The day when being a Tosser is acceptable...

This year i'm lucky enough to have pancake day the day after my birthday! So basically this whole week is going to be full of food...not much different from the norm but hey...any excuse!

The weekend just gone has been full of scrummy foods, and i've really been feeling the american theme (more to come on that later in the week),so decided to stick to it and make Buttermilk pancakes with crispy bacon and maple syrup.

For the pancakes you will need:

125g of plain flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of bicarb of soda
1 egg
250ml of buttermilk
50g of melted butter

For the topping you will need:

American style streaky bacon
Maple Syrup

Start by mixing the flour, salt and bicarb in a bowl.

Add the egg, buttermilk, melted butter and give it a good mix. 

The batter is quite a thick one, but don't be put off by this. Heat a frying pan and grease lightly (I used a little bit of butter for the first pancake but didn't add any more for the second and third, my pan is a very good non stick brand).
Add as much batter to the pan as you like, depending on the size you want. Make sure you place it in the centre and then use the back of the spoon or ladle to move the batter around to make the desired shape.

You will know when its time to flip when little pockets open up on the top, like little air bubbles. 

Americans like their pancakes with Bacon, I went for Oscar Mayer as its "American style" bacon and it crisps up nicely.

They also smother their pancakes in maple syrup, but I just went for a little drizzle as I find it a little to sweet.

Theres lots more to come this week on the blog, including my weekend in london, a restaurant review and last but by no means least....BEYONCÉ!

Don't forget to take part in my birthday giveaway! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blogs Birthday Give away!

A year ago today The Broke Boy was born! Where has the time gone! It is scary to think that 365 days ago I sat down in front of this computer and thought "Right...Lets do something!".

It's even scarier to think that i've stuck to it!

The past year has been a great one for me. I've met some amazing people, I've pushed myself, I've taken risks and I've achieved a lot.

The biggest thing of all is the self confidence that all of this has given me. A year ago I never would of seen myself attending an audition for the Great British Bake Off, let alone getting to the top 250 out of 15,000.

The kitchen has become my new home. I love spending time creating yummy goodies and practicing different techniques. Those of you that have followed the blog since the beginning will hopefully have seen how what I make has improved. Last week someone told me that my Oreo cupcakes were "The best cake they had ever eaten" which put a massive smile on my face.

To celebrate the blog turning one, and also to start my own birthday celebrations early, I made some Dunkin cupcakes! Earl grey sponge with an earl grey and digestive frosting, topped with a biscuit fit for dunking.

Ive also set up a Facebook page!

The main thing I have been wanting to do for a while is to do a give away. When better to do one than on the blogs birthday eh?

To celebrate i've put together a collection of bread baking equipment. Everything you need to make a loaf bar the actual ingredients, i'd made to poison you.

To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter widget bellow! The more you tweet the better your chance of winning.
The closing date for the competition is the 27th of march. An email will be sent to the winner 48 hours after closing time.


Good Luck everyone and Thank you for making this a great year!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thrifty Bakers...

So normally I'm quite naughty when it comes to baking equipment. I usually see it, basket it and buy it. I don't really look at the price as its my biggest passion and its one of the few things I do spend money on now.

However, Its the week of pay day and the baking urge hit. Lucky for me Sainsburys have just started an amazing Cookware offer.

Lots of new lines are currently 1/3 off and although it might not sound a lot there is ALOT of new stuff that has previously been sold else where for ALOT more money.

The first items into the trolley were the 2 tier cupcake carriers. Now a lot of you have asked me before where I got my old carrier from, as it fits 24 cupcakes and can be used as presentation trays.

Originally I purchased my first carrier from Hobby Craft. As you can see they are currently on offer at £12.50 (sadly I paid £25 for mine). 

Sainsburys version is exactly the same, same height, same trays, same clip lock system. They are currently selling for £6.66! 

The great thing about these carriers is they stack together. So if you have 2 or 3 they will all lock together and you will no longer have to worry about juggling multiple boxes. I grabbed two and went back in for more later on but sadly they are all sold out. They are available online here and the offer is on until the 11th of March.

Next in the trolley was the heavy gauge baguette tray. These are brilliant little moulds to help you prove and bake the perfect baguettes. They are currently selling at £5.33 in store or online here.

Now that i've conquered my fear of bread I felt the need to invest in these bread cloths. I can't honestly say I really needed them, as any old tea towel will do...But I love filling draws with random crap and watching my Mums head explode...teehee(-towel). A pack of 3 towels set me back £5. Sadly I cant find them online.

My love of pastry has also hit new levels over the last week. And i'm going to attempt to make "The Broke Boy" out of puff pastry with these Alphabet cutters. I paid £9.99 for them but the website currently says they are still £15 here. Might be worth keeping an eye on them if you are interested.

And finally my diddy little frying pan. The website again says that this is £20 but I got it in store this morning for £13.33.

For those of us that don't have the money to purchase the lovely Le Cruset collection of cookware this to me is the next best thing and its incredibly good value for money. Its just as heavy as the real thing and just as long lasting. I have quite a few pieces of the Sainsburys collection and got this little frying pan for creating mini Tart Tatins. You can find it online here and the rest of the collection here.

