CRANBERRIES SHORTBREAD

Cranberries Shortbread ~ another great recipe to share with you all. Simple in ingredients and easy to make; and most of all, so yummy 😄.  Love the soft crunch texture. 

Highly recommended to try this !!

CRANBERRIES SHORTBREAD

Ingredients 

200g salted butter (at room temperature)
75g icing sugar
300g plain flour/or all purpose flour (sifted)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
80g dried cranberries (chop coarsely)
Zest from 1/2 lemon (optional)

Method

Using your hand whisk or stand mixer, cream the butter till glossy (about 5 to 6 mins).

Add in the icing sugar and whisk for about 4 to 5 mins.  The texture should be light and glossy look.

Pour in the vanilla extract. Lightly whisk it  before adding the plain flour into the mixture. Do not overmix.

Add in the dried cranberries and lemon zest. Mix till well combined with a spatula.  Divide the dough into half. 

Place the dough on your kitchen benchtop, shape the dough into long rectangular shape (you can use a plastic scraper to help or roll it into long shape.  I formed my dough into 2"x 1.5" measurement).  Wrap your rectangular dough in clingwrap and chill the dough for at least 2 hours in freezer.

Preheat oven at 160°C.   Remove the frozen dough and using your sharp knife,  slice it about 0.5cm to 0.7cm thickness.  

Place the sliced cookies on your lined baking pan and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes till the edges are slightly golden brown.

Allow to cool on wire rack before storing in an airtight containers.

Note:

* you dont need to thaw the dough to soften to slice it.

*  the rolled up dough can be kept in the freezer up to 3 months so you can bake it anytime you want. 

* you can substitute to use raisins or dried blueberries instead dried cranberries

CHOCOLATE ALMOND COOKIES

Christmas is nearing and Im sure those celebrating Christmas celebration is planning for their coming dinner dishes meals, cookies and exchanging gifts.

Today, I would like to share this yummy Chocolate Almond Cookies.  So soft and melt in the mouth, it is definitely a keeper's! 

CHOCOLATE ALMOND COOKIES

Recipe sourced from Minty's Kitchen with slight changes

Ingredients

250g butter (at room temperature)
125g icing sugar
350g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
60g cornflour
150g almond flakes
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method 

Beat the butter for about 5 mins then add in the icing sugar  and beat until light and fluffy.

Add in egg and vanilla extract, beat the mixture till all combined.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder and cornflour together and fold into the butter mixture.  Then add in the almond flakes and combine to form into a dough.

Divide the dough into two and shape into square logs (about 1.5" x 2").  Wrap the square logs with clingwrap and chill in the fridge for about 30 mins or an hour.  (Or you can put in the freezer for about 15mins)

Cut the logs into slices (about 0.8cm thickness)  and bake in a preheated oven of 175 deg C for about 20 minutes.

Cool the cookies on a wire rack and store them in an air-tight container.

Red Bean & Sesame Seeds Ring Bread

It has been quite awhile now I have not bake any bread or buns.  Probably just lazy to knead the dough and trying not to "slave torture" my mixer too.

I was "spring cleaning" my handphone gallery pictures and came across one picture my sister send to me thru Whatsapps long ago.  This pic was from one cookbook she borrowed from the library;  Dean Brettschneider - Global Baker.  From the look at the picture, the red bean ring bread look so gorgeous and delicious but..... I don't have the recipe!  Aah....ha.....I remember my good buddy friend, Hui has this book...hence I whatsapps her to forward me the recipe!

And here goes, today my Red Bean & Sesame Seeds Ring Bread

Red Bean & Sesame Seeds Ring Bread

Ingredients

Dough

300g bread flour

5g salt

25g sugar

1 tsp active dried yeast (or instant yeast)

1 small egg (about 50g after cracked)

150ml fresh milk

Zest of 1 orange (optional)

1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped (optional)

Sesame seeds, for coating

180g ready made red bean paste

Egg Wash

1 small egg

2 tbsp water

Method

Mix everything together and knead till it is no longer sticky and becomes smooth and elastic.  Cover and let it rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour or doubled in size.

