As you maybe aware, if you have come across my Blog before, I have mentioned setting myself a few challenges from the Great British Bake Off, so far I have made macaroons, which need work, a very amazingly successful Sachertorte, don’t know what all the fuss was about and now I have made Paul Hollywoods Iced Fingers! Also a great success, if I do say so myself and I do!
This blowing of one’s own trumpet is very rare for me, so please bare with me, like a lot of stay at home Mum’s who are venturing into the big scary World after years of child rearing and homemaking, I lack a huge amount of confidence in myself and my abilities, but have found of late that my baking has come on in leaps and bounds, giving me a little belief in myself that I am good at something and that can’t be bad, can it?
My Iced Fingers, were light, fluffy, so tasty and were a hundred times better than any I have ever brought in the shops and I love Iced Fingers, I must admit to eating a huge amount over the years, so feel that I am a good judge! The only trouble is, I don’t think that I could every eat shop brought ones again…..made a rod for my own back… AGAIN!
As you will see from my photographs, I do need a little work on the shaping & sizing of my fingers, but felt that this wasn’t to bad for a first attempt as the taste, texture and everything else was just perfect. You will also see a lack of jam and cream filling, this is not down to a lack of skill on my behalf I must add, but more down to the lack of taste buds in Hubby & Children, who do not like cream, so a lot of icing was requested and a little sprinkle of glitter from moi and hey presto, iced fingers.
Boun appetito
All cooked on my lovely new baking sheet from George Wilkinson http://dianastaveley.blogspot.com/2011/10/great-british-bakeware-by-george.html
For the dough
500g/1lb 2oz strong white flour
50g/1¾oz caster sugar
40g/1½oz unsalted butter, softened
2 free-range eggs
2 x 7g/¼oz sachets instant yeast
2 tsp salt
150ml/5fl oz warm milk
140ml/4½fl oz water
For the icing
200g/7oz icing sugar
5 tsp cold water
For the filling
200ml/7fl oz whipping cream
100g/4oz strawberry jam
icing sugar, for dusting
Preparation method
Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7 (Please note that this is what Mr Hollywoods recipe suggests… Unless you want your oven sitting on for hours, wasting electricity/gas, I suggest that you put your oven on when you have about 20 minutes or so left of the last part of your second proving)
To make the dough
Place all the ingredients into a large bowl, holding back a quarter of the water. Stir the mixture with your hands, then slowly add the remaining water to form a dough and knead in the bowl for four minutes.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead well for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for one hour.
Divide the dough into 12 pieces, each about 70g/2½oz, then roll into balls and shape into fingers about 13cm/5in long.
Place the dough fingers onto a greased baking tray, leaving space for them to double in size, then set aside in a warm place for 40 minutes. They should just touch each other when they’ve risen.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes then set them aside to cool.
For the icing
Sift the icing sugar in a wide bowl and gradually stir in the cold water to form a thick paste.
Dip the top of the cooled fingers into the icing, smoothing it with your finger, then leave to set on a wire rack.
Lightly whip the cream and spoon it into a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle. Spoon the strawberry jam into another piping bag.
Sliced the iced fingers horizontally, leaving one long edge intact.
Pipe in a generous line of whipped cream into the middle of each finger, then a thinner line of jam.
Dust the iced fingers with icing sugar and serve.
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