Festive Gingerbread

A soft, melt-in-the-mouth gingerbread that is loved by young and old. I have used this recipe for years, usually to make gingerbread men (and women!) at Christmas time. This year, I also made ghosts, skulls and pumpkins for Halloween. It is best to make the dough the day before and allow it to rest in the fridge overnight.

350g plain flour

175g butter, softened

4 tbsp soft brown sugar

8 tbsp golden syrup

6 tbsp milk (about 90ml)

1 tsp allspice, ground ginger, cinnamon

½ tsp salt

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Sieve the flour into a bowl and mix in the spices, salt and bicarbonate of soda.

In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter, add the sugar and golden syrup and whisk until light and fluffy. Then fold in the dry ingredients a little at a time, alternating with the milk. Use your hands to bring the dough together and place on a floured board.

Knead until the dough is smooth - if it's too sticky, add a bit more flour - and form into a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and chill overnight in the fridge.

The next day, preheat the oven to 190ºC and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.

Roll out the dough to 3mm thick. Cut out your chosen shapes and place on your lined baking trays. They will spread a little so don't put them too close together.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until they are golden. Remove from the trays and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate with icing or melted chocolate.

This makes about 20-30 shapes depending on the size.

Soda bread

A wholesome loaf ready in under an hour? Oh yes! Absolutely wonderful fresh from the oven or toasted for breakfast the following day.

On retirement, my mother made bread on a weekly basis, using the warmth of her Aga to allow the dough to rise. She experimented with different flours and used her Kenwood dough hook to mix it all together. It made it very easy for her.

Despite this, the thought of making a loaf of bread has always filled me with trepidation as it can be a fairly lengthy process. When we came to live in the west of Ireland, I was delighted to learn about soda bread which requires no yeast, no proving, and very little kneading. You also don't need a loaf tin as you simply shape the dough into a round, cut a cross in the top and pop it into the oven. What could be easier!

450g plain flour

(or 225g each of white and brown)

1 tsp salt

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp baking powder

350ml buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 200ºC

Sieve the dry ingredients into a bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour in most of the buttermilk and mix with the flour, adding more buttermilk if needed. (I use a flat knife to do this but it is traditional to use your hand!) You should end up with a soft dough that is not too sticky.

Put the dough onto a well floured board and shape into a round loaf, about 20cm in diameter. Place onto a baking sheet and cut a deep cross into the dough.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 35 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. If it needs a bit longer, turn it upside down on the baking sheet and cook for a further 5-10 minutes.

I used a white flour but do experiment with brown or wholemeal flour. I have also recently made a pumpkin soda bread for Halloween.

Pumpkin soda bread

Homemade pumpkin soda bread for a Halloween lunch with a crusty topping and a soft inside.

A few simple ingredients and no kneading or proving - what could be easier! Delicious served warm with a homemade soup.

450g plain flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp baking powder

200ml buttermilk

125-150ml pumpkin puree (see below)

about 50g pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 200ºC

Sieve the dry ingredients into a bowl and make a well in the middle. Measure the buttermilk in a jug and add the pumpkin puree, giving it a good stir. Then pour it into the middle of your dry ingredients and mix together with a knife, adding more buttermilk if needed. You should end up with a soft dough that is not too sticky.

Put the dough onto a well floured board and using your hands, shape into a round loaf, about 20cm in diameter.

Then place onto a floured baking sheet and cut a deep cross into the dough.

Now all you need to do is press the pumpkin seeds into the top of the dough and bake in your preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Enjoy with a hearty autumn soup.

Check out the bread category for how to make a plain soda bread loaf.

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Pumpkin puree

Simply cut a pumpkin in half across the width (or length if using butternut squash), scoop out the seeds and place the pumpkin, cut side down, on a baking sheet covered with tin foil.

Roast in a 180ºC oven for about 30 minutes.

Stick a knife in to see if it’s done, and when cool, scoop out the flesh and puree. I put the flesh in a large bowl and used a hand-held stick blender which made it very easy.

This will keep for a couple of days in the fridge and if you have some left over, you can easily freeze it until you’re ready to make the next loaf!