Bake Off: The Amateurs

BAKE OFF: THE PROFESSIONALS TUESDAY 26TH, 8PM ON CHANNEL 4

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Bake Off: The Amateurs.

We’ve created this book as we celebrate a brand new series of Bake Off: The Professionals, launching Tuesday 26th May on Channel 4. Tom Allen and Liam Charles will be here every week to continue giving our viewers the escapism and positivity that is quintessentially ‘Bake Off’, and is certainly welcomed by the nation through these difficult times.

The Coronavirus crisis has affected our business, amongst countless others, and rightfully dominated most of our communications over the last few months. But, as the recovery will be long and difficult, it will continue to lead industry conversations for some time, so we wanted to take this opportunity to do something frivolous and fun.

One thing I’ve learnt over the last few months is just how adaptable our 4 Sales team is. We’ve risen to the challenges that a complete lockdown has presented and, along the way, uncovered some better ways of working and revealed some hidden talents amongst our team – particularly on the baking front.

At Channel 4, we’ve always had the right ingredients to create fantastic campaigns and, as we begin to emerge from lockdown, we’re confident of a perfect rise to star baker status, without a soggy bottom in sight!

OK, enough with the baking puns – From all of us at 4Sales, to all of you – we hope you stay safe, stay well and enjoy the bakes.

Matt Salmon

Sales Director, Channel 4

The Star Bakers 4.........Amy’s Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese Frosting 6.........Charlotte’s Terrific Triple Choc Cookies 8.........Jurie’s South African Peppermint Tart 10.........Felicity’s Favourite Fruity Pavlova 12.........Ella’s exquisite Coffee & Walnut Cake 14.........David’s Delicious Lemon Muffins 16.........Ewan’s flavoursome Focaccia 18.........Mark’s Perfect Pitta Breads 20.........Bixby’s Best Ever Chocolate Brownies 22.........Aimee’s GF Banana Bread Muffins 24.........Sean’s Brilliant Brazilian Cheesy Bread Balls 26.........Geraldine’s No Bake Peanut Butter Protein Bars 28.........Adrian’s Beginners Bread Recipe 30.........Tom’s Tasty Vegan Chocolate Hobnobs 32.........Emma’s wonderful White Chocolate Biscoff Blondies 34.........Lucy’s Blissful Banana Loaf 36.........Jude’s Great Ghanain Donuts

BAKE OFF The Amateurs Meet the baker

Amy Harkness Digital Account Manager

Meet Bak er Amy

Ingredients Dough 11g Active dry yeast or instant yeast 244ml Milk lukewarm 100g Granulated sugar 75g Butter unsalted, softened, or margarine 1 tsp Salt 2 Eggs 500g All-purpose flour

Filling 220g brown sugar packed 3 tbsp Cinnamon 75g Butter unsalted, softened, or margarine

Cream cheese icing 80g Butter unsalted, softened, or margarine 180g Icing sugar 60g Cream cheese at room temperature 0.5 tsp Vanilla extract 0.5 tsp Salt

uns B n o m a inn Amy’s C

Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese Frosting Method 1.

For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk with a tsp of sugar (you can take a tsp out of the 1/2 cup of sugar) in a large bowl.

Let it sit for about 5 minutes. If the yeast is good, it will start to froth up.

2. To the bowl of your mixer add the sugar, butter or margarine, salt, eggs, and flour and mix until well incorporated.

3.

Pour the milk/yeast mixture over the flour mixture and using the dough hook, mix well until well incorporated and the dough comes clean from the side of the bowl.

4. Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

5. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

6. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.

7.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approximately 16 inches long by 12 inches wide. It should be approximately 1/4 inch in thickness.

8. Spread the 1/3 cup of butter evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with the sugar evenly over the surface of the dough.

9. Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.

10. Cut the dough into 1 1/2 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan.

You can also use floss to cut into slices, as seen in the video. Place the cut rolls in the prepared pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rise for another 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

11. Preheat oven to 180 degs.

12. Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cooking time can vary greatly!

13.

While the rolls are baking make the icing by mixing all the icing ingredients and beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy and smooth.

