Reverse Meal Planning

Baileys_Babe

I use approximately the same bread recipe and method, the changes I make are:
• table salt when we don't have any flaked salt
• 40-50g rapeseed oil instead of the butter
• I rarely bother with a topping
• I don't bother mixing with a spoon first, I put it on minimum for a couple of seconds to  incorporate all the dry ingredients 
• instead of a shower cap I use a damp tea towel

Rise times with vary greatly with the room temperature, use the times given only as a guide, the dough needs to double in size.

Pyxis

The good thing about sugar is that it never goes off, so you can keep it for years and still use it. (Ok, it might go hard, but that easily remedied with a good pounding!)

Bluegreen143

ajmoney said:

Bluegreen143 said:

Really struggling to get baking bits still from the supermarket - in desperate need of soft brown sugar and icing sugar. We only have flour because I bulk bought from Shipton Mills but now my white bread flour is starting to look a bit low again (well not really low but the rate I use it, I’ll be lucky if it does me a month). Can’t get the sugar with our Tesco order so I’m going to brave Lidl tomorrow to try and get some.

Do you have an lid! near you?  My local one has had brown sugar and icing sugar all the way through.  I managed to get yeast and bread flour for the first time yesterday. I have never made bread before but have found a couple of recipes I want to try, I have no idea how it will turn out but I am looking to giving it a go.

Thanks! I’m going to try Lidl today. I don’t think they had icing sugar when I was last in but it was weeks ago so worth another try anyway. It seems the smaller the shop the better your chances are and certainly our local Tesco is huge and still cleared out of baking supplies.

I used to do 500g flour, 1tsp yeast, 1tsp salt, a tbsp olive oil and about 300g water for a simple loaf and it worked well. Knead well (I use a mixer), let rise (I cover with cling film) for around 2hr til doubles, knock back and shape in your tin/on your tray and leave for another 45 mins or so. Score the top with a knife and bake in an oven preheated to 220C (turn down to 200 when you put it in) for 30 mins.

I’ve totally moved over to sourdough now as not been able to get yeast for months but tbh the sourdough is so good I don’t mind.

joedenise

DH makes sourdough now, although he had to make do with making a normal white loaf Monday as his sourdough had gone 'off' for some reason - it smelt revolting!  So he's had to get another sourdough starter going so he can make some more.  He much prefer sourdough to normal bread though.

I don't eat either as I only like wholemeal and HM wholemeal is always too heavy!  I also don't like half and half either, LOL!

suki1964

If you have a liquidiser or food processor then just wazz  ( as Jaimie would say ) up granulated until you get icing or castor sugar. I never buy them just make as required

MrsStepford

Bakers.. try a food service company for flour and fresh and dried yeast. Watts Farms delivers London and South East, Wellocks deliver within 25 miles of all of their depots, Brakes is doing similar.  Husband made his second gluten-free loaf last weekend and it was a bit less caveman style than the first one. He was so proud. He made gluten-free pistacchio biscuits too and they were really good. All made with mixes. First one was Barkat brand from https://glutenfree-foods.co.uk  second one was GiFt from Hobbs House Bakery (expensive) https://www.hobbshousebakery.co.uk and the biscuits were from https://seedsofitaly.com  Stage Two, now he's done the mixing and baking bits, is to use real gluten free flour and make bread. Hope he can adapt recipes on this thread xx

If you low carb, I recommend getting a spiraliser, because courgettes make great substitute healthier 'pasta'. we call it courgetti, and shallow fry in a lemon juice-olive oil mix with walnut pieces chucked in. Before lockdown, Poundland was a good place to get nuts. If you have to get nuts in a supermarket, they are cheaper in the baking aisle as no VAT whereas snacks aren't considered food. (ice cream also has VAT on it btw)

Tonight OH is cooking our last burgers. I bought a secondhand cast iron posh American cookshop burger press online, and from now on, we will be making our own. 

Bluegreen143

Managed to “minimise” a courgette by making courgette, peanut butter and chocolate cakes (instead of one big one I did 20 in cupcake tins). So tasty though one tray wasn’t quite done so I left it in then forgot about it... so that tray is slightly well done but I’m sure still tasty. Also did two loaves of sourdough and made overnight oats for tomorrow’s breakfast (banana and chocolate flavour, the kids will be happy but it’s not too unhealthy as just cocoa powder added for flavour and mashed banana for sweetness!).

Got veg box coming tomorrow. Still have some melon (we will eat with breakfast though), one apple, one satsuma, one pear. And veg wise have quite a few bits left including 7(!!) beetroot, most of a bag of kale, about 10(!!) carrots, a full swede, 1/3 Savoy cabbage, a little container of podded peas (was a huge bag pre podding lol), a leek, a courgette, about a kg new potatoes. Any suggestions gratefully received... got millions of eggs from my chickens to use up too. Think I’ll make a quiche tomorrow and do roasted root veg on the side and making soup is a must with all those carrots... and perhaps carrot cake if I get some brown sugar. 

Pyxis

Bluegreen143 said:

Managed to “minimise” a courgette by making courgette, peanut butter and chocolate cakes (instead of one big one I did 20 in cupcake tins). So tasty though one tray wasn’t quite done so I left it in then forgot about it... so that tray is slightly well done but I’m sure still tasty. Also did two loaves of sourdough and made overnight oats for tomorrow’s breakfast (banana and chocolate flavour, the kids will be happy but it’s not too unhealthy as just cocoa powder added for flavour and mashed banana for sweetness!).

Got veg box coming tomorrow. Still have some melon (we will eat with breakfast though), one apple, one satsuma, one pear. And veg wise have quite a few bits left including 7(!!) beetroot, most of a bag of kale, about 10(!!) carrots, a full swede, 1/3 Savoy cabbage, a little container of podded peas (was a huge bag pre podding lol), a leek, a courgette, about a kg new potatoes. Any suggestions gratefully received... got millions of eggs from my chickens to use up too. Think I’ll make a quiche tomorrow and do roasted root veg on the side and making soup is a must with all those carrots... and perhaps carrot cake if I get some brown sugar. 

Spanish omelettes? (Eggs and various veg inc. peas)

Veg casserole topped with sliced potatoes and grated cheese? With roast Savoy cabbage?

Kale crisps? (Yum yum!)

The fruit and a couple of carrots.......giant mixed smoothie?

I will have to pass on the beetroot, as it is the one veg I really don't like. I've heard that they can be nice roasted, though, so you could roast some alongside the cabbage to accompany the veg casserole?

joedenise

I'd definitely be roasting the beetroot with the other veg.  If you have any LO roasted beetroot you can then pickle them, whole if they are small or sliced if bigger.  Just need to pour boiled vinegar over the beetroot in a sterilised jar.  Will keep for ages.

Carrots would definitely be soup and carrot cake.  You don't specifically need brown sugar for carrot cake I often used to make it with white sugar.

The leeks and potatoes can be layered and covered with veg stock, cover with foil and bake in the oven for about an hour.  Remove the foil and brown the top potatoes for about 10-15 minutes - a bit like a Boulanger potatoes.  Alternatively, more soup!

Kale crisps are nice and also very healthy - just keep an eye on them while they're baking as they burn very quickly!  I speak from experience, LOL!

greenbee

Roasted beetroot with feta and chives as salad. Carrots roasted with turmeric, ginger and cumin and then blitzed with stock for soup.