Brendan Bakes

Here’s a simple but delicious loaf cake that would be ideal with morning coffee but would also make a good dessert with some vanilla ice cream, crème frâiche or Greek yoghurt. Chocolate and orange are a classic combination. I’ve added an orange glaze and pieces of candied orange peel  (see my recipe on this site) […]

Often regarded as a challenge in the kitchen, by following a few basic rules you too can produce perfect choux pastry. Perfect for filling with crème patissière or other indulgences. Ingredients 125g water 125g whole milk 100g butter 5g salt (1/2 tsp) 1 tsp caster sugar 150g plain flour 4 medium eggs – room temperature […]

Ingredients 250g/8ozs spelt flour 125g/4ozs spelt wholemeal 1 ½ tsp baking powder 2 tsp vanilla extract *¾ tsp hazelnut extract 3 large eggs 250 ml sunflower oil 250g/8ozs caster sugar 2 tbls good quality cocoa powder 2 tbls plain yoghurt Preheat oven to 180ᵒc/375ᵒF. *can be bought on line at ‘Bakery Bits’. Gives an excellent […]

Along with the ‘Doggy Hot Dog’ rolls, these buns came out of an afternoon experimenting with dough. They are fun to make and will surely delight your younger customers, especially when filled with jam and whipped cream or perhaps some whipped cream blended with Nutella. Am still working on pussy cat and rabbit buns. Watch […]

I was playing around with dough the other day seeing what shapes I could come up with. Monty-the-Labradoodle sat watching me with his calm, and sometimes unnerving, gaze. Looking at his face I had the idea to create these little rolls. They are simple to make and great fun for children. You could fill them […]

This home-made candied orange peel is far superior to the ‘mixed peel’ found in the supermarkets. Occasionally you can find good quality peel at Christmas time,and in some stores in London throughout the year, but it is easy to make your own. Can be stored in an airtight container for 6-8months. The recipe for lemon […]

Introduction A couple of years ago we met a lovely couple – Neville and Janet – while out walking Monty-the-Labradoodle. Turned out that they are great dog lovers and sometimes look after Monty for us which makes us all happy! Neville is also a keen gardener and has an allotment where he grows a lot […]

About two years ago I was introduced to Iranian cooking through Margaret Shaida’s classic book The Legendary Cuisine of Persia. The use of fruit in savoury dishes is a particular feature of this magnificent culinary tradition. Dried red barberries are especially common – imparting a tart flavor to various rice and meat dishes. Looking through […]

Could this be the first recipe inspired by a heavy cold?! I’ve always loved lemon cakes and was recently playing around with an upside-down version inspired by Hannah Miles’ recipe in The Gluten-Free Baker. At the time I was making regular hot lemon, honey and ginger for my partner to ease his cold and sore […]

Perhaps it’s just coincidence but in the last few weeks I’ve met a number of people – online and in person – who have asked me about gluten-free bread. Making bread suitable for coeliacs has been become much easier with the wide availability of flour mixes (I use Dove Farms). However, it seems that people […]