Lemon Drizzle Cake

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

Every guest who arrives at Hopton House Bed and Breakfast, a luxury B&B here in beautiful South Shropshire,  has a whole cake waiting for them in their room to enjoy during their stay. Usually, unless I've had a special request, this will be a lemon drizzle cake.

This recipe is based on one of Mary Berry's, though I've adapted it to fit into 3 1lb loaf tins rather than making it up as tray bake. I've also upped the temperature which gives a nice cracked top to the cake which I like.
Replacing Mary's recommended milk with buttermilk makes the cake even lighter and fluffier

You need 3 1 lb loaf tins - I line mine with ready made paper liners.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees ( for fan oven )

Ingredients

For the Cake
10oz SR flour
8oz caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
8oz softened butter ( I normally just use a whole pack of butter which is slightly over 8 oz)
5 Hopton House eggs ( which is about 4 large eggs )
4 tablespoons buttermilk
grated rind of 2 large lemons

For the Drizzle
6oz granulated sugar
juice of 2 large lemons

Put all of the ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 2 minutes.

Divide the mixture between the 3 loaf tins.

Put in the oven for 30 minutes - check after 30 minutes to see if the cake is firm on top. You will probably need longer but only allow 5 minutes at a time. You want just cooked.

Take out of the oven and leave for 5 minutes. Prick all over with a skewer ( I use my meat lifting forks - creates 4 holes at  a time - how lazy is that? )

Mix the sugar & lemon for the drizzle and pour over the cakes. After another 10 minutes take out of the tins & place on a wire tray - this is where is really helps having the ready made paper liners because it keeps any of the drizzle that has fallen down the sides in place.

This will keep for several days as it's so moist and they also freeze well.

Raspberry & Banana Honey Smoothie

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I try & offer some healthy options at the B&B and my berry smoothie is one. It's quick & easy to make if you have a blender.

Out of season I'll use frozen raspberries ( and sometimes blueberries ) for this. I do like to offer some berries every morning at the B&B and if they don't get eaten I'll pop them straight into the freezer and use them for smoothies - a great way of making sure you don't waste fruit that you're not going to be able to eat before it's past its best.

The weight of the ingredients here is just a rough guideline for quantity - I certainly don't weigh them out.

I prefer to use natural yoghurt but will use a fruit yoghurt if it needs using up. You can also use soya milk & soya yoghurt if you have someone who can't eat dairy.

For 2 people

150g raspberries
1 banana
150g natural yoghurt
a tablespoon of honey
200ml apple juice

Put all the ingredients in a blender & blend well until smooth.

Rhubarb & Ginger Compote

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I'm not a huge rhubarb fan, with one recipe exception, but I do like to see the lovely forced rhubarb stems when they arrive at Ludlow Market - a sign of spring.

I've made rhubarb compote today to go on the buffet table for breakfast. I have to admit it is very pretty. Any that doesn't get eaten will be pureed and frozen ready to go in the rhubarb dish I love which is Delia's rhubarb crumble ice cream.

I got the recipe from the Independent newspaper. In my opinion there was too much water in the recipe and too much ginger so I've altered it a bit.

The recipe needs to sit over night

125ml water
150g caster sugar
300g rhubarb ( one large stick )
40g fresh ginger grated

Put the water, sugar and freshly grated ginger into a pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for one minute.

If the rhubarb stick is quite thick then cut in half lengthways then chop into 1 cm pieces. Put into the sugar & ginger syrup and simmer for a minute.

Take off the heat & leave to cool, stirring occasionally. Put in the fridge overnight.

Cheese & Ham Toastie

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

Not a conventional breakfast, but I remember going to Brierley Hill Baths most Sundays as a kid with my Dad and having cheese on toast for breakfast in the swimming pool cafe afterwards. I love cheese on toast but I love cheese & ham toasties even more.

I've made this one with my six seed granary bread but, if I'm feeling really indulgent I'll use white crusty bread instead.

The cheese you use needs to be quite sharp for the toastie over the ham can overpower it. I used one of our local cheeses, Little Hereford, but it wasn't quite sharp enough. If you're in Shropshire you might find Oakley Park Cheddar ( available from the Ludlow Food Centre ) a better match.

2 slices thick crusty bread
grated cheese
thinly sliced ham
butter

Make up the sandwich with the grated cheese & ham but with no butter on the bread. Melt a large knob of butter in a frying pan over a medium heat add the sandwich and quickly turn it so you get butter over both side. Fry until golden brown on both sides and the cheese has melted.

You can also butter the outsides of the bread first & put it straight into the pan with no other butter.

Honey Pecan French Toast from Brewster House B&B, Freeport Maine

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

When I first started on Twitter there weren't many UK B&Bs on there so I spent a lot of time chatting to B&Bs in the US. One of those B&Bs was Brewster House. Scott & I became firm friends and, when we decided to take another trip to Maine ( a state we love ), we decided to stop off at Freeport & spend a few nights with Scott & Ruth.

Brewster House is a great B&B within walking distance of Freeport town with its famous outlet shops & restaurants. Rob & I took a short drive down to the coast & had a fabulous day watching ospreys feeding their chicks. We also took an evening puffin watching cruise with Scott & Ruth which was one of those trips of a lifetime.

Ruth really is a great cook & she and Scott are about to bring out a cookbook. So buy the book & try some of Ruth's fantastic recipes!

This recipe refers to half and half. If you're in the UK, use half single cream & half milk.

Website:http://www.brewsterhouse.com

Facebook: http://www.brewsterhouse.com/facebook.html

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BrewsterHouseBB

Ingredients

 4 eggs beaten

3/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 thick slices soft crusted French bread (cut into 1 1/2" slices)
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp honey (or more to taste)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Combine the eggs, half-and-half, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Pour half the mixture into an 8x8 baking dish. Place the bread in the pan and top with the other half of the egg mixture. Refrigerate, covered, overnight or at least several hours.

Melt the butter in another 8x8-inch baking dish and stir in the brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, and pecans. Add the soaked bread slices. Bake at 350 degrees for

35-40 minutes until puffed and brown. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.  To serve, slide a spatula under a slice of bread and invert the French toast onto the plate.

