About me
To introduce myself, I would say: My name is Arantza Lowe, and I am a girl who loves baking, cooking and healthy food!
I am currently studying at the National Bakery School, in London.
More than a hobby, bakery and cooking have always been part of my life. Since I was very young, I have felt fascinated by food. Whenever I entered a bakery, I would always leave it wondering how everything was made and would dream of being a baker when I grew up.
So I started practising at home and would spend hours in the kitchen, making all sorts of things, until I thought I would investigate further and learn how to make bread.
Coming from a large family of 10 siblings, there has always been multiple opportunities of practising. No one ever taught me, but that did not stop me. My goal was to learn by myself!
I always used recipes as a base to guide me, and from there I invented new versions!
In this Portfolio webpage you will be able to see a quick sample of everything I have baked recently while at home.
By publishing these photos I hope to transmit to everyone, with an original and creative touch, my love for Baking.
Find me on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube!
Scroll down to see samples of my work
Jam Filled Doughnuts
These filled doughnuts have a spongy vanilla-flavoured dough which I
shaped into small balls and filled with strawberry jam!
Once the dough had fermented with the strawberry inside, I painted
the surface with beaten egg, to give it that golden colour, and straight
to the oven!
While they were inside the oven, I made a transparent glaze, frying a
bit of water with sugar, just until the sugar had diluted, making sure it
didn´t turn into caramel.
Once I had taken them out of the oven, while they were still hot, I
dipped the whole bun into the glaze sauce, so the golden colour turned
shiny!
And making use of the sticky glaze, I then prepared a bowl of powdered
sugar which I had previously made using the coffee grinder, and carefully rolled them along the sides, so that the icing
sugar stuck to the buns.
They turned out really well: spongy, sticky and fruity!
These sticky filled doughnuts I made at home, the 6th of September
2020.
Cinnamon and raisin rolls
These tender-sticky rolls are so delicious!
Packed with raisins and cinnamon, they can never be missing in a Classic English tea!
Their richness enhaces any event or festivity.
I made these delicious cinnamon rolls spreading out the sweet dough I had done, and placing butter, dark brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins on top.
I then rolled the dough, and once finished, I carefully cut the filled dough in thin slices, and placed each slice looking upwards.
I then left them to ferment, and once the dough had doubled its volume, I painted the surfaces with beaten egg and put it in the oven.
Just after taking them out if the oven, while they were still hot, I poured sweet glaze over them, and they turned out sticky, sweet and spicy!
I made it for an afternoon tea on May 2020.
Hot cross buns
These hot-cross buns are sweet, orange scented and lightly spiced. The dough, enriched with warm spices as for mulled wine and mixed dried fruits, is an amazing boom of flavour.
IWhile the dough was still fermenting, I made a bit of pastry combining white flour with water.
I left it to chill in the fridge, and once the hot-cross buns had fully fermented, I made crosses with the pastry and placed a cross on each bun.
I then painted the buns with beaten egg, to give them that golden touch, and put them in the oven.
While they were in the oven, I made a sticky sweet glaze by frying water with sugar, making sure it didn´t turn brown.
When the hot cross buns were baked, I took them out of the oven and while they were still hot, I poured the sticky glaze on top.
The hot cross buns absorbed it quite quickly, and they looked fantastic! The glaze also enhaced their appearance.
I made these for my family on April 2020.
Gluten Free Nutella Doughnuts
As my sister is following a gluten-free diet, and she loves Nutella so much, I though I would make her these.
So I thought I would use a normal brioche recipe, and replace normal wheat flour with Gluten-free flour. I also added vanilla flavour, to enrich the dough.
The thing is, I noticed that the Gluten-free flour didn´t absorb the liquid the same as the wheat flour does, so even though I used the same amount the recipe asked of normal flour, the dough was so liquid and sticky!
I was quite disappointed, and thought it was a failure.
But I then carefully added more Gluten free flour, little by little, until the dough was manageable, so I could handle it.
I didn´t know what to expect from it, and feared the worst, but I carried on, hoping for the best, as I had managed to make this dough similar to a normal brioche dough.
When making the small balls, I realized the dough was just right, not too sticky nor dry.
Once the dough was done, I filled each bun with Nutella. I then closed the buns, and to the oven.
They came out soft, spongy and perfect, almost better than a normal bun!
