Northern Ireland’s Jonny Murphy was forced into an early retirement from rugby, but now the 33-year-old has become a social media sensation instead, known as the ‘Hungry Hooker’.

Having grown up in the kitchen with his Nanny Mamie, he often brought in home-baked goods to share with his teammates during training, and the former Ulster pro has since found that baking helped him through tough times too.

Baking has “totally changed my life” he says, “This book has all the recipes that have helped me find my way again.”

Why not try out some of these classics…

Credits: PA;

Hot Cross Buns

“These will always be a favourite at Easter, but once you make your own, you’ll more than likely be having them all the time,” says Murphy. “They’re full of flavour from the spice and are extremely fluffy and soft. These need to be eaten on the day of making, but they’ll probably last not much longer as soon as you dig in.”

Ingredients:

(Makes 12)

640g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting

110g caster sugar

2tsp ground cinnamon

2tsp allspice or mixed spice

½tsp salt

9g (3tsp) instant dried (fast action) yeast

210g sultanas

Zest of 1-2 oranges

375ml milk, warmed

1 egg, beaten

50g butter, melted and cooled

For the crosses:

75g plain flour

About 6tbsp water

For the glaze:

2tbsp apricot jam

4tbsp water

Method:

1. Add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, salt and yeast to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix well (or use a large mixing bowl and give it a light mix with a spoon).

2. Add the sultanas, orange zest, milk, egg and melted butter. If you’re using your hands to knead, bring it all together in your bowl using a spoon or fork, then knead for about 10 minutes until it’s nice and smooth and stretchy. It will take about five minutes in a stand mixer.

3. Gently shape into a ball, pop into a bowl and cover with some cling film. Leave it in a warmish spot for about 30 minutes to one hour until it doubles in size.

4. Gently punch the air out of your dough and pop it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a log, then cut into 12 equal pieces. Flatten each with the palm of your hand, bring each side into the middle and pinch together, then roll into a nice smooth ball. Place these, seam-side down, onto a 23 x 30 centimetre baking tray lined with greaseproof paper with some overhang.

5. Loosely cover with some lightly oiled cling film and leave to prove for about 40 minutes. Once they have risen to about one and a half times their original size, they are good to go.

6. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/gas 4.

7. Mix the flour and water until it’s smooth to give a thick and runny paste and place in a small piping bag. Pipe this over your dough to create your crosses.

8. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until they’re a deep golden brown on top. Using the overhang of greaseproof paper, remove from the tray and place on a cooling rack.

9. Heat the apricot jam and water in a saucepan, then brush this all over your hot cross buns while they are still warm. Allow them to cool a little before getting stuck in. Ripping one of these open when slightly warm and plastering it in butter is hard to beat.

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Fifteens

“The Northern Irish take pride in their traybakes – and Fifteens sit at the top of the list of the best,” says Murphy. “My teammates loved them so much I used to make them every Tuesday for the coffee room as a bit of a morale boost during the winter months.

Ingredients:

(Makes about 30)

30 digestive biscuits

30 marshmallows, chopped

30 glacé cherries or 150–200g milk chocolate (or half milk and half white chocolate)

1 x 397g tin of condensed milk

About 100g desiccated coconut, for sprinkling

Method:

1. Blitz the digestives in a food processor until finely ground, or you can go old school and use a rolling pin and a ziplock bag. Place in a large bowl.

2. Boil the kettle and pour out a mug of hot water. Dip a pair of scissors or a knife into the hot water and use to chop the marshmallows in half. The hot water stops everything getting sticky. Add to the bowl along with the digestive crumbs and mix well.

3. Do the same with the glacé cherries, if using. Alternatively, chop up the chocolate and throw it in.

4. Pour in the tin of condensed milk and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined and there are no dry bits left.

5. Cut a large sheet of kitchen foil and lay it on your work surface. Sprinkle half of the desiccated coconut over the foil. Take half of the mixture and drop it into the desiccated coconut, then roll it into a thick sausage shape. I’ll always say the thicker the better, but it’s all down to preference. Once it’s nicely rolled and completely covered in desiccated coconut, wrap it up tightly in the kitchen foil. Repeat with the other half of the mixture and desiccated coconut.

6. Leave to set for about 30 minutes. You can pop them into the fridge, but I much prefer them moist and squidgy.

7. Unwrap and chop each log into about 15 thick slices. They’ll keep for up to four to five days in a sealed container.

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Sticky Ginger Loaf cake

“We always had one of these in the cupboard,” says Murphy. “Maybe for when someone came round for a cuppa tae, but I always loved a slice with some butter. It’s lightly spiced and lovely and moist. I’ve seen my dad polish off one of these by himself. When you make something good, well, it’s hard to stop yourself.”

Ingredients:

(Make 1 x 900G cake)

100g butter

100g golden syrup

140g treacle

100g soft dark brown sugar

200g plain flour

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

1tbsp ground ginger

1tsp ground cinnamon

1tsp ground nutmeg

50g crystallised ginger

2 eggs

80ml milk

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/gas 4 and line a 900g loaf tin with greaseproof paper.

2. Gently melt the butter, golden syrup, treacle and dark soft brown sugar in a small pan over a low-medium heat. Set aside once melted.

3. Sift the flour into a large bowl along with the bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.

4. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the slightly cooled melted ingredients. Mix with a spoon or spatula until fully combined and smooth, then add the crystallised ginger.

5. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk, then pour this into the batter. Stir well until fully combined, then pour into your loaf tin.

6. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool fully.

7. You can get stuck in straight away, plastering it in real butter. But if you wrap it tightly in some kitchen foil and pop it in an airtight container, the flavours will develop over a few days.

Credits: PA;

Extracted from Bakes And Wee Treats by Jonny Murphy. Photography by Joe Woodhouse. Available now