All in all some great offers. They have a lot more stuff in store to so I suggest you have a look!

Also keep checking back as I will hopefully be putting together a give away in the next week or so!

My biggest fear...

...in the world of baking is bread! Don't ask me why, its probably because I have never spent the time practicing it.

2014 so far has been brilliant for me, and its only the 21st! That being said though, I have come to the conclusion that I need to try and conquer to fears when it comes to the kitchen.

So I decided to take bread head on.

You will notice from previous posts that I have attempted this before but things have either gone horribly wrong OR my overly picky side screamed at me and said it looked rubbish.

Just before New Year I ordered some books on bread from Amazon, one being Dough by Richard Bertinet and the other being Brilliant Bread by James Morton.

If you are like me and have a fear of bread, get these books! They are both brilliant, one starts from the beginning and explains every little detail about the ingredients, the method and the different outcomes. The other comes with a DVD that gives you a step by step guide on how to work the dough and get the best results.

This was my first attempt at a plain white loaf. Bare in mind at this point I didn't have the "Basic Equipment" the books said would help. At this point I wasn't so much worried about the working of the dough I wanted to concentrate on the outcome, the shape, the bake etc. I used the dough hook attachment on my mixer to speed up the process and focused solely on the shaping and baking. 
Although this loaf turned out ok, I wanted more from it!

For my next attempt I decided to go for the same dough as the bake itself was lovely. But I decided to attempt a different style of outcome.

This time I decided to create some baguettes in the form of Epis. The shape is formed by shaping the dough into a baguette shape and then taking a pair of scissors to the dough and snipping at intervals down the length. For a second attempt I was chuffed with these. They were yummy as well, perfect for sharing as its a bit like a tare and share loaf.

For this next batch my equipment had arrived and I was ready to work the dough by hand. Rather than using the traditional english method of kneading, I went for Richard Bertinet's method. At first it seemed a little alien but once you get into the swing of it you realise just how easy it is. I decided to try adding some flavouring to my white loaves buy adding Cumin and Gruyere cheese. To me these are a thing of beauty, look at the cheesey crust! For my first hand worked dough the crumb was brilliant and the flavours were spot on. I will making those again soon!

And finally my favourite of all, The pizza dough!
Never before have I stuffed a pizza so quickly down my neck. Good lord it was glorious!
The first picture was from my first attempt. It was slightly rushed as the weather took a turn for the worst whilst trying the recipe, causing my dad to get home later than planned with the ingredients. However the base was beautifully crisp and so flavourful. 

The second picture was my second attempt. I started this dough earlier on in the morning and decided to prove it in the fridge. Apparently this allows the dough to rise slowly which creates more flavour and also gives it a touch of acidity which will help create a crisp outside and a slightly chewy center.
I really don't see myself buying a pizza any time soon, I mean really, why buy when you make your own!?

Anyway, thats enough mouth watering food for today. My fear of bread has been conquered and I am now ready to tackle my next challenge...The sour dough starter! 

Wish me luck!

December in London...Scratch that...Food in London...

...Back in December I made a trip to London to get myself in the festive spirit. Usually when I plan a weekend away I book something to do, like a show or a concert...This time it was just a hotel and a train ticket...
It was quite exciting to arrive and just hurl myself on to the tube and get off where I liked.

My main aim for the weekend was to eat a lot and finish off my christmas shopping.

Lets focus on the food.

A trip to London for me is not complete without a MASSIVE burger, and for me it has to be Shake Shack.

The queue as always was massive, but lucky for me there was someone selling mulled wine near buy so I quickly grabbed one and kept myself warm whilst I looked over the menu.
My order rarely changes as my usual is just SO good. You join the queue and wait to be served, they then give you a buzzer that allows you to wander covent garden until your food is ready. Don't worry though you don't usually have to wait to long.

I went for the Double Smokeshack, Cheese fries and a malted peanut butter milkshake.

This particular photo truly doesn't do the photo justice, it was beautifully cooked. The molten cheese smooches the smoked bacon and I have lost my train of thought... Umm...Burger....
The cheese fries are awesome, I just with that there was more of them.
I have no words for the Milk shake..its peanut butter...PEANUT BUTTER!


Next stop on my foodie adventure was based on a recommendation from Ching He Huang. I sent her a tweet asking what restaurant I should visit in china town for an authentic meal. She graciously replied and told me to try Joy King Lau.

The restaurant is a 5 minute walk from Leicester square tube station and was quite easy to find.
I arrived later in the evening as I was pretty tired after a long day of wandering so popped to the hotel for a quick power nap.

Instantly I knew I was in for a treat, the queue outside was massive and it appeared that the downstairs room of the restaurant was packed out.
I joined the queue and probably waited 15 minutes to be seated which in my eyes was fantastic as they really were busy.
I was taken to the second floor of the restaurant and seated opposite 4 large circular tables that all had large families on.
My mouth started watering straight away. It was a little like the tables in Hogwarts, food covered every inch of the surface and the smell was amazing. One family opposite appeared to have a MASSIVE bowl of noodles to share which contained all sorts of goodies, including crab claws and king prawns.

