Marriage’s Top Festive Baking Tips

How can I plan ahead with my festive baking to make Christmas less stressful?

You can bake up a storm ahead of the Christmas break including festive favourites such as mince pies and sausage rolls and simply freeze them. When Christmas Eve or a festive family event rolls around, simply pop them straight in the oven and enjoy.

How can I make my bread sauce even better?

The best bread sauce is made from good quality bread, so try using stale sourdough crumbs made from our Finest White Bread flour or slicing a loaf and leaving it to dry out for an hour. Your guests will certainly notice a difference!

How do I prevent my festive sponge cake from curdling?

If you’re making a festive sponge of any type, make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature before you start to reduce the chances of your cake mix curdling. Add flour when the emulsion starts to break.

How should I store my Christmas cake?

A fruit cake can last for a long time if it is wrapped in foil and then clingfilm to ensure it is properly sealed. Once it’s wrapped, it’s always best to store your Christmas cake in an airtight container in a cool place and never in a fridge.

How can I improve the quality of my pastry?

Having warm hands while making pastry can spoil your bake, so make sure you give them a rinse under cool water and dry them thoroughly before you begin. You can also improve the quality of your pastry by using your fingertips rather than your whole hand or you can ‘cheat’ by using a mixer!

What is the best way to roll a yule log?

It’s always best to roll a yule log when straight out of the oven, simply roll in a linen tea towel that is lightly dusted with caster sugar so it does not stick, then un-roll once cold, fill and roll again.

What would you recommend as a festive canape for a Christmas party?

Blinis are a great option for a canapé at a Christmas party, you could even try using our Light Brown or Golden Wholegrain Plain flour to make them stand out on flavour.

How do I prevent my festive biscuit dough from sticking to my cutters?

Before using cookie/pastry cutters, make sure you dip them in flour to make it easier for the dough to drop out, this works really well when creating thin shapes.

How do I create a shine on my homemade bread?

If you would like to create a shine on your homemade bread, then place a baking tray in the oven whilst the oven is warming up. Place the proved dough when ready in the oven (middle shelf) and then drop a few ice cubes or ¼ cup of water in the hot tray to produce steam. The steam will give your bread a desirable glazed look, but make sure you open the oven door 10 minutes before the end of baking for a crusty finish.

How do I ensure that my bread baking is consistent during the festive period?

Maintaining a consistent temperature while baking, particularly for bread, throughout the festive period can be a challenge due to the cold weather, follow these simple tips to make sure your baking is a success:

• Try to ensure that you have no drafts in your kitchen when baking bread as this produces skin on the dough.
• If you have cold worktops, then try using slightly warmer water than normal in your recipe to allow the dough temperature to even out.
• Keep the resting dough in a sealed box or clingfilmed bowl. You should do the same while proving so that the dough produces its own moisture and doesn’t produce a skin.
• It is best to prepare your bread in a warm kitchen otherwise the dough will take longer to prove but will get there in its own time.

Is it possible to freeze bread dough?

Yes – dough can be frozen after its first kneading or shaping, within an oiled polythene bag. This will normally last about a month.

Is it true that the weather could affect my bread making?

Yes – in very hot weather, then the yeast might work too quickly. If it is really cold, then your dough may not knead as well, the yeast might not activate as effectively and your loaf will have less oven spring, resulting in a smaller loaf than normal loaf.

What can I do to revive my sourdough starter?

You can try to revive it by taking it back to a very small amount (about a teaspoon) and start feeding it again. If there is a layer of mould on the top of the starter, it might be harder to revive – but is worth scraping off the mould first before starting to feed it again.

How can I get a better crust on my bread?

Steam is the key to making a crusty loaf – you can achieve this at home if you heat a dish in the oven (then add water/ice cubes) leave this for 15 minutes and then add your bread to the oven. Alternatively you can use a hand held spray and spray the oven sides.

The recipe mentions a dough hook – what is this?

A dough hook is an optional part of many electric food mixers and processors and can be used to knead the dough.

My dough keeps on sticking to the proving basket and I struggle to turn it out – what can I do?

Thoroughly dust your proving basket with flour – and shake off any excess – this should help your dough turn out okay. If you are still having difficulties, gently ease the dough out of the cracks using your fingers.

What is the difference between fresh and dried yeast?

Fresh yeast has a moist putty-like texture and a distinctive sweet smell. It comes in blocks and is perishable so needs to be stored in the fridge. If you are struggling to find fresh yeast, you could try asking your local bakery or a supermarket in-store bakery and they might be willing to give you a small amount.
Dried yeast is a dehydrated version of fresh yeast. It needs warm water to be added to it before use. The advantage of dried yeast is that it keeps for longer than fresh yeast.
Fast action and easy blend dried yeasts are easier to use than regular dried yeast as they can be added straight into the flour.

I have baked too much bread, but don’t want to waste the leftovers – what can I do?

You could whizz up a leftover loaf into breadcrumbs and then freeze them – you can use these for coating meat or stuffing vegetables at a later stage. Chopped up bread can also be used as croutons for soup or in Panzella (Italian Bread salad).

What is the best way to keep my bread fresh?

When storing bread, ensure that it is well wrapped (but not too tightly) before placing in a bread bin so that it can ‘breathe’. Avoid putting bread in the fridge as this will make it quickly go stale.