Easy Peasy Recipes for National Picnic Month

July is National Picnic Month! Enjoy some time outside with family and friends with a hamper stocked full of delicious bakes from the Easy Peasy Baking Campaign.

Kick off your picnic with a slice of Leek and Asparagus Traybake Tart and Red Pesto and Parmesan Dough Knots – both great for sharing and simple to make.

For something sweet, pack your basket with a Bakewell Tart Traybake, Lemon Curd Doughnuts, Lemon and Blueberry Cupcakes or Classic Scones.

All of the recipes have been designed to use every day kitchen equipment, small ingredients lists and simple methods, so they’re perfect for making this National Picnic Month.

Easy Peasy Recipes – Leek & Asparagus Traybake Tart

Makes one 20x30cm tart. Prep time: 15 mins | Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients

1. 400g plain flour
2. 200g salted butter + 30g for the leeks
3. 2 Leeks (500g, finely shredded)
4. 350g full fat cream cheese
5. 150ml double cream
6. 3 eggs + 1 for egg washing
7. 2 packets of fine asparagus (200g)

Equipment

1. Frying pan
2. Wooden spoon or spatula
3. Large Mixing bowl
4. Chopping board
5. Knife
6. 20x30cm tin
7. Rolling pin
8. Pastry brush/finger

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°c (fan).
2. In the large mixing bowl, combine the flour and butter with your fingers until a crumb consistency is achieved. Add 4tbsp of cold water and bring together to form a pastry dough.
3. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle large enough to line the baking tin.
4. Roll the pastry back onto the rolling pin, drape over the tin, then lift and tuck into the corners and up the sides. Trim any excess and place in the freezer.
5. Finely chop the leeks and soften in butter in the frying pan over a medium heat until slightly translucent. This should take 3-4 mins. Set to one side.
6. Wipe out the large mixing bowl and pour in the double cream, eggs and cream cheese and mix together until smooth.
7. Add the leeks into the mixture, season to taste and then pour into the chilled pastry case.
8. Arrange the asparagus spears on top and lightly fold in the pastry around the edge. Beat the remaining egg and brush the pastry edges.
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the filling has set and the pastry is golden.
10. Allow to cool slightly or completely before slicing and serving.

Easy Peasy Recipes – Red Pesto & Parmesan Dough Knots

Makes 8 knots

Ingredients

1. 1 Packet fast action dried yeast (7g)
2. 220ml Warm water
3. 400g Strong white bread flour
4. 1 tbsp White sugar
5. 1 tsp Salt
6. ½ Jar red pesto
7. 170g Cheese of choice, we recommend parmesan

Equipment

1. Measuring jug
2. Spoon
3. Large mixing bowl
4. Rolling pin
5. Knife
6. Baking tray lined with baking paper
7. Cheese grater

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°c (fan).
2. In the measuring jug, combine the warm water and yeast. Stir and set to one side for 2-3 minutes to activate the yeast.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Pour in the yeast and water and stir them together with your hand to form a dough.
4. Sprinkle your worktop with a little flour and knead the dough until smooth, then return to the large mixing bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for at least 15 minutes to prove (this is where it will start to grow in size).
5. Using your fist, knock the dough back (this means push the dough back down to its original size) and tip out onto a floured worksurface before rolling into a large rectangle shape (about 5mm thickness).
6. Spread the red pesto on half of the rectangle, grate a thin layer of cheese on top and then fold the over half of the dough over the pesto and parmesan.
7. Cut the dough into 1-inch wide strips, then, holding each end, twist and knot each one before placing onto a lined baking tray.
8. Bake for 15-20 mins until risen and evenly browned then remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly, grate more cheese on top and serve.

Easy Peasy Recipes – Bakewell Tart Traybake

Makes a 20 x 30 cm traybake – 15 bars

Ingredients

1. 150g Plain flour
2. 150g Caster sugar, split into 50g and 100g
3. 200g Unsalted butter, softened, split into 2 x 100g
4. 150g Ground almonds
5. 1 Egg
6. 200g Raspberry jam
7. Handful of flaked almonds
8. Icing sugar to dust

Equipment

1. Large mixing bowl
2. Spoon
3. Traybake tin, 9” x 13”, lined with baking paper
4. Sieve/muslin (for dusting)
5. Knife

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 165°c (fan).
2. Put all of the plain flour and 50g of caster sugar in the mixing bowl before rubbing in 100g of unsalted butter with your fingertips. When the mixture resembles crumbs, pour it into the lined traybake tin, spread it evenly and press it down so the crumbs loosely join together. Bake the base for 15 minutes.
3. While the base is baking, combine the remaining 100g of butter, 100g caster sugar, ground almonds and the egg in the mixing bowl with a spoon to make the frangipane topping.
4. When the base has had its 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and add the jam, spreading it with the back of the spoon to make an even layer over the top, followed by all of the frangipane mix (this will be a thicker layer) and a sprinkling of flaked almonds before returning to the oven for a further 30 minutes.
5. When the traybake is golden on top, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing from the tin. Dust the whole thing with icing sugar, slice into bars and top with more flaked almonds. Enjoy!