14. When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing.

BAKE OFF The Amateurs Meet the baker

Charlotte Coombs Agency Sales Executive

Meet Bak er Charlot te

Ingredients To make ten cookies 200g Butter 300g Caster sugar 1 Large egg 325g Self-raising flour A dash of milk (optional) A dash of vanilla extract 140g Milk chocolate 140g White chocolate 140g Dark chocolate

Charlotte’s top tip!

rrific e T ’s e t t Charlo oc Cookies h Triple C

It’s all about the bake with these cookies as they will look very under baked when you take them out the oven and you’ll want to leave them in for longer, but you must resist!

This is how you achieve the perfect gooey inside and crispy outside.

Charlotte’s Terrific Triple Choc Cookies Method 1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and then start by placing the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beating until pale and creamy. It will be easier if the butter is at room temperature.

2. Crack in the egg and mix it through 3.

Gradually add the flour by popping it in a bit at a time until it’s all combined. The mixture should now look like a dough however if it looks too dry, this is the time to add in a dash of milk until it reaches the right consistency. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour.

4. Break up all the chocolate into big and small chunks and then, using your hands, add them to the mixture.

5. Shape the mixture into ten balls using your hands and place them on a baking tray or two on greaseproof paper. Make sure they are widely spaced out as they will spread.

6. Bake these for 10 – 12 minutes but no longer! Leave them on the baking tray or a cooling rack to cool for 25 minutes.

BAKE OFF The Amateurs Meet the baker

Jurie Venter Commercial Marketing Project Manager Meet Bak er Jurie

Ingredients 1 tin Caramel condensed milk 250ml Cream & extra 1 packet Nice biscuits (which is closest to tennis biscuits from SA) about 300g 1 Peppermint crisp choc, grated

rican f A h t u o Jurie’s Srmint Tart Peppe

South African Peppermint Tart Method 1.

Use a square dish or tin. Line with nice biscuits on the bottom and sides. The biscuits can be dunked very briefly in apple juice (or sherry if prefer). Alternatively, place 2/3 biscuits in a clean plastic bag, seal and crush until fine.

2. Add 70g melted butter and mix well. Line any dish (round or square) to make a crust. Place in fridge.

3. Beat caramel condensed milk a bit until creamy. In another bowl beat cream, but NOT stiff. Fold cream into caramel and pour half onto biscuit base.

4. Sprinkle with half grated pep crisp and place another layer of biscuits on top.

5. Spread rest of caramel over and finish with whipped cream.

6. Sprinkle rest of pep crisp over, cover with cling film and refrigerate for a few hours.

BAKE OFF The Amateurs Meet the baker

Felicity Ive Senior Client Lead

Meet Bak er Felicity

Ingredients For the meringue 4 Egg whites 250g Caster sugar 1 tsp White wine vinegar 1 tsp Cornflour 1 tsp Vanilla extract

For the topping 500g Strawberries, hulled and halved 200g Redcurrants stalks removed 3 tbsp Icing sugar 350ml Double cream

avourite F ’s y t i c i Fel vlova Fruity Pa

Felicity’s Favourite Fruity Pavlova Method 1. Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2.

2. Using a pencil, mark out the circumference of a dinner plate on baking parchment.

3. Whisk 4 egg whites with a hand mixer until they form stiff peaks, then whisk in 250g caster sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until the meringue looks glossy.

4. Whisk in 1 tsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp cornflour and 1 tsp vanilla extract.

5. Spread the meringue inside the circle, creating a crater by making the sides a little higher than the middle.

6. Bake for 1 hr, then turn off the heat and let the Pavlova cool completely inside the oven.

7. When the meringue is cool, chop 100g of the hulled strawberries.

Mix them with 100g of the redcurrants and 2 tbsp icing sugar.

8. Place in a food processor, blitz until smooth, then push the fruit

mixture through a sieve.

9.

Whip 350ml double cream with the remaining 1 tbsp icing sugar and spread it over the meringue. Put the remaining 400g hulled and halved strawberries and 100g redcurrants on the cream and finally pour the sauce over the whole lot.

BAKE OFF The Amateurs Meet the baker

Ella Bishop Digital Account Executive

Meet Bak er Ella

Ingredients For the cake 115g Self-raising flour 1 tsp Baking power 115g Unsalted butter 2 Large eggs 120g Golden caster sugar 1 Rounded tablespoon instant espresso coffee powder 50g Walnuts finely chopped

For the icing 250g Mascarpone 1 tbsp Instant espresso coffee powder 2-3 tbsp Golden caster sugar (to taste) Additional walnuts for topping

Coffee e t i s i u q Ella’s exalnut Cake & W

If you’re doing a sponge cake, you will need two approx. 18cm by 4cm loose-based Sponge tins or similar, lightly buttered and bases lined, and a cooling tray.

