Bed and Breakfast Baking Recipes.

ABIGAIL’S BED AND BREAKFAST INN – keeper RECIPES.

I have often been asked for a baking recipe from guests who have enjoyed our hospitality and like the idea of having food baked or made “from scratch”. More often than not as they are leaving. I just hate the idea of giving them a recipe that may be wrong because I have written it down very quickly. Also I am used to working in grams instead of ounces and often do not have the time to convert for their use. After all what if I get it wrong …… once too often I have played with the chemistry of baking to my detriment and the trash can (we call it dustbin in Zimbabwe) has been the beneficiary of my disasters! Its not so bad when I have a flop but I would hate to know that I have been the cause of baking stress for anyone else. I have decided therefore to add my recipes to my news page and hope that they all work out for you. Especially those that I have been asked for by our guests. I am one of those bakers and cooks who tend to take chances. I now know not to mess around with baking on the first try – mmm maybe the second! As they say on the “Great British Baking Show” just BAKE…

Email me is you have any questions on innkeeper@abigailsbandb,com

CRANBERRY SCONES well liked by our guests passed on by a former innkeeper.  01/12/2021

3 cups of flour

1/2 cup of sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Place the dry ingredients into a bowl together and stir.

3/4 cup of butter cold

Take a grater and grate the butter into the dry ingredients

1 cup of cranberries

1/2 cup of flaked almonds

grated rind of one lemon and one orange

mix the above with a fork into the dry ingredients and grated butter.

1 cup of buttermilk

slowly pour the buttermilk into the above ingredients in the bowl stirring gently with a fork until they all come together. It is important not to over mix the dough. Once you see it come together adding a little extra buttermilk if needed although not too much just be careful. Tip the dough out onto a lightly flour surface and pat into a circle about 3/4 inches thick. Cut into the size that your require either 6 large or 12 medium. Once that is done place them onto a baking sheet slightly apart.

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice

2 tablespoons of thick cream or buttermilk

Brush the scones with the cream or buttermilk and sprinkle the tops with the mixed sugar and pumpkin spice.

Bake in a hot oven of about 380 degrees for 10 to 15 mins. or until golden brown and hollow sounding at the bottom.

You can substitute the cranberries, nut for raisins, apricots, mixed seeds, diced apple or any dried fruits and nuts.

FRENCH STRAWBERRY CAKE (passed on to me from another Innkeeper) 09/25/2019

This is stunningly simple and light. Perfect for a light brunch or dessert. I have also used frozen blueberries in this recipe quite successfully. This will served eight people quite easily and idea with freshly whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream.

If I use a pie dish I use two and make 1 1/2 x the recipe and make 16 portions. Other wise use a 9 inch round cake pan. Make sure to spray it well with non-stick and flour it so that your cake does not stick to the pan. I also bake it at 350 degrees for about 35 – 40 minutes. The cake will be golden bown on top with a crispy sugary crust. Also the centre make be a bit like a custard. Its delicious.

Take 16 ounces of strawberries or frozen blueberries. If using strawberries clean, cut into four and wash. Leave to dry throughly on a paper towel until you are ready to use them.

Other ingredients:         

PART A.

1 Stick of butter

1 cup of sugar ( 1/4 cup of sugar to sprikle on top of the cake)

2 large eggs

1 tsp Vanilla or 1/2 tsp Almond Essence

1/2 cup buttermilk or 1/2 full cream

PART B.

1 1/3 cup of all purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp Baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

METHOD:

PART A. Cream the butter and sugar till pale in color. Add the eggs one at a time whilst continuing to beat. This mixture will curdle but that is okay. Add the vanille essence and beat once again. Add the buttermilk or cream at this stage and beat once again.

PART B. Put the flour, baking powder, salt in to a bowl. Take the strawberries or blueberries and add them to the dry ingredients. Gently mix and cover the berries in flour.

Take PART A  and stir gently into PART B until all the dry ingredients and berries are incorporated. Do not over mix. Baking mixes do not like to be overworked. Pour the mixture into the baking pan. Take the 1/4 cup of sugar and I know it seems a lot but it is necessary and sprinkle it over the top of the mixture.

“Just BAKE“…

SPINACH AND FETTA CHEESE MUFFINS

These are an all time favorite of mine for breakfast or for brunch. I normally serve them warm with lots of butter and believe it or not Marmalade Jam. The sweetness works really well with the saltiness of the fetta cheese. You can use large muffin cupcake papers or smaller ones. This recipe makes 6 large or 12 small muffins. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake until golden brown for about 30 mins. or until a knife comes out clean and not covered with uncooked mixture.

PART A.

2 ounces of melted salted butter

2 eggs

1 cup of buttermilk

PART B.

