Hey y’all! Happy New Year!
I’ve been a bit absent from blogging but I promise to do better.
My husband bought me a signed copy of Paul Hollywood’s Bake for Christmas (squeal!). No matter how many cookbooks I have, I always get excited for a new one. And because people know this about me, this is one of three new books I received this Christmas season (squeal again!). I was momentarily taken with the idea of trying to bake all the recipes in Bake and blogging about it but then I realized: 1) I would gain 300 pounds and 2) I’m not sure I want to eat fish pie. So, I decided to try what strikes my fancy and share the experience with you. I can’t however share the recipe because I’m afraid of Paul.
A little about the book..it’s a mix of desserts like cakes and cookies as well as breads and more savory bakes like the aforementioned fish pie and other meat pies. While Paul says anyone can master these recipes, some are definitely more involved than others. I’m intimidated with bread so it will be a minute before I tackle that chapter. Also, the measurements are in grams not cups so each recipe requires a bit of critical thinking and a baking scale. I do not recommend buying this book without also buying a food scale. This is the one that I use.
For my first effort, I quite literally chose the first recipe in the book Chocolate Orange Banana Bread. I chose it for the simplicity as well as for the fact that the bananas I bought went from green to leopard with no stops in between to eat one. I’m no stranger to banana bread-I grew up eating it quite often-and I really like the recipe for it in Joanna Gaines Magnolia Table.
I found Paul’s recipe to be not quite as rich as the Magnolia Table version but a bit more cake-y than my Mom’s. The orange zest gave it a nice freshness and the sliced banana on top of the loaf caramelized a bit and gave each slice a little touch of extra sweetness.
My father in law happened to be visiting when I made this and he was super excited for me to cut him a slice. I have shared here before that his favorite thing I’ve ever baked was Paul Hollywood’s recipe for Victoria Sandwich. It makes my heart happy that an almost 75 year old retired coal miner from eastern Kentucky loves Victoria Sandwich but I guess that just shows that food unites us all!
Here’s my review:
Difficulty: Minimal. The recipe was easy to follow.
Equipment needed: Again, you need a food scale for measuring purposes. Other than that, you’ll need a hand mixer and a zesting tool of some sort. I use a Pampered Chef zester that I’ve had forever but this one looks very similar. You need a loaf pan and parchment paper too.
Ingredient issues: It called for golden caster sugar and after some Googling I decided that regular granulated sugar would probably suffice.
Other: It took longer for my loaf to get baked through than the recommended time. I had to check several times and pop it back in. I feared I’d overbake but I think it turned out very good. I guess my oven isn’t as hot as Paul’s?
Verdict: A fairly easy and tasty recipe that I’d make again.
Keep tuning in to see what Old Blue Eyes and I bake next! Be sure to follow me on FB and Instagram @mindascooking for the first glimpses at my adventures.
From the heart and from the holler,
Minda
…old blue eyes…😂