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Spiced Butter Biscuits

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A similar consistency to Shortbread, but that’s where the similarities end really. This recipe goes great with some home-made Ice Cream, or with some fresh fruit.

Butter Biscuits

Store these in an air-tight container, and try to use within a week of making them – hence the small quantity that these are made in. They’ll still be edible after two or three weeks, but just won’t taste as nice.

To make 12 Biscuits
125g Butter, softened
60g Sugar, plus extra for dusting
180g Plain Flour, plus extra for rolling
1/2tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2tsp Ground Ginger
1/2tsp Ground Allspice

1. Pre-heat an oven to 180C, and line a baking tray with some baking parchment, unless you have one which is non-stick.
2. Mix the Butter and Sugar in a bowl until well combined and light and fluffy.
3. Sift the Flour, Cinnamon, Ginger and Allspice together, then beat them evenly into the Creamed mixture.
4. Spread some Flour lightly over a work surface, before turning the mixture out onto it. Knead slightly, then bring into a ball. Leave to harden slightly in a fridge for twenty minutes.
5. Flour the surface again, and flour a rolling pin. Roll the dough out to a thickness of one centimetre across.
6. Cut into fingers, or rounds with pastry cutters or knives. Lay out evenly on the greased Baking Tray then dust with Caster Sugar before leaving to rest in the fridge for ten minutes.
7. Remove from the fridge, and straight away place in the Oven for fifteen to twenty minutes, or until golden and cooked through, before leaving to cool completely.

Photo Courtesy of: Ambernectar 13

Ciabatta

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A beautiful change to ordinary bread or rolls, filling, and goes with a whole host of Mediterranean dishes. It’s also great as an accompaniment for dips – even as part of a picnic or used as an alternative for pizza bases.

Ciabatta

Makes 3 loaves
400ml lukewarm water
4 tbsp lukewarm milk
675g strong white flour
1 sachet of easy-blend dried yeast
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp Olive Oil

‘Biga’
450g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
1 ¼ tsp easy-blend dried yeast
125ml lukewarm water

1. Make the bigger – sift the flour into a bowl, and mix in the yeast. Make a well in the centre, and pour the water and stir until the dough comes together.
2. Turn out onto a lightly floured worksurface, and knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Shape into a bowl, and put into a bowl, covered with a damp tea towel. Leave to rise for 12 hours, until just beginning to collapse
3. Gradually mix the water and milk into the biga, beating with a wooden spoon. Gradually mix in the flour and yeast with your hands, adding them a little at a time.
4. Mix in the salt and oil with your hands.
Important: The dough will be very wet. Do not add extra flour!
5. Re-cover the bowl, and leave to rise in a warm place for a further 2 hours, or doubled in size
6. Dust 3 baking sheets with flour, and divide the dough between the three sheets, without knocking any air out of the loaves.
7. Gently shape each dough ball into a rectangular loaf, and then flatten slightly. Dust the top of the loaves, and leave to rise for 30minutes.
8. Pre-heat the oven to 220 C/ 425 F/ Gas Mark 7.
9. Bake the loaves for 25 to 30 minutes, until the crush is light gold, and the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the base with your knuckles
10. Cool on wire racks

Photo courtesy of girlwparasol