TOP BAKER: IBADAN

Register to compete and be celebrated as a Top Baker!

Naija Top Baker winner will be selected annually through a series of exciting searches around the country via regional screenings alongside a cake exhibition and teaching session. This year’s edition will end with a winner, after regional screenings in four major cities, who will be crowned, Naija Top Baker 2017.

Abuja Regional Screening for Northern States was held on February 12-13, 2016.

Next, Ibadan will host upcoming bakers from all South West States for a chance to enter this lifetime opportunity to carve a niche for yourself as a baker! This is the second leg of the screening stage. The grand finale will hold in Lagos on December 1 to 3 featuring all winners from regional screenings in a final showdown!

Date: 12 to 13 May, 2016

Venue: Social Development Training Centre, Sango-UI Road, Samonda Ibadan, Oyo State

Time: 9am daily

This event is specifically for bakers in South West States of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and parts of Kwara. Do you want to satisfy your competitive spirit as a cake maker? All contestants will pay a token of 5k and will be provided with basic tools for the competition. Each contestant is entitled to 1 assistant only. Get more details and register here; naijatopbaker.com/competition.

Naija Top Baker is powered by Versatili Communications Limited. For further enquiries; WhatsApp-07051118878. BB-52E0F0AF. COMING SOON: Screenings in Port Harcourt & Ebonyi.

Tell every Baker you know about this great opportunity. The next Naija Top Baker could be you, your sister, your friend or your student!

ijayblog

BREAD ROLLS

How to make bread rol

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INGREDIENTS:

(1) 520 Flour (4 Cups)

(2) 2 Teaspoons Salt

(3) 3 Tablespoons Sugar

(4) 1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg

(5) 3/4 liquid Milk

(6) 1/2 Cup Warm Water

(7) 1 Large Egg

(8) 56 Grams Melted Butter (1/4 Cup)

(9) 1 Tablespoon Active Dry Yeast

(10) 1 Egg (For wash)

(11) 2 Tablespoons Melted Butter (For Brushing)

Direction
(1) Bread flour can be used in place of all purpose flour.

(2) You can replace the milk with more warm water.

(3) This cannot be over emphasized. The water must be warm, not cold, not hot, but warm.
(2) Melt the butter and set it aside. Beat the egg and set is aside too.
(3) In a large bowl, combine the flour, remaining sugar, salt and grated nutmeg. Mix them together and create a well in the middle of the mixture.
(4) After the yeast has activated, pour the yeast mixture, melted butter, milk and egg in the middle of the dry ingredients and mix everything with a wooden spoon until you get a shaggy dough.
(4) After the yeast has activated, pour the yeast mixture, melted butter, milk and egg in the middle of the dry ingredients and mix everything with a wooden spoon until you get a shaggy dough.

(5) Turn the dough unto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, just until the dough comes together. Form the dough into a ball and cover it with the mixing bowl for 10 minutes. This resting period will allow the flour soak up all the liquid and relax the dough, thus making it easier for you to knead.

(6) After 10 minutes, knead the dough until smooth. This will take about 5 to 8 minutes, depending on your skill level.

NOTE: The above process can also be executed with a stand mixer. Place all the dry ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix at medium speed until a shaggy dough forms. Switch to the dough hook and knead at medium speed until the dough is smooth.

(7) Oil the mixing bowl, form the dough into a ball and roll it in the oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave it in a warm place to double. This would take about 1.5 hours.

TIP: Keep the dough in your oven with the light on. Bread rises faster in a warm environment.

(8) After the dough has doubled in size, deflate the dough and divide it into 12 equal parts.

TIP: I weigh my dough using a kitchen scale (It weighed 1 kg, 4 grams) and divided it into 12 equal parts by weighing each part (each part weighed about 83 grams).

(9) Shape each part into a ball making sure you tuck the seam underneath the ball.

(10) Line a 9 x 13 baking dish/pan with parchment paper. Try not to use a tray for these rolls or they would spread out horizontally which is not what you want.

(11) Place the rolls in the lined baking dish and cover them lightly with cling film. Leave the dough to double again. This takes about an hour.

(12) Close to the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

(13) Brush the rolls with a lightly beaten egg and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.

(14) As soon as the rolls come out of the oven, brush them with melted butter.

(15) Now, here lies the trick to getting very soft and fluffy rolls. Cover the pan containing the hot rolls with clingfilm for about 10 minutes. The generated steam will soften the crust of the rolls.

Serve warm. Thank you. 'culled from A baking Group'

ZIMBABWEAN SWEET-POTATO COOKIES

Ingredient:

ü Cookie dough:

ü Blue band margarine-10tbs

ü Sugar-1/4cup

ü Lemon zest-1tbs

ü Freshly ground nutmeg-1tsp

ü chicken cube a slight sprinkling

ü Honey-1/4cup

ü Egg-1

ü Finely grated raw sweet potato-

ü 1cup All-purpose- flour-21/2cup

ü Baking powder-11/2tsp

ü Baking soda-1/2tsp

ü Lemon glaze:

ü Butter-1tsp

ü Lemon juice-1-2tbs

ü Powdered sugar-11/2cup

ü Water-1tbs

ü Direction;

 Cream together the margarine or butter and sugar in a big bowl. Blend in the lemon zest, nutmeg, chicken seasoning cube, honey, and egg. Fold in the sweet potatoes.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add it to the first mixture and stir until well blended.

Arrange the cookies dough –rounded teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes. Makes up to 60 cookies.

