and sugar until light and fluffy. 

5. Add eggs, one at a time to the oil and sugar mixture and continue to mix until fully combined. 

6. Stir in flour mixture to the egg mixture - in three batched. 

7. Then add the banana, desicated coconut, mandarin zest, carrot and crushed pineapple and stir through. 

8. Using an ice-cream scoop with spring attachment, evenly distribute the cupcake mixture into the cases. Place into the oven and bake between 25 mins to 32 mins. ( In my oven on the conventional setting at 175 degrees Celcius, the cupcakes took 32 mins to cook). 

9. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tray before removing and allowing to completely cool on a cake wire rack. 

to make the icing  

1. In a mix master or using a bowl and electric beaters, beat the butter until soft. 

2. Add the sifted icing sugar and continue to mix until combined. 

3. Add the melted white chocolate and further mix - for about 5 minutes until the mixture is really light and fluffy. 

4. Add a few drops of the peach essence, don't put too much, as a little goes a long way. 

5. You can either use a piping bag with a star shaped nozzle to decorate or use a mini spatula and place icing onto cupcakes and in a circular motion smooth out. 

6. Decorate with sprinkles, colored sugar sand and nonpariels.

note: cupcakes will keep without icing in a container for 3 days or 3 months in the freezer. 

some of my pictures

image: nectar and stone

image: nectar and stone

image: nectar and stone

image: nectar and stone

image: nectar and stone

I just bought a Canon 60d Camera and loving it!!! I am still getting used to using it and learning how to use all the functions, but the picture quality is amazing... 

photography tip 

lighting is everything - I have learnt that in order for the pictures to come out really crisp and white, I needed to move out of the kitchen and into a room in the house that had the most natural light. 

image: nectar and stone

image: nectar and stone

These cupcakes are perfect for a girly party and I doubt anyone will feel guilt to eating seconds - I know I didn't!!

image: nectar and stone

image: nectar and stone

For a point of difference, I used some cocktail umbrellas to decorate the cupcakes, I thought it just made them look even more festive and femme. 

image: nectar and stone

If you love collecting recipes, cooking and baking - my whisk me up journals would be a perfect addition

 - check out my online store nectar and stone

image: nectar and stone

They were so much fun making them - and with anything, practice makes perfect.  

If you want some other flavor ideas for cupcakes - check out my recipe page - there are some that are a little more indulgent!!

xx