Cinnamon Roll

The smell of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven and the freshly brewed coffee, just brings a smile to my face. I love using a light brioche recipe, it gives it the richness and the flavor that beautifully complements the cinnamon sugar.

This recipe is adapted from ( Leith's Cookery Bible)

Brioche

7 g fresh yeast (I usually double when using instant but you could probably check for more accurate conversions)
5 tsp sugar
2 tablespoon warm water
225g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
55g melted butter,cool

 Filling:

1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/3 cup butter softened

Glaze  (optional)

1/2 cup (58grams) powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar

1 - 2 tablespoonshalf-and-half (light cream) or maple syrup

  

1.  Mix the yeast with 1 tsp ofsugar and the water. Leave to dissolve. 
2.   Sift the flour with thesalt into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle over the sugar. Make a well in the center.Drop in the eggs, yeast mixture and melted butter and mix. Then knead for 5minutes or until smooth. Cover and leave to rise for 1 hour or until doubled insize.
3.  (Optional) knock down thedough then cover again and leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours or no morethan 24. I prefer it this way, you will have the maximum flavor  and texture out of your dough. If you are in a hurry simply skip this step.
4.  Turn out knead again for two min. 
5.  Roll out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with butter then sprinkle sugar mixture. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into equal size rolls and place in a pan 1 inch apart . Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).  
6.  Brush with egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Serve warm

Scones...Sweet or Savory

You can not go wrong with a scone whether savory or sweet. Scones are great for breakfast with jam and cream or as a light snack . I am including the plain basic recipe and my favorite savory scones.

Basic scone recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp of sugar this is omitted when making savory scones or increased if you like your scones on the sweeter side.
1/2 tsp baking soda
1  tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk or even cream. My preference is buttermilk.
25 grams butter around 2 tablespoons
1/4 cup dried fruit optional 

Preheat oven Gas mark 220 C

1- Use a food processor it makes life easier.

2- Add the dry ingredients pulse a few times.

3-Add the butter pulse again until it resembles breadcrumbs.

4-Slowly add the buttermilk the dough should be spongy and almost comes together. Don't over mix you will get extremely dry and tough scones. I add my fruits and pulse one more time.

5-  Tip the dough on your lightly floured surface and bring together in a ball. Do not knead. I usually use my hand to pat it down and cut into circles square or triangles. Place on a lightly floured baking sheet and brush your scones with the egg wash or simply milk.

6- Bake for 10-12 min until golden brown.



Savory scones

Ingredients:


2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp baking soda or 2 tsp baking powder
1  tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk or even cream. My preference is buttermilk.
25 grams butter around 2 tablespoons
1/4 cup cheese mozzarella or cheddar grated
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes chopped
1/4 cup pepperoni chopped
 basil fresh, I have used dry when the fresh wasn't available.
1 tsp mustard powder
1/2 cup buttermilk

 Preheat oven Gas mark 220 C

1- Same as before we add the dry ingredients first.

2-Add the butter pulse again until it resembles breadcrumbs.

3-Slowly add the buttermilk the dough should be spongy and almost comes together. Don't over mix you will get extremely dry and tough scones. Add the pepperoni, cheese, and tomatoes at the last stage.

4-  Tip the dough on your lightly floured surface and bring together in a ball. Do not knead. I usually use my hand to pat it down and cut into circles square or triangles. Place on a lightly floured baking sheet and brush your scones with the egg wash or simply milk.

5- Bake for 10-12 min until golden brown.

Bon appetit and enjoy your English snack.

Deli meat

When it comes to deli meat my family have a serious addiction which I obviously disapprove. No one knows which part of the chicken beef or turkey actually goes in it, that is assuming some kind of meat actually does go in the process. Therefore, when I had the chance to make my own I jumped to the opportunity, it turned out to be easier than I originally thought.

Chicken mortadella

Ingredients:

2 pound chicken I used breast meat only because I wanted a low fat option. I believe using thigh meat as well and a few pieces of skin will provide better texture and a moister mortadella.

