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 29 May 2017

98. Oat and Sunflower Squares

Unfortunately, there is no photo to accompany this post; I think the end result was so uninteresting that the thought of taking a photo didn't occur! They were very quick to make, following the usual flapjack process. Elizabeth was too busy having fun in the garden on a hot day to participate, so I made them very quickly. They came from the 'bakes for children' section, and it was interesting to note that there was no sugar included besides the golden syrup. There was also only a small amount of butter in the mixture too, so I imagine these were intended to be a more healthy option for children. I made a bit of a mess of the baking as I forgot to press start on my timer, but in any case, Mary suggests 20-25 minutes, which I thought would be far too long. I set the timer for 10 minutes, but have no idea how long they actually had. They were definitely over-done though, as they were a bit too brown at the edges and were very crumbly: not easy to cut and get out of the tin. I'll make them again and be more careful with the timing, because they were very easy and tasted good. Much less sweet and fatty. I also need to add a photo!
Baker's verdict: easy and tasty; great for making and eating with children.
Husband rating: 7/10 - nice, light alternative to a flapjack for a snack.
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