Apple Crumpets

These Apple Crumpets are delicious served hot with lots of syrup poured over them. (I enjoy eating mine with apple sauce in place of the syrup ... mmmmm !)

One of the very first recipes I ever published on this blog was for my Granny’s drop scones (also known as ‘crumpets’). You can see that recipe – and read my memories of them - over here.

I have since adapted this recipe for making apple crumpets – these really are delicious and I made a large batch of them recently (simply double the mixture if you’re feeding a large crowd), when we had some work-related Australian visitors come out to the farm for a visit. I served them hot with tea and coffee, and they were all eaten up in the blink of an eye !


Apple Crumpets

4 heaped tbsp Flour
1 level tbsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Cinnamon powder
Pinch of Salt
1 Egg, beaten
6 tbsp Milk
2 tbsp Apple Sauce
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
Oil for frying

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. Add the egg, milk, apple sauce & vanilla essence and beat to create a smooth batter. Heat some oil in a large frying pan, and drop tablespoons of the batter into the pan and cook until golden (flipping the crumpets over half way through) on both sides. This should only take around 5 – 8 minutes. Serve hot with or without butter and add your choice of topping – syrup, jam, honey or more apple sauce. Makes around 12 – 14.

Making Doughnuts (Donuts) At Home

I topped some of the doughnuts with glace icing & sprinkles

The rest of the doughuts were rolled first in warmed apricot jam and then in brown sugar

Ahhhh … doughnuts ! (Or …. donuts … as they are spelt in other parts of the world). I don’t eat them very often (for a start, I know of only one place in our local city here which actually makes them) but when I do, I really enjoy them. (As long as they are not too oily !)

My husband has been asking me since late last year, if I could make some for him sometime. They do take some time to make, and as I’m not a great fan of deep-fried foods, I kept on putting it off – poor hubby ! Anyway, when he kept on asking me every few weeks, and again in the new year, I decided to make a large batch to satisfy his doughnut craving !

Here is the recipe I use, which comes from a great South African cookbook “The Cape Malay Cookbook”. Don’t be alarmed by the use of 3 raising agents (yeast, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda) as this, I think, is part of the ‘secret’ of this recipe. I can assure you that these doughnuts taste even better than the ‘real’ thing and as good as – actually, even better than – those churned out by the well known doughnut franchises.

My only tip would be that these have to be eaten on the day you make them, to enjoy them at their very best -:


Doughnuts (from “The Cape Malay Cookbook” by Faldela Williams)

65 ml Sugar
60 ml melted Butter or Margarine
125 ml boiling Water
15 ml active dried Yeast
1 Egg, beaten
125 ml Milk
500 gm cake Flour
15 ml Baking Powder
pinch Bicarbonate of Soda
pinch Salt
5 ml Vanilla Essence
750 ml Sunflower Oil

Combine sugar, butter & boiling water and, when cooled, add yeast. Stir in beaten egg and milk. Sift flour & baking powder, then add, with the bicarbonate of soda, salt & vanilla essence to the butter mixture. Mix to a very soft dough. Set aside to rise, covered, until doubled in bulk (about 2 hours). Roll dough out into a thick coil about 5 cm in diameter and cut off 3 cm strips. Shape into longish doughnuts or ring doughnuts & set aside for 30 minutes to rise again. Fry in moderately hot oil for 5 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Drain in a colander or on absorbent paper.

Toppings : I like to roll my doughnuts in a little smooth apricot jam which has been heated slightly, then roll them in brown sugar afterwards. I also like to coat them in a plain glace icing (use around 250 ml icing sugar to 60 ml water) and sprinkle some “hundred & thousands” (coloured sugar strands) over the top.

It’s best to eat these doughnuts the same day that you make them, as they taste best when served fresh !

Banana & Cinnamon Crumpets

I served these Banana & Cinnamon Crumpets hot, drizzled with honey and topped with slices of banana

Those of you who read me regularly will know that on Sunday afternoons I usually make something ‘special’ for the family for afternoon tea. Sunday’s are lazy days for us, the one day of the week where we are together as a family for the whole day (if my husband is not busy with planting or harvesting), and this tradition of “Sunday afternoon tea” started several years ago.

Yesterday I decided to make these Banana & Cinnamon Crumpets for tea, by adapting a Drop Scone recipe of my Granny’s. (You can see the post I did on that recipe over here). I had quite a few over ripe bananas (not eaten as we were away this week) and wanted to use some of them up -:


Banana & Cinnamon Crumpets

4 heaped dessertspoons* Flour
1 level dessertspoon* Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
¼ tsp Cinnamon powder
1 level dessertspoon brown Sugar
1 large ripe Banana, mashed
1 Egg, beaten
Sufficient milk to make batter
Margarine or butter for frying (seems to work better than oil for this recipe)

*A dessertspoon measures 10 ml's & is slightly smaller than a tablespoon which measures 15 ml's

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt & cinnamon powder together. Stir in the sugar, mashed banana, egg & enough milk to make a stiff batter. Drop tablespoonfuls of mixture into a hot saucepan. Lightly fry until golden and cooked through. Serve hot, drizzled with honey and slices of banana. (Makes around 10 crumpets)

East African Mandazi

East African Mandazi are great when eaten for breakfast, accompanied by a nice cuppa tea !

