Burr - BIY : bake it yourself

CONTENTS

When I first stepped into the Bake Off tent last year, I thought they had made some sort of administrative error and would take one look at me and send me home with an apology and a free bag of sugar. Luckily for me, they felt like taking a punt on a builder, so I made the most of it and things turned out pretty well.

My route into home baking was much the same as for a lot of people. I was brought up in a home where both my mum and dad cooked regularly not fancy food, but great, home-made meals. I learned how to cook by being given simple things to do, such as peeling the carrots or sticking bread in the toaster, and was gradually allowed more responsibility in the kitchen as I became more competent.

When I was 15, and still not big enough to make it on to building sites with my Dad, I got a job in a local bakery; mainly washing up and carrying baked goods from the kitchens to the shop (and scrumping a few along the way). I was very lucky to have this job; my mates either had paper rounds or worked at shop counters. As a teenager, to be around while real, skilled craftsmen plied their trade was a goldmine of information! Every now and again Id be allowed to cook and fill the doughnuts, or jam and ice the Danish pastries, but mainly I paid a lot of attention to the baker, David Anstee, as he whipped up a sticky croquembouche tower or knocked out a perfect batch of fondant fancies.

Anyway, fast forward a good few years and I built my own kitchen to cover in flour without my mum getting upset at the mess. I tried hard to remember the hints and tips I had picked up all those years ago, but I wasnt particularly good at baking. The passion remained, however and, after a few years, I began to improve. I started to iron out my mistakes, find flavours that worked and experiment with new ingredients. When I became a dad, my wife Sarah and I would stay up late into the night before each daughters birthday making increasingly extravagant cakes. My bakes got better and more varied, and friends and family started to comment: You should go on that Bake Off

This book is full of my favourite bakes. Ive learned in my own kitchen and made plenty of blunders, so that you dont have to make them yourself. I havent been formally trained, so Ive tried to avoid any bakers jargon and explain everything step by step from one home baker to another. Ive stuck to familiar ingredients wherever I can, but have included others to swap in or out if you want to make your bakes more or less exotic; you should be able to get two or three variations out of each recipe. Ive divided each chapter into beginner, intermediate and advanced sections (levels 1, 2 and 3), to accommodate every sort of home baker.

Last but not least, thank you for buying my book! I really hope you enjoy it and feel encouraged to work your way through the levels and experiment with things you never thought youd be able to bake yourself.

Happy baking!

Over the years Ive accumulated quite a lot of baking kit. I buy most of it online, as I find it easier to find exactly what Im looking for. The five items I cant live without these days are:

stand mixer (I managed for years without one but, now I have it, I use it all the time its a real investment)

silicone spatulas

offset palette knife

dough scraper

accurate digital scales

Some of the additional kit I use in the book is listed below. You dont need all of it, but this list might be good to leave lying around as a heavy hint before your next birthday or Christmas. Ive also given an equipment list in each recipe to let you know what you might need.

ELECTRICAL KIT

electric whisk

deep-fat fryer (optional, but if youre as much of a doughnut addict as me, its pretty essential)

food processor (optional)

TINS AND TRAYS

2 baking sheets

large and small roasting tins

Swiss roll tin (about 33 x 23cm)

large Swiss roll tin (about 40 x 27cm)

900g loaf tin

18cm square or adjustable cake tin (the latter is a really useful tin to have)

2 x 20cm round sandwich tins

23cm round deep-sided sandwich tin

23cm springform cake tin

23cm loose-bottomed tart tin

22cm shallow pie tin or dish

26cm rectangular pie dish with rim

24cm deep-sided, round metal pie dish

small baking tin (about 23 x 15cm)

ovenproof dish (about 27 x 23cm)

12-hole muffin tin

6 x 10cm loose-bottomed tartlet tins

6 ramekins

6 mini pudding moulds

6 x 6cm diameter presentation rings

Bundt tin

panettone tin

ACCESSORIES

rolling pin (I have a standard pin and an adjustable rolling pin for rolling dough out to a specific thickness)

wire cooling racks

cooking/confectionery thermometer

pastry brush

flavour injector (essential if you love doughnuts)

disposable piping bags

various icing nozzles: large star-tipped nozzle, 2mm nozzle, long-nosed nozzle, 15mm round nozzle (and I tend to pick up interesting-looking ones when Im out and about; I have a tinful)

cake/icing smoother

different-sized mixing bowls

heatproof bowl (for melting chocolate)

measuring jug

measuring spoons

various cutters: round, fluted and of different diameters (2cm, 3cm, 6cm, 8cm, 9cm), plus novelty cutters (such as star- or heart-shaped)

cooks blow torch (not essential, but always fun to play with)

cake-cutting wire (not essential, but useful)

baking beans (ditto)

pie bird (again, not essential, but great for making your pie look like its been drawn in a story book)

INGREDIENTS

Eggs

I always use free-range large eggs. I used to cook with the eggs from my dads chickens, but theyre not uniform in size so now I save those for fried/ boiled/poached/scrambled and only bake with large eggs.

Flour

I always use own-brand supermarket flour. I know a lot of bakers suggest higher-end flours, but Ive never had a problem with the more affordable bags.

Food colour

I tend to use gel colours: they last longer, are more concentrated and produce more vivid colours without adding extra liquid to the mix. I buy them online; I particularly like those made by Wilton.

Salt

I use table salt in all yeasted dough recipes, unless otherwise specified.

Water

I measure mine in ml; some other people weigh it (because 1ml water = 1g). I dont tend to use lukewarm water in yeasted recipes, except where specified. I just dont usually find it necessary.

Yeast

Wherever Ive mentioned yeast in the book, Ive used Doves Farm Quick Yeast.

PIZZA

LEVEL 1

I have kids. Pizza is therefore twice as expensive as it used to be, because even though the two new people in our family are pretty tiny, its amazing how much they can put away. I much prefer these pizzas to the greasy, heavy takeaway variety and I think you will, too. The dough is easy to make and the pizzas are quick to cook. At our house on a Saturday night I make a couple of bases and we all pile in and top them with whatever we want. The kids are happy, and so am I.