Ella’s Exquisite Coffee & Walnut Cake Method 1. Pre-heat the oven to 170C, gas mark 3 2.

Start of by sifting the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl, holding the sieve high to give the flour a good airing as it goes down, then add the butter, whisked eggs, caster sugar and coffee powder. Using an electric hand whisk, mix to a smooth, creamy consistency for about 1 minute. After that take a tablespoon and fold the chopped nuts into the mixture.

3. Next divide the mixture between the two prepared tins (lightly buttered and bases lined) level off using the back of a tablespoon and bake near the centre of the oven for about 25 minutes.

4. Remove them from the oven and after about 30 seconds loosen the edges by sliding a butter knife all round then turn them out onto a cooling tray. Now carefully peel back the lining by gently pulling it back.

5.

While the cakes are cooling, make up the filling: in a small bowl combine the mascarpone, coffee powder and caster sugar– what you need is a smooth spreadable consistency. As some mascarpone’s are wetter than others, you may need to add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to soften the mixture if you think it needs it.

6. When the cakes are cold, spread half the filling over one, sandwich them together, then spread the rest over the top (and edges if you’d like) using a palette knife.

7. Finish off by placing the extra walnuts on top, in a pattern of your choosing.

BAKE OFF The Amateurs Meet the baker

David Amodio Deputy Head of Digital & Innovations Meet Bak er David

Ingredients For the muffins 113g Unsalted butter – room temp Zest of 1 lemon 225g Caster sugar 1 Egg 1 tsp Vanilla extract 250g Plain flour 2 tsp Baking powder 1 tsp Salt 200g Blueberries 120ml Buttermilk

Glaze ingredients 50g Icing sugar 4tsp Lemon juice

licious e D ’s d i v Da uffins Lemon M

David’s Delicious Lemon Muffins Method 1. Heat the oven to 190ºC. Cream butter with lemon zest and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with a few tablespoons of the flour in a separate bowl.

3. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.

4. Fold in the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the milk.

Then, fold in the blueberries.

5. Place 12 cases in a muffin tin and distribute batter among them. Bake for 18 – 22 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness after 18 minutes and if necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes.

6. Let muffins cool in pan for about 7 minutes and then take them out to let them reach room temperature before putting on the glaze.

7. To make the glaze, mix the icing sugar and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth and runny. Add some water if it’s too thick. Using a spoon, drizzle the icing over each muffin and enjoy!

David’s top tip!

It’s very important you don’t overmix this muffin batter!

Once you start adding in the flour/buttermilk stop your whisking and use a wooden spoon to gently fold the ingredients in until combined. This technique helps you to achieve soft and light muffins.

BAKE OFF The Amateurs Meet the baker

Ewan Douglas Head of Agency & Client Sales

Meet Bak er Ewan

Ingredients 1/2 Cup (120 ml) Extra-virgin olive oil 2 Garlic cloves, finely minced 1 tbsp Chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried 1 tbsp Chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried 1/4 tsp Fresh ground black pepper 1 cup (235 ml) warm water 2 1/4 tsp Active dry yeast (1 packet) 1/4 tsp Honey 2 1/2 cups (315 grams) All-purpose flour 1/2 Teaspoon fine sea salt

Ewan’s top tips!

1. I add infused garlic herb olive oil to the focaccia dough as well as to the top of the dough in the pan.

ome s r u o v a l f Ewan’s accia Foc

2. You only need to knead the dough 10 to 15 times! I told you focaccia is easy.

3. I use my fingers to add dimples to the dough so that the garlic herb oil has

somewhere to go.

Ewan’s Flavoursome Focaccia Method

1. In a cold medium skillet, combine olive oil, minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, and the black pepper. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes or until aromatic, but before the garlic browns. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and honey. Stir a few times then let sit for 5 minutes.

3. Add 1 cup of the flour and a 1/4 cup of the infused garlic-olive oil mixture to the bowl with yeast and honey. Stir 3 to 4 times until the flour has moistened.

