Paul Hollywood Baking Mix

Paul Hollywood Baking Range

Paul Hollywood from The Great British Bake-off (plus other shows about bread, cakes, pies and pastries) has brought out his own bread based mixes so we can knead his dough at home and make masterpieces in our own kitchen.

I have tried:
Luxurious Cheese & Rosemary Scones to which you need to add an egg, 80g butter and 180ml of milk.

White Plaited Loaf Mix to which you have to add 40ml of Olive oil and 340ml cool water.

Garlic & Herb Tear 'N' Share Bread Mix  where you add 50ml Olive oil and 320ml of cool water.

and

Barm Cake Roll Mix which needs 40ml Olive oil and 345ml of cool water.

They are surprisingly easy to make, but you do need strong arms (or a dough attachment for a mixer) and you need to follow the insructions about how to prove the dough.

For a mix they are useful as it saves you weighing and measuring, adding yeast etc... but they do take a while to make.  They are not instant and you have to mix, knead, cover, prove, knead, cover, prove etc... etc.. exactly the same as if you are making bread from scratch.   So put aside an afternoon if you would like to try making your own Paul Hollywood creations.

Tastewise - spot on!  We really liked them.  I wrapped the barm cakes (I call them rolls, my husband calls them baps) in a bag and they did keep for a few days.  The Garlic Tear 'N' Share was eaten by the family in one go (I was quite proud of that one!).

Each mix bag makes one large loaf or 8 good sized scones/rolls/barms/baps.

Please check http://bakingmixes.paulhollywood.com/ for ingredients and allergy advice for each product.  All details for each product are on his website including the nutritional information.

I was impressed, they took a bit of time, but they are quite therapeutic to make and its interesting to see how big they rise as you prove them :) 

Martha White Muffin Mix

Martha White Muffin Mix

Since 1899 Martha White has been a trusted name in Southern kitchens, providing folk with the highest quality products.  Martha White has been a trusted name in MY kitchen since 2016 when I discovered the mixes in Walmart in the USA.  I popped some in my trolley and brought them back to the UK with me, my cousin kindly sends me a few through the post to keep my cupboard stocked.

http://www.marthawhite.com/baking-products/muffin

There are a lot off different flavours and varieties, including Gluten Free mixes and Whole Grain Muffins.  I like the everyday varieties which only require 1/2 a cup of milk to mix them up.

They are simple to make, just tip the contents into a dry mixing bowl, add the milk and mix throughly.  I prefer to use my electric whisk to make sure the mixture is creamy and lump free.

Each pack makes on average 6 large muffins or 10-12 smaller cupcakes.
You have to bake them for 12-14 minutes or until browning, I normally keep putting them back in until a toothpick inserted in the top comes out clean.  It all depends on how big you have filled your muffins with muffin mix.

Each pack is a different flavour I have tried Chocolate Chocolate Chip, (White sponge) Chocolate Chip, Strawberry, Blueberry, Apple Cider, Apple Cinnamon, Wild Berry, Blueberry Cheesecake and Lemon Poppy seed.
The only version that I haven't liked so far has been the Lemon poppy seed, mainly because I don't like poppy seeds because they get stuck in your teeth.  My favourite has been the Blueberry Cheesecake as they tasted like blueberry but had a slightly sour cheesecake taste.  These were lovely warm!

In the USA they eat them warm with butter, I have tried this and it is ok. However in the UK we usually eat them warm or cool just as they are, or sometimes with a swirl of buttercream icing.

On average per pack each serving (muffin) is around 160 calories.  Quite high but as a treat and as part of a balanced diet I can't see an issue.  All packs state that they are a good source of Calcium with 5 vitamins and iron.

Most packs state that they contain Egg and Wheat.  They may contain Milk (well they definitely will once you add in the 1/2 cup milk) and soybean ingredients.   So avoid them if you have any allergies with any of the ingredients.   

More information is available on the Martha White website:
http://www.marthawhite.com/baking-products/muffin