Garnish with a fanned strawberry and/or a few fresh blueberries and dusted with powdered sugar.

Serves 4

(Doubles easily in a 9x13 pan)

BLT

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I love a good BLT. Quite strangely the best I've ever had have been in the Caribbean. We developed quite a taste for them on our honeymoon in Grenada many moons ago. Wonderful fresh fruit platters with cream cheese for breakfast, BLTs for lunch and I can't quite remember any of the evening meals.

I make mine now with local back bacon, which I'm afraid, for me, has to be fried until crispy. I've tried to make up for this by using crusty granary bread, low fat mayonnaise & more salad :0)

Ingredients

Fresh crusty bread, cut into thick slices
sliced tomatoes
crispy lettuce ( I like little gem )
low fat mayonnaise
sliced cucumber ( not strictly required for a BLT but I like the crispness )
bacon slices

Spread both slices of bread with the mayonnaise. On the bottom slice of bread add a couple of leaves of lettuce, 4 slices of cucumber and 4 slices of tomato. Season with salt & pepper. Add the bacon & top with the 2nd slice of bread.

Honey & Cinnamon Banana Bread

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I make this as a quick bread ( it's a cake really ) in the morning to serve with breakfast if I have some very ripe bananas to use up.

It's a great sugar fix & perfect with a good cup of coffee.

I've updated this recipe ( October 2012 ) to make it an even quicker & easier all in one cake. Perfect if you're busy in the morning - just leave enough time for it to cool slightly before cutting.

Best served warm out of the oven.

Ingredients

3oz brown sugar
2oz softened butter
1tbs  set honey
1 very ripe peeled banana
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg
4 oz self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp milk

You need a 1lb loaf tin lined - I buy ready made paper liners to make it really easy.

Preheat the oven to about 180 degrees ( for a fan oven )

Put all the ingredients in a mixer and beat for 2 minutes.

Put into your prepared tin and bake for 30-40 minutes till a skewer / knife come out clean when inserted into the cake.

Leave it in the tin for about 5 minutes, then put onto a cooling rack. You need to leave it to stand for about 20 minutes, then slice & eat.

Eggy Bread, Smoked Bacon & Tomatoes

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

Ludlow Food Centre has just won an award for their smoked bacon, so I picked some up yesterday to give it a try for our breakfast this morning.

I decided the perfect accompaniment would be eggy bread and some lovely red ripe tomatoes.

For eggy bread you need bread that is a few days old as if it's too soft it will fall to pieces.

Ingredients

4 thick slices of white bread ( 2-3 days old )
3 large free range eggs
2 tablespoons of milk
salt & pepper
smoked bacon
tomatoes

Preheat the grill.

Put the bacon and tomatoes on the grill pan. Season the tomatoes with sea salt, black pepper & olive oil. A few thyme or Greek Basil leaves really lift the tomatoes if you have them.

Whisk the eggs well, add the milk and season with salt & pepper. Put the bread into the egg mixture and leave to soak for a couple of minutes on each side.

Put the bacon and tomatoes onto grill to your liking.

Heat a tablespoon of butter and a drop of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Once the butter is melted and beginning to fom, add the eggy bread and fry for a minute or so on each side till golden brown & crispy

Homemade Vanilla Extract

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I use a lot of vanilla extract in my breakfast baking, so I was very pleased when I learned from @violetbakes on Twitter that I could make my own very cheaply. Thank you Eleanor!

I use swingtop bottles that you can find easily and cheaply on the internet to store the vanilla extract. These then make nice gifts.

You need a lot of vanilla pods. It won't be cheap if you buy those individual ones you get in the spice aisle of the supermarket. But you can buy them cheaply in bulk online. I get mine from Vanilla Mart.

As well as the vanilla you'll need some cheap booze. I use white rum or vodka. In fact you don't even need to buy separate bottles you could just remove a bit of the rum or vodka ( using that however you wish :) from the bottle then add the vanilla pods straight into it.

If you are using different bottles, start by sterillising your bottles. I do this in a hot cycle in the dishwasher.

When the bottles are dry I put in 8-10 vanilla pods then add the spirit. I then put it in a dark place, shaking it once a week. You need to leave it at least a month but 3 is best to get the best flavour.

As you use the extract you can top it up with more spirit. When I need a pod for cooking I'll fish when on the rum infused ones out, and replace with a fresh one

Gluten Free Raspberry Muffins

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

We always ask guests if they have any special dietary requirements and do our best to provide goodies for those on special diets. It's not always possible. Especially for last minute bookings - we're a 20 mile round trip from the shops that sell the more specialised ingredients!

These gluten free muffins were very good & even the guests not on a special diet complimented them.

Dry Ingredients

9oz gluten-free flour
1 tbsp gluten-free baking powder
6oz caster sugar
Wet Ingredients

2 eggs
6oz melted butter 
8 fl oz buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
juice and grated zest of 1 small lemon

4oz raspberries ( can be frozen )

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Prepare a 12 hole muffin tin with 12 muffin cases.

Mix together the dry ingredients.

Mix together the wet ingredients. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix together until just combined. Don't overwork the mixture as this results in tough muffins.

Fold in the raspberries.

Divide the mixture between the muffin cases and bake for 25 minutes.

Cinnamon Streusel Raspberry Muffins

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I've always been a bit of a muffin fan. My favourite are raspberry muffins topped with a lovely crunchy cinnamon streusel topping.

There are hundreds of muffin recipes out there and I've tried a good fair few of them. But I've finally found one that I'm entirely happy with.

Note added 14/4 - Made these with some cornmeal ( finely ground maize flour ) this morning and it produced a very nice light texture with a lovely golden colour. Replace 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 cup cornmeal.

This is a quick recipe. Thery can be prepped and in the oven in 10 minutes, ready to be served up warm on the breakfast buffet table.

