Englishmum

My daughter arrived from London last night......and because her body clock is still on UK time she woke me up at 6am, serenading me with playing her acoustic guitar - very nice indeed but could have done with it a few hours later LOL!

She's now got the urge to cook and has been looking through my UK and Aussie cookery books....she wants to make gingerbread men and some fairy cakes.

What is 'plain' flour in the US? I know that self-raising is called 'self-rising' but is plain flour also known as 'all-purpose' flour?

Got a guilt trip now as I haven't baked for ages......

TN-Dave

All purpose flour is the same as plain flour as we know it.......

britchicknyc

Yep - actually really hard to find self raising flour round here.

Yummy - gingerbread men sounds good!!!

TN-Dave

we have a 'co-op. down here that sells stuff by the scoop, like some of the health food shops used to in the high streets back home.... they usually have a different types of flour including self-raising.

Angry White Pyjamas

Acoustic guitar? Homebaking? She sounds like some kind of subversive commie hippie to me. Whats wrong with some good old Christian Rock and a McDonalds?

Thydney

You'll need to check for 'herbs' in your ginger bread man like dude

Leslie

Oh God I'm so hungry I could eat an aardvark's asshole.

TN-Dave

Do they have them on the Xmas menu at Ruby Tuesday's ?

Thydney

Yes but they're better when they are softvarks the ard ones hurt your mouth

franc11s

Yep, plain ol' all purpose.. Now, do you remember what a "scant" cup of flour is

Made a yorkshire pudding yesterday to go with our Lamb sunday roast (yep, lamb).. Boy, it was the best I ever made. I made it in a bread tin following a Jamoie oliver recipe I had and for the first time, the bloody think rose 6 inches (yorkies)... Bloody lovely..... piss easiest recipe ever...

clydegirl

OK then share.I can't make yorkies to save my life.

franc11s

OK.

1 scant cup of all purpose flour (I think scant is not level)
1 and a 1/2 cups of milk (I used 2%)
3 eggs (this threw me because most call for just one)
pinch salt (optional)

lob it all in large jug or bowl and mix it all up (I didn't use an electric whisk, just a hand whisk)

Let sit for 30 mins (room temp) but I don't think that matters.

pour 1/4" to 1/2" fat in bread tin (mine was about 10" x 5" x 5").

pre-Heat oven to 475, heat fat in bread tin - till it's really hot (maybe 15-20 mins at 475).

Give a last stir to the batter. open oven door, quickly poor in batter to tin and shut door (as quick as possible).

takes about 25 mins. Don't open door unless you don't have a glass door and even then, not for at least 20 mins.

Watch the baby rise - let me know how it works for you.... Jamie lobs in sausages into the fat for the first 15 mins and then poors on the batter (for toad in the hole).

Thydney

Thanks Franc but I don't think splatters me wolliver can lay claim to that recipe it's the same one my Mum used and I still use.
PS the sitting for half an hour is important something to do with the protein chains in the mix

franc11s

I hear you. I haven't seen a recipe before calling for 3 eggs though. That's what's so different. Guess him and your mum got it from the same place...

Elvira

How wrong can one be!

I had always envisaged you as some latter-day Mrs Anderson, all right and proper in a pinny, keeping the home fires burning and welcoming hubby and the kiddies to a wondeful home-cooked meal every night!