Liz Hinds 
Mention scones and most people will think of jam and cream, but the basic dough is very versatile and can be used for a variety of savoury treats as well. Simple Scones 225g (8oz) self-raising flour Pinch of salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 50g (2oz) margarine 150ml (5fl oz) milk …
Crumpets, pikelets, Scotch pancakes and English muffins: all traditional British tea-time treats but what’s the difference? That’s a good question! They’re all cooked on a griddle or bakestone (a heavy-based frying-pan can be used as an alternative) but crumpets and muffins are both yeast-based. To make crumpets, you need egg …
American-style muffins have seen an increase in popularity over the last few years, especially with the spread of the large coffee chains throughout the country. They have a distinctive shape – rather mushroom-like – and are usually a little less sweet than more traditional small cakes. They’re very easy and …
Scones, crumpets and muffins are often grouped together because originally they were all cooked on a griddle or bakestone. Very few homes had any form of oven until the nineteenth century and, even today, in many parts of the world ovens are rare. Crumpets Records suggest that crumpets – or …
Traditional Russian cakes are homely and satisfying. When you’ve been out on a cold day, what better to come home to than a scrumptious apple cake? Or, on a more celebratory note, the sugar-coated nutty balls known as Russian tea cakes are very simple to make and moreish to eat. …
The Middle East covers a wide spectrum of countries and cultures but in the space we have here we just want to give you a general feel for the baking of the region and, hopefully, it’ll encourage you to explore the different traditions in greater depth. (Claudia Roden is the …
Italy has many sweet speciality pastries and cakes some of which are very intricate and could take up a page on their own! The ones we’ve chosen to focus on are simpler but no less Italian. We’ve recipes for rum babas, drenched in sweet syrup, a delicious hazelnut cake and …
Picture a typical French patisserie, its window displaying row after row of dainty perfectly-formed cakes of all imaginings, the skill of the pâtissier evident in every delicate chocolate swirl. The pâtissier’s art is one that takes years of practice to perfect. That’s why so many French housewives choose to buy …
Although panettone is a classic Italian bread very few Italians go to the bother of making it themselves. The reason becomes clear when you start to look at the recipe: there’s a lot of kneading and rising time involved. Why trouble yourself when excellent panettone is easily available from any …
Every schoolboy knows how to make a Swiss roll: push him down a mountain! But if that’s not what you have in mind, don’t despair! We have all the recipes you need to make a perfect Swiss roll. A Swiss roll makes use of Genoese sponge, which can also be …
