Long time no hear or see really it has been for Love-to-bake.uk this last couple of years. All I can say is that I am sorry but my full time job takes up a lot of time and my spare time is focused on home so the food blog tends to take a back seat which I am trying to change and spend more time on as I have so much to say.
My food blog has really changed since my webshop days and I do miss all the different areas of running my own business but my new job is full on and very busy. My food blogging is really a thinking place for ideas which I throw around in my head before trying them out either at home or in my job at The Old School Cafe in Durham.
At present, I am working on savoury ideas which I can try in the cafe suitable for vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters too. Not only am I researching online for ideas I am visiting different cafes and trying their bakes to see what works. Looking over at what other customers are ordering in cafes has become my new pastime and I have become a very nosy person in the process.
My latest treat at a cafe was a Cheese and Beetroot Scone which was served warm with butter. However I was a bit dubious about cheese and beetroot as a scone combination and on trying the scone I thought it was just a Cheese Scone as I couldn’t taste the beetroot in it. I am assuming that only a small amount of beetroot could be added to the scone dough as beetroot is quite a watery vegetable. I would think that a beetroot chutney would have a more concentrated flavour maybe which would work better than standard beetroot. Also a pickled beetroot would possibly spoil the taste of the cheese (although I would enjoy this combination but beetroot is an acquired taste). This is something I have yet to try as finding the time to get creative is the problem with everything else that I have to do in my spare time.
One of the changes I have made to my scone recipe is to substitiute the mustard powder with cayenne pepper due to the mustard powder being an allergen. Although the taste has changed slightly the Cheese Scones are still just as tasty and are very popular in the cafe.
The most important part of making Scones is the method. Over the many years of making and mastering the technique I now have the role to teach volunteers how to follow the same technique to achieve the best Scones. The technique includes not only the recipe but the mixing of the dough (a light touch is needed), the height of the dough prior to cutting (no rolling pin needed), the cutting technique and placement on the tray before adding the finishing touch of grated cheese. It may sound ridiculous that I follow a technique to achieve a perfect scone in my eyes and we are always receiving compliments from customers.
However, with me I do change things especially when I run out of an ingredient and then I improvise. For example with scones whlist making some Cheese Scones at home I had no eggs so I used only milk and the Cheese Scones worked out just fine. There are recipes for Scones which do not use eggs so it is worth taking a look around to find one that suits you. I think as long as you know what the ingredients are for in a recipe you can alter to suit and still achieve a good result.
Self raising flour and the extra baking powder are to give rise to the scones. Cold butter as it will not over develop the gluten in the flour. Salt and cayenne are for flavour and to enhance the cheese flavour. The egg and milk are to form a dough and in the baking process help to give structure to the scone as the liquid evaporates to produce steam which pushes the scone upwards to rise when baked. The egg and milk give a softer crumb to the scone which if the dough has been made and handled correctly with a light touch will result in a light and airy scone.
Who would have thought that Scones and the science behind them could be so complicated but hours of fun all at the same time as the best part of a scone is definitely in the eating. Anyway that is enough food for thought on a Sunday afternoon as I am off to make a dinner and chill before the start of another busy week at work. Oh of course it is Bnak Holiday Monday tomorrow so I have an extra chill day :).