3 Plait Loaf

Ingredients:

310ml warm / tepid water
2tsp dried yeast
1tsp caster sugar
450g plain flour
30g butter chopped
1tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1 tbs milk

Method:

 1. Combine the water, yeast and sugar in a jug until frothy. Then preheat the oven to 220C.

2. Place the flour in a large bowl and add the butter, rub the butter and flour in your finger tips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the salt and combine to the mixture. Then make a well in the center of the mix and pour in the yeast mixture, mixing constantly with a fork. Once the yeast is combined in use your hands to form a dough.

3. Then turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 15 minutes, until the dough is elastic and smooth to the touch. Place in a large bowl over the oven or in a warm place, until the dough doubles in size. That will be at least an hour.

4. Knock back the dough on a lightly floured surface for 2-3 minutes. Until it returns to it's original size.

5. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Then divide the dough into 3 equal portions and roll into sausages until about 30 cm long and 5 cm wide. Place on the tray and create a plait tucking the ends underneath the loaf.

6. Combine the egg and milk together in a small glass, then with a pastry brush lightly coat the bread with the mixture. bake for 10 minutes at 220C then lower the temperature to 180C for a further 20 minutes until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on its underside.

Best served warm. Happy Baking ! Beth x

Gingerbread house

 I needed a challenge to do with baking so I made this with my Mum and sister- we all had great fun doing it. I hope you all love this. I got this recipe from the Good Food website. Happy Baking :-D .

Ingredients for House:

250g unsalted butter
200g dark muscovado sugar
7tbsp golden syrup
600g plain flour
2 tsp bicarbonate soda
4 tsp ground ginger

Ingredients for decoration:

500g icing sugar
2 egg whites
2-3 packs of chocolate fingers
Generous selection of your own choice of sweets
few edible silver or gold balls

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Then melt the butter sugar and golden syrup in a medium sized pan.

2. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger into a large bowl, and add the butter mixture, mix well until it forms a stiff dough. If it won't come together add a splash of water. If it's then too wet add a sprinkling of flour.

3. Cut out the template for the ginger bread house. Go to Good food website at the top for this. Put a sheet of baking paper on your work surface. Roll out until around the thickness of two £1 coins cut out the shape from the different templates, then slide the gingerbread still on its baking paper onto a baking tray, repeat with all the other templates. Until you have 2 side walls, 2 roof panels and a back wall and a front wall.

4. I cut the remaining dough into gingerbread Christmas trees. Bake all the sections for around 12 minutes or until a little darker at the edges and firm and then cut around the shapes to give clean edges. Then leave all the sections to cool. Put the icing into a piping bag and then begin to assemble.

5. To assemble pipe generous lines of icing along all the edges of the shapes, except the roof panels and then attach all the remaining shapes together to form the shape of a house. Put a small cup in the center of your structure so far to support it. After a few hours to make sure your structure is dry put on the roof panels in the same process as before leave to completely set overnight.

6. To decorate place the chocolate fingers secured with icing along the roof and around the edges pipe icing. Then decorate the rest of your house your own way with assorted sweets.

7. Make it snow! Sieve icing sugar onto your house to create a snowy scene. I also put on the trees made from spare gingerbread on as well.

Enjoy ! Beth x