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Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread

I enjoy my sourdough. I like sourdough bread. I feed my sourdough every day, like a good parent. But sometimes, I just don’t fancy a straight up sourdough bread.

One thing I really love is cinnamon. I have about 8 supermarket spice jars and a 1kg bag in the store cupboard! That’s some good stuff, cinnamon.

I decided to sweeten the bread with cinnamon sugar left over from making pancakes, and threw in a cup full of raisins, and see what happens. It was so good! My daughters love it, and it’s a favourite here now.Sourdough Bread

This is quite a dense bread, unless you leave it to rise for ages – it’s one of those sourdoughs that does better for a 12 hour rise.

It also makes a huge batch – two regular sized loaves. The Thermomix TM31 copes with it, but just. The T5 should be better with the bigger capacity bowl. You can split the ingredients in two and just do the Thermomix bit in two batches.

I hope you like this bread. We love it!Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough

Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread
Recipe Type: Bread, Baking
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2 loaves
Ingredients
  • 750g strong white bread flour
  • 400g lukewarm water
  • 40g olive oil
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 200g sourdough starter
  • 100g sugar
  • 10g cinnamon
  • 150g raisins
Instructions
  1. Add all the ingredients to the Thermomix bowl
  2. Mix on speed 6 for 10 seconds to combine everything
  3. Then knead for 3 minutes on the dough setting (wheat sheaf)
  4. Meanwhile, oil or butter your loaf tin.
  5. Note: This makes a HUGE loaf, so if you’re using a standard loaf tin, you’ll need to separate the dough into two.
  6. Remove from Thermomix and place on a tray. Halve the dough now if you’re going to.
  7. You need to ‘fold’ it into a ball. Essentially treat it like a sheet you’re tucking in to a mattress – take one side and fold it under, then the other, and fold it under, then the final two, till it’s a ‘ball’.
  8. Place in the bread tin, then cut deep slits along the top – this is to prevent the sides of the bread splitting apparently.
  9. Now here things get tricky. There are as many instructions for making sourdough bread as there are recipes, so here’s what I did.
  10. Leave the dough to rest for six hours, in a warm, but not hot place.
  11. Heat the oven to 200C and cook for 30 – 40 minutes. Test to see if it’s ready by knocking on the crust. If it sounds hollow it’s ready.
  12. Leave the bread to cool slightly before cutting.

 

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Puff Pastry Cheese Sticks Recipe

It’s that time of year where I start thinking about snack box fillers for days out, picnics and camping weekends, and one snack type that we all like is a puff pastry cheese stick. Now, you can buy these pretty cheaply, but they’ve been in a box for weeks and have an almost human-lifespan shelf life, in some cases! They are so quick to make, and they are delicious. Kept in an airtight container they also last well – if you hide them away so no one can eat them, that is.

Cheese Twists

Now, I’d like to be all pious and tell you I made the pastry myself, and for budget reasons, I’d make large batches, but actually when I’m doing quick snacks, bought pastry is perfect. If you buy a roll of pastry, go for the most expensive one you can find. An all-butter pastry is delicious, whereas the cheaper ones with oil can have a bitter after taste.

You can vary and adapt the filling to your heart’s desire. Remember a lot of it will fall out when you’re twisting, so make sure to have a bowl or something you can ‘mess’ into so you can reuse it again.

Tip: It’s also useful to fill and slice the pastry on the tray you’ll put in the oven. It just cuts down on the spillage.
Cheese Twists

For this recipe I’ve used parmesan and smoked paprika. You can also use a combination of herbs, and a melting cheese. Great flavour combinations are:

  • Cheddar and chives
  • Parmesan, rosemary & thyme
  • Cheddar & Onion Salt
  • Parmesan and Smoked Paprika
Puff Pastry Cheese Sticks Recipe
Recipe Type: Snacks, Picnic, Lunch box
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1 Roll Puff Pastry
  • 40g Parmesan Cheese
  • 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
Instructions
  1. Roll out puff pastry
  2. In the Thermomix (or using a cheese grater) finely chop the parmesan (speed 10, 30 seconds) and add the seasoning – in this case smoked paprika. Mix speed 5 for a couple of seconds to combine.
  3. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over one half of the puff pastry, then fold the unsprinkled side over the sprinkled side so that it covers itself completely (like folding a page in half, basically!)
  4. Use a sharp knife to cut slits through from one side to the other, about 10 -12 all in.
  5. Take an end in each hand and twist in opposite directions and place on a baking tray.
  6. Bake at 180C for 20 – 30 mins till it’s golden brown and delicious

 

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Pastel De Nata – Portuguese Custard Tarts Recipe

Our family had some pretty amazing travel plans for this year, and if things hadn’t gone as  they did, we’d be setting off from Sintra near Lisbon in Portugal roundabout now, for Spain. One of the things I remember from a previous visit to Portugal is Pastel de Nata – Custard Tarts – which are delicious sweet baked custard tarts in a puff pastry shell.Pastel de nata - Portuguese Custard Tarts If you’re a fan of the Nando’s restaurant chain, you may recognise these as one of the only desert options on the menu, but I’ve never been a fan of them! There’s nothing quite like fresh, home made tarts. It just wins out. No surprises there, I suppose.

Pastel de nata - Portuguese Custard Tarts

I’d like to be all holier-than-though, but I actually bought this puff pastry, because as Lorraine Pascale, James Martin and Jamie Oliver all say – there’s no reason not to! Especially if you buy the all butter pastry. It’s about £1 more than the ‘normal’ one, but it’s so much better, with a much nicer taste and no bitter aftertaste. It’s well worth paying that bit extra.

If you are going to make it, have a look at this easy puff pastry recipe from Jane at Why Is There Air?

Pastel de nata - Portuguese Custard Tarts

Sprinkle the icing sugar before you’re going to serve, as it will be absorbed and you won’t see it and if you keep adding sugar it becomes terribly sweet. My five year old was the icing sugar distributor in these photos and she was, shall we say, liberal in her application 😉

Portuguese Custard Tarts Recipe
Recipe Type: Desert
Cuisine: Portuguese, European
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12 pies
The cooking time here does not include the cooling time once the custard is cooked before it is baked. Add at least another 30 – 50 minutes depending on your temperature. If you cover the custard with plastic while it’s cooling it shouldn’t form a skin, but if it does just mix it up – you won’t notice it in the final product.
Ingredients
  • 115g White Sugar
  • 1 Egg
  • 2 Egg Yolks
  • 10g Cornflour
  • 400g Full Fat Milk
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 300g All Butter Puff Pastry
Instructions
Thermomix Recipe
  1. Weigh out the milk and set aside.
  2. Place the white sugar into the Thermomix Bowl and mix at Speed 5 / 10 Seconds
  3. Add one egg and two yolks to the bowl. (don’t bang against the Thermomix bowl as that tends to upset the scales)
  4. Add 10g cornflour and mix it all together, Speed 5 / 2 Seconds
  5. Set the Thermomix to 90C/Speed 5/ 7 minutes and start it running
  6. Add the milk slowly in a steady stream – it should take about 30 seconds to add.
  7. When it’s finished, add the vanilla extract and do a quick speed 5/ 1 second to mix it in.
  8. Remove the lid and leave to cool.
  9. If you’re making the pastry, now’s a good time to do that. Role out the pastry and use a cutter to cut 12 circles big enough to cover your muffin pans.
  10. Spray the pans, add the pastry and press down to make the ‘cases’.
  11. Once the custard is cooled all the way down, heat the oven to about 180C
  12. Add a tablespoon or two of the custard to each muffin case – don’t fill it all the way to the top.
  13. Cook for 20 – 25 minutes. The custard will puff up and look pillowy and like it’s going to overflow but when you take it out of the oven it’ll collapse down again.
  14. Bake until the tops are brown – I don’t like them blackened, but I’ll leave it to your personal preferences on that.
  15. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool down thoroughly. They can be eaten warm, but are just as delicious cold.
  16. Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.