Knock the dough back in the bowl and gently fold back onto itself and cover to rest for another 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into two equal size.  Place one dough on working surface and roll out into a large rectangle to the size approximately 30cm long x 25cm wide.  

Using your palette knife, spread half the red bean paste over each dough.  Then, roll up the dough from the long edge to form a swiss roll shape.  Ensure that the seam is sealed properly.

Lightly brush the egg wash all over the dough surface.   Coat the dough surface all over with the sesame seeds.  Then shape the dough into a ring and pinch both ends together to close up the ring.

Place the ring on your baking pan with grease proof paper, seam side down.  Using your shape knife or scissors, cut through the dough 1cm-1.5cm apart .  Cover with plastic wrap and let it proof another 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 180 Celcius.

Bake the loaves for 12-15 minutes till golden brown.

Recipe extracted from Dean Brettschneider - Global Baker with changes

 This recipe yields two bread rings.

                          If you love red bean paste, you will absolutely love this red bean bread.

Christmas Tree Dinner Rolls

Christmas is drawing near and I am sure some of you would have starting to plan the menu for the day.

But are you planning to bake some dinner rolls too?  If you are, why not bake the rolls that look and shape like a Christmas tree.  It sure impress your guests having this Christmas tree dinner rolls as the centre piece on the dinner table.

Again I used back the Plain Milky Buns (Kopitiam Buns) with some slight change.
 

Christmas Tree Dinner Rolls

Overnight sponge dough

215g high protein flour
125g milk (cold)
2g instant yeast (1/2 tsp)

Method

Add all ingredients in a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients to a rough dough by hands , the dough is dry and rough and don't need to knead till pass window pane. Cover tightly with cling film and immediately store in the fridge for overnight (at least 12 hours).

To prepare milk buns

1 quantity of above overnight sponge dough
90g high protein flour
30g egg (1/2 large egg)
4g instant yeast (1tsp)
3g fine salt (1/2tsp)
60g sugar (I used only 50g)
45g butter (room temperature)
1 tbsp milk (cold)

3-4 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

1-2 tbsp Sea Salt

Method

Tear the overnight sponge dough into pieces and add all ingredients except butter in a mixing bowl, knead till smooth dough.

Add in the butter and knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with cling film and set aside to proof till double in size.

Punch down the dough to expel air, equal divide the dough to 19 portions (about 30g each), shape into round balls. Place dough in baking sheet and placing the dough balls shaping it like a Christmas Tree. Let it proof for another 30-45mins.

Brush some melted butter on top of the buns, sprinkle/scatter the chopped rosemary and then sea salt on top. 

Bake at pre-heated oven at 170C for 20mins.

This "Rosemary/Sea Salt topping was inspired from The Pioneer Woman of her Buttered Rosemary Rolls

I have made this "Christmas Tree" Butter Buns last year and thought of doing this Xmas tree shape again just to inspire you.

 I am submitting this to the "Baby Sumo's Christmas Recipes Collection 2013" event which is hosted by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out.

Superlicious Cinnamon Rolls!!

It is so good to have someone whom we can communicate throughout the whole process of a recipe when we are going to face a recipe that we have not bake or cook before.  There might be some technical issue which we could encounter during the midst of preparing the ingredient or whatsoever and I am so glad I have my baking buddy here, Hui of butterfly waltz, communicating thru whatsapp giving me some good tips right after she make this Superlicious Cinnamon Rolls!!

Decadent. Luscious. Superlicious. NO-KNEAD! ~ this is what Hui have rated to this delicious Cinnamon Rolls.

This Cinnamon Rolls originated from The Pioneer Woman.  If you have visited her site about this recipe, there's a warning indication from her if you intend to make this yourself......