Let sit for another 5 minutes.

4. Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour and the salt. When the dough comes together, transfer to a floured board and knead 10 to 15 times until smooth.

5. Transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl, cover with a warm, damp towel and let rise for 1 hour. (It’s best to let the dough rise in a warmer area of your kitchen).

6. After 1 hour, heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

7. Use two tablespoons of the remaining garlic-olive oil mixture to oil a 9-inch by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. (See above if you do not have this pan size).

8. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet then press it down into the pan. Use your fingers to dimple the dough then drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the garlic olive oil mixture. Let the dough rise for 20 minutes until it puffs slightly.

9. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool baked focaccia bread on a wire rack.

BAKE OFF The Amateurs Meet the baker

Mark Watts Agency Sales Lead

Meet Bak er Mark

Ingredients 2 tsp Fast-action dried yeast 500g Strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting 2 tsp Salt 1 tbsp Olive oil

Pitta t c e f r e P Mark’s reads B

Mark’s Perfect Pitta Breads Method 1.

Mix the yeast with 300ml warm water in a large bowl. Leave to sit for 5 mins until the yeast is super bubbly then tip in the flour, salt and olive oil. Bring the mixture together into a soft dough.

Don’t worry if it looks a little rough round the edges.

2.

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 5-10 mins until you have a soft, smooth and elastic dough. Try to knead using as little extra flour as possible, just enough so that the dough doesn’t stick – this will keep the pittas light and airy. Once kneaded, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to double in size, approximately 1 hour.

3.

Heat oven as high as it will go (ideally 250C/230C fan/gas 9) and put a large baking tray on the middle shelf of the oven to get searingly hot. Divide the dough into eight balls then flatten each into a disc with the palm of your hand. On a lightly floured surface, roll each disc into an oval, around 20cm long, 15cm wide and 3-5mm thick.

4.

Carefully remove the hot tray from the oven. Dust with flour then place your pittas directly onto it – you may have to do this in batches. Return swiftly to the oven and bake for 4-5 mins, or until the pittas have puffed up and are a pale golden colour. Wrap each hot pitta in a clean tea towel once it’s baked to keep it soft while the others cook.

BAKE OFF The Amateurs Meet the baker

Dan Bixby Agency Sales Lead

Meet Bak er Bixby

Ingredients

Method

185g Unsalted butter 185g Best dark chocolate 85g Plain flour 40g Cocoa powder 50g White chocolate 50g Milk chocolate 3 Large eggs 275g Golden caster sugar

1.

Cut 185g unsalted butter into small cubes and tip into a medium bowl. Break 185g dark chocolate into small pieces and drop into the bowl.

2.

Fill a small saucepan about a quarter full with hot water, then sit the bowl on top so it rests on the rim of the pan, not touching the water. Put over a low heat until the butter and chocolate have melted, stirring occasionally to mix them.

3. Remove the bowl from the pan. Alternatively, cover the bowl

loosely with cling film and put in the microwave for 2 minutes

on High. Leave the melted mixture to cool to room temperature.

4. While you wait for the chocolate to cool, position a shelf in

the middle of your oven and turn the oven on to 180C/

160C fan/ gas 4.

Ever t s e B ’s Bixby e Brownies Chocolat

5.

Using a shallow 20cm square tin, cut out a square of nonstick baking parchment to line the base. Tip 85g plain flour and 40g cocoa powder into a sieve held over a medium bowl. Tap and shake the sieve so they run through together and you get rid of any lumps.

6.

Chop 50g white chocolate and 50g milk chocolate into chunks on a board.

7.

Break 3 large eggs into a large bowl and tip in 275g golden caster sugar. With an electric mixer on maximum speed, whisk the eggs and sugar. They will look thick and creamy, like a milk shake. This can take 3-8 minutes, depending on how powerful your mixer is. You’ll know it’s ready when

Bixby’s Best Ever Chocolate Brownies

the mixture becomes really pale and about double its original volume. Another check is to turn off the mixer, lift out the beaters and wiggle them from side to side. If the mixture that runs off the beaters leaves a trail on the surface of the mixture in the bowl for a second or two, you’re there.

8.

Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, then gently fold together with a rubber spatula. Plunge the spatula in at one side, take it underneath and bring it up the opposite side and in again at the middle. Continue going under and over in a figure of eight, moving the bowl round after each folding so you can get at it from all sides, until the two mixtures are one and the colour is a mottled dark brown. The idea is to marry them without knocking out the air, so be as gentle and slow as you like.

9.

Hold the sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and resift the cocoa and flour mixture, shaking the sieve from side to side, to cover the top evenly.

10.

Gently fold in this powder using the same figure of eight action as before. The mixture will look dry and dusty at first, and a bit unpromising, but if you keep going very gently and patiently, it will end up looking gungy and fudgy. Stop just before you feel you should, as you don’t want to overdo this mixing.

11. Finally, stir in the white and milk chocolate chunks

until they’re dotted throughout.

12.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping every bit out of the bowl with the spatula. Gently ease the mixture into the corners of the tin and paddle the spatula from side to side across the top to level it.

13.

Put in the oven and set your timer for 25 mins. When the buzzer goes, open the oven, pull the shelf out a bit and gently shake the tin. If the brownie wobbles in the middle, it’s not quite done, so slide it back in and bake for another 5 minutes until the top has a shiny, papery crust and the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin. Take out of the oven.

14.

Leave the whole thing in the tin until completely cold, then, if you’re using the brownie tin, lift up the protruding rim slightly and slide the uncut brownie out on its base. If you’re using a normal tin, lift out the brownie with the foil. Cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into four squares and finally into triangles.

15. They’ll keep in an airtight container for a good two

weeks and in the freezer for up to a month.

BAKE OFF The Amateurs Meet the baker

Aimee Grimes Partner Account Executive

Meet Bak er Aimee

Ingredients 230g Gluten free plain flour 20g Almond flour 2.5 tsp Gluten free baking powder 80g Butter or margarine 150g Sugar (I use demerara, but caster sugar also works) 2 Medium eggs 2/3 Very ripe bananas Honey, for glazing

ana n a B F Aimee’s G uffins Bread M

Amy’s Gluten Free GF Banana Bread Muffins Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C and line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases.

2. Blend the butter until creamy, then add the sugar and blend again.

3. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.

4. Sift the plain flour, almond flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add to the butter mixture and stir.

5. Mash the bananas and fold into the batter.

6. Fill the muffin cases, about half full, this mix should make 12 large muffins.

7. Place them into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

8. Once baked, remove from oven and drizzle honey on top of each muffin.

BAKE OFF The Amateurs Meet the baker

Sean Stanley Commercial Marketing Events Manager Meet Bak er Sean

Ingredients 400g Polvilho doce flour (found in most Brazilian speciality food stores or you can buy online) 200g Cheddar cheese 4 Medium sized eggs 160ml Semi skimmed milk Pinch of sugar Pinch of salt

zilian a r B t n rillia Sean’s B Bread Balls Cheesy

Sean’s Brilliant Brazilian Cheesy Bread Balls Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C 2. Add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl 3. Mix the ingredients together until a thick dough texture 4. Spoon the dough into your hand and roll into small balls 5. Space dough balls evenly on a greased baking tray 6. Place balls on oven for 20 mins until golden brown on top

BAKE OFF The Amateurs Meet the baker

Geraldine McVeigh Digital Account Manager

Meet Bak er Gerald ine

Ingredients 130g Smooth peanut butter 30g Honey 75g Vanilla whey protein 60g Oat flour (or rolled oats whizzed in a food processor) 30g Chocolate

t ke Peanu a B o N e’s Geraldin Bars in e t o r P r Butte

Geraldine’s No Bake Peanut Butter Protein Bars Method

1. In a large bowl mix the peanut butter and honey.

2. Add in the protein powder and oat flour until it forms a large, slightly dry ball of dough.

3. Place a large piece of cling film over an 8 x 8 inch baking tray so that it hangs over the sides and press the mixture into the tray flattening with your hands so it goes right to the edges.

4. Place the tray into the freezer for around 20 minutes.

5. Whilst the mix is cooling, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave.

6. Remove the tray from the freezer and using the cling film lift it out and onto a chopping board.

7. Cut evenly into 12 bars and either drizzle or coat them all with the chocolate mix.

8. The bars can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

BAKE OFF The Amateurs Meet the baker

Adrian English Agency Investment Lead

Meet Bak er Adrian

Ingredients 1kg Strong Bread Flour 625ml Tepid Water 30g Fresh Yeast (or x3 sachets dried yeast) 1 Level tablespoon of sugar 1 Level tablespoon of salt Any additional flavour additives, olives, rosemary, poppy seeds Extra flour for dusting

inners g e B ’s n Adria ecipe R d a e r B

Adrian’s Beginners Bread Recipe Method 1.

