END OF THE SUMMER

Today was another sunny “end of summer day” in our little kingdom and was a perfect reason to have a walk through Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, Westminister, then to the Borough Market by the riverside.

There was the Real Food Market in Southbank. Queen’s Walk was surprisingly uncrowded. Even the Founders Arms in Blackfriars was half empty and we enjoyed our cidres there on the riverside under the sun. Then we headed to the Borough Market for a yummy duck sandwich.

Afternoon, we went to our first “afternoon tea” in London. In Turkey we call the afternoon tea “five o’clock tea”, that’s why we reserved our table for five o’clock in Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum&Mason.

We tried two of the three afternoon tea options, the traditional and the savoury ones. We were happy to combine both and to have the chance of trying different tastes. Because of not writing a afternoon tea “quality” critic here, as a couple who has a good tea and patisserie culture, we can just say that it was nice to live the traditional English afternoon tea experience in a place like Fortnum&Mason but that’s it.

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LONDON’S DOORS 2

Doors from London. Again…

(More London doors)

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HOT CROSS BUNS

We tasted first time the hot cross buns after moving to UK. We like their fluffy, sticky texture, cinnamonny smell and chewing the sultanas inside. Normally we buy them from Tesco but lately we found less guilt feeling version with less calories in Waitrose and they were as good as the others. We are not addict of hot cross buns but we like chewing them sometimes while  drinking our tea.

We were talking about learning to bake our homemade hot cross buns and today was the most appropriate time to learn this Easter classic normally eaten on Good Friday. After a quick search, we decided to try BBC Good Food’s recipe between four recipes we choosed before and spot on! Best hot cross buns recipe ever:

For the buns:

300ml full-fat milk , plus 2 tbsp more

50g butter

500g strong bread flour

1 tsp salt

75g caster sugar

1 tbsp sunflower oil

7g sachet fast-action or easy-blend yeast

1 egg, beaten

75g sultanas

50g mixed peel

zest 1 orange

1 apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1 tsp ground cinnamon

For the cross:

75g plain flour , plus extra for dusting

For the glaze:

3 tbsp apricot jam

Bring the milk to the boil, then remove from the heat and add the butter. Leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature. Put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Pour in the warm milk and butter mixture, then add the egg. Using a wooden spoon, mix well, then bring everything together with your hands until you have a sticky dough.

Tip on to a lightly floured surface and knead by holding the dough with one hand and stretching it with the heal of the other hand, then folding it back on itself. Repeat for 5 mins until smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hr or until doubled in size and a finger pressed into it leaves a dent.

With the dough still in the bowl, tip in the sultanas, mixed peel, orange zest, apple and cinnamon. Knead into the dough, making sure everything is well distributed. Leave to rise for 1 hr more, or until doubled in size, again covered by some well-oiled cling film to stop the dough getting a crust.

Divide the dough into 15 even pieces (about 75g per piece). Roll each piece into a smooth ball on a lightly floured work surface. Arrange the buns on one or two baking trays lined with parchment, leaving enough space for the dough to expand. Cover (but don’t wrap) with more oiled cling film, or a clean tea towel, then set aside to prove for 1 hr more.

Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Mix the flour with about 5 tbsp water to make the paste for the cross – add the water 1 tbsp at a time, so you add just enough for a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle. Pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses. Bake for 20 mins on the middle shelf of the oven, until golden brown.

Gently heat the apricot jam to melt, then sieve to get rid of any chunks. While the jam is still warm, brush over the top of the warm buns and leave to cool.

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