Dry Ingredients
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder

Wet Ingredients
284 ml buttermilk ( one standard carton )
1/2 cup of melted butter ( or sunflower oil if you're feeling healthy )
1 free range egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Fruit1 cup of raspberries ( you can use frozen )

Streusel topping1/3 cup plain flour
1/3 cup light muscovado sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
melted butter

Mix together the dry ingredients. Whisk the wet ingredients and pour into the dry. Mix together quickly with a large metal spoon. You mustn't overmix. The ingredients should be just combined.

Quickly fold in the fruit.
Take a 12 hole muffin tin and line with muffin cases. Spoon the mix into the muffin cases. I use an ice cream scoop for this to get even sized muffins.
Mix together the dry ingredients of the streusel topping together and add just enough melted butter to create a crumble topping. Sprinkle this over the muffins.
Put in an oven at about 180 degrees for about 25 minutes.
Eat warm!

Eggs Florentine

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

Once you've mastered poached eggs, hollandaise & english muffins ( see recipes / methods for each earlier in this blog ) you've got a few breakfast recipes at your fingertips.

This is one of the specials I put on if we have vegetarians staying. I do like to provide something a bit extra for vegetarian guests rather than  just expecting them to eat the non meat parts of the full English.

For 4 guests

One batch of Hollandaise Sauce
4 poached eggs
4 English Muffins halved
Butter
500g spinach

The easiest way to make this recipe is to make up all the components beforehand.

Cook your 4 poached eggs, then plunge into iced water.

Bring a pan of water to a fast simmer.

Put 4 plates into a warm oven.

Prepare the hollandaise.

Put the muffins in the toaster.

If the spinach is not ready washed then wash thoroughly and dry as much you can. I like to chop it roughly and saute in a knob of butter whilst the muffins are in the toaster. Season with a pinch of sea salt and a grind of black pepper.

Reheat the eggs for 1 minute in the simmering water. When they're done take out of the water with a slotted spoon and rest of some kitchen towel.

Butter the muffins, place on the plates, top with the spinach ( if the spinach is too wet then I would advise putting in a sieve and squeezing out any excess water ), put a poached egg on top of each.

Spoon the hollandaise over the eggs.

Smoked Haddock Kedgeree

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I've been making this kedgeree for family supper for many years. It originally came from a cooking magazine but has been changed enough over the years for me to call it my own. In fact it was the one of the first dishes my daughter learned to cook herself.

It works well and is popular for breakfast at the B&B. Though, if you are having it for breakfast, never eat it accompanied by a cup of coffee only tea. Coffee & curry does something very peculiar to the taste buds in my experience.

Traditional kedgeree will have boiled eggs in it. Mind doesn't cos I don't like boiled eggs. If you want to include them then just add quartered boiled eggs in at the same time as the fish. I prefer to serve mine with a poached egg on top. Kedgeree is a dry dish so the runny yolk of the poached egg adds an instant sauce.

You need a medium sized saucepan that will go in the oven with a tight fitting lid.

Ingredients

1 large fillet of undyed smoked haddock
basmati rice measured to 9fl oz in a measuring jug
16 fl oz of vegetable stock
1 tsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbs butter
1 sliced onion
1 tbs curry powder
Fresh coriander - about 1 tbs chopped
4 poached eggs ( see how I cook poached eggs earlier in the blog here )
Lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C ( for a fan oven )

In a large frying pan heat the oil on high and add the cumin seeds, stirring for a few seconds.

Reduce the heat to low and add the butter & the sliced onion. Cook the onion for at least 10 minutes on a low heat until it is softened but you don't want it too coloured.

Add the curry powder and stir till it is well mixed in with the butter & onion. Then add the rice, stirring again till it is all thoroughly coated in buttery curry juices.

Turn the heat up and add the stock, stir well. When the stock is boiling, stir again and then put on the lid. Put in the oven for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile get a large pan of water to a fast simmer for the fish ( or do in the microwave if you prefer ).

When the 25 minutes it up take the rice out of the oven but don't take off the lid. Leave for 7 minutes. Poach the haddock for 4-5 minutes. Carefully remove the skin & flake the fish into big chunks.

When the 7 minutes is up, take the lid off the saucepan, fluff up the rice then add the chopped coriander & haddock and stir through carefully.

Put into 4 warm serving bowls, top with the poached egg & serve with a wedge of lemon.

Shropshire Honey Cake

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

This is probably one of the simplest cakes in the world and one of the most delicious. I make mine with Shropshire honey & eggs from my own hens. Their yolks are such a vibrant yellow that the cake is beautiful and golden.
I would strongly recommend you make your cake with your own local honey & local free range eggs, you may then rename it to your local area - so far, since I first posted the recipe on Twitter, it has transmuted successfully into both Perthshire Honey Cake &; Somerset Honey Cake and Texas Honey Cake is imminent!
It really does need to be eaten on the day it is made, preferably still warm from the oven.

Cake Ingredients

180g Shropshire Honey
140g butter
80g soft brown sugar
2 beaten eggs
200g self raising flour
1tsp cinnamon
water

Icing Ingredients

60g icing sugar
1 tbsp honey


1. Preheat oven to 180C and butter and line the bottom of a 18cm cake tin with bake-o-glide
2.Heat the honey, butter and sugar with a tablespoon of water in a large pan until melted.
3. Remove from the heat and mix in the eggs, flour & cinnamon, then put into the cake tin
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the cake is springy to the touch and shrinking slightly from the sides of the tin.
5. Cool in the tin for 20 minutes before turning onto a wire rack.
6. While the cake is still warm, make the icing. Mix icing sugar & honey with 2-3 teaspoons of hot water and then drizzle over the cake.

Ginger Breakfast Scones

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

If you mention a scone to someone from the UK they will probably envisage a traditional round scone, topped with clotted cream and home made strawberry jam.

However in the States scones are different beasts. Usually triangular in shape and served up for breakfast.

If you fancy offering your B&B guests a bit more variety they are a great option as you can make them the night before, keep them in the fridge and then guests can come down to the smell of fresh baked scones in the morning. You can even freeze them and cook them straight from the freezer.

When we stayed in Maine in October we had ginger scones. I prefer them hot from the oven as they can get a bit brick like if they hang around too long!