 

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Lemonade Scones

When I was living out in Australia a few years ago, my brother had a friend who brought scones round one day. They were the lightest scones I had ever had, and I had to have the recipe. I’ve made these hundreds of times and recently a friend asked me if I had the recipe on the blog. I realised I didn’t, so here it is Sam, just for you.

Lemonade Scones2

This is a 3-ingredients scone – okay, four, but salt doesn’t count. The self raising flour and salt are the dry ingredients, and the cream provides the fat you’d normally get from crumbling butter into the mix. The lemonade gives you the rise, since it reacts to the baking powder in the flour, and the bubbles airate the whole mixture, I guess.

You must not overmix this recipe, or you completely knock the air right out of it and end up with flat cakes – still tasty, but not quite afternoon tea quality.

Lemonade S

Whether you a jam first or cream first scone eater , you’re bound to love how light and fluffy these scones are.

Lemonade Scones
Recipe Type: Thermomix
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 15
Light, airy and easy to make scones – enjoy!
Ingredients
  • 400g self-raising flour
  • 240g double cream
  • 190g lemonade
  • pinch of salt
Instructions
Regular Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200C
  2. Sift the self raising flour, cream and salt in a mixing bowl.
  3. Add the lemonade and mix briefly till it’s all mixed together. Literally till it’s JUST mixed.
  4. It’s REALLY important not to over mix or your scones won’t rise.
  5. Remove from the bowl, and lay out on a tray. Pat it down to an even 2cm height.
  6. Use a cutter and press down, and straight back up again – don’t twist the cutters as you don’t want to squeeze the air out.
  7. Carefully lift the scones onto a tray
  8. Brush with milk (use the back of a spoon if you don’t have a pastry brush)
  9. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, till golden
Thermomix Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200C
  2. Place the self raising flour, cream and salt in the Thermomix bowl.
  3. Add the lemonade and mix speed 4, 5 – 10 seconds. Literally till it’s JUST mixed.
  4. It’s REALLY important not to over mix or your scones won’t rise.
  5. Remove from the bowl, and lay out on a tray. Pat it down to an even 2cm height.
  6. Use a cutter and press down, and straight back up again – don’t twist the cutters as you don’t want to squeeze the air out.
  7. Carefully lift the scones onto a tray
  8. Brush with milk (use the back of a spoon if you don’t have a pastry brush)
  9. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, till golden


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South African Thermomix Vetkoek

I love Vetkoek, it reminds me of growing up, of my dad coming home on a Friday with a bag of ready made dough from the shop, chopping it up and making vetkoek, which he’d put into a big cream-coloured bowl and we’d all crowd round eating warm fresh vetkoek filled with cheese, mince, syrup or apricot jam. Sometimes we have it with a chicken mayonnaise filling, and sometimes I’d simply have it on it’s own.Vetkoek

 

While you can try to compare a vetkoek with a doughnut, it doesn’t taste like a doughnut, it’s more savoury, but still a little sweet. Actually, there’s nothing I can think of to compare the flavour to – it’s it’s own thing.

Your choice of fillings is endless – pretty much anything goes, but for us the favourites are cheese, mince, chicken, syrup, and apricot jam, as I said above.

