Layered Kaya Steam Bun aka Asian Mille Feuile

I was looking online for something different to make besides the typical oven bake kinda food for either breakfast or lunchbox and stumble upon this interesting photo. Hence launched into a search for the recipe. It is actually not cake but steam bun layered up with kaya in between each layer. This is soft and fluffy and smells great too... glad my no 1 likes it.

 Trying to make it more "chinese" so added the prosperity word on it... with my home made stencil (mom was wondering since when I can do such pretty chinese word).

Recipe:

Kaya

• 40 g sugar 
• 40 g palm sugar 
• 200 ml undiluted fresh coconut milk (I used coconut cream in the can)
• 4 young, light green pandan leaves wash and cut 5 cm long (no fresh one, dried one, still smells good)
• 4 yolks (make sure there's no egg white at all)

Steps:

1. Dissolve sugar, palm sugar and coconut milk (along with the pandan leaves) on medium high heat, maintain and gentle simmer stage. 
2. Once the sugar melted, scoop partial of the mixture on the beaten egg yolks, little by little (roughly 1/3 to half).
3. Then continue stirring the coconut milk mixture while slowing add in the egg yolks with partial of the coconut mixture all into the saucepan. Stir it at low heat till the mixture thicken to your desired thickness. As I wanted to use it for this recipe, I make sure it is rather thick. It should take roughly bout 4-5mins.

*This is a quick so called 5mins kaya recipe but I had spent longer as I it thick.

Bun

• Part 1: Starter or Sponge dough
• 250g pao or low protein flour
• 200g water
• 1/4tsp (1g) commercial/instant yeast

1. Mix and set aside over night, roughly 12-13hours (room temperature - timing depending on the weather, if hot, not more than 12hrs)

• Part 2: Bun Dough
• 150g pao or low protein flour
• 50g sugar
• 1tsp baking powder
• 40g cooking oil (I don't like shortening and so I substituted it with oil)

1. Knead all ingredients from part 1 and 2 together to form a soft and smooth dough. It takes roughly 5-10mins to achieve that with hand. The dough is rather soft and a bit hard to handle.
2. Leave it to proof for bout an hour.
3. Prepare a baking tin roughly 9inch, layered with non stick baking paper.
4. Divide into 10portions, shape into ball before flattening and roll to round disc (roughly bout 8inch so as to allow space for it to proof).
5. Stack the first piece into the baking tin and spread the kaya over it. The original recipe asked for a tablespoon, but I was greedy, I put in more coz I prefer it to have more of it.
6. Continue stacking the bun doughs and spreading the kaya jam on every layer (except the last top one). Cover with a cloth and let it proof for another 2 hrs.
7. Heat up a pot of water and steam the bun. It should takes bout 30-35mins on medium low heat.
8. Once done, take it out to cool before slicing in... the bun should rise and filled up the entire cake tin, looks really fluffy and felt really light.

Bon apetit 

Note: you may choose to use jam or any other spread if you don't like or too lazy to make the kaya jam.

Sourdough Soft Bun

I love those cotton like texture from bread and buns and had hope to be able to make it without the use of commercial yeast. After some thought.. I tried substituting the yeast with the sourdough starter and see if it works. I had used the recipe that required poolish starter for the bread. And indeed, it works marvellously.

Ingredients:

• 310g sourdough starter that has been fed and is bubbly and ready to use
• 100g plain flour
• 15g milk powder
• 45g raw sugar (you can substitute with caster sugar)
• 5g salt
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 70g water
• 50g butter

Steps:

1. Place all the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and stir it. 
2. Then add in the rest of the ingredients except the butter.
3. Use the dough hook and knead the ingredients with medium low speed till it forms a dough shape.
4. Increase the speed and slowly add in the butter little by little in small cubes size.
5. Knead till the dough reach window pane stage (it took bout 10mins with the Kenwoood at high speed).
6. Set aside to rest for about 1hr to 1.5hr (it is ready when u poke a finger on it and the dough does not bounce back up).
7. Punch and shape the dough according to your preference, you may even fill it with your favourite filling.
8. Let it rest for another 20-40mins (it won't rise as much as those using commercial yeast) till almost double in size.
9. Brush some egg wash on the surface of the bread.
10. Bake at preheated oven at 180c for 28mins (for my oven, you may need to test and trial with your oven setting).