Mandazi can best be described as an East African version of the donut. They are deep-fried and slightly sweet and are traditionally served in East Africa for breakfast - I especially enjoy eating them with a nice cuppa tea on the side !

Mandazi are also quite a popular ‘street food’ meaning that you can easily buy them along the roadside in the larger cities and even in the smaller towns. You will find them on the menu of most local guest houses for breakfast, and they are also cheap to buy and very filling - so are ideal for the traveller on a budget !

What makes them different from the traditional donut is that they usually don’t have a hole in the middle, and they are cut into a diamond shape instead of a traditional round donut shape. The addition of spices like Cardamom to the dough also makes them different. Some Mandazi (typically made in the coastal areas) also have coconut milk added to the dough.

My favourite Mandazi is the plain variety, which I served recently to my mother-in-law who is out from England at the moment and wanted to experience some traditional Tanzanian food -:

Mandazi

2 cups Flour
5 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Cardamom powder
1 sachet of Yeast
1 cup lukewarm Milk
Oil for frying

Sift the flour, sugar & Cardamom powder into a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over these ingredients and then add the lukewarm milk. Stir to blend and knead into a soft and pliable dough. Leave covered in a warm place until doubled in size. Punch down and roll out flat. Cut into diamond shapes & leave these covered in a warm place until doubled in size again. Deep fry in very hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Remove, drain and serve immediately.

Koeksisters - A Traditional South African Treat !

Delicious Koeksisters, served with a nice cup of tea are a real treat !

Koeksisters are a delicious, traditional South African treat which can be enjoyed served as a pudding or with afternoon tea. They are basically plaited twists of dough which have been deep fried and then dunked into a lightly spiced sugar syrup.

I am not a fan of deep fried foods, until it comes to koeksisters … ahhhhh …. although they are a real fiddle to make (not to mention fattening if eaten in large quantities !) they are well worth the effort.

The perfect koeksister is crisp and golden on the outside, and when you bite into it the sugar syrup squirts into your mouth as you eat your way through the perfectly cooked dough … and taste a little piece of heaven at the same time !

Here is one of my favourite koeksister recipes, taken straight from the pages of one of South Africa’s most comprehensive cookbooks “The Complete South African Cookbook” by Magdaleen Van Wyk -:


Koeksisters

Dough:

480 gm cake Flour
50 ml (4 tbsp) Butter or Margarine
2 Eggs
250 ml Milk
30 ml (6 tsp) Baking Powder
2 ml (1/2 tsp) Salt
Oil for frying

Syrup:

800 gm Sugar
375 ml Water
2 ml (1/2 tsp) Cream of Tartare
2 ml (1/2 tsp) ground Ginger
3 sticks Cinnamon

First make the syrup. Heat the water in a saucepan, add the sugar & stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Wash down all the sugar crystals adhering to the sides of the saucepan. Add the Cream of Tartare, ginger & cinnamon to the syrup. Boil, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Do not stir. Remove from the stove & chill in the fridge.

Now make the koeksisters. Sift the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add the butter (or margarine) & rub in with fingertips until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Beat the eggs & milk together & add to the dry ingredients. Mix the dough well, then knead lightly for 2 minutes to make it pliable. Cover the basin with wax paper & leave for 1 hour.

Roll the dough out to a thickness of 7,5 to 10 mm with a rolling pin. Cut oblongs 80 mm by 40 mm. Starting 1 cm from one end, make 2 vertical cuts in the oblongs so that there are 3 strips joined at the end. Plait these strips loosely, & secure at the loose end.

Heat the oil to 190’C/375’F & deep-fry the koeksisters for 1 minute. Remove from oil, drain on brown paper for 1 minute & dip in the cold syrup for 30 seconds. Remove from the syrup & place on a dish to dry.

Notes:
Handle the dough lightly & fry the koeksisters soon after plaiting.

The syrup must remain cold, so use only small quantities at a time, & leave the remainder in the fridge. Top up the syrup from that in the fridge when necessary.

Do not cook too many koeksisters at one time.

A Recipe for Tanzanian Jam Buns

You could use any type of jam for the filling, I used strawberry for these

Called “Jam Buns”, these are actually more like biscuits (cookies) in texture. Most local bakeries here in Tanzania sell some version of the “Jam Bun”, and this is just one of them.

The photo does not really do them justice. The dough for these did not turn out as I’d have liked because I had to use quite a coarse brown sugar (which is all I had in the house at the time). A finer white sugar would work better and create a more ‘finished’ looking final product. Still, they tasted delicious !

