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).


Monday, 17 September 2012

23. Bishop's Fingers

I was desperate to do some baking, feeling thoroughly inspired by 'The Great British Bake Off' again, so I decided biscuits were the order of the day - not too complicated, and not at all time-consuming. This variation on the shortbread theme are the next biscuits on the list, so I've tried to stick to my programme of bakes...ish. These are actually very similar to the shortbread biscuits I've already made, both in terms of ingredients, process and end result. The main difference is the inclusion of almond within the mixture. The dough contains both ground almonds and almond extract, so I was expecting a really almondy flavour. I was disappointed. Again I encountered a vague instruction, with only the principle of 'doing everything by the book' to guide me. So, 'a few drops' of almond extract (yes, extract, so therefore potent) was what I put in - the equivalent of a cap-full. It smelt very nice, and I just trusted that with all the almondy ingredients, almond would be the predominant flavour. As it happened, even with the almonds on top, they really just tasted like shortbread, so if I made them again, I'd put a lot more almond extract in. Texture-wise, they were a bit crunchier than the shortbread, having the traditional biscuity 'snap' I like. I will make them again, as they were so straightforward, and there's something so satisfying about kneading biscuit dough!
 
Baker's verdict: easy to make; disappointed with the lack of almond flavour!
Husband rating: 8/10 - very tasty, very buttery, good texture. Would like to be able to taste the almond though.
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