Steam Pumpkin Bun

Ingredients

• 85g pumpkin puree
• 35g raw sugar
• 250gram of plain flour
• 3g instant yeast
• 3g baking powder
• 1/8teaspoon salt
• 15g olive oil
• 60g water (including the juice from the pumpkin)

Steps:

1. To make the pumpkin puree, remove the skin and cut 120g of pumpkin to thin slices. Steam over high heat for 5-7mins.
2. Let it cool down and then mashed it with a fork. Use a fine sieve and mash it on it. This will squeeze out the water from the steam pumpkin.
3. Mix half the water to the instant yeast and set it aside. Since it is early winter now, I had mix the pumpkin juice with some hot water so that it is warm.
4. Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and pumpkin puree together. Stir it to mix. Then add in salt, olive oil, yeast liquid and the rest of the water and knead.
5. I had knead with hand yesterday coz I wanted some exercise but you can use the mixer to do it. With hand, I had knead for about 5mins till the mixture had turn into a nice non sticky dough.
6. Cover the dough with a cling wrap and set it aside to let it proof for about 20mins. Again, if your place is cold like where I am now, prepare a warm water bath (3:2 hot to cold water ratio) and set the dough on top to proof.
7. Punch down the dough and cut to desire size and shape accordingly. I had rolled mine with some home made meat floss. Recipe available here.
8. Leave it to proof for another 30mins.
9. Heat up a pot of water. Then steam the buns in high heat for 12mins. If your bun is bigger, do steam longer.

Mocha Cream Cheese Bun

Ingredients:

Dough

• 300g bread.high protein flour
• 15g coffee powder
• 15g chocolate powder
• 5g instant yeast
• 50g sugar
• 3g salt
• 7g milk powder
• 190g water
• 40g butter

Filling

• 140g cream cheese
• 50g sugar
• 50g cheddar cheese

• 3tbsp milk to brush the bun

Steps:

1. Put in all the ingredients for the dough in the mixing bowl in order. Knead on the mixer for about 20-35mins (I used speed 4/5 for about 35mins on my Kenwood). The dough needs to reached window pane stage to be ready. This will mean being able to stretch out as thin layer as possible without breaking.
2. Set aside to proof till double (should take bout 40mins if weather is warm or could be up to almost 2hours if it is quite cold)
3. Mix the filling ingredients till evenly distributed. I used the creaming hook on my Kenwood, very easy, it only took me bout 15seconds to get this down. Divide them into 10 blobs on the baking paper and store in the fridge. This will make it easier to wrap later.
4. Once the dough has double, punch down the air and divide to 10pieces. Wrap the filling into the dough and let it rest for another 40-50mins.
5. Preheat oven at 160c (180c if non forced fan and 140c if using air fryer)
6. Brush some milk at the top of the bun and then bake for 15mins or till done.

Soft Fluffy Cheese Bun

Recently in the Facebook Breadmaker Group, people are going crazy on Sunny Bread recipe by Mandy and I used the recipe with a little tweak to meet my preference to make this Cheese Bun.

Ingredients:

• 80g milk
• 50g cream
• 20g butter
• 1 XL egg (roughly 60-70g)
• 250g high protein or bread flour
• 3g yeast
• 20g milk powder
• 30g sugar
• 3g salt

Steps:

1. Put all ingredients in order above in the mixer. Knead on low speed for bout 1-2mins till the ingredients combined.
2. Increase the speed of the mixer to high and knead the dough till it reaches window pane stage. Based on Mandy's recipe, it takes about 45mins to reach that stage, but I just checked on the dough after bout that time too. In order to know if the dough is right, pull out a small piece and stretch it out to very thin layer. If you are able to do so, means it is ready, otherwise continue kneading. The dough should not be sticky
3. Oil the mixing boil and let the dough rest. Since it is rather cold now here as it is still winter, I preheat the oven for 1min on 50c and let the dough rest in there and after bout 15mins, repeat the heating again. It should take bout 40-60mins for the dough to get to double the size.
4. After resting, punch the dough down and divide to the size you want and mine is to four pieces. Roll it out to straight one direction, then fold it the same direction. Leave it to rest another 10mins covered.
5. After second rest, roll out the dough on the other direction (if just now portrait, now landscape) and roll it out and let it rest another 10mins.
6. Finally, pull the side of the dough to form a round dough and leave it on the baking pan to rest for another 40-50mins.
7. Preheat oven at 170c.
8. After the last rest, brush some milk on the dough and sprinkle with lots of shredded cheddar.
9. Bake the bun for 15min or till golden.

