I posted this in respose to quip from Paddyscake on th boiled fruitcake thread but know I will forget where I put it so am creating a new blog

adapted from a Terence Stamp wheat, dairy and sugar free recipe and can be made using a single dried fruit eg apricots, plums or sultanas.

My wheat version (note dairy option) here as follows:

I've ben practising this recipe for a while. I syill can't quite manage the same crumbly texture as the famous McVitie brand but getting closer ...

They aren't that pretty to look at but taste good

For approx 2 dozen biscuits:

10 oz wholemeal flour

6 oz fine oatmeal

2 tsp salt (nec for the sweet/savoury balance but you could use less)

2 tsp baking powder

6 oz butter/marg

What to do on a wet weekend.

With the remainder of the household in the garage or asleep time to use a coolish oven to full potential so ... tried-and-tested recipes yield a batch of digestive biscuits; a boiled fruitcake; a 14" pepperoni pizza and a pudding cake with freshly picked tayberries and time to try something new.

Haven't had time to draw breath recently let alone sit and browse so being on holiday (finally) today has been a real treat - time to enjoy what everyone has been up to, follow some of the threads and finally update my photobucket and blog.

I decided at the begionning of January to concentrate for a while on slow rise tin breads and focus on crumb when working with "heavy" ingredients eg rye, wholemeal and seeds without resorting to oodles of yeast. So a good trawl through the back comments (and particular thanks to Qathan for a rye bread recipe using a rye and a bread flour starter mixed) which gave lots of ideas on proportions and methods.

Browsing the news feed led me to this recipe for a yeasted pumpkin bread from the World bread day link. I have slightly adapted it and it turned out well although I can't say it is too exciting - a useful recipe for using up an excess of pumpkin I guess.

It is slighltly more orange than the pictures imply with a good caramelly chewy crust and is quite moist but the crumb is a bit tight - although it slices quite well.

Yesterday was not a good day in many ways. Woke up tired and headachy and the pouring rain didn't help. Nothing much to do except paperwork and then England performed abysmally in the ODI.

So ... time to make something new. As usual The Fresh Loaf is the first port of call and a trawl through the "in the news" column once again paid dividends.

This is my version of "Chocolate Babka" a bread I have not heard of before. I left out the nuts (my husband doesn't like them), added a little chopped milk chocolate and could only use 1tbs melted butter for the filling. The streusal toppping seemed odd proportions - for 1tbs butter I needed a lot more flour/sugar to make a "crumble" and have ended up with a bowl left over.

This is one of my favourite country breads and is fantastic with either cheese or toasted with honey or jam. The smell of the walnuts is amazing as it cools and the walnut oil means it keeps well for days - the crust changes from crusty and crunchy to soft and chewy.  I sometimes make a sweet version with honey and raisins but this is best and, if Isoak the flour first is easy to work by hand.  Have bought some "special" cheese (which no-one else in the family likes!) just to treat myself :)

Been away a while enjoying the fruits of someone else's baking labours, very relaxing. Managed to stop scrutinising the daily baguette and pain a l'ancienne for crust and crumb after a couple of days and just enjoyed eating good artisan bread - a rare treat for me. As usual came home determined to 1: go to france more and 2: bake better bread!

Coming home always makes me feel a little strange, mostly because I see things through "stranger's eyes" for a day or two and this time the strangest thing were the freezers! I had quite simply forgotten the astonishing array of baked goods that I have been squirrelling away over the past few months so, feeling ashamed of my lack of domestic organisation skills we have been eating the strange assortment as I attempt to "spring clean" (!) the freezers. Major resolution - NO more baking until we've eaten the freezers!

Realised how time flies when you're having fun when trying to explain to a friend what I had been doing whilst on 8 weeks sick leave. Well I said, I've been soooo busy ... doing what? hard to say. Of course she said, you're one of those ... HOME BAKERS!!! I've never thought that it keeps me busy but I am still surprised that other people don't bake all their family's bread and cakes. Mind you I don't know where the time has gone but I know that going back to work will be difficult to fit in!

So I thought it was about time I did some "housekeeping" and started with the serious en of things - sorting through digital pics (essential for a tidy life!) and came up with some of my recent exploits.

Big smile as I leafed through new copy of Food Illustrated - magazine from supermarket (Waitrose which may only mean something if you're British).

Entitled "slow cook issue" amomgst some great winter dishes a whole selection of breads supplied by Dan Lepard - including soda bread, hot cross buns and - personal favourite - a viennese loaf. Can't wait to get started ...