Ingredients

2.25 cups of plain flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
2 teaspoons of ground ginger
1/3 cup sugar
170g cold butter from the fridge
0.75 cup of double cream plus 1 tablespoon extra
0.5 cup of crysallized stem ginger chopped up very small

Heat a fan oven to 180 degrees
Put the flour, baking powder, sugar and ginger in a food processor and whiz till mixed.
Chop the butter into cubes, add to the dry ingredients in teh food processor and process until you have a breadcrumb consistency.
Pour in the cream and pulse until it is all combined.
Being careful not to overwork the dough, roll it out onto a floured surface. Put the stem ginger on top and then fold the dough in half, rolling it out. Do this about 6 times until you have a soft dough and all the ginger is mixed in.
You'll probably need to add more flour as it can get sticky.
Cut the dough in half. Roll out each half into a circle and cut each one into 6 triangular pieces. Or use a large pastry cutter to create round scones.
Put on a baking tray, brush with cream, then cook for 15-20 minutes until puffed up and brown.

Full Shropshire Breakfast

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I'm a bit nervous of writing this post because I'm sure every B&B in the land has their own way of cooking a Full English and there are bound to be criticisms. But this is the way I do it anyway .....

Most guests come to an English B&B and expect a cooked breakfast. I offer freshly baked muffins, cereals, fruits, omelettes and lots of other choices but 95% of people still ask for something cooked. I give guests a choice as very people can manage the "Full English". If you're brave enough to give it a go - don't make plans for lunch - you may be hungry enough again by mid afternoon to fit in some afternoon tea.

I like to fry the sausages on a very low heat. I find this stops them going wrinkly and you get a lovely golden brown colour. I don't prick them when I do it this way. This is obviously the least healthy way to cook them & you can grill or oven bake instead.

I do grill the bacon. I love the taste of fried bacon but I've got to make up for the sausages & fried bread some way! I also struggle to get the fat crispy enough for most peoples' liking when I fry bacon.

I offer guests a choice of egg- poached, scrambled or fried.

There have been a number of discussions on Twitter about whether a B&B should serve up baked beans or not. I would rather not as they upset the aesthetics of a beautifully cooked breakfast! But I reckon 50% of people request them here so I do give guests the option. I always use Heinz Beans.

Allow 30 minutes for preparation and cooking time.

Ingredients

1 thick or 2 thin pork sausage ( from a good local butcher if at all possible )
2 slices of dry cured back bacon ( ditto )
1 or 2 slices of Black Pudding
1 or 2 eggs
1 tomato, as red & sweet as you can get them ( otherwise I would leave out altogether )
1 large flat mushroom
White Bread
Baked Beans
Olive oil ( or bacon fat for the purists )
salt and pepper

I fry the sausages on a very low heat for about half an hour. If you have an Aga you can fry on the bottom of the oven floor. Use a small amount of oil in the frying pan. Keep an eye on them and turn regularly. About 15 minutes before serving I put the black pudding into the same pan and cook turning occasionally.

Line the grill pan with foil and put a plate in the oven to warm.

Slice the tomatoes and put them on the grill pan with a small amount of salt pepper and olive oil. When I have fresh herbs available I like to scatter a few thyme or basil leaves on the tomato. Grill them for about 5 minutes. ( You could also roast them for about 20 minutes in the AGA or a hot oven )

Melt a small amount of butter and brush the mushroom all over. Add the mushroom and bacon to the grill pan. As soon as the bacon starts to curl, turn it over and grill until your desired level of crispiness in reached.

Heat the beans in pan.

At the point you turn the bacon, heat some oil on a medium heat in a large frying pan and add a slice of white bread ( the simmering plate on the AGA is perfect for this ). Keep an eye on the bread and turn it occasionally, cooking until crispy and golden brown.

Heat some oil in a small pan over a high heat. When it started to shimmer add the egg. Using a large spoon baste the top of the egg with the oil to ensure all of the white is cooked. Mr BnB likes me to put salt and pepper on the top of his egg yolk before basting it.

Dish it all up, add brown sauce, tomato sauce or mustard if desired, enjoy then go for a long walk!

Hot Cross Buns

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

We are very lucky with our food shops in Ludlow. As well as having 3 independent and thriving butchers in Ludlow, we have 2 wonderful Bakers. Swifts is an artisan bakers based on Clee Hill, with several shops around the south of the county,  whilst the fabulous SC Price is in Ludlow itself on Market Square.

Prices do a perfect hot cross bun, probably the best in the county, ( as well as huge variety of breads, rolls & cakes ) and, if I ran a B&B in the town, I would enjoy the daily ritual of walking to them first thing to get my bread. However we're a 20 minute trip from Ludlow so I find it easier to make my own bread.

I spend some time every year looking for the perfect hot cross bun recipe ready for guests over Easter. Next year I will save myself some time just by coming back to this blog!

I like my hot cross buns spicy, a bit sweet and with a lovely soft texture. Unfortunately I've had had too many attempts over the years that have resulted in tasty but rock hard buns!

After playing around with a few recipes this year I think I managed to come up with a bun with that lovely soft texture & the  right amount of sweetness, fruit & spice.

I use a Panasonic bread machine to make the dough and do the first rise. If you're going to do this by hand, or using a mixer, use easy blend dried yeast, melted butter & warm milk.

Ingredients

1.5 tsp of fast action dried yeast
1lb strong white bread flour
1.5 tsp salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1.5 teaspoons of mixed spice
2oz butter
3oz caster sugar
2oz mixed fruit
1 egg, beaten
250ml milk

For the glaze
One egg beaten with a tablespoon of milk

Put the yeast into the bread machine, then the flour, then the rest of the ingredients except the dried fruit. I have a fruit & nut dispenser on the bread machine, so put the fruit in there if you have one. Otherwise you add it in according to the instructions on my machine. I set mine to the raisin dough cycle.

If doing by hand Mix all the dry ingredients together including the fruit, add the butter, egg & enough milk to get a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured surface & knead till dough soft & elastic. Put in an oiled bowl topped with oiled clingfilm or a clean tea towel and leave to rise somewhere warm till doubled in size.

