Floristry, wedding flowers being my passion.
But it's fair to say I love creating. I love to try and am happy to confess that sometimes my trying, no matter how hard, doesn't really end with the desired results. Of course my love affair with Pinterest just spurs me onto the next project. So I never really give up, just postpone an idea!
One thing that's always struck me as simple enough to try is biscuit making. You get the ingredients, mix together, roll out and cut out and your done. Or not as in my case. I've tried, really I've tried but it just doesn't work. I must be missing something really important? Although I do like to try, I am happy to admit defeat, and to be honest 'biscuits' has been for some time at the top of the 'defeated by' list.
So when my wonderfully mad friend Paula told me she had arranged a biscuit making lesson for the kids, there was a little part of me that thought 'why'?
So when my wonderfully mad friend Paula told me she had arranged a biscuit making lesson for the kids, there was a little part of me that thought 'why'?
Why would you inflict this tricky craft on children for goodness sake.
I was in for a very simple eye opener.
I was in for a very simple eye opener.
We visited the lovely Latifa at the Fabulicious Baking School in Loughton.
Firstly I need to tell you exactly where it is because I'd driven past it a hundred times and didn't even know it was there. The address: 251a, possibly gives you an idea. It's above the shops. In order to get in you need to drive into Brookyln Avenue and then park behind the shops. The entrance is up a flight of stairs, not that obvious from the outside.
Once inside you enter the wonderful world of baking , magically mixed together by the welcoming Latifa.
Once inside you enter the wonderful world of baking , magically mixed together by the welcoming Latifa.
So there we were three adults and five children and all I could think of was my biscuit baking disasters. And then something quite Mary Poppings happened. Latifa started instructing the children what to do and off they went and did it. Weighing, mixing, egg cracking and a bit of needing. So far these small people where doing brilliantly and I was starting to wonder where on earth I had been going wrong. Then Latifa threw a little gem out there. Roll the dough and then she would pop it in the freezer for ten minutes. At this point I didn't realize this was the little gem and did what mummy's do and helped the children to clean up. It wasn't until the ten minutes where up that I realized this was where I'd always gone wrong. That magical ten minutes had made all the difference. It allowed the children to simply and neatly cut out the biscuits using an assortment of cutters. And then after 10 minutes in the oven they were all ready to be decorated. Beautiful, crisp, golden brown biscuits ready to be uniquely decorated as only five and six year olds can do.
Of course this is how you need to dress to have a baking lesson!
Mixing
Beating
Decorating 😉
And of course at the end of the lesson the children ate the biscuits, a success from everyone's point of view.
So I had learnt where I had been going wrong all this time, you must chill the dough.
So I have moved biscuits from my defeated list to my achieved list.
Below is the recipe that Latifa used and I can honestly say they are delicious.
60g icing sugar
120g soft butter
25g almond powder
1 egg
100g plain flour
100g whole wheat flour
300g chocolate
Mini eggs/sprinkles etc
Method
Sift the icing sugar on top of the buyer and mix together. Mix in the almond powder and the egg, sift the flour and mix to a dough.
Roll dough out between two sheets of parchment paper. Place in freezer for ten minutes.
Cut out shapes of your choice. Place on baking tray. Place in preheated oven - 180c, for ten minutes. Leave to cool on wire rack. Melt the chocolate and spread on biscuits and decorate as you wish.
For more details of baking classes and courses please contact Latifa at Fabulicious baking school.
251a High Road
Loughton
Essex
IG10 1AD
Email: info@fabbakingschool.com
www.fabbakingschool.com
Or you can find them on Facebook
My verdict without a doubt was ***** five star. We will be visiting again.
Ah this looks fab! Baking in general is something I just don't even attempt, ha!! Xxx
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