"A warning. If you follow these instructions and wind up delivering these cinnamon rolls to your friends, be prepared for any of the following to occur:

1. They’ll call you after they’ve taken the first bite and profess their eternal love for every
    ounce of your body.
2. They’ll pass out after the first bite, hit their head on the kitchen counter, sustain a 
    concussion, and sue you for damages, despite the fact that the one bite they tasted of 
    your cinnamon roll was the single most profound culinary experience in their miserable 
    little life.
3. They’ll call you and ask for the recipe, saying, "HOW did you make those?"
4. They’ll call you and propose marriage.
5. They’ll hug the cinnamon roll pan, get maple frosting all over their clothes, and send 
    you the bill for the dry cleaning. "

Cinnamon Rolls 
Recipe sourced & highly recommended from Hui of Butterfly Waltz

~ makes 27 rolls in 3 7-inch square trays 

Dough

2 cups / 500 ml milk

1/2 cup / 125 ml vegetable oil

1/4 scant cup sugar
1 packet active dry yeast /or  2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
4 cups all purpose flour (I use 3 cups plain flour + 1 cup bread flour)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 scant tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Filling
1 cup (227g) melted butter

2 tbsp cinnamon powder

1/4 cup sugar (white or brown)

1. Bring milk, oil and sugar to just short of a boil. Remove from heat and leave to cool for 45

    minutes - 1 hour.

2. Add active dry yeast to lukewarm milk mixture and leave it to sit and bubble. Omit this 

    step if using instant yeast.

3. If using instant yeast, blend in with the 4 cups of flour. Add flour into the milk mixture and

     mix till well combined. Cover and leave to double in size for about 1 hour.

4. Mix the extra 1/2 cup flour with baking powder and baking soda till well blended. Add the 

    flours into the dough till well combined.

5. Refrigerate dough for later use or use immediately. Refrigerating overnight would be a 

    good choice.

6. Generously flour working surface, and roll out dough thinly into a rectangle.  

   Tip: Wrap rolling pin with plastic cling wrap to make it easy to roll it out.

7. Spread melted butter all over dough. Sprinkle cinnamon powder and sugar all over evenly.

8. Roll dough from the long end towards you. Roll tightly and pinch the seams to seal.

9. Slice rolls into 3/4 or 1 inch thick and place them in greased baking tins. Leave to rise for 

    20-30 minutes.

10. Bake in preheated oven of 400F/200C till light golden brown for 15-20 minutes.

11. Remove and drizzle generously with sauce/topping of your choice! 

Easy caramel sauce 

(Highly Recommended to make this to drizzle to the rolls!!)
 ~ make 1 1/2 cups
 
Ingredients
* 1/2 scant cup brown sugar
1 stick / 115g butter
1/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
1/4 cup honey
** add 2-3 pinches of sea salt ~ you won't regret this!

Bring all ingredients to a boil. Lower heat  and continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes. 
Once the Cinnamon rolls have slightly cooled down, drizzle the sauce all over.

                             Does my Cinnamon Roll looks like a rose?  I baked some of the 
                             rolls in muffin pan.

It is so easy to make as it doesn't require to knead at all.  You can prepare the dough at night and refrigerated it, and start making it the next morning.  


As for the filling, you can add extra raisins or some walnuts for some extra crunch and flavour too.

                               My Verdict :  YUMMYLICIOUS !!!!!

Kopitiam Buns With Curry Chicken & Potato

Eversince Sonia posted her Kopitiam Milk Buns I been seeing alot of bloggers baking along with this Milk Buns.  In fact, I can say that this Milk Buns is so easy to make and it stay soft till the next day too.

Sonia has indicated that the Overnight Sponge Dough can be made and keep it in the fridge upto one week and you can use it whenever you feel like baking the buns.  

I made this Curry Chicken & Potato buns the other day thinking that I wanted to give this a miss of posting it to my blog, but I wanted it to share to my sister in Auckland so that she can give this delicious buns a try too.  

Chicken & Potatoes Curry Milk Buns

recipe source from Sonia of NasiLemakLover
*makes 11 buns

Chicken & Potatoes Curry

3 potatoes, small cubed
200g chicken breast, small cubed
2 sprig curry leaves

½ onion, chopped finely

2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
3 shallots, chopped finely

Mix to form a paste

1 and 1/2tbsp curry powder (meat type)
1/2 tbsp red chili powder (I didn't add this)
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
4 tbsp water

Method

Heat oil in a wok, sauté onion, garlic and shallots till aroma.

Add in curry paste & curry leaves, stir till fragrance. Add in chicken and potatoes, mix well.