South African Thermomix Vetkoek
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • 210g water (room temp)
  • 280g unbleached bread flour
  • 1 (5g) teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon (3g) sugar
  • 1.5 teaspoons (7g) fast-rising active dry yeast (I use this one)
  • oil, for deep-frying
Instructions
  1. Pour water into the Thermomix bowl.
  2. Add dry ingredients finishing with the yeast.
  3. Mix 10 seconds/ speed 6
  4. Then 3:30 minutes/ kneading setting
  5. Remove and set aside to rise
  6. When doubled in size (about 90 minutes) divide into 10 balls on lightly floured surface. Flatten slightly in the palm of your hand.
  7. Let rise for 1/2 hour. (Use this time to prepare your filling)
  8. Warm oil in deep pot– oil should be about 2 inches deep – on medium heat. Drop a thumbnail sized bit of dough into the pan. If it sizzles it’s hot enough, and once the tiny bit of dough has risen to the top, remove it and start cooking your vetkoek.
  9. Add the dough balls one at a time, depending on the size of your pot, about 5 or 6 at a time. They will swell up so don’t overfill the pot.
  10. Fry vetkoek for about 5 minutes a side, but keep an eye on it. If they blacken too quickly, they’ll still be raw inside, and your oil is too hot. If the oil is not hot enough, the vetkoek will absorb lots of oil and be gross.
  11. They should be the color of doughnuts when ready. Golden delicious.
  12. Drain on kitchen towels or in a colander.
  13. As soon as you can bear to touch them, slice open and fill.
  14. Enjoy.

 

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Chocolate Crispy Bars {Dairy Free Sugar Free Gluten Free}

It’s almost Easter again, and while we aren’t really a free-from anything family, when there’s so much focus on chocolate – between Valentine’s day, Mother’s Day, and Easter, I like to have alternatives available, so that even if I don’t manage to curb my sweet tooth, I’m at least not filling up myself or the children with cheap, often actually not very good – chocolate.Chocolate Crispies

This recipe is very easy. The children can help you make it, or you can whip it up quickly. It’s quite dark, we like dark chocolate. If you don’t like it as dark, adjust the cocoa down. You could add other things, like marshmallows, nuts, or cherries, but just remember to adjust the quantity of rice crispies down then. The main thing to remember is this isn’t held together by chocolate, which is strong, but by coconut oil, which needs to be kept cool, otherwise you’ll end up with what looks like a (very tasty) bowl of chocolate cereal.

I use a gluten free Rice Crispie from Nature’s Path, because we have it at the moment, but you can use any other if you prefer.

I also use this brownie pan because it’s super convenient.

Dairy Free Sugar Free Gluten Free Chocolate Crispy Bars
Recipe Type: Sweets, TM31
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 24 blocks
A lovely snack box recipe for the kids, and fabulous for hitting that sweet spot, while not being overly unhealthy.
Ingredients
  • 50g Coconut Oil (1/4 cup)
  • 70g honey (1/4 cup)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 30 – 50g cocoa powder (1/3 cup) (Cacao for Paleo)
  • pinch of fine sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
  • 100g [url href=”http://www.amazon.co.uk/Natures-Path-Crispy-Organic-Breakfast/dp/B004990VLG/?tag=diaofafirchi-21″ target=”_blank”]rice crispies [/url] (1.5 cups)
Instructions
Thermomix Recipe
  1. Add the coconut oil and honey to the Thermomix bowl. If you’re using runny honey, 30 seconds/37 degrees/speed 2 should melt it all, but if the honey is crystalised or set, about 1 minute/50 degrees/speed 2. It must be mixed and melted before you go to step 2.
  2. Add the vanilla and cocoa powder, and a small pinch of sea salt. 15 seconds/speed 3
  3. Add the rice crispies and use the spatula to stir it in so that all the rice crispies are covered with the chocolate mix.
  4. Transfer to a brownie pan (this one is fantastic!) and squash it all in nicely. Put in the fridge for an hour or two to set, then cut into squares.
  5. Tip: Remember this is kept together with coconut oil, so keep it cool otherwise it might fall apart a bit.
Regular Instructions
  1. Create a double boiler by boiling a pot of water on the stove, and put coconut oil and honey in a glass bowl over it. Once they’re melted, mix together and add the vanilla extract (be careful – both the glass bowl and the mixture will be very hot).
  2. Add the cocoa powder and sea salt, and then add the rice crispies.
  3. Mix together till all the rice crispies are covered in the chocolate mixture and transfer into your brownie pan.
  4. Place in the fridge till it’s cooled and set, then cut into squares.

chocolate crispies

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Sourdough Bread In The Thermomix

Before we go any further, I need to come clean on something here: I’m not a professional at sourdough. I’m not even really good at it. This was my first attempt at sourdough, and I’m really happy with how it turned out, so I wrote it down. I expect that there’ll be plenty of editing and changing as I play and learn with it. But, sitting here eating a slice of bread with butter, I can tell you that this recipe as it is written here, works, and works well.