Sweet Potato Bread

Not sure bout the consumer, but the maker is a bit bored with plain white or chia seed or milo bun, so for a change, we are having sweet potato bread this time round.

Slight change to the original recipe that I had found from To Food with Love (she uses purple yam and butter, I used sweet potato and oil and too heavy handed on the overnight sponge).

Ingredients:

Part 1

• 300g bread flour
• 35g sugar
• 1/2tsp or 3g salt 
• 1.5tsp or 5g yeast

Part 2

• 100g Overnight 5c batter, recipe from here

Part 3

• 145ml cold milk
• 30g egg (roughly 2/3 of a L size egg)

Part 4

• 120g sweet potato
• 30g olive oil

Method:

1. Mix the ingredients from part one till well mixed then add in part 2 and part 3. Knead all the ingredients to form a dough either manually or using Bread Machine or your mixer using the dough hook.
2. Next add in ingredients from part 4 and continue to knead till it form a smooth and elastic dough. My dough is rather soft and a little sticky.
3. Leave the dough to rise/proof in a warm place for roughly bout 45mins to an hour till it is almost double in size. I covered the mixing bowl with a wet towel to keep it moist.
4. Punch the dough down and knead it briefly. If your dough is like mine kinda sticky, oil your work surface and your hand to ease the handling of the dough. 
5. Cut the dough to shape according to your preference. If you planning to make bread slices, roll the dough out flat and rolled it up. Place it in the baking tin (lightly oiled) to proof for another 1hour to 1hr15mins. Make sure you leave some space for the dough to rise or get bigger.. :D
6. Preheat oven at 180c for roughly 10mins.
7. After proofing, brush the dough with the balance of the egg.
8. Bake at 180c for 20-25mins depending on your oven's heat.
9. Remove and cool the loaves before trying to slice it.

Roti Boy aka Coffee Bun

Something on my to do list for a long time but just didn't get the chance to do it. Finally, took up the courage to try it out yesterday, yum! Worth the effort. Just need to double up the volume if you want more. The ingredients here just enough for 10pcs.

Ingredients:
For the dough:

• 250g bread flour
• 38g sugar
• 3g salt
• 4g yeast
• 24g egg
• 135g warm milk
• 30g butter
• some oil to rub on the hand to shape the dough and to rub on the utensils to avoid it from sticking

For filling:

• 100g softened butter
• 35g sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence

For crusty top:

• 50g softened butter
• 40g icing sugar
• 42g egg
• 1 teaspoon of granulated coffee dissolve with 1 tsp water
• 50g plain flour

Methods:

*Note, I multi task a few steps by using hand mixer and stand mixer at the same time.

1. Put all the ingredients for the dough in the mixing bowl except the butter. I leave this to mix with the stand mixer at low speed. Initially it is quite dry but after a while, it will get a bit elastic and sticky (I use low on my kenwood and this takes about 4-5mins). Finally add in the butter to mix (I use speed 2 on my kenwood) till it is even and the dough is sticky but elastic.
2. While the stand mixer is working, I beat the filling (all ingredients) with the hand mixer till it is all well mix and leave it in the fridge to cool and harden so that it is easier to wrap. If you want it even and easier, after 2mins, take it and divide to 10 portions before putting it back to the fridge.
3. After the dough is done, take it out and divide to 10 portions and leave it to rest while I prepare the crusty topping.
4. For the topping, beat the butter and sugar till well incorporated. Add in the egg and coffee after that. Give it another mix before adding in the flour. Scoop all the mixture into a piping bag and leave it in the fridge.
5. Now, flatten the dough and wrapped the filling inside. Please make sure u seal the dough properly to avoid it from breaking and the butter leaking out. Some of mine leaked.
6. Arrange them on the baking sheet and please make sure you have at least 3-4cm space apart from each bun. Cover them up with cling firm and rest for an hour.
7. Do note that the bun will not rise or get bigger, it will looks small like just before resting (I was worried as why it does not get bigger like any other bread).
8. Preheat the oven at 200C.
9. Pipe the topping on the bun in round swirl, cover as much as you can.
10. Bake for 12mins at 200C.