Add in enough water to cover the chicken and potatoes, cook over low medium heat till potatoes tendered. Set aside to cool.

To prepare Chicken & Potatoes Curry buns

Overnight sponge dough

215g high protein flour
125g full cream milk (cold)
2g instant yeast (1/2 tsp)

Method

Mix all ingredients till a rough dough, cover with cling film and store in the fridge for overnight.

To prepare basic dough

1 quantity of above overnight sponge dough
90g high protein flour
30g egg (1/2 large egg)
4g instant yeast (1 tsp)
3g fine salt (1/2 tsp)
60g sugar
45g butter (room temperature)
1 tbsp milk (cold)

Pandan leaves

Curry leaves
Toothpicks
Egg wash – balance half egg (from the basic dough) + 1tbsp milk

Method

Tear the overnight sponge dough into pieces and add all ingredients except butter in a mixing bowl, knead till smooth dough.

Add in the butter and knead until dough is smooth, shinning and elastic.

Cover with cling film and set aside to proof till double in size.

Punch down the dough to expel air, divide into 50g portions and mould into round balls, rest for 10mins.

Flatten the dough ball into a round disc, spoon filling in the middle, wrap and seal. Roll in ball shape and gently press to form a disc shape. Place on a baking tray. Let it proof for another 45mins.

Wrap each bun with pandan leaf that secured with toothpick. Egg wash the top of the buns, and place a piece of curry leaf on top.

Bake at pre-heated oven at 180C for 15mins.

                            This bun is one day old ~ it still stay soft in texture!  And I can still smell

                            the pandan aroma too....

        

                             Wonder what I should make filling next time round?  

Plain Milky Buns (Kopitiam Milk Buns)

I guess most of you all would agree with me that given a choice you would prefer to make your own bread and buns at home.  Nowadays store bought bread and buns are too commercialized.  You can taste the difference in their texture and you will notice too that the bread that kept at room temperature for more than a week and they don't get moulded at all. 

Well, while I'm in Auckland that few months, there are so many choices of bread to choose from at the supermarket shelves.  And that, I called is real bread, even it is store bought but the texture is so different and they taste so wonderfully good!

Saw this at Sonia's post and thought of give it a try.  No doubt about it, it is such indeed soft in texture.  

Plain Milky Buns / Kopitiam Milk Buns

Recipe sourced from Sonia's

*makes 9 buns

Overnight sponge dough

215g high protein flour
125g milk (cold)
2g instant yeast (1/2 tsp)

Method

Add all ingredients in a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients to a rough dough by hands , the dough is dry and rough and don't need to knead till pass window pane. Cover tightly with cling film and immediately store in the fridge for overnight (at least 12 hours).

To prepare milk buns

1 quantity of above overnight sponge dough
90g high protein flour
30g egg (1/2 large egg)
4g instant yeast (1tsp)
3g fine salt (1/2tsp)
60g sugar (I used only 50g)
45g butter (room temperature)
1 tbsp milk (cold)

Method

Tear the overnight sponge dough into pieces and add all ingredients except butter in a mixing bowl, knead till smooth dough.

Add in the butter and knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with cling film and set aside to proof till double in size.

Punch down the dough to expel air, equal divide the dough to 9 portions, shape into round balls. Place dough in a square pan. Let it proof for another 30-45mins.

Bake at pre-heated oven at 170C for 20mins.

As advised by Sonia, I have kept the left over in an air-tight container!  Thank you!

Chocolate Cream Roll

Hello my friends,

I am so sad to know the past few weeks, the air quality in Singapore and Malaysia has turned very bad as the haze has started again!  And I understand two days ago the rain has finally 'arrive and clean up the air' and hopefully clear sky will brighten up the Malaysians again and no more haze polluted the air.

And whereas where I am now...... temperature has down to 4 Celcius and weather has been wet the past few days.  Sometimes I just don't feel like doing anything at all; so spending time either surfing the net or browsing some cookbooks.  Here we can borrow 30 books at one go at the Library!   And they can reserve the books they want to borrow online first. How lucky the Kiwis!

