Cream Buns/Cream Doughnuts/donuts

makes 800g 8 buns of 100g each
The bun recipe for these is very similar to the Waterford Blaa recipe.  Shape the buns long or round.

450g strong flour
14g dried yeast
45g butter, room temp
180ml water
20ml milk
55g sugar
1tsp honey
6g salt.

Add all ingredients to mixer fitted with dough hook.

Mix on low speed, when all come together increase to medium speed for 7 minutes.

Leave covered with plastic touching surface for 45ins-1 hour

after, divide into 8 pieces of 100g

Leave 15 minutes then shape

 take a piece of dough

 flatten with your palm

 fold in half

 turn around

fold in half again

flip over so seam is down

roll to 17cm

place on  tray

Allow to prove

Poached round bun

There are several ways to cook the buns:

1. Deep Fry to fully cooked. Soak in syrup when hot or.............
2. Briefly fry on both sides for about 1 minute per side and finish in a preheated oven set at 170C for about 25 minutes - when the buns are out of the oven, pour over some stock syrup over the hot buns for a beautiful sweet crisp skin or...........................
3. Poach for minute each side in syrup then finish in oven or.............................
4. Bake in oven for about 25-30 minutes at 170C and sprinkle with stock syrup when still hot and out of oven

I favour method number 4.

For round buns see doughnuts for step by step instructions

Syrup

Chantilly cream

Jam

Raspberry or Strawberry jam
Water

Heat the water and jam in a small pot.

When jam has melted (add more water as necessary to get right consistancy) pass through a sieve to remove bits.

Reserver for later.


Split cold bun.

Brush inside with syrup or jam if you like
Roll in sugar or icing  if you like them coated

Pipe in the cream and finish with jam,you may have to reheat it slightly.  Pipe the jam for a smoother effect (in the picture I spooned on jam)

The jam in the picture was not piped on, for a better finish, pipe the jam on to the cream

Dust with icing sugar

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

This cake is moist and improves with flavour the following day.

Bake in a loaf tin or in rounds or as individual cakes.

100g butter

100g ground hazelnut

180g brown sugar

100g dark choc

20g milk (about a tablespoon)

4 egg yolks

100g self raising flour

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

4 egg whites

20g brown sugar



Preheat oven to 170C

Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave for about 1 minute on high. Stir to ensure all chocolate is melted, return to microwave if needed.

Stir in the yolks, 180g sugar, ground hazelnut and milk

Whisk the whites with the 40g of sugar to stiff peaks

Fold in half the white to the mixture, then fold in the flour in which the soda and cream of tartar have been sieved.

Finish with the remaining whites.

Turn the mixture into prepared moulds/tins (butter and coat sides with flour or more ground hazelnuts)

Cook for 34 minutes- 1 hour depending on the mould/tin you use.

Curry Bread/Buns

This recipe is the blaa recipe but with the addtion of curry powder

500g strong flour
20g honey
10g salt
7g (1 sachet) dried yeast or 14g fresh yeast
60g soft butter
125g milk
125g water
1 egg
Curry powder-about 50g
poppy or seasame seeds (optional)
egg wash or extra milk for glazing

Makes 900g or 10 buns of 90g each.

See yeast recipes for further information on yeast goods

Mix all ingredients in a mixer fitted with a dough hook on low speed.

Once all ingredients are mixed, increase speed to medium and allow mix for 7 minutes.

Cover with cling or plastic (touching the surface of the dough)

Allow dough to rest about 45minutes to 1 hour

Next divide dough into 10x90g pieces (or 5x 180g for bigger buns) and allow rest for 10-15 minutes

Shape by rolling into ball (see hot cross buns for more info.)

Flatten with your hand.

Place bread on trays

Cover lightly with plastic and allow prove again

When ready, brush with milk or eggwash and scatter on seasame or poppy seeds (optional)

Cook in a preheated oven at 180C for about 35 minutes.

Allow cool on rack

These are great served with steak

Crepes/ Pancakes

Makes approx. 20

500g milk
3 eggs
75g brown or caster sugar
60g oil or butter (melted)
200g flour
1tsp extract of choice - e.g. vanilla, orange, lemon (optional)
oil for cooking

Add flour and sugar to a bowl, make a well in centre and add the eggs, milk, extract and oil/butter and whisk 'til smooth (or mix in tall container with stick blender-with this method you are guaranteed no lumps)

Over a medium high heat, heat some oil in a pan (or work with two pans if you are a dab hand at making pancakes and plan on  making alot-when the pancakes in one pan has been flipped start making pancakes in the other)

When the oil is hot, pour it into a container you have ready on the side. The pan is now oiled enough-the pancakes shouldn't stick or be too oily.

Pour on ladle  on some pancake mixture and holding the pan quickly swirl around the pan so that it coats the base evenly.  Pancakes are thicker than crepes so adjust the amount of mix you cook accordingly.

Loosen the edges when they are cooked (they'll cook quickly), you'll be able to feel if the pancake is ready for turning, when it is flip or turn the pancake (flipping is easy if you have the right pan, but if your pan is too deep it is almost impossible).

If turning, turn with aid of a spatula,  if you find that too hard, loosen the pancake and turn it on to a sheet of greaseproof (have this ready near the stove).  Allow it to cool a few seconds then pick up with your fingers and return to pan and cook on other side.

cooked pancakes can be rolled straight away or whole and placed with a square of greaseproof between each pancake you cook.

Repeat oiling the pan as described above every two pancakes or so.

Serving suggestions: serve with chocolate sauce (see ganache recipe), caramel sauce, Creme Chantilly, Greek yoghurt creme or with lemon and sugar

For savoury pancakes omit the sugar, add herbs to taste.

Creme Chantilly/ Chantilly Cream

Chantilly Creme:Chantilly Creme is easy to make, for every 500g cream, add 40g sieved icing sugar and a few drops of vanilla extract. Whisk together.

If you need to whisk large quantities of cream fast, cover the mixer with a clean tea towel and turn on maximum - any cream splashes will be contained

cover bowl with clean tea towel if making a large quantity