Pumpkin Pie Spiced Scones

It was another typical Monday, get home at 1.30, have just over an hour before getting boys from school, then heading to gymnastics, before getting home to a late dinner. One day I'll use this time wisely and sit down with a coffee, snack and a book… What I actually do is make myself a coffee & leave it to go cold while I make something for dinner. Today I though it would be a good idea to squeeze in an after school snack too! 

I'd seen pumpkin spiced something (can't remember what) on twitter earlier today and thought the sweet potato scone recipe would adapt well. The butternut squash adds enough natural sweetness so they didn't need extra sugar, but if you prefer a sweeter scone, add about a tablespoon to the flour mix

This makes 6 Scones

120g Gluten Free Self Raising Flour

1/2tsp Baking Powder

1tsp Mixed Spice

1/4tsp Grated Nutmeg

50g Dairy & Soya Free Margarine

100g Mashed Butternut Squash* (or tinned pumpkin puree)

1/2tsp Vinegar or Lemon Juice

30mls Milk Substitute (plus additional for glazing)

*Peel and chop about 2-3cm of the neck of a butternut squash, put in bowl, cover with cling film & microwave for 3-4 mins (depending on size of chunks) or until soft enough to mash.

Put flour, baking powder and spices in a bowl.

Add margarine and rub in until it resembles course breadcrumbs.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix with a knife until just coming together.

Knead lightly (don't overwork scone mix or it becomes tough when baked) until you have a smooth dough.

Tip out of the bowl and gently flatten with your hand until it's about 2.5cm thick (gluten free scones don't rise much when cooked).

Cut out scones and gently reshape dough until all used up. Place on a greased baking tray. I only managed 5 and a bit today!

Brush tops with a little milk substitute.

Bake at 220ºc for 20mins.

Great served warm, fresh from the oven. 

I made a little maple 'butter' by mixing a tsp of maple syrup with about 20g of dairy and soya free margarine, but boys were just as happy to eat the rest plain.

English Muffins (2017 version)

Not quite sure why it's so long since I last made muffins. Buoyed on by by watching Junior Bake Off, Mini Monster wanted something he could make by himself. He managed to make 6 English muffins from my old recipe (done just after he went wheat free). They were great, if a little wet inside, but had all been finished by mid afternoon. So much for having some for this weeks packed lunch! 

My expertise in MEWS free baking has come a long way since those days, so I set about making a second batch with a few tweaks (these did make it to packed lunches, but only because I split and froze some to take out as needed).

These were left under the grill a little longer than I intended...

The pictures don't quite match up with the method as some were taken while Mini Monster was making the first batch with oil, I haven't missed something from the ingredients!

300mls Milk Substitute

100mls Boiling Water

2tsp (1 sachet) Dried Yeast

300g Gluten Free White Bread Flour

60g Dairy & Soya Free Margarine (I used hard Stork that had been left out to soften, but spread would work too)

Polenta (or ground rice) for lining the tray/tins

Mix milk substitute and water in a jug or bowl. Sprinkle on the yeast, stir and set aside for 15 mins to froth.

Ignore the jug of oil, this was the first batch of the day!

Put flour into a bowl, add frothed yeast mixture and beat until a smooth thick batter is formed.

Cover and set aside for 30-40 mins until dough has expanded in size (may not double). This stage is not essential, but as a bread baker pre kids, I always preferred a double rise (think I just do it for psychological reasons now!).

Grease a tray and the inside of 6 baking rings. Sprinkle on polenta to cover evenly.

Add the soft margarine to the dough and beat again with the whisk until evenly incorporated.

Ladle the mixture into the prepared rings. Cover with greased cling film and allow to rise until just below the top of the ring.

Bake at 190ºc for 20-25 minutes, or until the muffins are just coming away from the edges of the tins.

Remove from tins and place on a cooling rack.

Chestnut & Quinoa Biscuits

Thought I'd try something different today. Mainly because I just noticed my chestnut flour is about to go out of date, but also because I know not everyone can tolerate oats so I'm experimenting with different 'flakes'. I often find rice flakes too crispy in a biscuit recipe, I've run out of millet flakes, and I'm trying to find new ways to use quinoa flakes, that disguises the strong flavour.

These worked brilliantly, I think adding quinoa to a biscuit brought out more of a nutty taste, complimented by the sweet, earthiness of the chestnut flour. 

Crispy and 'nutty' as they are.

Filled with chestnut spread & drizzled with chocolate.

This made 15 biscuits (plus the bit I tested in the microwave before baking and the raw mix I ate...)

85g Dairy & Soya Free Margarine (I used hard Stork as I wanted a crisper biscuit)

50g Light Brown Sugar (any would work, will just alter the colour)

35g Date Syrup (would probably work with golden syrup, but I'd use a bit less)

50g Chestnut Flour

50g Gluten Free Self Raising Flour

50g Quinoa Flakes

Melt margarine, sugar and syrup together in the microwave (or in a small pan).

Add flours & flakes and mix well.

Roll into walnut sized balls.

Flatten slightly (I might try them a little thinner next time - and with less sugar).

Bake at 180ºc for 10 minutes, remove from oven to cool if you want a soft cookie, or turn the temperature down to 160ºc and bake for another 10 minutes for a crispier biscuit. This is what I did, although, some did brown a little more on the edges than I wanted, but my oven is not baking evenly at the moment. I might just try 20 minutes at 160ºc next time.

