We’re loving the current series of The Great British Bake Off. And now you can try some of the show’s recipes at home
Love-heart biscuits
Makes: 12
Prep time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
For the dough
*100g unblanched almonds
*200g plain flour
*A good pinch of salt
*80g icing sugar
*125g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
*3 large free-range egg yolks
For the filling
*200g fresh raspberries
*2tsp cornflour
*3tbsp caster sugar
*Icing sugar, for dusting
Equipment
*1 x 8cm heart-shaped cutter, plus a smaller one
*2 baking sheets, lined with baking paper
Put the almonds, flour and salt into a food processor and blitz until the almonds are finely ground. Add the icing sugar and pulse a few times until combined. Add the butter and process until the mixture looks like coarse sand. Tip in the egg yolks and process until the mixture comes together in a ball of firm dough. Slightly flatten the dough, wrap it in cling film and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured worktop to the thickness of a pound coin. Cut out hearts using the floured 8cm cutter, then use the floured smaller cutter to stamp out the middles of 12 biscuits. Gather the trimmings, re-roll and cut more shapes, so you have 12 whole hearts and 12 with holes. Space them out on the baking sheets and chill for 15 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Bake the biscuits for 12 minutes or until lightly coloured. Leave them to firm up for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack until cooled.
For the filling, put the raspberries, cornflour and caster sugar into a pan over a medium heat and stir gently until the fruit softens. Then bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring, until thick. Pour into a bowl to cool.
To assemble, spread the filling over the uncut biscuits, then top each with a cut-out shape. Dust with icing sugar. Eat the same day or unfilled biscuits will keep in an air-tight tin for up to four days and the filling for four days in the fridge.
Nutritional information: 249 calories, 15g fat
- FYI Pecans come from the same family as walnuts and are a similar “brain” shape, but are a little sweeter. They’re a great source of vitamin E, which reduces the risk of heart disease.
Chelsea buns
Makes: 10
Prep time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
For the dough
*500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
*1tsp salt
*1 x 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
*300ml milk
*40g unsalted butter, softened
*1 free-range egg, at room temperature
*Vegetable oil
For the filling
*25g unsalted butter, melted
*Grated zest of 1 orange
*75g soft brown sugar
*2tsp ground cinnamon
*100g dried cranberries
*100g sultanas
*100g dried apricots, chopped
To finish
*1 heaped tbsp apricot jam
*200g icing sugar, sifted
*Grated zest of 1 orange
Equipment
*1 deep baking tray, lightly greased
Put the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the yeast. Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan until the butter melts and the mixture is lukewarm. Add to the flour mixture with the egg and stir until the contents of the bowl come together to form a soft dough. If the dough gets too wet, you may need to add a little extra flour.
Tip the dough on to a floured worktop. Knead for 5 minutes, adding more flour if necessary, until the dough is smooth and elastic and no longer feels sticky.
Wash the mixing bowl and lightly grease with a little vegetable oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn until it is covered all over with oil. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.
Punch down the dough to its original size, then turn out on to a floured worktop. Roll the dough to form a rectangle about 40cm long and ½cm thick; it should lie horizontally in front of you. Brush all over with the melted butter. Evenly sprinkle the orange zest over the buttered surface, followed by the sugar, cinnamon and fruits.
Using your thumbs, press down the long side of the dough rectangle nearest to you so it sticks to the table. Begin to roll the opposite long side towards you, tightening the roll each time you turn it – use the tacked-down edge to help you tighten the roll. Cut across into 10 pieces about 4cm wide. Place them cut side up on the baking tray, leaving a little space around each slice. Cover with a tea towel and set aside in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5. Bake the buns for 20-25 minutes until risen and golden brown. Check them after 15 minutes and cover them with foil if they are getting too brown. Transfer the buns to a wire rack and leave to cool.
Put the apricot jam in a small saucepan with a splash of water and melt gently until smooth. Brush the jam over the buns to glaze. Allow to cool.
Mix together the icing sugar, orange zest and 2tbsp water. Drizzle the icing over the cooled buns and allow to set before serving. The buns are best eaten the same day.
Nutritional information: 424 calories, 7g fat
Pecan pie
Pecan pie
Serves: 10
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
For the pastry
*200g plain flour
*Pinch of salt
*1tbsp caster sugar
*120g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
*1 large free-range egg yolk
*1½tbsp icy water
For the filling
*100g unsalted butter, diced
*125g dark brown muscovado sugar
*85g maple syrup
*85g golden syrup
*3 large free-range eggs, beaten
*½tsp vanilla extract
*300g pecan halves
*Icing sugar, for dusting
Sift the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Using a round-bladed knife, work in the egg yolk and enough water to bring the mixture together and make a ball of dough that’s firm, but not dry or hard.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured worktop and use it to line a 1 x 23cm loose-based flan tin. Chill in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5.
Blind bake the pastry (line with greaseproof paper and baking beans) for 12-15 minutes until firm. Remove it from the oven, reduce the temperature to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and put a baking sheet into the oven to heat up.
For the filling, put the butter, sugar, maple syrup and golden syrup in a pan. Melt gently over a low heat, stirring occasionally, then bring to the boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and leave until just warm. Beat the eggs with the vanilla extract and stir into the melted mixture. Save 50g of the pecans for decoration and roughly chop the rest. Add to the pan and stir well, then pour the filling into the pastry case. Decorate with the saved pecans. Set the tin on the heated baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes until the filling is just firm. Leave the pie to cool on a rack until warm, then carefully unmould it.
To decorate, place a doily flat on the pie and dust with icing sugar, then remove the doily stencil. Alternatively, just dust with sifted icing sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutritional information: 570 calories, 42g fat
- Recipes from The Great British Bake Off: How To Turn Everyday Bakes Into Showstoppers by Linda Collister (BBC Books, £20). Buy The Great British Bake Off App (£2.99, iTunes).
