Batch Baking?

sarahsarah

Hello, I did do a search for this but couldn't find anything..

I mostly bake twice a week and do maybe 1 or 2 things each time, eg today i did 12 iced fingers and 12 choc chip cookies. However I know they will all be gone by tomorrow and we still end up buying a fair amount of biscuits etc which I'd rather not do. Also my elder dd is starting on packed lunched in September and I'm hoping to persuade DH to take his lunch more often too.
So I'd like to spend one morning a week doing a huge bake with enough cakes/biscuits etc to last us for a week. I was thinking I'd move the shelf out of the top oven into the bottom (if it fits) and keep the oven going all morning..

Need ideas & tips of what to bake/how much of each/any tips to make it easier on the washing up and easier on the electric bill.

Thanks :-)

angchris

sorry cant help...the more i bake the more we eat, my partner will graze untill its all gone even though i think theres enough for the week it`ll be gone in 2 days. best not to cook at all in this house

Nicki

Twinks hobnobs make quite a few biscuits and traybakes are also easy to do. Even without an extra shelf I could easily get 4 trays of cake in my oven which would make around 18 slices each.

On washing up, I line my trays with baking parchment, and reuse for each batch of biscuits in any one session, then discard. The tray only needs a cursory wash at the end doing this.

To stop everything being scoffed too quickly, you can freeze a percentage of what you make and just bring them out as required. Cakes and biscuits seem to freeze quite well IME.

cakemaker

To get round everyone eating the biscuits, I make a huge batch, cook 1 tray and form the rest, open freeze and put into a bag once solid. Then I just cook from frozen how many I need, or enough for a day or so. Not the most economical on fuel, but they do last longer!!

kittendothroar

I second the hobnobs as are fabulous and quick to make but have to hide them from my partner as he will scoff the lot! I normally get them done first and bake a 1/2 size batch which gives us 21 hobnobs, which keep for the week and whilst they are baking I either make muffins or fairy cakes using the mixer, and using the same bowl from weighing out the biscuit ingredients, when the biccies come out, they go in and take 20 minutes, by then the biccies have cooled enough and can be placed in a tin. For the cakes I tend to use a basic recipe from goodtoknow site and tweak as to what needs using up - anything from dried fruit to broken up bits of chocolate. After xmas I used up the Christmas sweets this way! Can also freeze but keep in tin 5 days easily if un-iced. I also use Stork margarine for all my baking, butter is too expensive now. For cooking the biscuits I use a silicon sheet and 2 sheets of baking parchment, which I re-use several times before cutting off a new sheet.

rachbc

How many of you are there? I bake one batch a week and when its gone its gone - they are slowly realising this and making it last. Your not doing your family any favours by baking more than that for them - even homemade cookies are not great health wise!

oldtractor

I batch bake once a week. bread,cakes, biscuits ,quiche

[Deleted User]

batch bake by all means then hide them if you can.I have 5 strapping grandsons that can make a weeks baking vanish.My DD has got crafty and the boys havn't yet cottoned on that Mum has stashed her yummy cookies out of sight

Linda32

Hi,

Do you have a freezer, if so this is your friend. Someone at work froze all but 2 of her mince pies at xmas so that she couldn't eat them all.

Recently I made a simple fruit loaf and froze half straight away, same with muffin, cakes, whatever.

I've recently been given a large qty of eggs so will make the sponge part of a victoria sandwich. This will be cut in half straight away and froze, then I shall just bring out half at a time.

So, by all means make a batch of whatever, but only have a few defrosted at a time. A few being just enough for lunch boxes ;)