Start as you mean to go on
Integrity is key
When we started Ursa Minor back in 2014 we had core values, things that remain integral to our ethos at the bakery to this day. Quality and honesty; sourcing and showcasing local, seasonal and organic (where possible) ingredients and showing people how we do things and why .
We started our baking in our small flat overlooking the Lagan in Belfast with the bare minimum. We bought a brand of flour from the supermarket that we recognised as a N.I. company; it didn’t occur to us that this flour might not be from wheat grown in Ireland. We probably gave it very little thought. It wasn’t until we started taking oursleves more seriously (wait, could we be bakers?!) that we looked more closely at the provenance and quality of the raw ingredients we were using. Without going into too much detail right now, it’s a real rabbit hole; the flour available on supermarket shelves is generally nutritionally poor, grown in a non environmentally friendly way, devoid of biodiversity and stripped of natural nourishing properties. So crap really. Once you know that then what follows is a questioning of all products containing flour; the scones we all adore, wheaten bread, cupcakes, pasta and on and on and on.
Thankfully we now use beautiful flour from grains grown on this island or in the UK, stoneground (maintaining the nutritional value) organic, wildlife friendly or regenerative. It also means we have relationship directly with growers and millers. We are constantly learning from our peers and bakers in the UK who are slightly more ahead of the curve than us. I could blether on about grains and flour here but let’s get back to the subject of quality ingredients.
My passion for baking comes from the sublime feeling of eating something utterly delicious; not too sweet and sugar laden or a portion far too big. For me the treat of baking (and cooking) is to use the produce at it’s best in a way to appreciate both it’s flavour and it’s very presence; simple, delicate and delicious! Granny’s Lemon drizzle cake and Mum’s apple pie are still two of the best things I have ever eaten.
And what about honesty? Well I’m always telling people far too much, more than they probably want to hear! I feel it’s so important to tell it like it is, especially in our online world where perfection seems somehow attainable and falseness is rife. Conversely I’ll tell you what it’s like to run our business, how tricky juggling everything can be and how somedays you wonder if there is an easier path.
And I’ll share my recipes with you because transparency and openness encourages trust and friendship and I’m a hippy at heart. Here’s my most precious recipe for our little signature bake, friands. These simple little cakes were our favourite treat in New Zealand. Peace and love friends x
Makes 8
Ingredients
150g icing sugar
160g ground almond (we use skin-on whole almonds, blitzed)
40g wholemeal flour (Stoneground and organic if you can!)
Zest of a lemon
4 egg whites*
160g melted & cooled unsalted butter
Rhubarb of course! A couple of stalks chopped. Delicious with raspberries later in the year.
Method
Preheat oven to 170 degrees (fan)
Sift the icing sugar and flour into a large bowl, add the almonds and lemon zest-I use a whisk to incorporate the zest evenly. In a clean bowl whisk the egg whites until frothy, then make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the egg whites and butter at the same time and fold together gently with a spatula. Make sure you are thorough, but light handed here. The icing sugar tends to hide away in little pockets.
Grease/butter your friand or cupcake mould lightly and fill each cavity until three quarters full, add a couple of pieces of chopped rhubarb to each. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until pale golden. Let cool for a few minutes then push out of the moulds onto a cooling rack. These are best eaten on the day but if you can keep in in a tin/lidded container for a few days-they will become a little more dense but still delicious. Lovely with a little natural yoghurt.
*Yolks can be used for custard, pastry, carbonara (A favourite of the kids) or homemade mayo