If I hadn´t made them, I wouldn´t believe they were Gluten-free.
In the video you can see how I made them.
I made these for my sister the 28th of December, 2020.
Creative Cakes
Never heard of it, right? This cake I invented from scratch.
I first made a classic vanilla sponge cake, covered it with chocolate
sauce, then grinded some sugared almonds and spread it out carefully
over the chocolate covered cake. The ground sugar almonds quickly
attached to it, coating it completely.
Then I decorated it with peanut butter drops. It was simply amazingly
delicious!
I made it in home, one dull afternoon in January 2020.
Mince pies
These mince pies with delicious light shortcrust pastry are completely
homemade!
For the filling, I used the mincemeat I had previously made a few
weeks before this and which I had kept in jars.
I did the pastry using both normal white flour, and a tiny bit of strong
flour, along with a bit of very cold butter and cold lard, because I read
that lard makes the pastry lighter. So I combined both butter and lard
and then added a bit of very cold water.
I mixed the ingredients quickly with my fingertips, making sure the
fats didn´t melt from too much mixing.
I then let the pastry chill in the fridge for an hour and once it had
cooled, I was able to handle it and swiftly proceeded to make the
mince pies with it. They came out perfect!
The pastry was not too dense, yet not too light.
Once out of the oven, I left the mince pies to cool and then dusted
them with the confectioner´s sugar I had previously made in the coffee
grinder. They were delicious!
I made these a few days ago, for my brother´s birthday, the 10th of
December 2020.
Breads
I make bread everyday for the whole family, and after so much time
practicing at home, I have learnt how to make all the different kinds of
bread I can think of: sometimes it´s oat and bran, at other times it´s walnut & raisin, then black German bread, or even rye and spelt!
I love making all sorts of variations, so that no one ever gets bored of bread!
This bread I made at home this past summer, the 2nd of June, 2020.
Creative breads
I invented this recipe one day when I had the white dough in my
hands, and suddenly thought: Why don´t I innovate?
So I just thought I would extend the bread dough, spread it with butter or
margarine, add special herbs such as oregano or basil, and add some
cured ham I found in the fridge!
I then rolled the dough, cut it
carefully in slices, and baked it... it turned out to be a success!
Everyone liked it at home.
After this, I tried different versions, replacing ham with tuna, or
cheese, or different ham.... It´s always a complete success!
These bread rolls I made at home, for a special family event, in May
2020!
Bread buns
These homemade bread buns give a mighty touch to good hamburger
meat. Instead of the artificial supermarket ones, these are natural,
dusted with flour to give it that hard crust.
In the inside they are soft, spongy and delicious!
I made them on March 2020.
Original Cakes
This is another original and invented cake!
I made a tall chocolate sponge cake, and once cooled, I divided it
carefully into four different layers of sponge cake and then spread
between two layers a bit of chocolate cream and strawberry jam in
other two.
I then made a delicious sticky vanilla fudge separately in a saucepan
and while the fudge was still hot I poured it over the cake!
Soon after, the fudge got a bit chewy, and made the Cake look bright
and sparkling!
Everyone loved it!
I made this on February 2020.
Traditional Spanish
"Roscón de Reyes"
This huge Bun I made for Christmas, and the inside is fluffy, soft and spongy, with a strong orange blossom flavour, which characterizes the Traditional Roscón everyone has in Spain for the 6th of January.
On the outside it has crushed almonds, sugar-stones made by mixing water and sugar, and candied orange peel, which makes it all the more tasty! It can be filled with white cream, but it´s nice alone!
I made this the 2nd of January 2021, for my family.
In the following video you can see how I made it:
Gluten-free Brownies
Another invented recipe from scratch!
Some time ago I thought that a gluten-free diet was practically
incompatible with Baking.
But soon I discovered that that´s a myth!
Everything consists in getting to know all the different kinds of flour;
to grow in knowledge of them all, and, once known, the horizon opens
up to an endless variety of possibilities!
This gluten-free Brownie I made with rice flour! I also added peanut
butter to boost its flavour and give it a nutty taste, as well as pure
cocoa powder to make the flavour stronger. It required less time to
cook than a normal brownie, but the result was the same! It was nice
and gooey on the inside, and I dusted it with cocoa powder!
These brownies were made for my sister who can´t eat gluten, on the
6th of December 2020.