Most of us buy bread, usually for ease & because quite frankly, we all lead busy lives & don’t always have the time to make our own. There’s definitely no shame in that! All the hard work has been done by some kindly, experienced baker & it’s even been sliced for us. Personally, I like to have a bit of both – bake my own & buy some for convenience too. I find making bread a relaxing experience, a chance to lose myself in thought (that’s when I get all my best ideas) & tone up my arms at the same time – bonus! No fancy machines, equipment or unpronounceable ingredients, just good old fashioned elbow-grease & a bit of flour, water & yeast.
Having baked my own bread for a few decades now (who’s counting?!), I know it can be quite daunting to those who haven’t tried it. Sometimes the mere thought of baking bread can send people into a tizz. “Isn’t it messy?”, “don’t you need special equipment?” & “doesn’t it takes hours to make?” are some of the questions I’m often asked. The answers are yes (getting messy is part of the fun), no, you don’t need special equipment & no, it doesn’t take hours. Also, you don’t need to sit & watch over it – I make the dough, get on with other things while it’s proving & then go back to it.
This recipe is for my Dunn Buns & they take less than a couple of hours to make, from start to finish. Plus, you can bake them in advance (they freeze very well & retain their fluffy interior). These gorgeously glossy topped buns are made with an enriched dough, meaning they don’t fall apart when crammed with a filling & hold their crumbs when sliced, making them perfect for burgers, breaded chicken & of course, bacon & eggs too. They are pillowy soft with a smooth golden top & retain their shape as you eat (there’s nothing worse than when your bun goes flat & doughy).
Let’s get those beautiful buns baked & bronzed. Ready to bake it happen? Hands washed, aprons on & here we go!
What you need:
500g Strong White Bread Flour (plus extra for kneading, etc)
10g Fast Acting Yeast
1 large Free Range Egg
300ml Lukewarm Water
1 large tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (keep the bottle handy for later)
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
A little melted butter for the tin (or a butter wrapper will do)
For the topping:
2 heaped teaspoons Sesame Seeds
1 large Free Range Egg, beaten with a pinch of Sea Salt
What to do:
Pre-heat the oven to 220*C & line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper. Brush the greaseproof paper with the melted butter or give it rub all over with a butter wrapper (I always keep a few wrappers in the fridge, ready for greasing baking tins & such). You can go without the greaseproof layer if you like. I find it helps keep the bun bottoms soft, while still giving them colour.
Mix the flour, sea salt & yeast into a large mixing bowl.
Crack the egg into a measuring jug & top up with the lukewarm water to just about 400ml. Give everything a whisk with a fork to break up the egg & blend it into the water. If it gets a little frothy on top, that’s fine.
Tip the egg & water mixture into the flour, along with the olive oil. Give everything a good mix with the fork, making sure you get right to the bottom of the bowl.
Once it’s all gathered into a sticky dough, tip it onto a lightly floured worktop. I use a pastry scraper to make sure I get all the dough out of the bowl. You will need a bit more flour as you go along, as it will be quite sticky to start. Set your mixing bowl aside, you’ll need it later.
Knead firmly for about 8-10 minutes, stretching the dough away from you with the heel of one hand & pulling it back towards you. Try not to tear the dough as you do this. Repeat & keep going until the dough is a smooth & supple ball. If you need a bit of flour as you knead, sprinkle a little onto the worktop & use the pastry scraper to loosen the dough if it gets sticky.
When you’re finished kneading, dust a little flour into the bottom of your original mixing bowl & place your dough inside, sprinkle a little flour on top & cover with either clingfilm lightly coated in olive oil or a dry tea-towel/cloth.
Leave the bowl in a draught-free, warm place to prove for about an hour, until you can see a little dome on the top where it’s risen & grown to almost twice the size.
Once your dough has proved, tip it out onto a lightly floured work surface (keep the oiled clingfilm/cloth from the bowl, you’ll need it again in a moment). Give the dough a quick knead for a moment to knock out any big bubbles (don’t over-do it though, just a few seconds is fine).