I decided to go for something with a kick to start with. I went for Hot and Sour soup. It certainly was hot, I remember ordering a beer and thinking "I could really do with a warming cup of tea" and then downing the bottle of beer because I was sweating from the soup. A mix of vegetables, chicken, prawns and tofu swam in a broth so deliciously hot. I recommend you to try it if you go, just bare in mind it is hot!

Next on the menu was Chicken and Cashew nuts with a side of egg fried rice. Simple and so good! The chicken was tender and juicy, the cashews had a soft exterior with a bit of a bite and it was scrummy.

I had 2 courses and 2 bottles of beer and it came to under £20 which I was very impressed with. The staff were lovely and the atmosphere was great. It's lovely to see families enjoying food together.

My one recommendation for this restaurant would be this... If you are planning on visiting, go as a group! Although I felt very welcome and enjoyed every minute of it, the set menu's look and smell amazing. I was a bit jealous of everyone around me.

Give it a go next time you are in London! you won't regret it!

Happy New Year...

...Happy new year everyone!

I hope you have all had a brilliant Christmas and are enjoying 2014 so far...

2013 was a year of change for me. It started off pretty average, but starting this blog was one of the best things I have ever done. When I started out I remember thinking "I'll never keep this going, I can't even keep a diary!". But here I am 10 months later and i'm still posting, even if isn't as often as originally intended.

The blog has opened so many doors for me, i've met some amazing people...From John Whaite to Larkin Cen and not forgetting the fellow bloggers! It's made me push myself in the kitchen, I've tried foods that I wouldn't have dared eat before. I've consumed some damn good burgers and chicken wings.. I've baked my ass off and most of all I have loved every single second of it.

I have a few new years resolutions for 2014, some I am going to stick to, some will last a month or so..some may not even begin. But I will share it all with you.

The first is to eat healthier food that isn't as boring as sin! Every year I promise myself that I will try and lose weight and every year I get to the end of the first week and then stuff my face with every burger in sight. Blogging has shown me that there are some seriously tasty meals out there that are good for you and don't taste like the underside of muddy boot.

The second is to join the gym, as of the 5th of January this is still yet to happen but its having the time at the moment. I will do this though as I need to swim! 

The third is to give less F•cks... I get myself in to quite a state sometimes with the smallest of things. But this year I'm taking the attitude that people do what they want, it's not my problem.

The fourth is to update the blog more regularly and give it a make over.

And finally the fifth is to continue saving and do new things! 

All together I think I can stick to most of these...With a little help from you guys!

You may have noticed I've been a little quiet on here recently, Christmas is the busiest time of year for me at work. That and all the time spent in the kitchen at home creating Christmas bakes has really stopped me from having a moment spare to post. So I thought I would do a little round up of my lead up to Christmas now.

Christmas for me started with a solo visit to London. I decided to go with no plans and just explore, get some shopping done and enjoy myself. It solve involved some eating (standard) but I'll save that for a separate post.

London truly is beautiful at Christmas, the lights really give the festive feeling and a smile as wide possible.

The next part of Christmas is obviously the food...The glorious food!
This is the first year that I have actively wanted to take part in creating the food for the big day. I started with a Mincemeat Streusel, making everything from scratch. I've got incredibly warm hands so can struggle with pastry but this was BEAUTIFUL. Buttery pastry that makes the mouth water. This is probably the best bake I have ever done and it makes me sad that its a Christmas bake...I need it all year round!

The next bake was Raspberri Cupcakes Christmas tree meringues. I've never had much luck with meringue but was determined to push myself and they turned out beautifully. A gloriously goey center meets the tongue as your teeth break through the outer wall.

I even went as far as cooking a turkey! My first ever bird went down a storm, I stuffed it with a whole lemon and basted it with lashings of butter, white wine and water. It was beautifully moist and made some great left over dishes including a turkey and ham pie, Turkey curry and tons of soup!

I also attempted my first flap jack! Nigel Slater supplied the recipe and I have to say, they were bloody lush! Buttery goodness followed by sour cherries dancing on the tongue.

I also made some edible Christmas tree decorations for my colleagues at work.

Anyway enough about food, I'm sure you all have similar resolutions to me so I best stop talking...

My family were incredibly generous this Christmas, they have obviously noticed I like to bake, everything was baking related!

But I'd like to say one special thank you on here, and that thank you goes to Rosie over at The Londoner.

I received this little beauty after entering one of her give aways. Its possibly one of the nicest things I have ever received. If I knew you in person not only would you be receiving a massive bunch of flowers but you would receive the biggest hug ever. Its a lovely watch and I am going to wear it proudly.(but not to work, don't want it getting scratched to buggery!)

I hope you all have a fantastic year! Heres to 2014 and all it brings our ways!

Happy New Year!

Alex aka The Broke Boy

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