1 cup of all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp djon mustard

1/2 tsp paprika

PART C.

6 ounces of spinach  (just put the leaves into a frying pan with a tablespoon of oil and quickly fry for a few seconds till wilted – allow to drain of all liquid before using)

6 ounces of fetta cheese crumbles

METHOD:

Beat PART A ingredients together. Place all of the PART B ingredients into a bowl. Mix well. Add PART A ingredients to PART B ingredients and mix together gently then add PART C and continue to mix. Do not mix for long as to avoid over mixing.

Spoon into greased muffin cups either 6 large or 12 small.

“Just BAKE“…

I have a wonderful recipe for a Waffle Mix at the bottom of my last newsletter in August and one for easy Gluten Free Almond Cookies in my March newsletter. Here are the links:   INNKEEPER WAFFLE RECIPE       GLUTEN FREE ALMOND COOKIES

GEORGIES’ SHORTBREAD RECIPE

I stumbled upon this receipe for shortbread from Georgie in my old Lilfordia School Cookbook. A book that was put together and published when my son Matthew was still at school. All the parents were asked by their children to give them a recipe to put into the book to raise funds from the sale of the book. To date it has followed me to many places, lastly being America I hope. The book was published in 2001. It is filled with so many wonderful recipes from hard working mums, farmers wives and I am sure a lot of them were passed down through generations. Sadly the farmers have gone from Zimbabwe and most of us Zimbabweans are spread throughout the world, apart from our families and a long way away from our birth home. Thankfully we still have an extremely strong network. Now this shortbread is just perfect, soft and crumbly. Perfect for teatime…

I have added a bit of salt that brings out the flavor and contrasts just slightly with the sweetness.  On occassion I have added lavendar, lemon and orange zest just to change the flavor slightly. I use a pie dish or brownie pan that I spray. I then bake the Shortbread at 350 degrees for about 35 – 40 mins. It should be slighty brown on the edges and golden on the top. When you remove it from the oven sprinkle the top liberally with fine sugar and cut into slices. I normally get twelve. Leave then to cool completely before removing from the dish otherwise it will crumble.

PART A

10 ounces of butter ( salted or unsalted)

PART B

5 ounces of cornflour

10 ounces of flour

5 ounces fine sugar

1/2 tsp salt

METHOD:

This is so simple just put PART B into a food processor followed by PART A. Blend at high speed until just crumbly and butter mixed through. Do not over mix at it will turn into a dough and that is not what you want. You need the crumble. Empty the mix into your greased pie dish. Press mix down fairly hard with your fingers and make sure it is evenly spread. Bake. Enjoy! See… simple.

VEGAN MUFFIN BASE (can survive up to seven days in the fridge)

This is a recipe that I have fiddled with over the years of my Innkeeping. I was looking for something that would last a few days in the fridge during our quiet time here and for our one nighters leaving early. I wanted to be able to give them a warm muffin in the mornings for the road with a cup of coffee. I also wanted to be able to add different things to the muffins in the way of blueberries, raspberries, bananas, nuts, chocolate etc. I also wanted a muffin mix that was dairy free as the dairy tends to not last as long as the seven days. Also it is perfect for my vegan visitors. This came from a recipe book that a guest sent me in the early weeks of my Innkeeping experience. I was brand new to dietary requirements. In Zimbabwe you eat everything unless it really disagrees with you and because we rarely came across anyone with an allergy only the odd visitor to the country. I was a week into the job when I had a vegan guest for a week. I nearly fell apart – how do we cater for vegans. Well fortunately I am no stranger to vegetables and they gave me a very strong base. Baking well that was another story … however I managed to feed her for a week and she left fairly happy I like to think. She knew I had never had to feed a vegan before and obviously took pity on me. I received an amazing vegan baking recipe book in the post from her a week later. I have to tell you though – a year later she returned with her husband to stay and was no longer a vegan. Poof – my plan to impress her with my vast vegan knowledge failed!

This recipe makes 12 small muffins or 6 large muffins. They take approximately 25 mins. to bake or until golden brown and knife comes out clean. Bake at 350 degrees.

PART A

1 cup of orange juice (bottled)

1/2 cup of canola oil

2 tsp vanilla essence

1/4 tsp almond essence

PART B

2 cups of all purpose flour

2/3 cup of fine sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

METHOD:

Place all of the ingredients from PART A into a food processor and beat well. Take the ingredients from PART B and add to PART A. Mix well. Place mixture into a sealed container for use. That is how simple this is. When I need to bake a muffin I place a tablespoon of the mix into a greased muffin cup, put some berries or seeds etc. into the middle and then spoon another tablespoon of the mix on top of the filling. Sometimes I add a bit extra to the top. Just “BAKE” ….