Divide into eight equal pieces & gently roll into balls. Set them onto the greaseproof-lined baking tray, spacing them a few inches apart (they will need room to grow). Cover lightly with the clingfilm/tea-towel again & leave them to 
prove for another 20 minutes, until they have doubled again.
Remove the cling film, delicately brush the tops with the beaten egg using very light strokes (they will be a bit squishy & jiggly, so be gentle) & scatter the sesame seeds over them.
Bake in the centre of the oven for about 12-15 minutes, until beautifully bronzed on top & the sesame seeds are all toasted.
To check if your buns are baked, pick one up & tap the bottom – if it sounds hollow, they’re ready.
Remove from the baking tray & place on a cooling rack. Let them cool completely (I know it’s hard to resist, but it will give you tummy ache if you don’t let them cool). That’s it, your buns are done! Slice, sandwich & serve! They will keep for a day in an airtight container or you can always pop a few cooled buns into airtight bags & freeze on the day you bake them.
They are perfect packed with bacon, sausage & eggs for breakfast or even better, layered with burgers, cheese & salad for a weekend treat. Sometimes, I make miniature versions of these with smaller fillings (perfect for picnics).
If you do have any leftover buns, try making my mini “Dunn Bun” pizzas! Slice a bun into three generous slices, rub half a garlic clove onto each & 
top with a spoon of squished tinned tomatoes (tip them in a bowl & get your hands in). Then add slices of mozzarella or whatever cheese you like, a few mushrooms or peppers & maybe some ham. Sprinkle with a little Basil, Oregano & black pepper, dust with Parmesan & bake for 8 minutes in a hot oven (220*C) – easy mini bun pizzas! They’re perfect as a light lunch, swift supper or a simple cheesy snack.
However you eat them, these bronzed & bun-tiful glossy buns are always a fabulous treat! Stay hungry! Aimee 😉 x
Autumn is definitely making her presence felt, with sultry November sunrises becoming crisp, chilly mornings splashed with sunshine. The trees have turned tinted leaves into a stunning array of amber hues & luscious colours. This collection of colourful foliage always draws my admiration, as they seem to suddenly appear in full beautiful bloom & disappear just as quickly. Recently, whilst parked under a particularly pretty tree at a local supermarket, I managed to snap some shots of it’s vibrantly golden leaves shimmering in the sunshine.
Nature is my biggest inspiration (as you probably can tell from my sugar artwork) & this time of year is no exception. It’s a deliciously indulgent season, perfect for hot chocolate & comfort foods to sustain us until Spring. And what better way to celebrate the changing of the seasons than with a sumptuous chocolate cake, layered with rich dark cherries & fluffy cream! Ready to bake it happen? Hands washed, aprons on & here we go! 
Sieve all the dry ingredients into a bowl & mix well with a fork. Put to one side.
Sift half of the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture & using a spatula, fold in until all completely blended. Add the rest of the dry ingredients & repeat until the mixture is a thick, smooth batter & there is no flour visible.
Split the batter between the two tins evenly, smoothing the tops lightly with the spatula. Place in the oven (lower rack) for approximately 30 minutes, until the tops are risen & cracked. Poke a stick of spaghetti in the centre & if it comes out clean, your cakes are done.
Run a spatula knife around the edge of each cake to separate it from the tin. Carefully remove the cakes & place on the racks to cool. Be very gentle, as your cakes will be fragile & soft. Leave to cool completely before removing the greaseproof disc gently from underneath.
Carefully drape your strips of leaves over a rolling pin & leave until completely set. They will become curved & softly shaped, perfect for topping your cake.
Take the other chocolate cake & flip it over, so the flat side is on the top, then place it on top of the filling. This will leave you with a nice flat surface for decorating! If you’re serving this later, pop your cake in the fridge in an air-tight container (to stop it drying out).