To make the lemon glaze, use a wooden spoon to combine ingredients in a glass or ceramic bowl until smooth. Add more water by the drop until glaze is easy to spread on cooled cookies.

EXOTIC JOLLOF RICE

                       

It does not have to be the old meals every day, try out this exotic jollof rice recipe.

INGREDIENT:

ü Rice-4cups

ü  Water-2pints

ü Vegetable oil

ü Onions-2medium(some diced and sliced rings)

ü Chicken stock -2cups

ü Curry-powder (to your taste)

ü Dried thyme

ü Red capsicum-6large (tatashe)

ü Chilli powder(to taste)

ü 1 bay leaf

ü Salt (to taste)

ü  Chicken seasoning cubes-2

Directions:

ü Boil water.

ü Blend diced onions, tomatoes and bell pepper together. And pour into boiling water.

ü Add oil to the mixture. Also add the chicken stock and chilli powder.

ü Add the rice and let it boil for fifteen minutes.

ü Next add the bay leaf, curry, dried thyme, salt and  chicken cubes. 

ü Simmer for about 20 minutes or until water dries and the rice, soft.

ü Sprinkle some onion rings 5 minutes before the meal is cooked.

ü Garnish with the remaining onion rings.

Serve with fried beef and friend plantain

Egusi Seed

Egusi seeds are fat- and protein-rich seeds of certain cucurbitaceous (squash, melon, gourd) plants. Authorities disagree whether the word is used more properly for the seeds of the colocynth, those of a particular large-seeded variety of the watermelon

Egusi soup is a kind of soup thickened with the ground seeds and popular in West Africa, with considerable local variation. Besides the seeds, water, and oil, egusi soup typically contains leaf vegetables, other vegetables, seasonings, and meat. Typical leaf vegetables for egusi soup include bitterleaf, and spinach. Typical other vegetables include tomatoes and okra. Typical seasonings include chili peppers, onions, and locust beans. Typical meats include beef, goat, fish, shrimp, or crayfish.

In Nigeria, egusi is very popular among the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria, the Ibibio people and the Efik people (Calabar people) of Southern Nigeria, the Hausa of northern Nigeria and the Yoruba people, Edo people, Esan people, and Etsako people of the southwest of Nigeria. Yoruba people in general and quite notably the people of Ọṣun State – especially the Ijesha people – eat ‘Iyan and Egusi’, ( pounded yam and egusi soup.)

OFE AKWU/BANGA SOUP

Ingredients for Banga Soup/ofe akwu

• 1 kg palm fruits (2 big derica cup)
• Beef, Shakki, etc.
• Dry Fish
• Vegetable: efirin/ahuji/ scent leaf for Ofe Akwu or dried and crushed bitterleaves for Delta-style Banga Soup
• 2 medium onions
• 2 tablespoons ground crayfish, Salt and Chili Pepper (to taste)
• Ogiri/ Okpei /(Iru)
• 1-2 big stock cubes

METHOD

WASH, BOIL AND EXTRACT THE PALM FRUIT

1.  Cook the beef and the dry fish with 1 bulb of diced onion and the stock cubes till done.

2.  Wash and cut the scent leaves into tiny pieces. The scent leaves give the Banga Stew (Ofe Akwu) its unique aroma and taste. Delta-style Banga Soup for starch, you should either cook this soup without vegetables or use dried and crushed bitter leaves.

3.  Cut the remaining bulb of onion. Pound the crayfish, ogiri okpei and pepper in a mortar and set aside.

Cooking Directions

1.  Set the pot of palm fruit extract on the stove and start cooking at high heat. Leave to boil till you notice some red oil at the surface of the Banga Stew. If you think that the Banga Soup is watery, cook till the soup has thickened to the consistency you like for your stews.

2.  Now, add the beef, dry fish and stock, the onions, crayfish and pepper and leave to boil very well.

3.  Add the scent leaves or other vegetable and salt to taste. Leave to simmer for about 2 mins. The Banga Soup is done. Serve with rice or use the Delta-style Banga Soup to eat Starch, Garri, etc.

 NAIJA FOOD RECIPE

YAM POTTAGE WITH GARDEN EGG

YAM POTTAGE WITH GARDEN EGG

INGREDIENTS

·        YAM (DICED)  -HALF MEDIUM SIZE

·        BEEF (SEASONED AND BOILED)- 8 PIECES

·        DRY FISH – 2 MEDIUM SIZE

·        GARDEN EGGS (DICED) – 8 MEDIUM SIZE

·        PALM NUTS – 4 MILK CUPS

·        ONION – 2 MEDIUM BULB

·        CRAYFISH – 3 TABLESPOONS

·        UGU LEAVES (SLICED) – 2 MEDIUM BUNCH

·        RODO PEPPER – 6 PIECES

·        TATASHE – 3 MEDIUM SIZE

·        SEASONING CUBES – 2 CUBES

·        WATER – 1 & HALF LITER

·        SALT TO TASTE.

METHOD

·        BOIL PALM NUTS AND EXTRACT LIQUID.

·        POUR INTO A POT, ADD DICED YAM AND COOK FOR 10 MINS.

·        ADD BLENDED RODO, I CUBE SEASONING, DRY FISH, BLENDED CRAYFISH, BEEF, TATASHE AND COOK FOR FURTHER 10 MINUTES OR UNTIL YAM IS SOFT AND SAUCE IS THICKENED.

·        ADD THE REMAINING SEASONING CUBE AND SALT TO TASTE.

·         ADD GARDEN EGGS AND UGU LEAVES.

·        SIMMER FOR 5 MINUTES.

·         SERVE HOT!