Pile the flour on to a clean surface and make a large well in the centre. Pour half your water into the well, then add your yeast, sugar and salt and stir with a fork.

2.

Slowly, bring in the flour from the inside of the well. You don’t want to break the walls of the well, or the water will go everywhere.

Continue to bring the flour in to the centre until you get a stodgy, porridge consistency – then add the remaining water. Continue to mix until it’s stodgy again, bringing in all the flour to make it less sticky. Flour your hands and pat and push the dough together with all the remaining flour. (Certain flours need a little water, so feel free to adjust.)

3.

Kneading - with a bit of elbow grease, simply push, fold, slap and roll the dough around, over and over, for 4 or 5 minutes until you have a silky and elastic dough.

4.

Flour the top of your dough. Put it in a bowl, cover with cling film, and allow it to prove for about half an hour until doubled in size – ideally in a warm, moist, draught-free place like an airing cupboard or boiler room. This will improve the flavour and texture of your dough.

5.

Once the dough has doubled in size, knock the air out for 30 seconds by bashing it and squashing it. You can now shape it or flavour it as required – folded, filled, tray-baked, whatever – and leave it to prove for a second time for 30 minutes to an hour until it has doubled in size once more. This is the most important part, as the second prove will give it the air that finally ends up being cooked into your bread, giving you the fresh bread texture.

6.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Very gently place your bread dough on to a flourdusted baking tray and into the preheated oven.

Don’t slam the door or you’ll lose the air that you need. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked and golden brown. You can tell if it’s cooked by tapping its bottom – if it sounds hollow it’s done, if it doesn’t then pop it back in for a little longer

7. Once cooked, place on a rack and allow it to

cool for at least 30 minutes.

BAKE OFF The Amateurs Meet the baker

Tom Patterson Group Digital Manager

Meet Bak er Tom

Ingredients 150g Plain Flour 150g Caster Sugar 120g Rolled Oats 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda 150g Vegan Butter Spread 1 tbsp Golden Syrup (Maple or Agave is also fine) 70g Vegan chocolate of your choice

egan V y t s a Tom’s T obnobs H Chocolate

Tom’s Tasty Vegan Chocolate Hobnobs Method 1. Preheat your oven to 180C/350F, and grease a couple of baking sheets (baking parchment or greaseproof paper will work too).

2. Mix all your dry ingredients into a bowl. So that’s: flour, sugar, oats, and bicarb.

3.

Put the vegan butter and syrup in a saucepan and melt on a medium heat. Vegan spread doesn’t usually go translucent like traditional butter, but once it’s melted to a liquid with the syrup then it’s good to go.

4. But your buttery syrup into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix together to a soft dough.

5. Take a piece of dough and roll into a ball. You’re looking at a size between a walnut and a golf ball.

6. Place the dough balls onto baking trays, leaving space between them as they will spread.

7. Bake for 10 minutes and then check on them. They are done when they’re a nice deep golden colour.

8.

Once your biscuits have cooled, break up the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heat-proof bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water (double boiler method) and melt. Using a spoon, drizzle the chocolate over your biscuits and leave to set.

BAKE OFF The Amateurs Meet the baker

Emma Willis Commercial Marketing Events Apprentice Meet Bak er Emma

Ingredients 250g Unsalted butter (melted) 125g White caster sugar 125g Golden caster sugar 3 Medium eggs 1 tsp Vanilla extract 275g Plain flour 1 tbsp Cornflour 200g White chocolate chips 250g Biscoff spread 100g Biscoff biscuits (chopped)

Emma’s top tip!

hite W l u f r e d on Emma’s w Biscoff Blondies Chocolate

Practice makes perfect with these. If you end up preferring a gooier middle then bake the blondies for a little less time and if you prefer a cakey texture, bake them for a little longer!

Emma’s Wonderful White Chocolate Biscoff Blondies Method 1. Line a square 9x9 inch tin with baking paper and preheat your oven to 180C or 160C for fan ovens.

