Live webchat and baking session with Dan Lepard, Fri 8 Jan, 12-2pm

[GeraldineMumsnet]

We've got a Mumsnet first this Friday - award-winning baker and food writer Dan Lepard is our guest for a bake day and live webchat. Should be just the thing to counter wintry gloom and warm up your kitchen.

Dan's involved with the World Marmalade Festival, which promotes all thing marmalade-y and supports the charity Hospice at Home. So he has chosen Ponymum's muffin recipe and given it a citrus-y twist. Full details, ingredients, plus all Dan's variations on the recipe are here.

Please choose the version that tickles your tastebuds and join us to bake along with Dan on Friday. He'll be online from noon.

While your (and our) culinary creations are cooking, Dan will answer questions and swap tips about baking, bread making, marmalade making and the like.

Once your muffins/pudding/traybake are out of the oven, please share a picture of the finished result on your profile. We'll put up pix of our efforts here.

And, of course, if you can't make it on Friday but have a question you'd like to ask Dan, please post here.

[GeraldineMumsnet]

Mme Lindt - your DC are at same point as Dan

He has just added the flour mixture (flour, salt, cinnamon) to carrots etc and mixing everything together.

[GeraldineMumsnet]

CarrieDaBabi, Dan says plain flour fine with pinch of baking powder.

[DanLepard]

Hi NobodyKnowsIAmACat (Wed 06-Jan-10 11:52:02)

How to reduce the salt? A good question. With all recipes, including mine, you can leave the salt out and the bread will still rise and bake well. It might rise a little too quickly so leave the dough after mixing and kneading until it has risen by 50% - no more - then shape it and let it rise again by 50% - 75%.
Flavour with less salt. Try adding a tsp marmite (!!!) mixed into the water for making the dough in place of salt in the recipe. This will give the bread a richer flavour.

[snigger]

Blardy sugar - it's like taking 3/4 of a cup of house brick.

[MmeLindt]

much hilarity chez lindt as DS misheard carrot is now grating parrots

[OliviaMumsnet]

Oh dear
I just slung eggs and oil straight into magimix.
Have gone into oven but just realised I haven't checked timer at 12.15 by oven

[bluesky]

I grated the carrots and apples and then threw it all in the magimix, mine might turn out not quite so rustic then?! I love anything with a cinnamon smell.

[bluesky]

good to read that you just chuck it all in too Olivia!

[Guimauve]

Dan, when I've made sourdough up until now, I've used a method I found on Chocolate and Zucchini, where you put the dough into a dutch oven with the lid on, put it into a cold oven and then bake it for one hour from the point you turn the oven on (to max). It's always produced an okay loaf, but lacking height/ spring. Do you think this is due to the style of baking, or the dough itself?

[FaintlyMacabre]

CMOTdibbler- try Dan's quinoa and hazelnut cake (was in the Guardian baking supplement last year). It's not the most straightforward recipe ever but is lovely.
Thanks for the GF pastry recipe as well Dan.

Sadly I am not joining in the baking as I have a freezer full of carrot muffins already, by co-incidence, and a house to tidy.

However, I do have a question- any ideas on sugar-free baking? A friend of mine has problems with migraines if she has refined sugar and I'd love to try making her a birthday cake. I was thinking of using fruit purees (particularly prune or dried apricots) to get the necessary sweetness- but then there might be too much liquid. Any thoughts?

[GeraldineMumsnet]

Dan now using his mum's 'two-spoon technique' to fill the muffin cases. Just about to put them in oven and then he'll be back online in a sec.

[Guimauve]

What about honey or agave Faintly?

[DanLepard]

Hi MmeLindt (Wed 06-Jan-10 13:02:52)

Is fresh yeast better than instant yeast? Good question. I use instant yeast all the time, because - in the time since writing my book where I recommend fresh yeast - it's become even harder to buy it. If you keep the yeast to a minimum and shape the dough as soon as you see air bubbles in the dough, or when it has risen by 50% in volume, you shouldn't be able to taste a difference. I can't. Your posts read as if you're well into baking, MmeLindt!

[FaintlyMacabre]

Not last year- the year before! www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2007/nov/24/foodanddrink.baking36

[bluesky]

aha, the 2 spoon technique, I just used that too.

The kitchen is such a mess, from the rushing back into here, checking the recipe, refreshing this page, back into kitchen ....

[MmeLindt]

mixture smells very strongly of olive oil

[CMOTdibbler]

MMMM - sounds lovely. Am not baking atm, as am trying to lose weight, and if I don't make GF cakes, I can't eat them. Will store that recipe for the future tho

[DanLepard]

Right, I'm back, they're in the oven and I'm here to answwer your questions.

Honey or Agave: I'd go for agave, as it has less of a strong flavour but remember it will also add liquid so you might wnt to add about half the amount of sugar as "liquid sugar" (i.e. honey or agave). The other trick to add sweetness rather than sugar is to add vanilla or grated orange zest.

[ventone]

Hello Dan,

I could ask a 1000 questions but won't ;)

I feel that I have conquered my 50% rye sourdough but I have two problems that I can't seem to get around. My bubbles are very small and not characteristically big as it is meant to be on sourdough. The second thing is that my dough rises for 3 hours (optimal for my environment) but if I leave it (ie: forget) and it goes to 3 and 1/2 hours when I slash it to put in the oven it deflates. I suppose this indicated a tired yeast at this stage that is paste its 3 hour zenith. Any tips on extending this window of opportunity a little?

Thanks

Charlotte

[Guimauve]

Ooh, I like the sound of marmite bread! Saves the effort of having to try to not spread it too thickly!

[DanLepard]

Mme Lindt,

Ahh yes, if the olive oil is very strong and "extra virgin" it might still taste of olive oil. A problem? Mybe not, lets wait and see how they taste...

[Fivefour]

Well, my vegan version with added orange and lemon peel is now in the oven (I've gone for a tray bake rather then muffins).
My kitchen is also a right mess!
Dan, do you have any tips for making scones that don't come out like biscuits?

[BusyMummyof3]

Hi Dan,

I've a quick question. In France I love to eat Pain de Campagne aux noix. I was just wandering if this is the same as sourdough with a few walnuts added? I tried a recipe I found online but it tasted nothing like the real thing.

Thanks