112. Rich Cheesy Biscuits

I'm trying really hard to honour the commitment I made to myself to bake every week, so in a bid to digress from all things cake, I decided something savoury was in order. The introduction to the recipe mentions their suitability for accompanying 'drinks'; sadly no canape-inducing opportunity was planned, but I knew between us (and my parents), we'd dispatch 32 of these little beauties without too much difficulty.
They were very easy to make, but time-consuming. It basically involved making a pastry dough, then chilling it, then rolling and cutting. It was nice to be left alone in the kitchen and not feel rushed though, so the fact that they took a while to prepare was all good with me! It had been a bit of a mission to find either sesame or poppy seeds to sprinkle them with, but I'm glad I made the effort, as the poppy seeds were a nice finishing touch. I baked them for 12 minutes at 170; some of them went a little bit browner than the others, but I was otherwise pleased with how they turned out.
I don't think you can beat the taste of warm, cheesy pastry; so we of course had to try some fresh out of the oven. They were equally lovely once they'd crisped up a bit too. Husband thought they were a bit too salty, so if I make them again, I might omit the salt altogether. There's salt in the butter and the cheese anyway. They were very popular with the girls; we're still munching the last few several days later. Mary suggests popping them back in the oven; I suppose that would sort the chewiness of stale pastry out.
Baker's verdict: easy but a bit time-consuming to make; delicious. Would make again, though, and definitely if a little gathering for drinks was in the offing.

111. Walnut Teabread

When deciding what to bake next, I discovered this recipe and had the happy realisation that I already had most of the ingredients in the cupboard; all I needed was the walnuts and the sugar. Initially, I thought I'd forgotten the butter, so asked husband to pick me some up, only to have another look at the recipe and discover butter doesn't feature. I did a double-take: a cake without butter? Was this a typo? I went along with it anyway, having faith that all would turn out as intended. For the first time in ages, Elizabeth assisted, and she enjoyed watching the ingredients melting in the pan and feeling the sugar dissolve - always a satisfying experience! The time it took us to sort out the remaining dry ingredients allowed enough time for the melted mixture to cool, but we were both surprised at how liquid the mixture was as I poured it into the tin. I was still sceptical about how this would turn out!

I continued my system of reducing the oven temperature by 10 degrees, and baked it at 150 for 1 hour - the maximum time Mary suggests. It rose beautifully and smelt delicious. We initially tried some of it warm, and weren't keen; it was a peculiar bouncy texture, but once it had firmed up a bit and was spread with butter, it was really tasty and satisfying, and was still good several days later.
Baker's verdict: easy to make and very enjoyable to eat. I'd definitely make this again.