Monday 6 September 2021

Top tea cakes by Dan Lepard

 This morning I would have had a 'breakfast bun' but there were none left, so it was time to bake some.  Not having tried Top tea cakes from Dan Lepard's Short and Sweet, I thought I would give it a try.  

The recipe in the Guardian is more or less the same as in the book, so go there for details. Beter still get yourself the book whether brand new or second hand, there will be lots you want to bake from there.

I used the last wedge of crystalised lemon, cut up finely.  Its time I checked again to see if my favourite local wholefood shop has received in their annual consignment of orange and lemond peels, which they get in ready for the big Christmas Cake baking sessions.

As I did not have enough, I added chopped crystalized ginger before even realising that there was a section called 'Tweaking those Tea Cakes'.  The currants swelled up beautifully in the warmed milk, syrup and sugar mixture and I had forgotten just how good they area, afterall in their fully dried state they look far less enticing compored to raisins or sultanas, but plummed up they have just the right scale for a small bun.

A little of the beaten egg was held back, and with a little milk, made for the glaze just before going into the oven.  I followed the technique of cooling them on a wire rack with a tea towel and that has left me with lovely soft plump buns.  Here they are wrapped in these lovely old linen  'hukaback' towels.


 

Dan must be a chap that likes very big buns, or else he slices them and only has half.  Instead of his 9, I made 13 large ones, and four smaller ones to take over for Sarah's boys later on. 


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