Variation to 40mins Bun

Yesterday and today, I tried something different with the 40mins bun and obtain quite a different type of textures.

They are modifications to the recipe of 40mins bun with the following differences:

Ingredients to the dough:

• 270g warm water
• 70g oil (I used peanut oil) I used olive oil here instead
• 10g instant dry yeast
• 48g sugar I ran out of sugar, so I used honey
• 1/5 teaspoon salt (7g)
• 1 egg
• 300g self raising flour I used bread flour as per requested by the original recipe
• 245g plain flour
• lots of oil to work on the dough
• egg wash n sesame seed no sesame seed for deco, but added 2 tablespoon of chia seed to the dough before kneading
• fillings are bacon

Conclusion, the buns are super soft and fluffy compared to my initial recipe but it is less soft compared to the initial recipe.

Then the next variation becomes this instead:

Ingredients to the dough:

• 270g warm water I used water and milk mixture (my daughter can taste the milk)
• 70g oil (I used peanut oil) I used butter here instead
• 10g instant dry yeast
• 48g sugar 
• 1/5 teaspoon salt (7g)
• 1 egg
• 300g self raising flour I used bread flour as per requested by the original recipe
• 245g plain flour I used self raising flour
• lots of oil to work on the dough
• egg wash n sesame seed no sesame seed for deco, but added 2 tablespoon of chia seed to the dough before kneading
• filling for this is char siew sauce chicken with chives

Conclusion, I still prefer the first variation as it gives that fluffy cottony texture to the bread.

40mins Bun

Just realised that I forgot to post this easy quick yet yummy bun. But please remember to store in the fridge as I forgot and it spoil after 2 days though the bun is still soft and nice.

Ingredients:
Filling:

• 3 potatoes
• 2 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 tsp of turmeric powder
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
• salt to season
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• a tbsp oil

Dough:

• 270g warm water
• 70g oil (I used peanut oil)
• 10g instant dry yeast
• 48g sugar
• 1/5 teaspoon salt (7g)
• 1 egg
• 300g self raising flour
• 245g plain flour
• lots of oil to work on the dough
• egg wash n sesame seed

Steps:

1. Peeled and cut the potatoes to small cube. Boiled in the boiling water for 5mins.
2. Heat up the oil and saute the garlic. Once it smells nice, add in the curry powder and turmeric powder and fry till it smells nice. Add in the potatoes. Cook for about 2mins and then season with the cumin powder and salt. 
3. Leave it aside to cool.
4. Add in warm water, yeast and sugar in the mixing bowl. Leave it to proof for about 5-10mins.
5. Once the yeast has bubbled, add in the rest of the ingredients and mix it with the mixer using the dough hook. Otherwise use hand to knead the mixture till it forms a nice soft and smooth dough.
6. Divide it to 12 pieces and form a ball. Flatten and filled up with the fillings.
7. Preheat the oven at 220c.
8. Leave the bun to rest for 10mins. Finally, brush the bun with egg wash and sprinkle the top with some sesame seeds.
9. Bake for 12-15mins.

Cinnamon Rolls

I have gotten this recipe from Weight Watchers magazine though the second time making it, it is no longer weight conscious :p

First time, I used plain flour only but for the second time, I mixed it with self raising wheat flour, replaced the chocolates and nuts and raisins with shredded cheddar cheese.

