Lorraine Pascale - Home Cooking Made Easy

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Once the dough balls have risen, carefully remove the clingfilm and brush all over with the extra milk. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. Spray some water into the oven to create a steamy atmosphere. I usually spray 8–10 squirts with a spray gun, then place the baps into the oven. Bake for about 30–35 minutes, or until the baps are golden brown, firm and sound hollow when they are tapped on the bottom. The cooking time will vary according to how much liquid the baps have in them and how long they have been left to rise for.

Once the hamburger baps are cooked, remove them from the oven and leave to cool. These baps are great for burgers, or they can be transformed into iced buns by topping them with icing sugar mixed with a little water.

Puffed-up pitta bread

I LOVE making these! They are so much fun, easy and a real showstopper. These pitta breads have become an absolute firm favourite in my house – wonderful served with curries, dips or soup.

Makes 8 pitta breads (V)

100g wholemeal flour

270g plain flour

1 tsp salt

1 x 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast

1 squidge of honey

200–250ml water

Oil, for oiling

Put all the ingredients into a bowl except the water and oil and stir for a second to combine. Gradually add the water, mixing with a spoon as you go, until you have a soft dough. I used 220ml, but this can differ with how much water there is in the atmosphere! Put your hands in and take the ball of dough out and knead it for 10 minutes until it is very smooth. To test if the dough is ready, prod a floured finger into the side; if it springs back, then it is ready. If you are doing this in a machine, knead with a dough hook for 5 minutes. Once the dough is kneaded, cover it with oiled clingfilm and leave until it is almost doubled in size. This will take about 1 hour or so.

After about 45 minutes preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6 and put a flat baking tray into the oven to heat up. Divide the dough into eight pieces and roll each one out to about the thickness of a £1 coin, then form into a flattish circular or oval shape slightly thicker in the middle than around the sides.

Spray some water into the oven to create a steamy atmosphere. I usually spray 8–10 squirts with a spray gun, then remove the hot tray from the oven and put four of the pittas on it. Slide the tray back into the oven and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the pittas are nicely puffed up and firm, usually about 7–9 minutes depending the thickness of the pitta. Once they are cooked, remove them from the oven, transfer to a plate and pop in the other four.

Occasionally there are one or two pitta breads that do not want to play puffball, but they should puff up beautifully.

Mrs Stephenson’s dinner party bread rolls

I first made these during my GCSE Home Economics classes at school. Much to the disdain of my highly academic father, I chose Home Economics over History (but he came round to the idea in the end!). While my friends were learning about Henry VIII, I was staring out of the window of the HE block, kneading my dough with a very, very large grin on my face, dizzy with happiness. One of our first assignments was to make shaped bread rolls, glazed old-school style with a heavy eggwash for maximum shine. The daughter of my Home Economics teacher recently got in touch with me, so Mrs Stephenson, thank you, and this one is for you.

Makes 12 rolls (V)

280g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tsp salt

1½ tsp fast-action dried yeast

1 tsp soft light brown sugar

190ml warm water

1 egg, lightly beaten, for the eggwash

3 tbsp sesame or poppy seeds

Put the flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a bowl. Then make a well in the centre and pour in the water. Use a wooden spoon to stir it all together, and when it starts getting stiff, put the spoon down and use your hands to squidge it together into a ball. The dough should feel soft and not too hard – like Blu-Tack. If the dough is too stiff, pop it back into the bowl, add a couple of tablespoons of water and squidge it together with your hands until it comes together. Knead for 10 minutes if doing by hand and for 5 minutes in a machine. Once the dough is kneaded, I weigh it and then divide the number by 12, so all the rolls are an even size.

Roll each one into a ball and either just leave them in a ball or shape them as in the photo. Space the rolls on a large baking tray and cover with oiled clingfilm so it is airtight but not too taut. You may need to use two trays. Leave the rolls in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until they are almost doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. To test the dough, remove the clingfilm and with a floured finger, prod the side of the dough – the dent should spring back halfway. Brush liberally all over with the eggwash and sprinkle with the sesame or poppy seeds.

Spray some water into the oven to create a steamy atmosphere. I usually spray 8–10 squirts with a spray gun, then place the rolls into the oven. Bake for about 15–20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Spring onion & red chilli cornbread

When you want some and you want it quick, an American-style cornbread spiced with chilli and onion is perfect. Use lots of salt and black pepper in the mix, as this bread needs a good amount of seasoning.

Serves 4–5 (V)

Oil, for oiling

220g fine cornmeal or polenta

90g plain flour

1 tsp soft light brown sugar

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 egg

200g natural yoghurt

300ml milk

1 tsp salt

75g tinned drained sweetcorn

30g butter or olive oil

3–4 red chillies, finely chopped

1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Equipment

Medium ovenproof frying pan, a large brownie tin or a 20cm springform tin

Preheat the oven to 220°C (225°F), Gas Mark 7 and oil the pan or tin. If using the springform tin, line the bottom with baking parchment.

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl (the mix will look very sloppy and not that appealing, but I promise it will come good), then place the mixture into the pan or tin. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the bread looks cooked and is no longer wet.

Once cooked, remove the bread from the oven, leave to cool, then cut into chunks and eat with a hearty soup.

Really quick ‘Danish pastries’

When I am thinking of ideas for recipe testing, I lock myself in the kitchen with the television on and a huge pile of ingredients and just experiment. About 1 o’clock one Sunday morning, I was standing in the kitchen and staring at a block of puff pastry that had to be used up. I rifled through the cupboards and fridge and found a small tin of apricots and a little tub of ready-made custard. Within a very short space of time, I had conjured up these ‘Danish pastries’ – a more than acceptable alternative to the ‘proper’ ones and with the added satisfaction that they are so quick to make.

Makes 12 small pastries (V)

1 x 375g packet of puff pastry

Plain flour, for dusting

1 x 220g tin of apricot halves

300g thick custard (for these I use shop-bought)

1 egg, lightly beaten, for the eggwash

Sugar, for sprinkling