10. Leave to cool in the tin for 20-30 minutes until you can lift out without it breaking and then leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

2. Beat your melted butter and sugars together in a bowl until smooth.

11.

3. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the mixture and mix again until combined.

4. Sift in the flour and cornflour and mix until a thick batter is made.

5. Fold through the white chocolate chips.

6. Pour the mixture into your tin and spread evenly.

7. Drop spoonfuls of the Biscoff spread over the batter and swirl through with the spoon.

8. Chop up the Biscoff biscuits so that you have

a mixture of large chunks of biscuit and crumbs.

Sprinkle over the batter.

9.

Bake your blondies in the oven for 25-30 minutes until there is a slight wobble in the middle. Ideally check every couple minutes after 25 have gone.

Not completely necessary but it helps after this stage to place your blondies in a fridge for around an hour to ‘set’ them to the perfect texture as the middle will likely be a lot more fragile than the edges. Cut up and enjoy!

BAKE OFF The Amateurs Meet the baker Lucy Gulliver Client Lead

Meet Bak er Lucy

Ingredients Bread 100g (4oz) Unsatled butter, softened 175g (6oz) Caster sugar 2 Eggs 2 Ripe bananas, mashed 225g (8oz) Self-raising flour (It is fairly easy to make your own self-raising flour if you can’t find any. Just add 2 teaspoons of baking powder for each 150g/6oz/1 cup plain flour) 1 tsp Baking powder 2 tbsp Milk 1tsp Vanilla essence

Butter 100g Unsalted butter, softened 50g Icing sugar 1tsp Cinnamon 1tsp Vanilla essence

lissful B ’s y c u L Loaf Banana

Lucy’s Blissful Banana Loaf Method 1. Lightly grease the loaf tin and line it with non-stick baking parchment. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 2.

Measure all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat for about 2 minutes, until well blended; you could use a hand mixer for a smoother bread, but you can also beat by hand with a wooden spoon which is better if you want some banana lumps to remain

3.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface. Bake for about 1 hour, until well risen and golden brown. DON’T open to door to check if you can help it!

4. A fine skewer/thin knife inserted in the centre of the cake should come out clean if it’s properly baked.

5.

Meanwhile, to make the cinnamon butter, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the icing sugar, cinnamon and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated.

6.

Leave the cake to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then loosen with a small palette knife and turn the cake out. Remove the lining paper and leave on a wire rack to cool completely.

7. Serve the banana bread sliced with the cinnamon butter on the side, ready to spread on top like butter on bread.

For Chocolate Banana Bread 8. Add in 40g cocoa powder, and 75g choc chips into the main recipe 9. Once the bread has cooled, spread the cinnamon butter on top as icing & wait to harden a little before slicing & serving

BAKE OFF The Amateurs Meet the baker

Jude Owusu-Ansah Agency Sales Assistant

Meet Bak er Jude

Ingredients 2 cups of all-purpose flour Three-quarter to 1 cup of lukewarm water A quarter cup of sugar One and a half teaspoons of active dry yeast A quarter teaspoon of nutmeg A pinch of salt Oil for deep frying

reat G ’s e d u J uts n o D n i a Ghan

Jude’s Great Ghanain Donuts Method 1. In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients including the flour, sugar, yeast, nutmeg and salt.

2.

Pour in the lukewarm water about a quarter cup at a time until the consistency of the batter is like really thick cake batter. The dough should be fairly elastic. Depending on your flour, you might use a whole cup of water, but add the water little by little so you don’t end up adding too much.

3. Set the mixture aside allowing it to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

4. Once the donut mixture is almost double in size, heat up oil for deep frying up to about 350-355F. 5.

Using an ice cream scoop, drop the batter into the hot oil gently without overcrowding the pan. Do not fret when it sinks to bottom as it rises after a few seconds.

6.

Once one side of the donuts are lightly browned, turn and continue to fry until the donuts are done. The whole frying process for each batch should take about 5 minutes.

7. Drain the puff puff and serve warm with strawberry jam, or just on their own! You’ll find them to be quite addictive!

8.

As you can see, these are quite simple to make and much easier to demolish! I usually prepare a dish of puff puff for breakfast especially on my way to work. They’re very portable and make for an easy snack.