A fault in the recipe?

[Binky Profile]

I made this yesterday




As you can see, it is supposed to be bars, but all I got was a crumbly coconut & oatmeal mixture with loose raisins. It did not 'bind' at all.

Looking at the recipe again, I can see there is no liquid, or egg and very little fat content. I think there is a fault in the recipe. What do you think?

(it tasted quite nice, so I used it as a cold crumble mix on top of some stewed rhubarb).

[Suelle Profile Website]

There definitely looks too little fat to bind the dry ingredients.

There doesn't need to be egg or extra liquid to bind the ingredients if there is enough fat and sugar (see British flapjack recipes, for example).

It's hard to judge how much fat you might have needed, as I'm more used to using recipes with weights of ingredients rather than volumes. It's also possible that the missing ingredient was a liquid sweetener, such as corn syrup, as the sugar quantity seems low too.

I'm glad it wasn't wasted, though - it sounds a good crumble topping!

[Sakkarin Profile]

Just a thought, but did you make any substitutions? Shredded coconut is not the same as dessicated coconut and oatmeal is not the same as porage oats, both would alter the consistency.

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

Hello Binky

I am in agreement with Suelle. The amounts of butter and sugar do seem to be very stingy compared to the amount of dry ingredients. Another thing that I noticed in the method was that the sugar is not melted with the fats in the same pan like you do with flapjacks. No wonder you ended up with a luxury crumble! Which book is the recipe from anyway? Is it a healthy eating/baking one? I can see from the measurements and some of the ingredients that it's an American one (i.e. self-rising flour is what they call our self-raising). Also the oatmeal they describe is what we call oats. If I remember correctly, shredded coconut is only slightly more moist than desiccated, so might not make that much difference.

To be honest, I can only assume that the recipe was only worked out in the author's head with absolutely no practical testing of it. I'm also not entirely convinced that the author is an experienced baker, therefore not knowledgable on the chemistry side of it. If I was to make it, I would use all butter and not a half and half with the oil. Or maybe coconut oil can be used (instead of the veg oil), as it sets at room temperature. I think it would be worth persevering with, but adapt the recipe so it actually works!

If you do modify this recipe, (a) good luck with it, and (b) let us know the results! I'm sure many of our regular members will be interested, especially those who like coconut.

[Binky Profile]

I used desiccated coconut and porridge oats (which I think, from an earlier thread on this subject, the Americans call oatmeal). And you're right, it is an American book on 'baking cookies'. I've had it a long time and not had trouble with other recipes.

The writer is a 'well known food journalist and writer.....contributes to newspapers and magazines' --that is taken from the jacket blurb. Her name is Lynn Bedford Hall. I dug the book out because my Hummingbird and Eric Lanlard books don't give recipes for flapjacks, which is what I originally hoped to make.

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

I used desiccated coconut and porridge oats (which I think, from an earlier thread on this subject, the Americans call oatmeal). And you're right, it is an American book on 'baking cookies'. I've had it a long time and not had trouble with other recipes.

The writer is a 'well known food journalist and writer.....contributes to newspapers and magazines' --that is taken from the jacket blurb. Her name is Lynn Bedford Hall. I dug the book out because my Hummingbird and Eric Lanlard books don't give recipes for flapjacks, which is what I originally hoped to make.

Hmm, if the other recipes you've tried have been fine there may be a typographical error with that recipe.

[Joanbunting Profile]

I suspect the missing link is corn syrup or something similar.

[Sakkarin Profile]

Just reading "Taste of Transylvania" (Romanian recipes basically), and I came across this recipe. I think they've transposed the caster sugar and flour weights, as they refer to 500g of flour in the instructions. Would love to be a fly on the wall when the final result came out of the oven!

There is an intriguing recipe in the book for pumpkin pie which uses an "almost hot water crust" pastry, which I may try the pastry element of. The ingredients for the pastry are: 1 tbs marg, 12-15 tbs hot water, 625g flour. The pie is cooked for 20 mins at 200c (pre-cooked filling).

Intriguing, but I have to say the cooking time doesn't sound long enough.

[Binky Profile]

Definitely something wrong with that recipe!

My dad grew up near the Carpathian mountains in what was Poland then, but now a part of Ukraine. Your Transylvanian cake has reminded me of the cake I like which is called Karpatka (Carpathian) cake.

It is essentially a huge cream eclair (in that it is two rectangular layers of choux pastry sandwiched with cream) and sprinkled with icing sugar. The fluffy white and powdery top is meant to resemble the mountains from a distance. Tastes lovely too. Sadly, I don't bother to make it as the Polish shop sells lovely commercial ones.

[Suelle Profile Website]

My flapjack recipe wins a lot of praise:

https://mainlybaking.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... tanas.html

2/3 of everything if you want to use an 8" square tin.

[Sakkarin Profile]

My flapjack recipe wins a lot of praise

Not as much praise as your Brownie recipe!

[Suelle Profile Website]

My flapjack recipe wins a lot of praise

Not as much praise as your Brownie recipe!

Depends who you ask!

But thank you, anyway.