Knock down the dough and split into 12 equal sized balls. I arrange them on a large oiled baking sheet. I put them quite close together so you get that lovely batch baking effect of soft sides when you pull them apart.

If I'm doing these for breakfast I'll put them in the fridge overnight covered with clingfilm. I then take them out the fridge in the morning and allow to rise somewhere warm until doubled in size ( about 30-45 mins )

If you don't want to cook all 12 buns in a go. You can freeze the uncooked buns. Put on a baking tray. Freeze and then pop into bags in the freezer. The night before, take out as many buns as you want next day, then put them on a tray in the fridge covered in cling film. Or if you have a couple of hours to spare you can do this in the morning.

Brush with the egg & milk glaze, this gives a lovely golden sheen to the buns. Then pipe on the cross.

You can make a cross using a flour & water paste. Mix 50g plain flour with 60ml water to get a thick paste. Pipe onto the buns once they are risen and about to go in the oven. If you don't have a piping bag you can put in a plastic bag and just cut off the corner

I cook them for 15 minutes at 180 degrees in the fan oven. Just keep an eye on them to ensure they don't get too brown.

We also prefer our buns non sticky. The easiest way to get a sticky bun is to melt some local honey and brush it over the buns when they're just out of the oven. Or you can use apricot jam, warm it gently & sieve out the bits.

Scrambled Eggs & Smoked Salmon

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

After the full English this is probably one of the most requested dishes at my B&B. There are several ways of cooking it but I've finally settled on this one. It's a creamy concoction of eggs, with the Salmon stirred in, all piled on top of an English muffin. You can use the recipe I did earlier for the muffin, or buy them ready made from most supermarkets.

I've used sliced smoked salmon for this recipe but it's great for using up cheaper smoked salmon trimmings. You can also use flakes of hot smoked salmon or flaked trout.

Ingredients

2 free range eggs
60g smoked salmon ( retain a couple of strips of salmon as a garnish if you like )
1 tbs cream
1 English muffin
1 tsp of butter plus extra to butter the muffin
Black pepper

Chop the salmon into small pieces and put into a small bowl with the cream and mix well.
Break the eggs into a small bowl & whisk until all of the yolk & white are well combined. Add a grind of black pepper.

When you're ready to cook melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat and put in the eggs, stirring all the time to scramble the eggs. When about half of the liquid had turned into curds then add the salmon & cream mix ( pop the halved English muffin in the toaster at this point too ), continuing to scramble until all of the liquid has gone and you have a pan of creamy eggs & salmon.

When the muffin pops, butter in well, put onto a warmed plate & pile the salmon on top.

I like to serve mine with a sprinkling of chives or parsley & a wedge of lemon, but check with your guests as not everyone likes chives.

Smoked Haddock Topped With a Poached Egg

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

We have another food scare in the news today, declaring the perils of eating red & processed meat. I've only seen the headlines & haven't read the study so I can't comment in detail.

I'm sure that eating too much of anything isn't good for you. So my approach is to try & eat & drink everything in moderation ( that's the theory it doesn't always work when I'm testing recipes :0). I love sausages but will probably only have a full English once or twice a month.

I think that if you come to a B&B you can afford to treat yourself for 2 or 3 days - in fact 95% of my guests will have some version of the cooked breakfast on their first day. But I also like to provide some healthier choices. Everyday on the buffet table we have natural & fruit yoghurts, homemade granola, muesli, granary bread to toast & fruit.

On the breakfast menu we always have smoothies & porridge. You can choose poached or scrambled eggs if you prefer....even the fried bread is homemade bread with no additives fried in olive oil...OK trying to persuade you fried bread is healthy is one step too far.

I do a daily special and this will sometimes be smoked haddock topped with a poached egg. I always use undyed smoked haddock. I poach it in fast simmering water ( most recipes suggest milk for smoked fish but I haven't noticed any difference using water ) for about 4 minutes then top with a grind of black pepper & a poached egg.

Shrimps & Grits from Strawberry Creek Inn, CA

One of the things I have loved about Twitter is "meeting" other B&B owners from around the world. It's great seeing how things are done differently & being able to learn from each other. Quite a few of my breakfast dishes have been inspired by tweets & pins from these great chefs.

I'm not going to be able to manage a years worth of breakfasts on my own so I'm hoping to do a weekly guest recipe. This week I'm really pleased to feature Shrimps & Grits from Strawberry Creek Inn in California.

Let's be honest, this is never going to appear on the breakfast menu here at Hopton House. Trying to get some guests to believe that pancakes & bacon is a good combination can be an uphill struggle, but the shrimp may make it into an evening meal here


Excerpt from 'Memorable Mornings from the Strawberry Creek Inn"...

Anyone who grew up or spent time in the coastal southern United States will fondly recognize this hearty dish. Originally known simply as ‘Breakfast Shrimp’, it was enjoyed by coastal fishermen and their families for decades during shrimp season, well before its more recent popularization by the food press and its inclusion on the menus of upscale Southern eateries.

On the other hand, non-Southerners may think this dish a bit odd. The combination of the oft-misunderstood phenomenon known as ‘grits’* (the name alone scares some people) with seafood (for breakfast?) seems odd enough by itself, but the addition of cheese brings the count of broken culinary rules to a level that might be just enough to send many over the edge. The concept is strange indeed to some palates, but the actual flavor experience reliably converts the non-believer. I’ve seen it myself many, many times. 

For our version of Shrimp & Grits, we couldn’t resist the urge to add a bit of a Caribbean twist by throwing in some coconut milk, a bit of fresh thyme, and a twist of lime. It performs equally well as a breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner entree–a fortunate side-effect of the unique ingredients it features.

Serve this dish with total confidence to your Southern or non-Southern guests. In the end, they will most certainly be impressed by your boldness. You, in turn, will most certainly be pleased with the utter rapture on their faces.

If you’re afraid of the initial reactions you might get from your guests, you can always announce that you are serving ‘Caribbean Polenta and Prawns.’ But make sure there are no Southerners in the crowd–they will surely call you out.

