Dutch Oven Cooking

I managed to do another Bushcraft lesson with the school today. 

This was with Year 1, my younger daughters class. I did a similar lesson in the summer with my eldest.

Leftover Porridge Cake

And I give you "leftover porridge cake"

It's impossible to predict how much breakfast my three are going to eat, some days they eat the lot, others they barely touch it. 

Today they just weren't interested but I decided not to waste it. I invented a very stodgy cake instead. 

I mixed up half a cup of butter, a cup of sugar, a cup and bit of self raising flour (I'm really that precise!) a teaspoon of cinnamon, 2 eggs and the left over porridge (and out 2 cups worth i think. Oh and a good handful of currents (they're called yeah yeahs in this house for some reason). Mixed it all up and then split it between two 8 inch cake tins. 

Cooked at 180 until done (about 20 minutes or so) not forgetting to turn your cakes round if your stupid oven cooks more one side than the other like ours does.

Then got them out the oven, put a bit of golden syrup on the bottom one and spread it round before plonking the other on top. 

Tastes pretty good to me!

For bonus points, if you want to up the difficulty level of this cake, try doing it with a ten month old child clinging to your leg and using your trousers to wipe his snotty nose on. Makes it far more fun I can assure you. ..

Homemade Chelsea Buns

I have fond memories of Chelsea buns from when I was a child (they're kind of like an American cinnamon roll), my aunty owns a pub and her daughter, my cousin, used to bake them, and I remember eating them greedily. 

Good way to spend a rainy afternoon

On Monday I got back from playgroup ready to divide up some dough to make some rolls but when I opened the machine I saw that I'd done my favourite trick of forgetting the yeast. Bugger I thought.
That's wrecked lunch. Luckily we had some wraps in the cupboard so then my mind wondered over what to do with the spare dough.

I could have just added the yeast and made some rolls like I had planned to, but I had sweeter things on my mind (and a three year old to entertain), so not only did I add the yeast I also added currants, eggs, and more flour. This I then set to mix again before getting the dough out onto the side.

A good helper

My daughter loved this bit, we then got to roll out the dough before adding a spread made up of brown sugar, butter and cinnamon, with more currant for good measure.

We rolled the dough up and cut it into 1 inch thick pieces, laying them onto a baking tray. 

Dough proving

We then had to go and do the school run, I think we were gone a bit too long as they had risen a bit more than they should of, but they cooked fine. With any dough I normally have the oven on full blast and then as soon as I put anything in I turn it down to 200 degrees. 

Cooked, two did catch a little bit! 

Some of the bigger ones did catch a little bit, but it made no difference to the taste - They tasted amazing! 

They are rather lovely! 

My eldest was pleased with her snack when she got home from school, in fact I had them all begging me for more once they finished their third of one! 

Not bad really when you consider the ingredients probably came to less than a pound!

What do you like to bake using dough other than bread?

Is there anything you wish you could make?