SCONES, MUFFINS AND CAKES

- METHOD -

If using fresh yeast, stir the yeast and sugar into 3 fl ozl75ml warm water. Thewatershould feel positivelywarm but not hot. Put in a warm place for 20 minutes or until frothing and creamy. Blend the flour with I dessertspoon salt. Rub or stir in the margarine until it has disappeared (there is not enough for it to be evenly distributed throughout the flour, but this will be rectified by kneading). Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast with 13 fI ozl375 ml more warm water.

2 If using easy-blend yeast, blend the flour and salt and rub or stir in the margarine as above. Add and stir in the yeast. Make a well in the middle and pour in % pintl450 ml warm water.

3 Mix to a dough and knead vigorously for at least 5 minutes. At first not all the flour will be taken up, but more will be incorporated as kneading progresses. Treat the dough like dirty washing, pummelling it and pressing it down to the bottom of the bowl. If it seems sticky, add a little extra flour; if much dry flour remains after kneading is finished, tip it out or put the dough into another bowl for rising.

4 Coverwith foodwrap and set in a warm place for3-4 hours or until the dough has' doubled in size. If there is nowhere very warm, wrap the bowl in a blanket or towel.

5 Lightly grease the bread tin(s). 'Knock back' the dough by kneading it again for 2-3 minutes. Shape into I or 2 ovals and press intothe bread tin(s). Coverwith foodwrap and return to a warm place to prove for 25-30 minutes or until it has again doubled in size.

6 Pre-heat the oven to 450°F, 230°C, Gas Mark 8. Heat 2 teaspoons salt with 2 tablespoons water until the salt has dissolved. Paint it over the loaf: this produces a crisp crust. Sprinkle with cracked wheat (if using). Make sure that the oven is fully heated. Bake a large loaffor 35 minutes, smallerones for 30 minutes. Tum out of the tin(s) on to a wire rack to cool.

Tofreezethedough

Put the dough into a covered plastic container or wrap in foodwrap after it has been knocked back. When you wish to bake it, you will have to allow up to 4 hours for defrosting. As the yeast is reactivated it will start to rise: knock it back a second time, shape it, put into a tin and set it to prove in a warm place. Bake as before. The dough may be rather softer than when fresh, butthis will not affect the quality of the bread.

- POLENTA-

Describing polenta is difficult: technically, it is baked maize porridge, which does not sound particularly attractive until you stress that it has a crisp top, a melting, creamy texture, especially when made with milk, plus the rich, slightly sweet taste of the maize. You might say that it is the Italian equivalent of Yorkshire pudding or American corn cakes - but it is not at all like either.

Plain polenta is a perfect accompaniment to highly flavoured dishes such as Garlic Mushrooms (see page 84) orCurried Bean Casserole (see page 100); with cheese or cheese and tomatoes on top (in which case it is almost like a version ofpizza) you can eat it alone or with plainer dishes such as Cabbage Cheese (see page 166).

It is as cheap, simple and easy to make as possible but, as is usual with very simple dishes, its success depends on small details. By farthe most important is that it should be boiled for long enough, because otherwise the meal has a slightly Iinseedy, raw taste; similarly you need to bake it in a very hot oven. The importance ofboiling time was stressed to me by the chef Clara Tomasi, and I mention it particularly because one kind of the meal comes in packets which tell you to boil it for only 4-5 minutes, whereas in fact, for really good polenta, it needs to be simmered for at least 20 minutes.

The taste and texture also depend on whether it is made with milk or water or a proportion of each: with water it will be cakier and less creamy than with milk. Personally I think that the best result is achieved with milk plus a little water -or, although on health grounds I should not recommend this, with skim milk, waterand a little cream. (Apart from milk, cream ora cheese top, the only fat it contains is 1/2 ozlI5 g butter.)

The most convenientsortof meal is the so-called 4-5-minute type, which at the moment seems to be available only at good grocers or delicatessens. Ordinary polenta meal, however, can be bought at some supermarkets. Very good, smooth-textured polenta can also be made from the maize flour sold at healthfood shops, but I cannot recommend it because, being much more finely ground than the meal. it forms lumps when made into porridge which have to be pressed out, and also sticks to the saucepan.

In fact, in inverse proportion to frequency of stirring, and more so when made with milk, the coarser meal also sticks to the saucepan to some degree: the instant kind is by far the least difficult in this respect. The problem, however, does not affect the quality of the finished polenta and the saucepan will be as clean as new provided thatyou do notscrape it but leave it to soak.

The porridge can be made in advance - the previous day if you wish (cover and store overnight in the refrigerator). Also, once baked the polenta can be heated up, and may even be better after a second cooking because the top will be crisper and thetexturefirmer (a cheese top will suffer, though, so ifyou mean to reheat it, do not add cheese for the first baking). For 4-6.

• INGREDIENTS .

1% pints/l litre milk, skim milk, water or a mixture (I suggest

11/4 pints/750 ml milk plus

1/2 pintl300 ml water or - less healthy -

I pintl600 ml skim milk plus 14'/2 fl oz/430 ml water and 2 tablespoons double cream)

6 oz/190 g polenta meal or (but not recommended)

8 oz/250 g maize flour

1f2 teaspoon salt

1/2 oz/l 5 g butter

TOPPING(OPTIONAL)

4 oz/125 g strong Cheddar or (especially recommended) Gorgonzola cheese or

4 oz/125 g strong Cheddar cheese and 4-5 tomatoes

81/2 Inehl22 em tart tin or shallow ovenware dish