Remove from the oven to cool.

Eat them plain, or fill with chestnut spread and drizzle with melted chocolate. 

Vegetable Pasta Bake

I always struggle to post savoury recipes because I've always cooked by eye & don't measure anything out. We'd just got back from 5 days away and I hadn't been food shopping yet so lunch was a concoction of store cupboard basics, some vegetables that I'd put in the shed over Christmas as no room in fridge, and some bits from the freezer. You could do your own version with whatever you have to hand or what you know your kids will eat.

Cauliflower, carrot & ham pasta bake

Several people asked for the recipe after I posted the above picture on twitter, so I've typed up my best estimate of how I made it. Maybe it could give you an idea of how to do your own version. It's certainly different every time in this house!

250g Dried Gluten Free Pasta (I used Hale & Hearty Rigatoni)

250mls Tomato and Basil Sauce (plus equal quantity of water used to rinse out pot)

2 Carrots (grated)

1/2 Cauliflower (chopped into small pieces)

Ham hock/chopped leftover meat/bacon/sausages (optional)

Frozen sweetcorn/spinach (I'd run out or it would have been in this one)

White Sauce 

500mls Milk Substitute

60g Dairy & Soya Free Spread (I used half and half, spread and garlic oil)

60g Gluten Free Plain Flour

50g Dairy & Soya Free Cheese* (I used Violife Original, grated)

100ml Dairy & Soya Free Cream (optional)

*If you don't want to use a cheese substitute, you can try 1tbsp Nutritional Yeast Flakes to add a savoury flavour.

Melt spread and oil in a pan. Add the flour and mix well, continuing to stir on a low heat for another minute (do not allow it to brown).

Slowly add the milk substitute a little at a time, stirring constantly, until you have a smooth paste.

After this you can add the milk a little quicker to make the sauce. Allow to come to the boil, stirring frequently.

Remove from the heat & stir in the grated cheese, or other flavouring.

Add the dairy free cream, if using, or a little more milk substitute until you have a sauce the consistency of custard. Set aside.

Cook pasta for a couple of minutes less than it says on the pack. Drain off the water. Add the veg, ham, tomato sauce & water.

Stir and bring back to the boil. Pour into a casserole dish, top with the white sauce.

Bake at 220ºc for 40mins (or 20mins, the grill to brown the top if you're short of time like I was!).

Add caption

Blueberry & Lemon Muffins

Needed a quick second breakfast before swimming this morning, so knocked up a batch of these with some slightly wrinkly blueberries from the fridge!

350g Gluten Free Self Raising Flour (I used Orgran today, so needed the higher volume of fluid)

100g Sugar

75mls Vegetable Oil (or melted dairy free spread)

350-400mls Milk Substitute (some flour blends are more 'thirsty' than others)

Vanilla Paste

Zest & Juice of 1 lemon

160g Blueberries

Weigh flour and sugar into a large bowl.

Add oil, milk substitute, lemon & vanilla and mix to a smooth dropping consistency. If it's too thick, add a little more milk substitute.

Stir in the blueberries.

Spoon into a greased muffin tin.

Bake at 190ºc for 25-30mins.

Christmas Pudding Fudge

Well, I didn't quite get this one posted here in time for Christmas, but at least it will be ready for next year…

This was just a batch of Vanilla Fudge, with crumbled Christmas Pudding mixed through. I really wanted to make several batches with different flavours (ginger, cinnamon & orange, amaretto, etc…), but didn't have any more coconut cream.

225g Caster Sugar

45g Dairy Free Spread

160ml Can Coconut Cream 

1/2 tsp Vanilla Paste

100g Crumble Christmas Pudding (I used Coles gluten free one, which is milk, egg, soya, and nut free too) 

Put sugar, spread and coconut cream into a heavy based pan. Heat gently, stirring frequently until the sugar has completely dissolved (do not allow to boil until sugar dissolved).

Bring to the boil without stirring. 

Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 116ºc on a sugar thermometer (or until it forms a soft ball when a small drop is added to a glass of cold water).

Remove the pan from the heat.

Add the vanilla extract and beat with a wooden spoon until thick.

Stir in the Christmas pudding (or other flavouring).

Pour into a greased foil lined tray.

Smooth out to an even thickness (mine didn't quite fill the tin, but just straighten the edge when its the thickness you want).

Use a sharp knife to cut into square and leave to cool completely.

Toad in the Hole

Another variation on a theme…

(Mine didn't brown today, only thing I did different was use almond milk… Still puffed up nicely, was beautifully crisp on the outside & gooey in the middle just as it should be though. Usual complaint from boys, not enough...)

8 Chipolata Sausages

1 Batch of Yorkshire Pudding Batter

1 Eating Apple (cut into wedges)

1 Parsnip (peeled & cut into wedges)

Chopped sage and rosemary (optional)

Put sausages and parsnip in oven at 220ºc for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make up the batter and add the herbs (if using).

Add apple to sausages and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Heat toad in hole tin, with a little oil, until smoking hot.

Pour in the batter.

Top with sausages and veg.

Bake at 220ºc for 25-30mins or until puffed up, browned, and coming away from the sides of the tin.