 Serve with your favorite fruit side dish (see Sides, Condiments, Brunch Desserts, page 55) or a simple fruit salad, and your favorite breakfast bread (see Breakfast Breads, page 35).

Ingredients
For the Grits
3 cups Whole Milk
1 cup Mushroom Stock
1 cup Stone-ground Grits (or any non-quick-cooking grits)
3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
Heavy Cream as needed
1 tsp+ Salt
1 tsp+ Fresh-ground pepper
For the Shrimp
1 lb Shrimp, peeled, de-veined, and butterflied (tails off or on — on your preference)
1 tsp+ Cayenne Pepper (depending on how much heat you like)
1 cup Coconut Milk
6 Slices Applewood smoked bacon, chopped into small pieces
4 tsp Lime juice, freshly squeezed
2 Tbsp Chopped thyme
½ cup Scallions, thinly sliced (total amount needed is twice this amount—see ‘Toppings’)

Toppings

2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
½ cup Scallions, thinly sliced
1½ cups Tomatoes, diced
Bacon (reserved from Shrimp prep)

Cooking Instructions

Grits
Combine milk and mushroom stock in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper, then pour in grits slowly, whisking continuously, bringing back up to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Stir/whisk every 5 minutes or so. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and a dash of heavy cream, taste, then add more butter, cream, or salt/pepper if needed. Set aside, covered.

Shrimp
Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Toss shrimp in cayenne pepper, then pour coconut milk over shrimp and toss to combine. Set aside. Place chopped bacon in a cold skillet or frying pan, and turn heat to low. Stir often and cook until browned. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, draining bacon grease back into the pan, and drain bacon on paper towels. Increase heat to medium and add shrimp to bacon grease one by one, shaking off excess coconut milk before adding to pan. Cook shrimp on each side until pink, pour lime juice over shrimp, being careful of spattering, then add scallions and thyme. Saute for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Assembly

Spoon grits into a serving bowl, add shrimp and desired toppings, and serve immediately.

For buffet-style service for a crowd, serve grits, shrimp, and each topping in separate large bowls and allow your guests to assemble with their desired toppings.

 *For those of you not familiar with grits, in short it is a porridge consisting of ground corn. It is similar to polenta, but more coarsely ground. It has a Native American origin, but is popular almost exclusively in the Southern United States of America. In this case at least, Wikipedia provides an accurate, and slightly more detailed, summary.
Photo credit: Photo by Sandra Hale, copyright 2010, of Sandra Hale Photography and Inn Cuisine.

English Muffins

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I use English Muffins quite a lot at the B&B. They're an essential in Eggs Benedict, Eggs Royale and Eggs Florentine ( recipes to follow ). They also work rather nicely toasted, liberally buttered & topped with scrambled eggs & smoked salmon.

Normally I buy them from the shops but yesterday I decided to have a go at making them and they turned out very well.

I made these using the dough setting of my bread machine, but you could, of course, do them by hand or in a mixer. If you're doing by hand or mixer make sure the milk & water are warm.

1.5 tsp fast action dried yeast
1 lb strong plain bread flour ( I like Hovis Extra Strong flour )
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp sugar
2oz soft butter
4 floz milk
4 floz water

Add ingredients to the bread machine, as specified by the instruction manual. For my Panasonic it's the yeast first, then the flour then the rest of the ingredients. Set on the white bread dough setting.

If you're making by hand mix to a soft dough then knead till the dough is elastic & smooth. Leave for an hour in an oiled bowl in a warm place till the dough has doubled in size.

Or if you're using the bread machine, wait for the ping!

Knock the dough down & split into 8 equal size balls. I then use a large pastry cutter to get 8 circles of dough with straighish sides.

Put onto a greased baking tray & cover with oiled cling film & leave to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes till doubled in size.

Preheat a large heavy frying pan on a medium heat, brush with oil, then carefully transfer 2-4 muffins across depending on the size of your pan. Cook for about 10 minutes until golden, then flip & cook for another 8-10 minutes. Put on a baking tray to cool or eat warm!

If you leave them to cool, they're best toasted when you're to eat them. They also freeze very well.

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

Hopton House Omelette

I have to confess that I'm not very keen on eggs. With 26 hens & an egg glut at the moment this is a bit unfortunate. It's also a bit of a nuisance when you're running a B&B. One of my cooking rules is that I never cook anything I wouldn't eat myself, but an egg-free B&B breakfast is probably one step too far.

Luckily I have a husband who loves eggs so I'm able to practise poaching, frying &  boiling eggs on him.

The 2 exceptions are scrambled eggs & omelette. I'll occasionally eat scrambled eggs with a cooked breakfast. But only ever with the beautiful gold yolked eggs from my own hens and never when we're eating out or staying at a hotel or B&B.

I do however quite enjoy a good omelette. It's one of the simplest breakfast, lunch or supper dishes you can do, ready in just 2 minutes. In the summer I serve it for lunch with red ripe tomatoes with lots of olive oil, sea salt & basil. In the winter I'll dish it up with some Heinz Baked Beans.

I also serve a 3 egg omelette for breakfast at the B&B. Guests can choose from plain or any combinations of mushroom, cheese, tomato, smoked salmon or bacon.

For a great 3 eggs omelette. First preheat the grill. Then whisk together 3 free range eggs in a bowl till the whites & yolks are well combined. Just before you're about to make the omelette add a pinch of salt & a grind of black pepper.

Take an omelette plan ( I use a small black cheap supermarket frying pan that does the job perfectly ).
Put the pan on a high heat & add a knob of butter. The butter will start to sizzle. As soon as it stops sizzling pour the eggs into the pan & leave for about 30 seconds to set. Then tilt the pan & start to draw all the edges of the omelette into the centre. When you've done this add your filling of choice - my favourite is our local Little Hereford cheese, and cook for about 30 seconds to a 1 minute.

I like my omelette completely cooked ( the French will probably disagree with me ) so I then pop it under the grill to melt the cheese and cook the top. This causes it to puff up beautifully.