1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon fennel powder( optional)
1 teaspoon Cajun spices just because I like the flavor. Paprika can be substituted.
1 egg
1 cup breadcrumb


In a food processor, add chicken and process until smooth add the rest of ingredients and process until everything is mixed very well. At this stage, I add food coloring because my family loves the red deli meat from the supermarket. I prefer not adding the coloring but this is the only way I got them to try it in the beginning.  Shape the mortadella  like a big sausage and tightly wrap in cling film then wrap again with foil.

Bring water to boil adding peppercorn, bay leaves  and 1 tablespoon of vinegar then add the sausages and leave to simmer for one hour.

This is the meat wrapped in cling film it should be very tightly wrapped. 

 I added the string just as triple precaution to ensure it will stay wrapped the whole time.
Bon appetitt.

The irresistible eclairs

If I had to choose my favorite dessert I think I will go with the simple eclair filled with creme patissier; naturally it was one of the first recipes I mastered. Afterall, it's one of the few recipes that only require a sauce pan and a wooden spoon to create...no heavy artillery required. What I find amazing is how simple the choux pastry is, at least theoretically, yet when I first started making them my failures where of every kind from eggy eclairs, to almost flat and finally the heavy rock hard eclairs. The secret to making the perfect eclairs is the simple fact that baking is science and science is accuracy and accuracy needs an electronic kitchen scale.

My recipe comes from a book I hold dear to my heart and has every stain imaginable...it is my goto cookbook to many basic recipes.

Choux pastry (courtesy of Leith's cookery bible, Leith and Waldergrave)


ingredients:
85 g butter
200 ml water
105 g plain flour
a pinch of  salt 
3 eggs 

1.  Preheat oven to 200 C /400 F.
2. Put butter and water in a heavy saucepan and bring slowly to boil.
3. As soon as it boils tip the sifted flour and salt and remove the pan from heat stirring continuously.
4. Quickly beat the mixture until it is smooth and leave the sides the pan.
5. Let the mixture cool any way you want. I usually transfer to glass bowl to simplify mixing the eggs, you can use a stand mixer from this stage on, I prefer the wooden spoon it gives me more control.
6. Beat in the eggs a little at a time until it is soft and shiny and smooth. you may require more or less eggs depending on their size. The mixture should be dropping consistency i.e it will fall off a spoon reluctantly in one blob.

7. Pipe on baking sheets whatever shape you prefer and the bake for 25-30 minutes until crisp and pale brown.
8. Make a small hole in the side of each eclair, I usually use the same hole to fill later on, then return  to oven to dry out.

This will make around 20 mini eclairs i usually double that since my family loves them and they actually taste better after resting for a day in the fridge filled and glazed.

Creme Patissiere

290 ml milk
2 egg yolks
55 g sugar
20 g flour
20 g cornflour

1. Bring the milk to just below boiling point.
2. Cream the egg with sugar and a little hot milk pour on the rest of the milk return to heat and mix well bring slowly to boil it will become lumpy don't worry just keep mixing until it is smooth be quick. Remove from heat add vanilla.

The choux pastry can be filled with anything your heart desires can be shaped like small balls and turned into a croquembouche  or turned into a saint honore cake. Master this basic choux pastry and you will create wonders.

My calling

I am a stay at home mom and proud of it, well most of the time at least. I had my Bsc in electronic engineering went for my phd for mobile communication but before I could fulfill that, motherhood was a stronger calling. So here I am a mom of two lovely kids, my princess Tayma and my strong headed baby boy hashim they are 6 and 3 years old, a handful for sure.

All mothers want their families to live a healthy lifestyle. The McDonalds and the pizza huts tend to make this quite difficult to achieve. A home delivery sounds always easier than slaving in the kitchen for a meal. Therefore my goal was minimize the chemicals as best as I can. If you check my pantry you wouldn't find snacks usually there is no chocolate bars, unless I have a craving, and you will never find a bag of chips, and thank god my kids still don't drink soda. As an alternative to all that, I bake my kids their snacks whether it was a cupcake or a cookie. Although my husband like many others is more keen on cake mixes that are fluffy and chemical. I am more a make it from scratch fan. My failures are more than my successes but what makes me happy is that even those are eaten no additives just plain flour eggs and sugar.

After reading a few great blogs I thought why not start one myself about my kitchen and motherhood adventures and ordeals . As you will see from my pictures I am a lousy photographer and maybe starting this blog will give me the kick I need to master it.