How to line a rectangular/ square tin

Get out your baking parchment. Place the tin on the parchment as far away from the edge as the depth of the tin plus 3cm, i.e. if your tin is 5cm deep put the tin 8cm (5cm + 3cm) in from the cut edge of the parchment. Then mark and cut the parchment the same distance from the other side of the tin. Look at the photo below, it’ll make more sense.

Place your cut piece of parchment on a flat surface and put the tin in the middle of it. Cut the parchment from each of its corners diagonally to the respective corner of the tin as shown.

Put a small smudge of butter/ oil or the fancy non-stick spray stuff, that you can buy in places like decobake on the quays (http://www.decobake.com/), on the interior base and sides of the tin. This is just to make the parchment stick so it doesn’t annoy you.

Place the parchment into the greased tin and fold the pointed ends towards each other. Secure these with hair slides as shown. Done.

How to line a round tin

Get out your baking parchment. Put your tin of choice on the edge of the parchment. Use a pen/ writing implement to draw the outline of the base. Cut out this circle and put to one side.

                  

Next put the tin on its side on the parchment at the cut edge. Cut the parchment that wide plus 3cm in long strips (look at the picture below). The length depends on how big the circumference of your tin is but just cut a nice, long piece first and measure it against the tin. If you need more…cut more.

           

Take your long parchment strips and make a fold about 3cm from one edge along the vertical axis. Make cuts along the narrow edge as far as the fold, about 3cm apart (see above). No need to be too exact.

Smudge a small amount of butter/ oil/ fancy non-stick spray on the inside of the tin. Put your strips, frilly side towards the base of the tin, into the tin so the frills are facing the centre. Next, place the circle of parchment on top.

      

How to grease tins 

This is good when you’re using the tin for pastry or buns. Choose your tin. Get a piece of kitchen paper/tissue or a bit of the foil the butter’s wrapped in. Scoop a lump of butter onto it and smear it over the whole interior of the tin. Put a generous amount of plain flour into the buttered tin. Shake it/ wiggle it or rotate it so that the flour coats the whole surface. Tap the tin on a work surface to loosen the excess flour and tip it out.

How to fold a mixture

The folks in the know suggest using a large metal spoon. If you don’t have one of them use any spoon or spatula that you are particularly fond of. Scrape it along the side of the bowl from the top of the mixture to the bottom. Scoop (or ‘fold’ – hence the name. Nice) the mixture from the base of the bowl over the top of the next bit. Whilst doing this turn the bowl a quarter rotation in the opposite direction to the one you’re stirring in. Hard to describe – watch the video, it makes far more sense; https://www.facebook.com/TheRockBun/videos.

Apologies for the quality but this computer thing is still bewildering.

Rubbing in

Less exciting than it sounds. Take the ingredients on your three big fingers and squish your thumbs over them, across your fingers. Again. Easier just to watch the clip; https://www.facebook.com/TheRockBun/videos.