Amy Lane - The Baking Pocket Bible

THE

BAKING
POCKET BIBLE

AMY LANE

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The Baking Pocket Bible

Amy Lane

This first edition is published in 2011 by Crimson Publishing

Crimson Publishing, Westminster House, Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 2ND

Crimson Publishing, 2011

Epub edition 2011 ISBN: 978-1-907087-47-9

The author Amy Lane has asserted her moral rights to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

British Library cataloguing in Publication data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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Anyone can bake. No, really, they can. All you need are a few tried and tested recipes under your belt and before you know it, your creative streak will be running wild and beautiful home-baked goodies will be flying out of your kitchen. Soon youll be the most popular person in your street and youll have an exciting new hobby!

Whether you are completely new to baking or have many years experience, The Baking Pocket Bible has something to offer everyone. Packed full of hints and tips, this is the book youll turn to when you need to know what to do with your runny buttercream, how to bake the perfect scones for an afternoon tea party, what to bake for friends with special dietary requirements and when you need some inspiration for decorating your cupcakes.

For those who have mastered the art of baking, there are ideas for presenting your cakes beautifully, tips for creating sugar models and advice on how to stack a wedding cake. If you discover you have a real talent for baking and decorating cakes, then there are even some pointers on how to turn your hobby into a business.

Most importantly, youll discover that baking is good fun and can help you relax and de-stress after a tough day. Remember, recipes are only guidelines and occasionally things may not go quite to plan but most of the time these can be salvaged just turn to Chapter 15 for some handy tips on how to save the situation. Then dust yourself off and carry on, soon youll know your favourite recipes off by heart. So, grab your pinny, get the children involved and get stuck in trying out some new recipes.

Before we get our aprons on and get started tackling some delicious recipes this chapter will take you through the history of baking, back to the earliest forms of baking, and the traditions and history that lie behind some of todays favourite baked goods.

25002100 BC Evidence of bread being baked by the Egyptians. The art of baking has been around for many thousands of years, and is thought to have originated as far back as around 2500 BC in Ancient Egypt. Wall reliefs from the tomb of Rameses III show bread being baked at the royal bakery in all shapes and sizes, including in the shape of animals.

400 BC Evidence of Greeks making sweetened breads and honey flans.

300 BCRoman bakers. The Romans carried on the tradition of baking, often enriching their bread with eggs and butter, possibly achieving a cake-like texture. They also produced cakes which were flat and heavy, and often made from a mixture of barley, raisins, pine nuts, seeds and sweet wine. There is evidence that the Romans set up bakers guilds from approximately 150 BC .

AD 1 More than 300 pastry chefs in Rome. As baking became more popular in the Roman Empire the occupation of pastry chef (or pastillarium) emerged and grew as a well-respected profession. After this, the art of baking spread throughout Europe and into parts of Asia, with early bakers guilds evident in London and Paris in the 12th century.

13th century Bread laws are introduced in England to regulate the price of bread. During the Middle Ages, bakers started selling their produce but there was a huge amount of cheating customers out of what they had paid for, which attracted harsh penalties.

Pocket fact

To avoid being caught short-changing customers, bakers in the Middle Ages started adding an extra loaf to orders to make 13 loaves instead of 12, which became known as a bakers dozen.

15th century Gingerbread becomes popular. Gingerbread merchants would sell their wares from hand carts in the streets.

1440s The craft of patissiers is officially recognised. French and Italian chefs were credited with developing puff and choux pastries.

16th century The first gingerbread man is made at the request of Queen Elizabeth I, who wanted to give some of her important visitors likenesses of themselves.

1800s Bicarbonate of soda is invented, closely followed by baking powder.

Mid-1800s The tradition of afternoon tea is started by Anna Russell, the seventh Duchess of Bedford.

Afternoon tea

Who can resist the allure of tiny, perfectly cut sandwiches and dainty cakes served with pots of tea on beautiful bone china? The trend nowadays is to take afternoon tea in an expensive London hotel, some of the most famous being The Ritz, The Savoy and The Dorchester. However, the origins of afternoon tea werent quite so lavish.

In the mid-1800s it was fashionable to just have two main meals a day; breakfast in the morning and dinner at around 8 oclock in the evening. A light meal, known as luncheon was then introduced, but some people, such as Anna Russell, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, complained that by about 4 oclock in the afternoon they were hungry. So the Duchess started having a pot of tea and a snack of sandwiches and cake brought to her in her room in Woburn Abbey during the afternoon. Soon she began to invite friends along to share afternoon tea with her and so the tradition began.

The afternoon tea that is served nowadays usually consists of sandwiches, often filled with smoked salmon, egg and thinly sliced cucumber, scones served with clotted cream and jam, and an assortment of delicate cakes and pastries.

1861 Mrs Beeton publishes her Book of Household Management, which later led to many recipe books being written.

1890s The first electric ovens become available.

1929 Scientists report the benefits of wholemeal flour.

1930 Wonderbread produces the first sliced bread in Britain.

1950 Invention and launch in the UK of the Kenwood Chef food mixer, making home baking a much easier task.