Recently I've tried my hand on different exploratory ventures. Among these there were trying out various baking recipes. It’s much like trying out a new car, expecting it to have Formula 1 performance capabilities, just to find out it can’t even break properly – quite disappointing!
I mean, how much is a cup exactly? How much is a table spoon? I have three different size table spoons! HOW? And what red blooded South African knows how much is 3½ ounces!? (American or European also adds more complexity).
So I blatantly read the recipe, threw away the internet print-out and proceeded with the process. Here’s how I went about it:
Ingredients:
Some flour, about two hands full.
Vanilla flavor to taste.
Salt, not so much to make it inedible.
A block of butter. I guess they pack them in the supermarket in bake-size blocks.
About as much sugar as the flour. Maybe more if it’s caster sugar. You decide.
Baking powder. Turn around three times fast and then add some. If it flops, use less, or more depending on the outcome of the flop.
The magic ingredient – I can’t remember. Already threw away the recipe.
O and eggs, don’t forget eggs. Umm, I think 3 will do. Add another one for luck.
Recipe:
Mix all the wet ingredients. Mix all the dry ingredients. Mix them all together for about say 5 minutes, or until your hand gets sore. Put the whole lot on a baking tray. Squash it as flat as you want it. Bake in the oven very hot until it looks like it’s done – preferably just before it catches fire. Voila! A roundish cakish breadish thing to eat.
Surprisingly I found that it tastes of cheese. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t an Aston Marin either!
All I can say is that very soon I’ll have my own recipes of what works and use proper metrics to inform the baker how much EXACTLY to use of each ingredient!
FYI – don’t try this at home!
B.A. out!
