In recent years, Australia has experienced a bakery renaissance. If we’re not queuing at one of the scores of new bakehouses that have opened across our cities and towns, we’re popping into old favourites, planning road trips around the bakeries we want to try, or digging into cookbooks from the bakers themselves.
Now, food editor and writer Ruby Goss has brought together 30 of the country’s best-loved bakers and sweets-savvy chefs to create one impressive cookbook. Danielle Alvarez (ex-Fred’s, Sydney), Nornie Bero (Melbourne’s Mabu Mabu), Kimmy Gastmeier (Sydney’s Cherry Moon General Store) and Nadine Ingram (Sydney’s Flour and Stone) are just a handful of those who have contributed more than 60 recipes to Baker’s Book. There’s Baker Bleu’s babka; Little Picket’s potato bread with roasted garlic butter and parsley; plum, frangipane and cream cheese galettes from Sydney’s AP Bakery; and more.
Natalie Paull’s contribution is these “crumb-kies” – “simple cookies to snack on while you choose your first bake”, according to the Beatrix Bakes founder.
“Inspired by the leftover cooked crumble bits from a tray of crumble pies at Beatrix Bakes (my favourite baker-treat snack!), these are the best of both buttery worlds,” she writes. “They are ‘adaptrixable’ to almost infinite combinations of chocolates and nuts.” She’s used almonds here, but says they’re equally good with hazelnuts – toast them first, then rub their skins off and chop them into chunks.
For this recipe you’ll need six 8–9cm egg rings. “If you don’t have egg rings, make a little collar out of foil,” Paull advises. “I fold a piece of foil over and over to around 2.5cm. Take the two ends and make a teardrop shape. Fold over a few times to seal the ends, then reshape to a circle and grease.”
A stand mixer with paddle attachment is recommended for best results and maximum ease.
Natalie Paull’s dark chocolate, orange and almond “crumb-kies”
Makes 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus refrigeration
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
90g raw almonds, roughly chopped into halves or quarters
100g cake flour
85g unsalted butter, cold and diced, plus extra for greasing
45g light brown sugar
35g 70% dark chocolate, chopped into pea-sized chunks, or chocolate chips
20g polenta
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
¼ tsp baking powder
⅛ tsp fine sea salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 150°C fan-forced (or 170°C conventional). Spread the almond chunks on a baking tray and toast them in the oven for 15 minutes until barely browned. Refrigerate for a few minutes to cool quickly.
Combine the almonds and the remaining ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed for 2–5 minutes. You can also do this by hand. The mixture will evolve through powdery white flour with large butter lumps to clumps of crumble that hold together with a light squeeze. If the dough goes further and forms a ball, stop mixing and tease it back out into crumbly boulders.
Line a shallow baking tray with baking paper. Melt about 1 teaspoon of extra butter and liberally brush the insides of six 8–9cm egg rings and place well apart on the baking tray. Divide the dough evenly between the rings (about 60g each), then press it lightly so it meets the ring edges without compromising the crumbly vibe. Bake for 30 minutes until evenly tan from edge to centre. As soon as the crumb-kies come out of the oven, carefully run a sharp knife around the inside edge of the egg rings and lift the rings off. Eat while warm. They will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.
Images and text from The Bakers Book edited by Ruby Goss, photography by Rochelle Eagle, illustrations by Beci Orpin. Murdoch Books, RRP $45.00.