Then slip it out onto a hot plate, folding it in half as you do so ( if you struggle to fold it then use a spatula )

To try these breakfasts at Hopton House B&B please visit
www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

To learn how to set up, market & run your own B&B please visit
www.bedandbreakfastacademy.co.uk

Homemade Shortbread

Shortbread

I know this isn't strictly a breakfast recipe, though I have been known to sneak a piece of shortbread with my morning tea. However I do put homemade shortbread in all of the guest rooms which is why I've included this recipe in my blog.

I have Mary Berry to thank for the original recipe - thank you Mary

No apologies for my use of imperial measurements here - I'm a child of the 70's and a fan of American cooking so I will happily switch between ounces, grams & cups.

I've specified cornflour here. This makes a very soft, melt in the mouth ( or melt in your tea if you're a dunker like me ) biscuit. If you like something a bit crunchier use ground rice, semolina or polenta.

You can add different flavours to vary your shortbread; powdered & crystallised ginger, chocolate chips, lavender flowers etc etc

8oz plain flour
8oz butter ( soft room temperature )
4oz caster sugar
4oz cornflour

Preheat oven to 140 degrees C ( this is for a fan oven, a conventional oven will need to be about 160 )

Line a 12x9 inch roasting tin ( if you own an AGA this is the small pan ) with foil or silicon lining.

Beat all the ingredients together to form a dough, then press into the pan and spread out so the top is even. Prick all over with a fork, then put into the oven.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top is slightly golden.

Take out of the oven and leave in the tin till they are completely cool. If you take out too soon they may be too crumbly. Then take out of the pan and cut into fingers ( as thick or as thin as you like ).

Keeps for a few days in an airtight tin ( assuming you don't live with my husband or have lots of B&B guests )

Tattie Scones

Tattie Scones

Debbie ( with her husband Craig ) at Walford Court and I have both been running B&Bs a few miles apart for nearly 8 years now and never managed to meet. It's only since Debbie got onto Twitter that we've actually met for the first time. We now have a mutually useful friendship swapping eggs, chickens, tips & providing a friendly ear if things go wrong.

I've been after Debbie's Tattie Scone Recipe now for some time and have finally got it out of her! Tattie scones are a traditional recipe from Scotland ( Craig is from Scotland ) and here is how Debbie makes them.

"Tattie Scones are a Walford Court speciality, served as a starter with smoked salmon crème fraiche and home made pickles or a particular favourite as our Walford Court Special breakfast.

A Scottish leftovers recipe my husband considers the introduction of this particular dish to the Shropshire Herefordshire borders as an important part of his missionary work!

You start with chitting your potatoes….Ok lets skip that bit! Cook home-grown potatoes into a soft floury consistency, add more butter than is really good for you and mash with lots of sea salt and pepper. We usually start by serving this with our Walford Court AGA baked Herefordshire beef….but once the potatoes have cooled, add a little milk and then keep adding plain flour until you reach a dough like consistency - shape into patties approx 3 inch diameter and half inch depth and fry till golden brown. Serve with good quality butchers bacon perched on top, and balance a golden yolked free range egg on top of that….breakfast heaven.

As an alternative before you add the flour, put a chopped braeburn apple and some crumbled Shropshire Blue Cheese in with the potatoes, proceed to add flour and shape as above. They freeze beautifully too!

Summary of needs!

Potatoes

Butter

Seasoning

Plain flour

Plus apple and Shropshire blue cheese if you like the sound of that variation

….a healthy guilt-free appetite"

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

www.bedandbreakfastacademy.co.uk

Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise Sauce

My husband's favourite breakfast is Eggs Benedict. He always orders it when it's on a hotel menu. Though, rather curiously, he asks for it deconstructed. Poached egg covered in hollandaise with the bacon or ham and the toasted english muffin on the side.

So it's a bit unfortunate that hollandaise is one of the last recipes I've mastered. I have tried several times over the years and, on at least one occasion, it has reduced me to tears.

However, when it comes to breakfast, I'm not one to give up. And, thanks to James Gray at The Ashton in Lancaster I've discovered an almost foolproof method for quickly cooking preparing hollandaise. This recipe is slightly different to James', with thanks to Delia. If you want to try James' recipe I'm sure he'll tweet it to you on request!

Once you've mastered Hollandaise it can be used to produce lots of different breakfast recipes - all to be included in future blogs.

I got another tip from Susan Poole who tweets as @theBBCoach . She suggested puting the sauce into a thermos to keep it warm, so you can make it a bit in advance.

You can buy mini saucepans these day & I find mine ideal for heating & pouring the butter & vinegar/lemon. Though it's best to find the ones with a lip as this creates that very thin slow stream of liquid you need.

2 egg yolks
1 dsp white wine vinegar
1 dsp lemon juice
100g butter

Put the 2 egg yolks in a liquidiser, season with salt & pepper and whizz for a minute. Heat the vinegar & lemon juice together in a small saucepan till just bubbling, then, with the liquidiser running, pour in a slow steady stream over the eggs. Once full incorporated, whizz for another minute.

In the same pan the you heated the vinegar & lemon slowly melt 100g of butter, being careful not to let it burn. Then, with the liquidiser running again, pour the butter in in a slow steady stream.

Ta da!

Poached Eggs

Poached Eggs

I thought I would tackle the tricky subject of poached eggs early on in the blog as they're useful in lots of different breakfast recipes.

Many people are scared of making poached eggs ( including B&B owners ) and rightly so in my opinion! They are the type of egg most likely to go wrong. There can be nothing worse, when you have a full english ready to go, you pop your egg into poach & it goes terribly wrong.

There are, of course, egg poachers & pods & cling film methods. But I find most guests like to see a poached egg made in water with the egg white perfectly enclosing a runny yolk. So here's my method. I'd like to call it foolproof but that would be telling porkies. It does, however, have a high probablity of working out ok.....

First, choose your chicken. Your poached egg will work much better if you choose an egg from a young hen. As the hen gets older I find their eggs don't quite work so well. If you don't have your own chickens in the garden make sure you buy nice fresh free range eggs.

