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).


Sunday, 17 March 2019

113. Crunchy Orange Syrup Loaves

I realised that it'd been a while since I last baked (aside from a birthday cake and some flapjacks for work), so I flicked through the book to see which recipe would require the fewest additional ingredients. All I needed for this one was an orange, and, as it turned out, quite minimal effort. The method was the usual Berry-esque 'all-in-one' gubbins; the only mildly labour-intensive moment being the grating of the orange zest. The recipe makes two 1lb loaves, but I was quite surprised to see the mixture not really going very far, and hoped that they would rise well. I baked them at 150 for 25 minutes, but they were definitely on the raw side then, so added another 5 minutes on, with a bonus one for good measure, and they looked really good. They'd risen, but were still on the small side!
As soon as they came out of the oven, I had to spread the sugar and orange juice mixture over the top, observing that there was a lot to go around. Of course, the loaves had a peak in the middle, so most of the sugar syrup pooled around the edges, creating a tooth decay inducing crust (yum). I was pleased with how they baked; definitely a success story for me in terms of them not ending up dry, and the cake tasted good too. The little ones liked them, as did the husband and I. I was going to put the second loaf in the freezer, but they're so small that after cutting just four slices, there isn't a great deal left!
Baker's verdict: super easy and very tasty. I'd definitely rustle these up again.
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