I was starting to worry that my brain was atrophying from lack of use. It’s been a month today since my last day at work, and since then I haven’t really done anything science related, and I worry that I will forget it all!

Thankfully, as part of the welcome package our relocation agency gave us, there was a printout about Coursera, a free (unless you want to sign up to get a verified certificate for your records) service that allows you to take some online courses from respected universities on a variety of subjects. My class on Genes and the Human Condition started today, so I spent this morning watching my online classes (6 lecture clips of between 6 and 12 minutes each) and taking the quizzes – atrophy averted! Or at least partially.

Has anyone else tried Coursera?

I have signed up for another couple on Antimicrobial Stewardship: Optimization of Antibiotic Practices, and Drugs and the Brain, but am considering something a little out of my area too.

Anyhow, so what else did I do with my time today? Well, I have decided to teach myself the science of baking with the aid of How Baking Works by Paula Figoni. So, starting at the very beginning, I did the experiments from the first chapter today, making cornstarch gloop and playing with flour! ….and then, well I decided to make doughnuts, using my new doughnut pan. Except I didn’t have any buttermilk, but fear not! Cinderella….. You WILL have doughnuts!

Lemon and Ginger Baked Doughnuts Recipe – modified from this one by Joy the Baker

Ingredients

1 lemon, zest and juice

1/2 cup milk

1 large egg

2 tbsp/30g butter, melted

1 cup/ 145g plain flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground ginger

1/3 cup/ 68g light brown sugar

Icing sugar

Method

Add 1/2 tbsp of the lemon juice to the milk, set aside to get good and nasty!

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Grease a 6 ring doughnut pan.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, salt, and brown sugar in a bowl.

Once the milk has thickened and separated, add it to the dry ingredients along with the zest, egg and melted butter and mix until just combined.

Fill the doughnut rings until 3/4 full, then bake for 8-10 minutes (note: I had to add a few more minutes to this as my ovenis, it seems, totally rubbish).

Allow to cool and firm up slightly in the pan, then turn out onto a rack to cool fully.

Using the remaining lemon juice, add enough icing sugar to make a pipable consistency, then pipe a ring of icing around the tops of the doughnuts!

Done!

Now I might go nap……..