Tanzanian Jam Buns

1 ½ cups Flour
2 heaped tbsp Custard Powder
2 tsp Baking Powder
3 tbsp Margarine
3 tbsp Sugar
¼ cup Milk
Strawberry Jam

Sift the flour, custard powder and baking powder into a bowl and mix. Rub in the margarine and stir in the sugar. Add the milk to make a stiff dough. Roll the dough into small walnut sized balls, press a hole into the middle of each ball with the back of a teaspoon (or your finger !) and bake at 190’C/375’F/Gas Mark 5 for 20 – 25 minutes.

Vetkoek (“Fat Cakes”) & East African Mandazi

Traditional South African "Vetkoek" which are similar to East African "Mandazi" - and just as delicious !

These are quite a decadent treat. I rarely eat, or cook, anything that is deep fried and by this I don’t mean that I am a saint – far from it ! Sometimes, I make these for lunch as my husband really loves them. If you fry them quickly in very hot oil and blot them with kitchen paper afterwards, they are not too greasy. You can serve them with either a savoury filling (mince, cheese) or a sweet filling (jam, syrup, honey).

In Tanzania we have a similar dish called Mandazi. These are also, typically, deep fried ‘cakes’ but they are made of a sweetened dough (rather than a batter) and are usually seasoned with a little cardamom, cinnamon or ginger. (I suppose you could compare them in taste to a not-so-sweet doughnut ? )

They are usually eaten at breakfast and are also popular roadside snacks for early morning commuters. I love Mandazi and usually eat them when we are traveling here or in Kenya as they can be found on many breakfast buffet’s in both the upmarket hotels and local “Guesti’s” (Guest Houses) alike.


Vetkoek

1 cup Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
1 Egg, beaten
½ cup Water

Sift the dry ingredients together. Add the beaten egg & water and blend to make a smooth batter. Drop batter by the spoonful into a pan of hot oil and fry (turning frequently) until golden brown.

Sunday Pancakes

Delicious childhood memories .....

When I was a child growing up in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) my Dad used to make these for us on a Sunday night. Television had only recently been introduced to the country then(mid to late ‘70’s ?) and there was a children’s religious programme on every Sunday evening which we used to watch whilst eating these pancakes.

Our “first course” used to be pancakes filled with a cheesy ham sauce (similar to a welsh rarebit sauce) which was followed by “pudding” of pancakes sprinkled with honey, lemon juice and caster sugar. They were a special “Sunday treat” which I will never forget !

Let’s face it, pancakes are a bit of a “fiddle” to make … what with all that flipping and only being able to make one at a time (or, I suppose you could have several pans ‘on the go’ at once) …. so they are not a regular teatime treat in our house, but just one I’ll make when the mood grabs me.

Pancakes

1 cup Flour
¼ tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Salt
1 Cup Milk
1 Egg, beaten

Sift the flour, baking powder & salt together. Add a little of the milk. Stir until the mixture is smooth & lump free. Slowly add the remaining milk. Then add the beaten egg & blend well. Pour the mixture in to a jug, and pour a little into a hot, oiled frying pan. Swirl the mixture around, until it covers the base of the pan. Once the pancake has started to cook through, flip it over and cook the other side until golden.

Serve sprinkled with brown sugar, cinnamon and freshly squeezed lemon (or lime) juice & roll up whilst still hot.

Granny's Drop Scones

My favourite way to eat these is with butter & golden Tanzanian honey

I’m not sure if you can tell yet, but I LOVE to bake. I am trying to balance the recipes on my blog, so that they do not consist mainly of baking recipes ! I enjoy cooking but would bake all day, every day if I could (and if weight gain was not an issue - as I can’t resist tasting what I bake !)

My Granny Edith used to make these for tea when we were children growing up in what was then Salisbury, Rhodesia. They are also known as “crumpets”. They are so simple and quick to make. I remember making them once as a teenager, for my Mum who had some ladies around for an afternoon WI or Book Club meeting at our home in Northern Natal, South Africa. I vividly remember frying batches of them in an electric frying pan, and serving them hot with jam and whipped cream on the top !

When I had my first job, I lived in a quaint white washed cottage on a strawberry farm in the Magaliesburg, South Africa and I did not have an oven – only one of those counter top stove plates that you plugged in. So I used to make these on a regular basis for tea or breakfast - especially when trying to impress a new boyfriend ;)

You can serve these with butter and jam/honey/syrup with or without a topping of cream. They also work well with a sliver of cheese on top in place of the jam.

I have not changed this recipe at all – there’s been no need to, as it has worked perfectly since the ‘70’s (and probably before) !

Granny’s Drop Scones

4 heaped dessertspoons* Flour
1 level dessertspoon* Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
1 heaped dessertspoon Sugar
1 Egg, beaten
Sufficient milk to make batter
Margarine or butter for frying (seems to work better than oil for this recipe)

* A dessertspoon measures 10 ml's & is slightly smaller than a tablespoon, which measures 15 ml's

Sift the flour, baking powder & salt. Stir in the sugar, & add egg and enough milk to make a stiff batter. Drop tablespoonfuls of mixture into a hot saucepan. Lightly fry until golden and cooked through. Serve hot.