Sourdough BreadBack in November a friend gave me a master class on Sourdough as it’s something she makes a lot. I took away a dried starter with me, and then life happened. In the last week of February, I finally activated the starter, and have been feeding it for a week. Yesterday I felt we were good to go.

If you want to buy a ready to go starter, you can get them from eBay and Etsy, among others.

This makes a huge loaf. In future I’ll make it as two breads in a regular loaf tin. You can also use this proving basket for up to 1kg of bread, which would suit this recipe perfectly.

So, to the recipe…

Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2 standard loaves
Ingredients
  • 750g strong white bread flour
  • 400g lukewarm water
  • 40g olive oil
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 200g sourdough starter
Instructions
  1. Add all the ingredients to the Thermomix bowl
  2. Mix on speed 6 for 10 seconds to combine everything
  3. Then knead for 3 minutes on the dough setting (wheat sheaf)
  4. Meanwhile, oil or butter your loaf tin.
  5. Note: This makes a HUGE loaf, so if you’re using a standard loaf tin, you’ll need to separate the dough into two.
  6. Remove from Thermomix and place on a tray. Halve the dough now if you’re going to.
  7. You need to ‘fold’ it into a ball. Essentially treat it like a sheet you’re tucking in to a mattress – take one side and fold it under, then the other, and fold it under, then the final two, till it’s a ‘ball’.
  8. Place in the bread tin, then cut deep slits along the top – this is to prevent the sides of the bread splitting apparently.
  9. Now here things get tricky. There are as many instructions for making sourdough bread as there are recipes, so here’s what I did.
  10. Leave the dough to rest for six hours, in a warm, but not hot place.
  11. Heat the oven to 200C and cook for 30 – 40 minutes. Test to see if it’s ready by knocking on the crust. If it sounds hollow it’s ready.
  12. Leave the bread to cool slightly before cutting.

I hope it works for you. Please let me know, and if you have any hints and tips, leave them below! I think I could use them!

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Cacao Nib Latte

It’s a dull and dreary morning here on the Isle of Wight. It’s raining and I can barely make out the line between the sky and the ocean. Job prospects for my husband are still thin on the ground and I am feeling the pressure of being sole breadwinner for the family.

I need a pick me up, but a true pick me up, not something that’s going to spike my blood sugar and crash me down further.

cacao nib latte

Well, this recipe might be a false economy, since dairy blocks the absorption of flavenoids (or something like that) meaning the full effect of the cacao nibs won’t be felt, but it tastes good and after drinking this, the whole family managed to get out of bed and we’ll be off for a stroll on the beach as soon as the rain stops.

There’s a lot of room for movement on this recipe. I will try it with almond milk, or coconut milk next, and maybe with rapadura or honey for sweetening. But for today, this was perfect. Delicious, smooth, And a real lift to the mood. cacoa nib latte

If I didn’t have to share it with the kids, I’d probably add a pinch of cayenne pepper too, like a Mexican hot chocolate, with it’s aphrodisiac qualities… hmmm… save that for a rainy day when the children have left home 😉

Cacao Nib Latte

For these Cacao Nib Lattes, I use the Suma brand here, but obviously you can use whatever works best for you. These are unroasted, and I don’t roast them, but you can.