Time to indulge, so grab some plates & serve! The fluffy, almost fudge-like texture of the cake is complimented by the cloud of mascarpone cream & crisp, chocolate leaves that crackle as you bite them. This cake also looks fabulous with frilly white chocolate leaves mixed in with the dark, dusted with grated white chocolate too. If you have any extra chocolate leaves, save them for nibbling with your morning coffee or add them to the frothy tops of hot chocolate, amid swirls of cream & marshmallows.
Weekends are perfect for baking & I especially adore Sunday mornings! It’s as if time stands still, those precious couple of hours when it’s just you, your cup of coffee calmness & the birds singing outside. Although I do love baking anytime, there’s a ravishingly relaxing appeal about weekend baking – up & at ’em early, whipping up a batch of bakes, their heavenly scent perfuming the whole house while everyone sleeps. Plus, we all have those days where only cake will do, even for breakfast. This is one of my favourite family “weekend baking” recipes & it fills that cake-shaped gap we sometimes have.
When I wrote this recipe, I wanted the fluffiness of a cupcake combined with the moist fruitiness of a muffin, so I created my brown sugar cuffins – no, that’s not a spelling error! My cuffins are just what Sunday mornings need – a delicious cupcake-muffin hybrid that’s a little bit lazy & fabulously faff-free. There’s not a drop of oil in sight, definitely no buttercream & there’s more whisking than stirring (electric whisking too, so very little effort required). They’re not going to win any awards for their supermodel looks either – cuffins are meant to be gloriously rustic homemade fayre, rather than delicate dainty perfection. Over the years, I’ve used different fillings (raspberry & white chocolate is always popular), but these are my favourite version. I’ll admit, they’re not the healthiest option, but they are exquisitely satisfying & if you do eat them for breakfast, you’ve got the whole day to burn off those calories!
The recipe below makes a dozen cuffins, although I like to bake double this amount & freeze some for future cuffin cravings (it’s real, trust me!). Ready to bake it happen? Hands washed, aprons on & here we go!
Leave them for a couple of minutes, until the syrup has soaked nicely into the top of each cuffin. If you allow to cool completely, you can freeze them in small batches using a bag or air-tight container. They take a few minutes to defrost on a cooling rack & will still be as moist & fluffy as when you first baked them – perfect for when you crave a cake, but don’t want to bake!
Before the rest of the family get up, go pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea, grab a cuffin or two & indulge in a little cakely goodness before you start your day! Stay hungry! Aimee 😉 x
Driving home this morning, seeing the luscious much-needed rain has brought the gardens back to greenery & lowered the temperature slightly, I felt rather peaceful. Pretty flowers were less wilted & seemed to flourish, the herbs were more fragrant & our beloved willow tree had perked up again, waggling it’s beautiful branches in the Summer breeze.
hands are cool, after washing them run your wrists under the cold tap for a few moments (trust me, it works).
Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl & add one of the butter pieces. Rub it into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Turn out your pastry onto a lightly floured worktop & shape into a rectangle. Roll away from you into a long piece, about a centimetre thick. Try to keep the edges as straight as you can, but don’t worry too much or you’ll drive yourself loopy! Using a dry pastry brush, dust off any excess flour as you go, especially when folding the layers (otherwise it may affect the recipe & you want flaky pastry, not floury).
Take one of the three pieces of butter & cut into small chunks of about 1cm (you can just pull it apart, but the heat from your hands might melt it).
Dust the worktop with a little more flour. Turn the pastry one turn to the right & roll out again, just as you did above.
Lay your pastry on a piece of greaseproof paper, fold the top of the paper over your pastry & put it on a plate in the fridge for an hour (you might need to leave it longer during this heatwave we’re having, so probably add another ten minutes if you’re not sure – I’ve left it a couple of hours before & it didn’t do any harm). Get yourself a cuppa, put your feet up & read a book or something (if you’re like me, you’ve probably been whizzing around, so relax for a bit).
