Doh... no syrup

Today is Anzac Day. Traditionally on Anzac Day, one makes Anzac Cookies - golden, chewy, delicious biscuits made mainly of oats, butter and golden syrup. I am not making Anzac Cookies today though, as yesterday in the supermarket the golden syrup was completely sold out. Not to be derogatory, but it reminds me of when I was growing up and having to go to church every Sunday morning. It would be easy to get a park and easy to find a seat - not many people went. However, come a Christian holiday and you'd have to cram yourself into the church and either squeeze between people for a seat or stand at the back. I actually fainted on two occasions when young, as the air-flow was bad, it was hot (Queensland and our church was old and without air-conditioning) and their were too many people. So, to link that story back to my original... NO GOLDEN SYRUP! All the one-day-a-year cookie bakers were prepared and bought the store out before I got there. I know I could have gone to another shop in search of syrup, but to be honest, I couldn't be bothered. So instead I'm attempting some "real" doughnuts. By referring to them as "real", I mean I am using yeast and frying them, yum yum.

The final recipe for the season

Christmas is over and it's a new year, but the flavours of the season are still fresh in the air - most houses still have their Christmas tree up and there are still fairy lights flashing along most suburban streets (tree and lights are still up at my place). So, to hold onto the last threads of Christmas, I made some Maple Cinnamon doughnuts. My main reason for making doughnuts was because I found a baked doughnut tray on special in one of the department stores just before Christmas. I have always turned my nose up at these trays, thinking that if you're going to bother making doughnuts, do it properly and fry the hell out of them. Then I saw the discounted price on the tray and my excitement for a bargain won over my snobbery. And to my delight, the baked doughnuts were delicious. Light and fluffy, but still with a distinct doughnut texture and flavour. My first attempt was great (I followed the below recipe), but my second attempt was with chocolate (obviously I strayed from the recipe). They looked great but were too dense and dry... so I haven't posted the chocolate recipe, will work on it a bit more first.

So, here's to the final days of the season. Happy New Year everyone!

Pumpkin Swirl Bread for Baby Munks

A few weeks ago I made some bread and it was so delicious that it was all gone before I could take a photo and post onto this blog. I did get a chance to share a few slices with some of the girls at work, but most of them missed out. So, yesterday my very good work mate mentioned that normal, boring toast was making her preggo belly gag but she was craving my sweet pumpkin bread (she didn't use the word craving, but it works better in this instance). So with another evening free and some left over pumpkin puree in the freezer, I thought Baby Munks should get her* bread. 

*The sex of Baby Munks has not yet been determined, but I'm guessing it's a girl.