Cacao Nib Latte
Recipe Type: Drink, TM31
Author: Luschka
Ingredients
  • 30g cacao nibs
  • 1/2 vanilla pod
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • seeds from 1 cardamom pod
  • cream to top (optional)
  • 500g milk
  • 5g sugar/rapadura
Instructions
  1. Add the cacao nibs and vanilla pod, cinnamon and cardamom seeds into a blender bowl and chop to a powder (Thermomix: [b] speed 6 for 20 seconds[/b].
  2. Add milk and sugar and mix on [b]speed 4/7 mins/80C[/b]
  3. Pour through a nut milk bag, or into a cafetiere to strain, then pour into cups.
  4. Top with cream, or not. It’s delicious either way.
Notes
Tip: Use the strained remains in baking, or rinse them to get the milk off, and put them in your garden

 

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Five Healthy Valentines Day Recipes

Healthy Valentines

Are you planning and plotting your Valentines day menus yet? Here’s a selection of some of our favourites including treats and healthy sweets.

Five Healthier Valentines Recipes

Good For You Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

This is a brilliant recipe for children to get involved with, since it’s raw and doesn’t require any cooking. You need to melt the coconut oil, but you can do that at body temperature, so it’s yummy and fun and messy and makes for delicious gifts.

Raw Lime Coconut Chocolate Bliss Balls

Another raw recipe that children can happily help you make and it’s a little more exotic than your usual run of the mill chocolate.

Raw Nutty Chocolate Mousse

In retrospect, I don’t think this should have been called mousse. It’s more of a pudding than a mousse, but it’s delicious. And it’s raw and pretty healthy too.

Healthy Chocolate Date Balls

Date balls, bliss balls, power balls… they’re pretty much the same thing, and we make them all the time. These are the foundation of most other bliss balls, and if you’d like to try other bliss ball recipes, have a look at my Bliss Balls For Beginners eBook.

Raw “Ferrero” Bliss Balls Recipe

This is one of the recipes from Bliss Balls For Beginners, and while we think this is a great recipe, the important thing is that comments on the post think so too! It’s a great alternative to sugary treats.

I hope you enjoy these healthier Valentines Day recipes!

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Breakfast Pikelets With Berry Compote

A quick and easy breakfast option, Pikelets are perfect for Australia day celebrations. The funny thing is, we’ve been making them for years, but in South Africa we knew them as flapjacks, and in the UK we know them as crumpets – though my husband and I have an ongoing debate as to what exactly makes a crumpet… it’s one of those things that we’ll simply never agree on. 
 Thermomix Pikelets

The compote here can be made from any berries or fruit, but using frozen fruit means you shouldn’t need to add water, while using fresh fruit might require a little bit of added water. There aren’t specific instructions here because it’s quite a forgiving way of making fruit. Just be mindful that fresh berries will need less time to stew than frozen will, and that your fruit and the age of your fruit will determine the sweetness. Don’t be afraid to taste test.

Thermomix Pikelets with Berry Compote

 

Breakfast Pikelets With Berry Compote
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 20
We call them crumpets in the UK, flapjacks in SA and pancakes in the US, but in Australia they’re pikelets and they’re a perfect Australia day breakfast.
Ingredients
  • 320g (2 cups) flour
  • 125g (1/2 cup) sugar
  • 370g (1.5 cups) milk
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • pinch of salt
  • Compote
  • handful of berries
  • squirt of lemon juice
  • teaspoon of sugar
  • optional two spoons icing sugar
Instructions
  1. Put a frying pan on medium heat. Add ingredients to the Thermomix bowl, and mix until a smooth consistency is reached, approx 20 seconds/ speed 3.
  2. Make sure there are no lumps.
  3. Whether you add butter or oil to your pan here depends on your pan. Oil if needed.
  4. Spoon a tablespoon at a time into a hot frying pan, until it cooks through – you’ll know by the bubbles forming on top. Flip the pikelets – crumpets, or pancakes, whatever you call them! – over to the other side so that they’ll cook there too.
  5. Continue on till all the batter is finished.
  6. While you’re frying the pikelets, make the berry compote.
  7. The details here are a little sketchy. I had a few left over bits of frozen strawberry in a bag, and squirted some lemon juice with a teaspoon of sugar into a pan on low heat, leaving it to simmer till it was thick, about 10 minutes. You can add extra sugar/icing sugar if you want it sweeter too.
  8. Pour over the pikelets and enjoy.