Simple things and stranger things

This week has been awesome and then tremendously empty. Once you find Stranger Things,  get completely hooked and then realise that there are only 8 episodes. Well everything has slightly less shine now! Aw, I joke but honestly this show is fantastic!! It creates such a wonderful atmosphere of 80s nostalgia and childhood adventure with a hint of the mysterious paranormal!

Image property of Netflix

So I thought naturally that I would accompany this post with a simpler thing - Scones.

Scones are one of the first things I ever learnt to make, scones and brownies. When I was about the age of the Stranger Things kids, maybe a little younger. My Mum taught me how to make these two things from a Darina Allen book and I was absolutely enthralled!! I felt like I was being taught some kind of super-power;You can just make treats?! Mind-blown! Well as you can tell, I started there and didn't stop but today I wanted to revisit the ole favourite with a bit of a healthy twist. 

Obviously scones are sweet breads so they are inevitably carbs but I have made a few adjustments to make them as healthy as carbs can be, and honestly you wouldn't know he difference. They definitely passed the fiancé test. These two lasted about five minutes between us.

So what are the adjustments - the flour is a fine ground wholemeal flour. Fine ground is important here, it can be called pasta flour but it makes a very big difference.

The second big alteration, these contain no added sugar. They are sultana scones and thereis  natural sugars in the sultanas but otherwise there is no sugar, no sweetner and no way to tell that it's no added sugar, I promise!

The secret is to soak the sultanas in tea. The tea adds a depth of flavour anyway but as the sultanas are soaked the natural sugars seep into the tea and then the whole lot is added into the scones which adds just enough sweetness, not to mention beautiful plump juicy sultanas. So you would never know that I didn't add sugar, why not give it a try?!

Healthy Scones (Wholemeal, No Added Sugar) (Makes 12 large)

1-1.5 Cups Sultanas

Black tea - enough to cover the above

500g Wholemeal fine ground plain flour

1 tsp Baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1/2 tsp all-spice

1 egg

2 tbsp milk of choice

2 tbsp oil of choice (I used almond)

Egg-wash to beautify

1 - Soak the sultanas for at least an hour up to overnight

2 - Preheat oven to 180'C. Sieve together the flour, baking powder and spices

3 - Pour in the sultanas and mix

4 - Add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix until a dough is formed

5 - Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes

6 - Form into even sized balls, try to hide the sultanas inside, and place on a lined baking tray

7 - Egg-wash to finish and bake for 15-20 minutes or until hollow sounding when tapped.

8 - Allow to cool and enjoy with some sneaky butter ;)

Perfect for enjoying during an episode of Stranger things. I haven't spoken about it much but I feel that I don't wish to spoil anything. Suffice is to say that it is well, well worth watching! My favourite character was Eleven, shortly followed by Dustin, toothless kid, because he was just a hero and so cute whenever he speaks! If you don't have Netflix, get it, there is more and more amazing ontent there every week. I am not sponsored to say this, I just appreciate Netflix more and more every day and you will need it to see Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, which I will review, episode by episode! Not to mention catching up, or rewatching Gilmore girls as I am doing right now to put together a full review for you shortly. So anyway for now, watch Stranger things, make these scones and thank me later =)

Christmas is over but baby it's cold outside!

There is something so unbelievably unjust about snow in January. Don't get me wrong I like snow but there is a time and a place; the time is in lead up to Christmas in a place near my house or after Christmas and far away, on a skiing holiday, but NOT after Christmas near my house because that is just cumbersome and depressing. However the weather doesn't seem to understand this because look what happened today, just as I was cycling home -

Snow in January :(

The main problem is that cold weather makes people want to curl up with a blanket and some comfort food but in the wonderful post-New Years tradition, everyone is watching what they eat and spend which doesn't equate to much time for relaxation or any of the delicious baked goods that one may have enjoyed prior to the 31st December. Which is where brown scones come in. Brown wholemeal scones combine everything that you crave about baked goods with all the high fiber and low fat health benefits.

Brown Soda Scones
320g    Whole meal Flour
130g    White Bread Flour
1 tsp     Baking Soda
1 tsp     Salt
2 tbsp   Brown sugar
200ml  Buttermilk
2          Egg yolks
30ml    Melted butter

Preheat your oven to 200'C/400'F/Gas Mark 6. Mix together the whole meal flour, bread flour, salt and baking soda. Whisk together the butter milk and egg yolks and incorporate this into the flour mix.Gradually incorporate the melted butter. If you have a stand mixer knead the dough for 5 minutes, adding a small amount of bread flour after 2.5 minutes.Form 8 similar sized balls of dough and arrange them on a baking tray. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle the top with a pinch of white sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes then cool on a wire wrack.

Enjoy with jam.

Update - It looks like the weather didn't even listen to my opinions on appropriate snow etiquette despite announcing them online. This morning Dublin awoke to a small blanket of snow!! Oh well, at least I still had one scone left for breakfast ;)

Note the layer of white visible in the background!