Easy Peasy Recipes – Lemon Curd Doughnuts

Makes 8 doughnuts. Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1. 375g plain flour
2. 150ml warm water
3. 70ml warm milk
4. 1 sachet fast-action yeast
5. 20g caster sugar + extra for dusting
6. 30ml vegetable oil + extra for shallow frying
7. 2 tsp baking powder
8. Pinch of salt
9. Jar of lemon curd

Equipment

1. Large mixing bowl
2. Deep fat fryer or large saucepan
3. Wooden spoon
4. Rolling pin or wine bottle
5. Round cutter or glass (8-9cm)
6. Teaspoon / piping bag / sandwich bag for filling

Method

1. In the large mixing bowl, combine the warm water, warm milk, yeast, sugar and a third of the flour. Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for 10 minutes – use this time to heat your oil for frying in the pan / deep fat fryer to 185°c.
2. After the 10 minutes, mix the 30ml oil, baking powder and salt into the yeast mixture before adding the remaining flour and bringing it together by hand to form a sticky dough.
3. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle some flour on top of the dough, then roll out to a thickness of 2cm.
4. Cut out the doughnuts using a glass, or a cutter then carefully transfer to the hot oil 2-3 at a time, dipping away from you as you put them in.
5. Let the doughnuts cook for 2-3 minutes on one side until golden brown then use the wooden spoon to flip them over and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
6. Remove the doughnuts from the oil and drain them on some paper towels before rolling them in the caster sugar to generously coat the outside of the doughnuts,
7. When all of the doughnuts have been cooked, sugar-dusted and cooled slightly, use the end of the wooden spoon to poke a hole at the top of each doughnut before filling with lemon curd using a piping bag, corner of a sandwich bag or carefully teasing in with a teaspoon.

Frying tip: To check if the frying oil is hot enough, carefully put the stick end of your wooden spoon into the oil. If there are lots of little bubbles around the wood, the oil is ready for frying. If it is bubbling vigorously, and there are lots of bubbles taking over the pan, this indicates that the oil is too hot, remove the pan from the heat to cool down then try again.

Easy Peasy Recipes – Lemon & Blueberry Muffins

Makes 12

Ingredients

1. 175g unsalted butter, softened + 60g extra for the buttercream
2. 175g caster sugar
3. 1 lemon, zested
4. 3 eggs
5. 200g self-raising flour
6. 150g blueberries
7. 250g icing sugar (for the buttercream)

Equipment

1. Muffin tray
2. Muffin cases (or make your own by shaping parchment squares over a glass)
3. Mixing bowl
4. Electric hand whisk
5. Tablespoons
6. Zester / Grater

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan) and line your muffin tray with cases.
2. In the mixing bowl, cream together the 175g butter and caster sugar with the electric hand whisk. Add the eggs and whisk to combine.
3. Add in the flour and the lemon zest and mix until smooth, before stirring through the blueberries.
4. Divide the batter evenly across the lined muffin tin, then bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the muffins are golden and springy to touch in the centre.
5. Whilst the muffins are baking, make the buttercream by mixing the 60g butter, icing sugar and juice of the lemon until smooth.
6. Once the muffins have cooled, ice them with the buttercream and top with more fresh blueberries.

Easy Peasy Recipes – Classic Scones

Makes 8

Ingredients

1. 200g self-raising flour
2. 60g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
3. 30g caster sugar
4. 2 eggs (1 is for eggwash)
5. 2 tbsp milk

Equipment

1. Mixing bowl
2. Baking tray
3. Baking parchment
4. Rolling pin
5. 5cm round cutter (you can use a glass or cup if you don’t have a cutter)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan) and line the baking tray with the parchment.
2. In the mixing bowl, combine the flour and sugar then add in the butter cubes and work them in with your fingers.
3. Once a crumb consistency has been achieved, make a well in the centre and add 1 egg and the milk. Bring it all together until just combined to form a dough, being careful not to overwork it.
4. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 2 cm thickness, cut out rounds, bringing the offcuts together and re-rolling until you have 8 rounds.
5. Place them all on the baking tray, rub the tops with eggwash using your finger or a pastry brush if you have it, and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until risen and golden on top.
6. Allow to cool before serving with jam and clotted cream.

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