The eggs do need to be as fresh as possible. I try only to make poached eggs with eggs that are a few days old. The older the egg, the thinner the white and the more chance that they'll spread & disperse in the pan. I always use room temperature eggs but I know other people swear by cold eggs......my blog, my recipe :0)

Now you need to take a small pan and fill with water. Add a good slug of vinegar. I've seen some chefs using white wine vinegar but I just use ordinary white distilled vinegar.

The water needs to be at a fast simmer, so lots of bubbles on the top but not boiling. Break the egg into a small bowl. Stir the water so it's swirling. Don't go mad here or you could just find the egg being dispersed around the pan. Slip the egg quickly into the water and cross your fingers. Hopefully you'll get a lovely shaped egg. Simmer for about 3 mins 45 seconds. This will give you just set egg white & a runny yolk.

The trick I use to take the stress out of poached eggs is to pre cook them before I start on the rest of the breakfasts. Take a bowl & fill with water & lots of ice. As soon as your egg is ready plunge it into the iced water. This means you can prepare all eggs up front then, when the rest of your breakfast is ready, just reheat for a minute in boiling water. Use a slotted spoon to take the egg out, rest on kitchen towel to absorb the water then serve.

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk
www.bedandbreakfastacademy.co.uk

Seville Orange Marmalade

Seville Orange Marmalade

Homemade marmalade is a real treat and loved by B&B guests. And the very best of marmalades is that made with seville oranges.

These days you can buy just about every fruit and vegetable all year round, but seville oranges seem to be the one fruit that you can still only buy in season. I saw some in the shops last week but you need to be quick!

In January start looking out for these bitter oranges in your local greengrocers. They are in season through to the end of February. I get very excited when they first appear, buying kilos of them to make the hundreds of jars of marmalade I get through at the B&B in a year. However after my 3rd batch I get bored of marmalade making.

I was explaining this dilemma to my lovely neighbours, when they provided me with the solution. Seville oranges freeze beautifully. You don not need to anything with them apart from wash them, stick them in a bag and out them in the freezer. When you run out of marmalade you can cook them from frozen as per the recipe below.

My husband likes dark marmalade. To achieve this I replace 6oz of the white sugar with 6 oz of dark muscovado sugar. The great thing about this recipe is because it is made in 2 batches you could make half ordinary marmalade and half muscovado marmalade.

A few tips:

•Make sure you have a really large preserving pan. The marmalade does boil up to twice its volume when it's going at full boil.
•Ensure you have a really hot heat to get it to boil properly ( the first time I cooked it it took 6 hours to get to boiling point because my AGA hot plate was not hot enough ).
•Allow a whole afternoon to do it. You can not rush the process. I prefer a cold gloomy day when there is a good black and white movie I can watch on the kitchen tv
Seville Orange Marmalade

•1.5 kg Seville Oranges
• Juice and pips of 2 lemons
•3 kg granulated sugar
•3 pints of water
Put the sugar somewhere to warm. The airing cupboard will do nicely.

Put the oranges and lemon juice and pips into a large pan.

Pour in 4 pints of cold water. Add a bit extra if it does not cover the oranges.

Bring to the boil, then pop on the lid and simmer at the lowest heat possible for 2 hours or until the oranges are soft. You can also put them in a low oven or bottom of the AGA if you have one.

When the oranges are tender. Put a colander over a large deep plate and put the oranges into drain, leaving the cooking liquid in the pan for now.

When they have cooled enough to handle, cut the oranges in half and scoop out all of the pith and pips into the liquid in the pan.

Bring to the boil for 7 minutes with the lid off.

Strain the liquid through a sieve, pressing it through with a spoon. You need as much of this thick liquid as possible as it is full of pectin which will make the marmalade set.

You now put half of the liquid into a large preserving pan.

Put 1.5 kilo of the warmed sugar into the pan.

Cut the peel into strips - as thin or as thick as you like ( this is much easier when the oranges are cooked than when doing it raw ). Add half of the peel to the pan.

Heat the liquid, sugar and peel until all of the sugar as dissolved. Then increase the temperature until it is boiling and will not calm down even when you stir it. Then boil rapidly for 15-20 minutes.

Test for a set by putting a teaspoon of marmalade on a plate that has been on the freezer. If it is setting then, after a minute, it will wrinkle up when you pull your finger through it.

Leave for 10 minutes then put into warm sterilised glass jars ( the easiest way to sterilise the jars is by putting them in the dishwasher on the hottest setting. If you don not have time to do this then fill them half full of water then put them in the microwave on full power until the water has boiled for at least a minute ).

I always use screw cap lids, which you can buy on the internet - much less hassle then waxed paper and cellophane. Put the screw caps on as soon as the marmalade is in the jar, then label with the date when cool.

Repeat the whole process with the other half of the liquid, peel and sugar.

This recipe will make about 5 or 6 1lb jars of marmalade


www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

www.bedandbreakfastacademy.co.uk

Hopton House Granola

Hopton House Granola

We are lucky in Shropshire to have Pimhill, a farm in North Shropshire that supplies organic oats.They really do make the best porridge I've ever tasted and guests often comment on it.

I like to use the jumbo oats to make granola for the guests. I think the best way to serve this is with natural yoghurt & fruit;. berries in the summer and spiced plums in the autumn.

You can vary the seeds to taste and add dried fruit after it's cooked if you wish. I sometimes make it with a light muscovado sugar and you can replace the honey with maple syrup.

Ingredients

500g Jumbo Oats
100g flaked almonds
100g sunflower seeds
100g pumpkin seeds
50g linseeds
100g soft brown sugar
50g butter ( or 50ml sunflower oil if you're feeling really healthy )
3 tablespoons of local honey
3 teaspoons of cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 160 degree C. Mix together the oats, seeds, almonds & cinnamon in a large bowl.

Put the sugar, butter, honey in a saucepan and heat gently till it has all melted together.

Pour onto the dry ingredients and mix really well.

Spread onto a large baking and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to break up any big lumps and pulling in the edges as they tend to brown sooner. You're looking for a golden brown colour. Leave till completely cool & then put in an airtight container.