This is the Cinnamon Cheese Wheat Rolls

This is the Chocolate Cashew Nuts Cranberries Raisin Rolls

Ingredients:

• 7g of yeast powder
• 125ml warm water (since it is cold now here, 60ml cold water and the rest hot water)
• 1 egg
• 250g plain flour (for the cheese rolls, I replaces 35g of plain flour with self raising wheat flour)
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp raw sugar
• 2 handful of cashew nuts (lightly break it with the pestle and mortar) - for the version 1
• 1 handful of dried cranberries
• 1 handful of raisins
• 4 pieces of dark cooking chocolates (the square on the chocolate pcs) - melt it in a double boiler with the sugar and yogurt, stir till smooth
• 1 tsp of raw sugar
• 1 tbsp yogurt
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsp of cinnamon powder

Methods:

1. Mix the yeast with the warm water and leave it to rise. It should bubble to shows that the yeast is active and not dead.
2. Crack the egg into the yeast once it bubble and lightly whisk it.
3. Pour the liquid into the flour (mixed it well with the ground cinnamon and raw sugar in advance).
4. Use your hand to knead the mixture till it becomes a nice smooth dough. That should take about 15mins.
5. Leave it to rise for 30mins (covered in hot warm towel). If the weather is too dry and cold, leave it on top of a pot of hot water.
6. Punch and knead the dough. Cut it to half.
7. Use the rolling pin, roll it to a long flat pieces.
8. For version 1, spread a layer of the chocolate paste and sprinkle it with the nuts, raisins and cranberries. Then roll it up, cut it into 1.5inch slice. Leave it on top of the baking sheets to rise for another 20-30mins.
9. For version 2, sprinkle it with the cinnamon powder and cheddar cheese, roll it up and cut it into 1.5 inch slice too. Similarly, leave it to rise for 20-30mins. * I had also sprinkle some parmesan cheese powder.
10. I uses the airfryer to bake it at first 2 mins 140C and another 4 mins on 180C (for second batch onwards, only need 3mins). If you uses the normal oven, dont bother pre-heating it. Leave the bread in there and bake for 30mins (reduce the rising time to 10mins will do) at 180C.

Meat Floss Cheese Bun

There are some meat floss lying in the kitchen for a while, opened, and I remember seeing Han Ker post her cheese breadstick and decided to do a combo. Did some modifications to meat the weather condition here.

Ingredients:

• 254g Laucke Crusty White bread flour
• 175ml warm water (I uses 100ml warm from my thermos that is at 80C and 75ml from the filter)
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 80% of the 1tsp salt (I want it less salty)
• 80% of the 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
• 1 cup of plain flour (this depends, it was raining and was kinda humid, so the dough was rather too watery and soft to work on)
• 60ml water
• 12 tsp of meat floos
• mayonnaise 
• 1 tablespoon of milk to glaze

Methods:

1. Add in the yeast to the warm water and let it rise (I like to do this first to avoid wasting effort and material just in case the yeast is dead). This will take roughly 5-10mins).
2. Scoop out 2 tsp flour and mix with 60ml of water. Cook till it turn a little creamy, stirring occasionally. Quickly turn off the heat and still mix, it should get a little thicker.
3. Sieve the flour on to the mixing bowl. Add in salt and sugar and mix well.
4. Pour in the yeast water mixing and constantly stirring and add in the creamy stuff (it is supposed to be tangzhong with specific measurement, but mine is always this way... hehehe), all of it.
5. Mix the mixture till it forms a dough and continue to kneed till it is not sticky. If it is, add in little by little flour.
6. Leave it to rest for an hour. For me, while resting, I leave the mixing bowl covered with wet towel on top of a hot pot of water coz it was rather cold here yesterday. The dough requires some heat to help it double up.
7. After an hour, punch the dough, give it a little knead. Cut it to 8pcs and flatten them on the table top.
8. Scooped 1.5tsp of meat floss on each flatten dough, squeeze some mayo on it and fold up and form a ball. Leave it on the tray to rest for another 30mins. This time, I was cooking dinner and I leave it near to the stove to provide some heat.
9. Preheat the oven to 180C (if you using a brand new electric fan oven, should be 160C). While waiting, sprinkle the cheese mixture on top of the bun.
10. Place the bun into the oven. After 5mins, increase the oven temp to 200C (again, the electric fan oven should be 180c). After 10mins, glaze the top with milk and then bake for another 5mins.
11. Take it out and cool and devour... hehehe