A few months ago, gripped by baking fever, I purchased Mary Berry's Baking Bible. I quickly decided to embark upon a mission to bake everything in the book, and turn myself from an occasional baker into a bit of an expert. My Grandad Ern was a Master Baker by trade; the man responsible for introducing Danish Pastries to England in fact, and I wish it had occurred to me to spend more time learning from him, rather than simply enjoying the fruits of his effortless labours. This project is almost a way of making amends for that; I'd like to follow in his footsteps (if not in my career, at least as a hobby) and continue the proud heritage of baking in my family.
I credit my friend Rachel with the idea to write a blog about my baking exploits, hoping that there will be more successes than failures as I attempt all 213 of the Queen of Baking's recipes.
So as not to bore the husband with a monotonous diet of sponges, followed by weeks of biscuits, I've decided to tackle the recipes by selecting the first bake from each chapter, followed by the second recipe and so on. I'm not going to pick and choose; I'm determined to face my baking demons and learn how to do everything baking-related, even if the consequences are disastrous!
Everything will be photographed, with comment about how I found baking it, and a husband rating (to be taken with a pinch of salt as he has a very selective cake-tooth).


Friday 31 August 2012

22. Chocolate Chip Brownies


I skipped several bakes in order to obey Mum's second request to bake some brownies for the family party. They needed to be suitable for the children, so I've put the more luxurious ones on hold for now! I think this is the first time I've made brownies; they seem to be popular projects for other bakers, so I've always left it to them. However, they make a change from fairy cakes, and one tray's worth produces 24 brownies of a good size, so they're definitely ideal for a party. They were also very simple to make, following Mary's 'all-in-one' method. I was quite shocked by the amount of sugar that went in: 375g! I suppose it's needed to counteract the bitterness of the cocoa powder, but these are real 'a moment on the lips...' treats and not for regular consumption!

They baked for about 40 mins before I checked them with a skewer, and I gave them my obligatory 2 mins more before I took them out. I was disappoined to find that, once again, there was some sinking in the middle. It didn't really matter with these, as they were destined to be cut into squares, but I'm troubled by my ritual sinking. I know that it can be caused by opening the oven, or by underbaking, but I'm sure I'm innocent of both of these baking crimes, so I'm not sure what to do about it! I think I'm going to try baking for the maximum time next time and see what happens. I really need to experiment with the same bakes, but I'm so off-track with my project that I haven't got the time to re-bake things I've already ticked off the list (she says, having baked about five Victoria Sponges!)

Baker's verdict: easy to make, easy to cut into squares, kept well and tasted very good.
Husband rating: 10/10 - best brownies he's had and liked the chunks of chocolate in them.
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