Cut into two equal pieces & on one of them, brush a little melted butter all over the top & sprinkle on two thirds of the cheese.
Brush the top of your cheesy pastry with beaten egg – just the top, not the edges, otherwise your pastry won’t rise properly.
Place on the baking tray & repeat with the rest of the pastry, until you have a couple of trays of twirly swirls with about half an inch between them.
Bake in the centre of the oven for about 10-12 minutes, until they have risen & turned a gorgeous golden hue. Carefully transfer them onto a cooling rack using a pallet knife or thin spatula. Remember the crunchy cheesy chips? Shake them into a dish for sprinkling on salad as a crispy garnish or just eat them as they are – Chef’s perks!
Serve your cheesy sticks either on their own or maybe dunked in an oozy, warm baked Camembert with a glass of chilled wine (you’ve worked hard & deserve a treat). I doubt they will last long, but if you do have any leftover just pop them in an airtight container (they will keep for a couple of days, so I’m told).
If you want to make an alternative to cheese twists, just make cheese “sausage” rolls – instead of cutting into strips, cut into wide ribbons. Lay grated cheese across the top half of the pastry ribbon, brush a line of beaten egg on the opposite edge of the pastry & roll over, carefully encasing the cheese inside. Press lightly to stick the roll together, then cut into inch long pieces & brush with egg. 
Bake at 220*C for about 10-12 minutes, until golden & risen. Transfer to a baking tray to cool for a few minutes before serving. Great for lunches, nibbles or parties.
no different. After a 5.00am start, one pot of “slap you round the face” coffee & some hot, buttered toast, I was up & at ’em! Early mornings are special for me, when everyone else is still sleeping & I’m able to get as much done as possible. Stopping for fuel this morning at my local Sainsbury’s, chatting about chocolates to the lovely ladies who were also up early (hello ladies!), I was able to shop in blissful peace, wandering around the shelves selecting supplies to make tiny bunny toes. It was as if the world had stopped just for a couple of hours. By 9.00am, I had managed to hit four supermarkets & be back home (I think my shopping ninja just levelled up!).
a bit lighter & brighter. While baking bread this week, I decided to make my usual light, fluffy bread dough & also an enriched, sweet dough. Yes, this did involve kneading by hand for ten minutes per batch & yes, my muscles would be worthy of Wonder Woman, but it was worth every minute! For many years, I’ve been making bread with fruit in (my Husband loves it toasted with butter for breakfast), so thought I’d make some fruity buns. Now you all know how much I adore proper plumped up fruit in my baking, so I’ve usually got a handful of sultanas soaking in a cup of tea ready for baking (& fluffy bread demands squishy, sumptuous sultanas!).
Hot cross buns were so loved, someone even wrote a nursery rhyme about them, so they must have been popular! Although there are some splendid shop-bought ones out there, I do love making my own buns whenever I fancy some. My hot cross bun recipe is really easy, I promise & they freeze really well, so you can have them anytime (just leave the cross off). I will warn you, you’re going to get messy, but that’s half the fun. So, hands washed & aprons on, here we go!
1 teaspoon each of Lemon & Orange zest (wash them first!)
Once the dough has proved & is doubled in size, remove the oiled clingfilm & set to one side (you’ll need this again). Tip the dough onto your lightly floured work surface & knock it back to remove any large air bubbles – I throw it on the worktop a couple of times & this works really well. Knead it lightly for a few seconds & spread out on the worktop into a rectangular shape.
Sprinkle the sultanas evenly over the top, followed by the chopped cherries, ginger & zest. If you don’t like cherries, try adding dried chopped apricots.
Using floured hands, roll each dough lump into a ball & place on the buttered greaseproof paper, leaving roughly an inch between them.
plain flour & water in a cup using a fork, until it resembles a gloopy paste. Scrape into a piping bag & snip the end off (don’t make it too big, just enough to draw a decent sized line), then pipe crosses on the tops of your buns, which will have all snuggled up next to each other nicely & filled the gaps.
