Best Ever Ginger Snaps.

Dan Lepard calls these Spicy Chestnut Ginger Christmas Biscuits.   I have changed the name because I had to replace he Chestnut flour with ground Almonds,  and they are simply the best ginger biscuits that i have ever made.   Dan's recipes are always good.
The recipe made 52 teaspoon size dough scoops.

Ingredients
120g butter
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
6 teaspoons ground ginger
180g dark brown sugar
40 g treacle
40g Golden Syrup
1 egg
160g plain flour
80g chestnut flour,( I used Ground Almonds)
1 teaspoon of carbsoda

demerara sugar to roll dough in.

Method.
make room in fridge so TMX bowl will fit.
Place into bowl ,butter cut into 1/2 inch cubes ,ground cloves , ground ginger , dark brown sugar,golden syrup and treacle.
Mix for 7 minutes,40 degrees, speed 3.  scraping down after each 2 minutes.
Allow to cool,
Add egg and mix 30 seconds speed 4.
Add flour ground Almonds or chestnut flour, and carbsoda.
Knead until fully incorporated.
Place in fridge until ready to bake. (the dough is a lot easier to handle if cold.)  I left it in the fridge for 4 hours

Preheat oven to 160 C or 140 FF
line 3 baking trays with baking paper.
Scoop heaped teaspoon size balls and roll in the demerara sugar and place on trays.  press gently in the centre.
Bake for 25 minutes.  they will puff up and then sink flat with cracks on the surface.
cool on trays.
store in an air tight tin.

Ciabatta Photo

Ciabatta, Paul Hollywoods recipe, adapted to TMX.

This recipe is from Paul Hollywood's book Bread.  It has a light crunchy crust and flavoursome soft crumb.
You need to allow 9 to 10 hours to make these 2 loaves.
6 hours for the first mix.
2 to 3 hours for the next step
30 minutes before baking and 30 minutes to bake.

Ingredients

400g strong bread flour,I used Laucke which has salt and sugar added.
7g. fast acting dried yeast
300 g cool water
2 Tablespoons olive oil
( 7 g of salt if NOT using mix)
Fine Semolina for dusting.

Baking tray,
and
20 cm square x 12 cm high plastic container with lid.

Method

In a bowl, mix 200g flour
1/2 the yeast and 200 mls of water.
Mix and beat well with a wooden spoon.
cover and set aside for 6 hours.

Tip into TMX and add remaining yeast, flour, water and salt if using.
Knead 4 minutes.

Tip into the well oiled container and cover with lid.
( it is important that the container is square as this help with the shaping in the next step)
Allow it to rise  2 to 3 hours until it fills the container. ( my container was 23 cm square so I let it rise to 3/4 fill the container)

Heat oven to 220 C or 200C FF.

Being careful not to knock out all the air, tip the contents of the container on to a well dusted silmat or bench, the dusting mixture should be 1/2 Semolina and 1/2 flour.
Cut in half with a well floured knife.

Stretch slightly , to fit the baking tray by pulling on the ends.
Dust the tray with the Semolina/flour mix.
Lift careful on to tray leaving room between loaves.  i did this with aid of a large spatula.
Dust top lightly with Semolina mix.

Cover with plastic and let stand for 30 minutes.

 Remove plastic and bake for 30 minutes.

If you have a light and glass door on your oven, you can watch it rise. It is quite amazing.