Happy New Year - this is the year of THE BAKERY!

I know, I know! I haven't been around in ages! I do apologise, but I promise there are legit reasons for this.
This year is going to be an exciting one that's for sure and let me tell you why!

1. I have been to a Christmas fair with loads of baked goodies at the end of December. If you are interested check the last edition of Bread Magazine for the entire story!

2. I have started the year baking and watching Star Wars! The best combo! These two breads were baked just before and just after 12 o'clock on 1st of January 2015!
Here is to a New Bread Year!

2. Beginning of January I  have wrapped up my corporate life and I am now unemployed. It's been 11 years in the corporate world and guess what? I had to get out! No, being unemployed is not a bad thing! Because:

4. I am working at opening a bakery, at starting to bake for a living, so stay close as I will try to keep you informed with the latest developments!

xoxo bread addicts!

Strawberry and black pepper meringues

It was a good long weekend this one. I've baked some amazeballs eclairs for one of my friend's birthdays and celebrated her with rose wine as well! What's not to like?

It was a sunny Sunday as well, which meant going to the park and also ordering our Christmas tree. I can honestly say this is one of the best trees I've ever had! Can't wait for Sunday to dress it all up with our friends.

I say it was sunny, but boy was it cold, so we rushed home from the park to bake these beauties. They are beauties: meringues flavoured with strawberries and black pepper. 

Ingredients (made around 60 one bite kisses):

175gr egg whites

350gr sugar

2 tbsp freeze dried strawberry

1/4tsp freshly ground pepper

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 200C. 

Place sugar in an oven proof dish that you have previously lined with parchment paper and put the sugar in the oven for around 10 minutes. This is a tip I got from the Meringue Girls book, as well as the flavour idea :). Heating up the sugar apparently makes the mixture more stable ;). It does work!

While the sugar is in the oven start mixing your egg whites at a medium speed until you get soft peaks.

Remove the sugar from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 100C.

Start adding your hot sugar one tablespoon at the time and increase the speed of your mixer to medium high. Unfortunatelt it will be quite difficult to do this without a mixer, but hey if you feel adventurous go for it! It is definitely a good workout!

When the mixture is glossy and starts to form hard peaks add your dried flavouring ingredients: the freeze dried strawberry powder and the pepper.

Continue beating until all the sugar is added and then beat some more, for about 5-8 minutes on a high speed until you all the sugar is dissolved (you shouldn't feel a lot of sugar if you rub a bit of the mixture between your fingers).

While the mixer is doing its job, line two baking trays with parchment paper and prepare your piping bag.

Transfer the mixture to your piping bag and pipe the meringues on the tray. Play with it, I honestly still can't pipe them all completely uniform, but hey that's the charm of home made meringues isn't it?

Bake the meringues at 100C for about 3 hours and then turn the oven off and leave them inside even over night to dry them up further. I have removed mine as I still like a bit of a gooey centre.

That's it! Now you are ready to stuff your face and trust me you soooooo will!

xoxo bread addicts!

Obsessing over baguettes

I really don't have much time today, guys! It's crazy crazy town here. You won't believe it, but it's been so crazy that I didn't even have time to bake some proper bread lately.

I have baked some raisin cookies though and will surely tell you all about them soon, as they are scrumptiously good and remind me so much of my childhood and grandpa and great grandma.

Today it's just a photo day, photos of my first try at baking Tartine style baguettes. 

As you can see the scoring is not there yet and the crumb needs to open up more, but I am working on it!

I will share the recipe for these beauties with you soon! I promise!

xoxo bread addicts!

Friday morning finds: ceramics, cards and a lovely watch

It's a gloomy, grey day in London today, so I though I'll share some finds that I am completely in love with.

    1. Oh My Home       2. The Horse Watch     3. RowensCo

I am off, have lots to plan for an incoming project. Will fill you in soon! Wish me luck!

xoxo bread addicts!

Happy Monday meringues

Today it's a big day for me. Today Romania's new President was announced and I am really pleased that it is the guy I voted for. I am not going to go into the politics discussion, I am just happy that after all the trouble lots of people have gone through, waiting for hours in front of embassies and consulates all over the world, we managed to make a difference.

Here is to all of us Romanians! Let's hope he will be all the things we expect him to be. To celebrate this joyful day, I thought I'll make some meringues and share the beautiful pictures with you! Smile it's sugary Monday!

I promise I will give you guys the recipe soon, but today I just wanted to make it about celebratory colours!

xoxo bread addicts!

Eclairs, éclairs, éclairs

I haven't got much time today, but just wanted to share with you my latest éclair adventure.

I've baked these for a BBQ this weekend and they were a massive success! So pleased!

Here they are:

1. Valrhona chocolate and coffee ganache with a coffee and chocolate glaze

2. Passionfruit caramel with cinnamon mascarpone cream and pieces of apple.

Aren't they lovely? Will give it a go at sharing the glaze and ganache recipes with you soon, I promise!

xoxo bread addicts!

Old school steam fun fair

It's a regular grey autumn day in London today, even though it has started with a lovely coloured sky covered in traitorous moving clouds, so I thought I'll share some happy images with you guys, from a day out we have spent earlier this summer at an old school steam fun fair. Yes, it was summer, just ignore the grey clouds. It was summer and all the rides were shiny, the cotton candy was pink and extra sweet and we loved it.

I don't know about you, but I simply love that all school mechanical music that follows you from ride to ride, even though it doesn't really remind me of my childhood. I suppose it's not the fact that I have spent my childhood in a communist country that didn't think much about entertaining the young generation, but the fact that I am too young to have been to a steam fun fair anyway.

I was a bit disappointed when Fi point blank refused to go on the carousel and I soooo wanted a ride on the horses... Next time I'll just brave all the looks and just do the ride alone ;).

I am out now guys, tomorrow we have a big bbq with friends and then fireworks, so really need to prepare!

xoxo bread addicts!