Whilst, alas, few of us have the time to scrupulously make every scrap of food we eat every day from scratch, to do so even once a week is a joyful act – and one that defies the unwelcome rise of unidentifiable ingredients such as emulsifiers and other elaborately named chemicals now commonly found in our most basic foods. The latter is perhaps why the renaissance of homemade bread is more than just a trend – rather, it's a return to the heart of the kitchen and the essence of real, honest food.
Homemade Butter
BBC Good Food
It is likely that you might have dabbled in knocking up your own loaves of bread – who didn’t try their hand at sourdough during the pandemic? – but have you ever made your own butter? In a world where a tub of the golden stuff routinely sets us back a fiver, why not have a go at churning your own using 600ml of (far cheaper) double cream instead? That aside, all you will need is a jar and a marble and five minutes to spare. Genius no? You will also get some buttermilk as a by-product, thus stocking the fridge twice over.
Easy Bread
Baking With Granny
You cannot argue with your granny in matters that concern bakery – nor indeed many others for that matter. This failsafe recipe was posted during the pandemic, as loaves flew off shelves almost with the alacrity of loo roll but now, several years on, its simple goodness still stands. All you will need is strong bread flour (wholemeal if you prefer), fast action yeast, salt, butter or oil, and some warm water. No, it’s not sourdough, and nor does it contain healthy seeds or the goodness of heavy rye. However, it is wholly delicious, especially when consumed warm with a little butter – homemade if you’re so inclined, see above – and crucially it contains only recognisable ingredients and thus no nasties.
Crumpets
Delicious Magazine
What sentient being has not fallen upon a plate of buttered crumpets with greedy relish after returning from a long winter’s walk? They are the stuff of pure comfort, and – we can attest – the pleasure is only magnified by having made them yourself. Using the ingredients of basic bread and adding a little sugar and milk, you will need a metal crumpet or egg-poaching ring to impose the classic round shape upon your creation. Delicious Magazine suggests making your own honey butter too which, if you do have the time, is well worth the effort.
Old Fashioned Raspberry Jam
Epicurious
Eleanor Topp and Margaret Howard, the authors of this excellent recipe begin by setting out their stall: ‘There are no add-ins, lemon juice, or pectin in this raspberry jam recipe: just the berries and sugar, which makes for a deeply fruity spread that tastes like summer—no matter when you open the jar,’ they say. ‘With nothing to hide behind, the quality of the fruit is paramount, so make this recipe when fresh raspberries are at their peak.’ If you have been clever enough to freeze a harvest from the summer, then make this recipe now for a sweet reminder of those heady days. If, however, you were not quite as well-prepared as that, no fear: simply stash this recipe away neatly for next year.
Sponge Cake
BBC
When it comes to cakes, forget the fancy and the frou-frou. We will always, always have time for a proper, classic sponge. It is, after all, the building block from which most sweet confections are created. This one uses flour, eggs, sugar and butter – with jam, lemon curd or whipped cream and berries to serve if you so wish. The proportions are everything but, get them right, and this makes the most welcome and comforting of cakes to offer guests over a nice steaming pot of tea.
Fresh Egg Pasta
Jamie Oliver
If your instinctive response to the idea of making your own pasta is to throw your hands up and wonder who has time for that sort of thing, then we totally hear you. Shop-bought dried pasta, depending on the brand of course, does tend to be very good not to mention convenient. However, if you do feel the urge, making your own can be satisfying and fun – and is especially good to get kids involved with. You’ll need 600g Tipo 00 flour and six eggs – and lots of upper arm strength for the kneading. Pasta makers can be helpful but are non-essential; as Jamie points out, many Italians baulk at the very idea of them.
By Nancy Alsop
November 2023