Caught one recipe in one of the cookbook "Popular Bread In Hong Kong" that using the horn mould and since my sister and I still having the fun of using the horn mould recently, thought of giving it a try.

This time is using bread dough instead of the puff pastry.

CHOCOLATE CREAM ROLLS

Ingredients

450g bread flour

¾ cup warm water

112g sugar

1 egg (approx. 50g)

7g yeast

¼ cup milk

42g butter

4g bread improver (optional)

Whipping Cream

1 cup whipping cream

3-4 tbsp icing sugar

 Egg wash

½ cup to 1 cup melted chocolate (topping)

Method

 Mix all ingredients in bowl well.  Knead on table, until smooth elastic and not sticky

(I used a mixer to mix the ingredients)

Put dough in bowl covered with cling wrap, and let it rise for about 30 minutes.

Take it out and press lightly for several times, then rest for another 30 minutes.

Divide dough into 16 pieces.  Rub into long shape, roll along crescent/horn mould to form into cone shape.  Put onto greased baking tray to rise for 30 minutes until size in double.

Brush with egg wash and bake at 200Celcius for 10-12 minutes.

 

Let cool, pipe in the whipped cream and top or drizzle the melted chocolate on the buns.

                            When rolling the dough to the mould, try not to leave any space.

                               As I have only 12 moulds, the balance of dough I pleated it.

                                              Easily removed out from the mould.

Piped in the whipping cream.  (Actually the actual recipe called for custard cream but I was just lazy to make the custard cream).

Using a spoon, drizzle the melted chocolate onto the rolls for completion.

                                      Place onto the tray to serve.................

Plain and Simple White Bread (Delia Smith)

I wasn't prepared to bake anything lately as I was busy with other things to settle with but since my hands are getting "itch" and just the craving to bake something that this Plain Bread is  being baked.

I have so far have not bake a sandwich loaf or plain bread before because I was a little worry that it might not turn up as good as I wanted it to be.  

I decided to just make half of the recipe and continue to measure up the flour, salt, yeast, sugar in half portion and pour everything into the mixer and continue to measure the warm water but I forgot to half it and pour immediately into the flour...... amigosh......too wet.  Oh my, so I have no choice to measure the other half of the flour, salt, yeast and sugar into the mixer again.

Plain and Simple White Bread (Delia Smith) 
Recipe source from Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids 
Original recipe from Delia Smith

Ingredients
(700 g) strong white bread flour, plus a little extra for the top of the bread
1 level tbsp salt, or less, according to taste
1 level tsp easy-blend dried yeast
1 level tsp golden caster sugar (I used normal white caster sugar) 
425 ml hand-hot water

You will also need two 1 lb (450 g) loaf tins or one 2 lb (900 g) loaf tin, well buttered.
*  I only used ONE loaf pan with measurement of 6" x 10"

Method
Begin by warming the flour in the oven for about 10 mins, then turn the oven off. (I didn't do this)

Sift the flour, salt, yeast and sugar into a bowl, make a well in the center of the mixture, then add the water. Now mix to a dough, starting off with a wooden spoon and using your hands in the final stages of mixing, adding a spot more water if there are any dry bits. Wipe the bowl clean with the dough and transfer it to a flat work surface (you may not need to flour this). Knead the dough for 3 mins or until it develops a sheen and blisters under the surface (it should also be springy and elastic). You can now either return the dough to the mixing bowl or transfer it to a clean bowl; either way, cover it with clingfilm that has been lightly oiled on the side that is facing the dough. Leave it until it looks as though it has doubled in bulk, which will be about 2 hrs at room temperature.

After that, knock the air out, then knead again for 2 mins. Now divide the dough in half, pat each piece out to an oblong, then fold one end into the center and the other in on top. Put each one into a buttered tin, sprinkle each with a dusting of flour, then place them side by side in an oiled polythene bag until the dough rises above the tops of the tins – this time about an hour at room temperature. Alternatively, place all the dough in the one tin. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven 230°C.

Bake the loaf on the center shelf for 30-40 mins, until they sound hollow when their bases are tapped. Now return them, out of their tins, upside-down to the oven to crisp the base and side crust for about 5 mins, then cool on a wire rack.