British cuisine classics
3 recipes that bring London flair to the plate
© Julia Hoersch/ Hölker Verlag / PR
Whether it’s a typical English breakfast, crumpets or hot cross buns – these delicious dishes are simply (and) very British!
Because the English kitchen has nothing to offer. The new cookbook “London Love Story” proves the opposite. The author Anne-Katrin Weber has put together typical British recipes and exciting stories from the metropolis – whether it’s the most romantic places in the city or the most beautiful love stories from literature, film and the royal family – promised, London fans will be heartbroken!
We would like to introduce you to 3 recipes from the book that are ideal for a themed brunch with friends under the motto “London is calling!”
1. Hot cross buns © Julia Hoersch/ Hölker Verlag / PR
Ingredients for 12 pieces:
- 25 g fresh yeast
- 250 ml milk, lukewarm
- 75 grams of sugar
- 525 g wheat flour (Type 550)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp organic lemon zest
- 1⁄2 tsp salt
- 75 g butter, soft
- 75 g raisin flour for the work surface
- Piping bag with perforated spout (4 mm)
- 75 g wheat flour (type 550 or 405)
- 1 – 2 tbsp apricot jam
And this is how it works:
- For the yeast dough, crumble the yeast, stir in the lukewarm milk and 1 tablespoon of sugar until smooth. Knead the flour, cinnamon, yeast mixture, remaining sugar, egg, lemon zest and salt well with the dough hook of the hand mixer. Add the soft butter in flakes and raisins and knead everything thoroughly to form an elastic dough. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 90 minutes until it has doubled in size.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface, divide into twelve equal pieces and shape into balls. Place them a little apart on a baking sheet lined with baking paper (or in a large casserole dish) and let rise, covered, for about another 30 minutes, until the buns have risen significantly.
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C top/bottom heat or 160 °C for circulating air. Mix flour and 50 ml (5 tablespoons) water well. Place in a piping bag with a perforated nozzle. Pipe the flour paste onto the buns in a cross shape.
- Bake the buns in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, then remove. Stir the apricot jam until smooth and spread it thinly over the hot rolls.
2. Full English Breakfast © Julia Hoersch/ Hölker Verlag / PR
Ingredients for 4 persons:
- 1 onion
- 100 g bacon (breakfast bacon)
- 2-4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 400g of tomato passata
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cans of white beans (each can approx. 240 g)
- 4 tomatoes
- 8 mushrooms
- 8 small sausages
- 4 eggs
And this is how it’s done:
- Peel the onion and chop finely. Cut 2 slices of bacon into thin strips. Heat 1 – 2 tbsp oil in a saucepan and fry the bacon strips in it. Add the diced onions and sauté briefly. Sprinkle the sugar on top and let it caramelize slightly. Pour in the tomato passata and let it simmer for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Season the sauce with Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and pepper and taste. Drain the beans in a colander. Then mix in and remove the pot from the stove.
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C top/bottom heat or 180 °C for circulating air. Wash and halve the tomatoes, clean the mushrooms. Grease two casserole dishes with a little oil. Place the tomato halves (cut side up) and the mushrooms in one of them, lightly salt and pepper and drizzle with a little oil. Pour the beans with the sauce into the second form. Bake everything in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes until the vegetables and beans are hot.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 – 2 teaspoons of oil in a large pan and fry the sausages and the remaining bacon slices over a medium heat until crispy all over. Push both to the edge of the pan, crack the eggs into the pan and fry over low heat until the egg whites have set.
- Remove the baked beans from the oven. Switch on the grill and briefly grill the tomatoes and mushrooms until both are lightly browned. Arrange everything on four plates.
3. Crumpets with cherry compote © Julia Hoersch/ Hölker Verlag / PR
Ingredients for 8 – 10 crumpets:
- 250ml milk
- 75 ml water
- 1 tbsp butter
- 225 g wheat flour (Type 550)
- 1⁄2 tsp salt
- 1 heaped tsp dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1⁄2 tsp baking soda
- approx. 2 tbsp each of butter and vegetable oil for frying + oil for the metal rings
- Metal rings (ø approx. 7 cm)
For the cherry compote:
- 500 grams of cherries
- 1 vanilla bean
- 100ml of water
- 20 g cornstarch
- 250ml of water
- 3-4 tbsp whiskey or rum (optional)
- 2-3 tbsp sugar
How to prepare them:
- For the crumpets, heat the milk, 75 ml water and butter until lukewarm. Mix the flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a bowl, pour in the milk mixture and mix briefly to form a smooth dough. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, for the compote, wash, drain, stem and pit the cherries. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the pulp. Mix 100 ml water and cornstarch until smooth. Boil 250 ml water, whiskey or rum, sugar, vanilla seeds and pods as well as the cherries. Pour in the mixed starch while stirring and bring to the boil once until it binds, then pour the compote into a bowl and allow to cool completely. Take out the vanilla pod.
- Stir the baking soda into the well-risen dough and let it rise for another 30 minutes. Heat the butter and some oil in a pan, brush the inside of the metal rings with oil and place in the pan. Fill in the batter to about 1 cm below the edge of the rings and bake the crumpets on a low heat for about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the rings, gently turn the crumpets with a spatula and cook the second side for 2-4 minutes until the underside is golden brown.
- Remove the crumpets, clean the rings, grease again and process the rest of the dough in the same way. Serve the crumpets with the cherry compote.
You can find even more classic English recipes in the cookbook “London Love Story” by Anne-Katrin Weber, Hölker Verlag, 30 euros.
© Julia Hoersch/ Hölker Verlag / PR