|
||||||||
Learning to bake - where to start? |
![]() |
|
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
|
#1 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Up the creek
Posts: 84
|
Learning to bake - where to start?
I have never really tried baking (apart from at school) but I have a toddler and money is tight so I thought now is a good time to start! I would particularly like some healthy (and cheap!) ideas that we can all eat but would also be good for sending to nursery. However I could really do with some advice as to what sort of things are really (and I mean really!) easy and quick to do. Any ideas would be hugely appreciated
|
|
|
|
|
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
|
|
|
#2 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Oop North, England, UK
Posts: 7,084
|
There are some good books and websites out there, but try your local council's lifelong learning department if it has one, or your local college, they may offer short courses for beginners which can be relatively inexpensive or even free depending on your circumstances. There are commercial courses but they tend to be a bit more costly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#3 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Sitting at my PC
Posts: 9,434
|
Get cookery books from your local charity shop. They are cheap, often unused, and you are helping a good cause.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#4 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: NE England
Posts: 2,491
|
Buy a bero book, classic and simple recipes. Morrisons supermarkets sell them, not sure about elsewhere.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#5 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Devon
Posts: 48,040
|
Baking is very in these days and today, pancake day, is a good day to start, all you need is flour, milk and eggs, a bowl, a whisk and a frying pan. After cooking them you can fill them with whatever you like, savoury or sweet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#6 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 226,272
|
Night school !
|
|
|
|
|
|
#7 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 8,709
|
Chocolate Crispy cakes are the easiest things to start cooking. Sponge cakes are good and easy - 4oz self-raising flour, 4 oz butter, 4 oz sugar, 2 eggs. cream the butter and sugar together add the eggs add a tablespoon of flour with the last egg add the rest of the flour, a spoonful of water (I add a couple of drops of vanilla essence as well) once cooked spread with a little jam and sprinkle the top with sugar.
Find a nice cookery book nothing fancy like Jamie Oliver or Nigella. Buy something that is specifically for baking. I learnt using a Sainsbury best of baking book they don't do it now but I had to buy my Mum a copy from Amazon marketplace as her one was falling apart and missing pages. I recently bought a book from Sainsburys that has some quite simple and easy recipes in. |
|
|
|
|
|
#8 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 21,393
|
My Mum bought me receipe books for beginners when i was younger and just bought my first home. They had basic things in from how to how long to boil an egg, how to make coleslaw and how to bake a classic Victoria Sponge. In fact, i have it in my cupboard now and refer to it a lot. It has a section for fruit, veg, eggs, offal, poultry and puddings / cakes.
I would look out for something similar. I don't know how basic you want to go, but this book has been wonderful for me over the last 20 years. |
|
|
|
|
#9 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,513
|
The Bero books are great - or Mary Berry's
|
|
|
|
|
|
#10 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Guess...
Posts: 18,307
|
Do you have a local library..Have a browse in the cookery section and see if you can find a book that you would get on with at your starter level..then you can always buy the book for keeps if you like it
|
|
|
|
|
|
#11 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lufbra
Posts: 3,149
|
Videojugs a good site, step by step instructions and the ability to watch the recipe actually being made.
Just search for whatever you want. http://www.videojug.com/tag/food-and-drink |
|
|
|
|
|
#12 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 5,709
|
Victoria sponge is the first thing I ever learnt to cook as a child. So straightforward and once you can do that, it's the basis for so many other cakes and puddings. Can't vouch for its healthiness, though, but as long as you only eat it in moderation you'll be fine!
Elliecat gave the recipe, above - although I add milk rather than water, but that's just personal preference. Divide the mixture between two 7-inch sandwich tins that you have smeared with a thin coating of butter and dusted with flour. Smooth the top of the mixture and put into a pre-heated oven at gas 4. Bake for 20-25 mins, checking after 20. The cakes are baked through when they are risen and golden brown and if you press your finger lightly on the top in the centre it feels 'spongy' and springs back. If you prefer, rather than making a sandwich cake, you can spoon the mixture into bun cases and make individual fairy cakes. These would only need 10-15 minutes in the oven, though. Once you've mastered this, you can add all manner of fruits and flavourings to the mixture, or use it to make steamed jam sponges (if you like them) or Eve's pudding, which is basically a layer of thickly-sliced, peeled, cored apples in the base of an oven dish, sprinkled with sugar and a little cinnamon, covered with one quantity of sponge mix, ie the 2-egg quantity given above, and baked in the oven for about 40 mins, by which time the apples should be soft and the sponge cooked through. Serve warm with custard or ice cream. |
|
|
|
|
|
#13 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 9,286
|
Google recipes for flap jacks, yoghurt cereal bars and banana bread. These are baked foods that aren't unforgiving if you lack practice and aren't precise with weights and/or oven temperature. They are very simple to prepare - you could make them with your toddler - and they are relatively healthy additions to a child's lunch box.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#14 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Up the creek
Posts: 84
|
Thanks for all the responses. They've given me a lot to work on. It sounds like I need to do a tour of the local charity shops too!
|
|
|
|
|
|
#15 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Sitting at my PC
Posts: 9,434
|
Also look on the packets of food for recipe books. i have an excellent Oxo cookbook. Not for cake recipes but for dinners and lunches. My Bolognaise sauce recipe is from the tomato puree box. My chocolate chip cookie recipe is from the brown sugar packet.
As someone mentioned, order the Be-R book from The Be-Ro Kitchen, PO Box 100, Blackburn, Lancs BB0 1GR. Send cheque for £2.50 to cover P & P made out to Be-Ro Baking Recipe Book along with your name and address. They are now celebrating their 41st Edition according the information on the side of my bag of flour. |
|
|
|
|
|
#16 |
|
Inactive Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Mid Wales / Canolbarth Cymru
Posts: 37,555
|
You basically need eggs, flour, butter and sugar.
Nearly every cake is basically a combination of these ingredients in different ratios, using different techniques, and additions. All easily and cheaply sourced - try Lidl. |
|
|
|
|
|
#17 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Sitting at my PC
Posts: 9,434
|
I use a basic maderia cake recipe and vary it by adding any of the following:
Lemon zest or lemon flavouring and top with lemon icing sugar Orange zest and top as above Crushed walnuts and top with whole walnuts and icing Chopped Glacé Cherries and top with whole cherries and icing Replace 1 oz (sorry, still in old measures) flour with cocoa powder and top with melted chocolate My OH's favourite: Add orange zest and flavouring to basic cake mix and top with chocolate. If preferred, slice through and sandwich with marmalade. Hey Presto! Jaffa cake! |
|
|
|
|
|
#18 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Essex
Posts: 16,223
|
videojug and youtube have tons of tutorials, right from the basics.
As for what to cook, i am assume that you are referring to cakes, biscuits, cookies, etc or do you have something else in mind ? |
|
|
|
|
|
#19 |
|
Inactive Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 53
|
Delia is my favourite cookery writer. Then practise is your best bet. Don't give up as it won't all come right to start with.
|
|
|
|
![]() |
|
All times are GMT. The time now is 17:41.