When the buns have turned a gorgeous golden colour with lovely cream coloured crosses, they should be ready. To check any bread, just tip it over & tap it on the bottom – if it sounds hollow, it’s ready! Be careful not to break up your big batch of buns!
even just individual buns. Freeze any extra ones in bags & you’ll have a treat anytime. These fluffy, flavourful buns taste fabulous just as they are, lavishly spread with butter (the good stuff), or toasted. They’re great for tea breaks, breakfast or just when you need something nice to nibble.
So when Easter comes around, why not bake some beautiful buns & share with family & friends! In fact, I might just have one now with another cuppa! Stay hungry 😉 A x
I’ve been designing cake, making tiny tea sets & small sugar bunnies to sit on the top, I’ve also been writing & doing numerous things at the same time, like the multi-tasking ninja that I am. When the weather is unpredictable, there is one thing you need to be able to rely on & that’s a rich, rib-sticking dinner to warm you through!
It’s efficient, versatile & quick to cook. Making pasta is one of my favourite things to do & it’s something we make together as a family. When my Son is home, we make pasta & pizzas, all congregating in the kitchen & chatting simultaneously, whilst we work on creating dinner. It’s what cooking is all about for me & that’s how our children learn, by cooking with us. There are times when stress will start to invade your life & making pasta is one of the best things to de-stress, relax & take your mind off everything.
Because my Husband works shifts, I like to make a variety of dinners & freeze them in two-portion pots, ready to be whipped out of the freezer at a moment’s notice. Usually, the freezer has at least one whole drawer filled with a selection of lasagnes & they’re all different. There’s the lasagne al forno, which is the one with meat (usually beef), a sumptuous spinach & cream cheese layered lovely & then, one of my favourites: vegetable lasagne! I have been a vegetarian a couple of times & this luxurious layered dish is one of my favourite indulgences! It’s lighter & quicker to make than a meat lasagne, but fabulously filling & you can create this velvety vegetable version in around half the time. Plus you can make it in advance & freeze it in individual pots for those evenings when you need instant pasta gratification. Fancy a go? Hands washed & aprons on!
Take the seeds & any white pith out of the peppers (save the seeds & you can plant them in eggboxes on the windowsill). Chop the peppers into bite-sized pieces. It doesn’t need to be perfect or anything. Add them to the dish with the courgettes in.
Add the tomato puree, Basil & Oregano, along with the sugar & a good pinch of the black pepper & sea salt to season your vegetable ragu. Give everything a good stir to distribute the puree & seasonings thoroughly.
As the sauce thickens up, you should start to feel some resistance with the whisk. Keep whisking (swap hands if your wrist aches) & when you are satisfied with the thickness, add a couple of ounces of the grated mild cheddar & whisk until melted. Turn off the heat.
Here’s a tip to help you fit your dried pasta sheets to those rounded corners of your dish. Take your dried lasagne sheet & snap off the top corner edge with your thumb, about 1cm in. Lay the lasagne sheet with the missing edge nearest the corner, then take the piece you snapped off & turn it around, placing it in the corner with the pointy end towards the middle of the dish. You’re welcome! All these years, we’ve all been trying to make it fit & then a few years ago, I decided to use up some random pieces & that was it!
Cover the ragu with a layer of lasagne, making your corners fit as above.
Spread it evenly with the back of the spoon you used before, then sprinkle liberally with the mixed grated cheese. This will give you a gorgeous, crispy cheesy topping. Sprinkle a good pinch of dried Oregano over the top, squeezing it in the tips of your fingers as you do so, to release the pungent fragrance of this wonderful herb.
Serve with a huge green salad & maybe a few chunky chips, if you feel the need. Any leftovers can be packed up into pots for lunches (hot or cold, it’s rather nice), or frozen for lazy late night suppers, curled up on the sofa with a glass of wine.