Hot Cross Bun

Easter round the corner and the supermarkets are all selling hot cross bun. But the one we bought last year tasted super terrible and since I have some custard cream in the fridge, (leftover from the profiteroles), so I decided to churned some out today.

And recently a friend just posted her hot cross bun that looks so good, I got even more tempted. She told me she used the 5c method and there after some online "research" (the marvel of computer), it is also known as the cold batter or overnight poolish. Ok, here is the recipe for the hot cross bun using home made custard cream.

Ingredients:
For the cold batter or overnight poolish:

• 150g bread flour
• 150g luke warm water
• 0.5g (1/8 teaspoon) instant yeast

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. According to the recipe, leave it to proof for an hour before sending it to sleep in the fridge. However the itchy me, just prepare that at 10.30pm and got no time to wait, so I  leave the bowl in a big pot of water, heat up the pot for 2 mins (if you are using gas and not electric cook top, should be just 1min or less. Please remember NOT double boil method, put a rack to create steam effect instead. The direct heat may affect the batter.

Next take out the bowl of batter and leave it to cool (should just take less than a min). Cover up the bowl and send it to camp in the fridge over night (or at least 5hr).

Main dough:

• 250g bread flour
• 100g plain flour
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 1 egg lightly beaten (I used 600g type)
• 30g cold milk
• 50g hot water
• 50g room temperature butter, cut to small pieces/cube
• some milk to brush
• custard cream to pipe on top

Steps:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in the mixer bowl (or the bowl u going to use to knead with your hand or the bread maker mixing bowl). Give it a stir to mix the ingredients evenly.
2. Next add in all the wet ingredients (excluding butter) including the cold batter. Knead till the mixture forms a nice springy dough. It took me bout 2mins with my machine on high speed.
3. Next knead in the butter (if using machine half by half and if using hand little by little). If you are using hand, it may takes up to 20mins of good hand exercise before the butter is well incorporated into the dough. My machine got it done in bout 40seconds (speed 6).
4. Cover up the dough and let it rest for at least an hour or till when u give it a push with your thumb and the dough does not bounced back.
5. Cut it up to size equal pieces (mine is 99g each, very precise), formed round dough and placed on the baking pan that is greased with a little oil slightly apart.
6. While resting the dough, preheat the oven at 190C. 
7. After resting for 10mins, brush some milk on top of the bread, and use a butter knife to cut the cross on the bread. Pipe the custard cream on top.
8. Finally, bake for 13-15mins at 190C.

Butter Cheese Cake

Just bought a new mould yesterday, hoping to bake some bear shaped cake for Sophie as she likes bear a lot. But I dont want those pure butter cake coz she dont like it. Took the recipe online and modified to my own liking.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 220 gm butter (original recipe asked for 250g, but without cheese and chocolate)
• 40g cream cheese
• 10g of chopped cooking chocolate
• 180 gm castor sugar (original recipe asked for 230g)
• 4 eggs
• 250 self-raising flour (no self raising flour, so got to make on my own with baking powder & salt)
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• about 6 tbsp UHT milk

Heat oven to 180 deg C. Line cake tin, size about 8 inches in diameter. In a mixer, beat butter, cheese, chocolate and sugar till white and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time, alternating with flour. Add vanilla essence to milk and mix in. Check the consistency of the batter. It should be of dropping consistency. If it stands peaking and hard, add more milk. Pour into baking tin and bake for about 50 mins.

Here is the outcome (of course some are in cup cakes form and those cupcakes come out flat.. so that will be good for edible image on top.. hehehehe..)

Chocolate Truffles

Dont ask for recipe coz I dun have it... just agak agak mari punya... hehehe....

Chocolate, cream cheese, butter, sugar and milk...

Creamy Macaroni

Last night, we had a very odd combo for dinner . We had creamy macaroni and ABC soup (including Sophie).




- Macaroni
- parmesan cheese
- mixed dried herbs (those use for pizza)
- cream cheese
- butter





Sophie's one with added stuff, she get potato and carrot from the ABC soup + some fresh milk, blend to small pieces.
She loves it and was busy biting while playing with her teething biscuit.

Shortbread Attempt

Not posting any recipe, just pics. Never check the stuff in the oven so kinda failed, bit of burnt... hehehe...

These are the total damage one:

Surimi Abalone

The packet, RM 11

Sliced the abalone to small pieces.

Pan fry with some butter.

Dish and leave aside.

Add in 3 tablespoon of water, 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of corn starch mixture (1/2 tablespoon of water and 3/4 tablespoon of water) into the pan.

Once the sauce thicken, pour over the abalone.

Ready to serve.

Prawn + Mushroom

• 8 medium size prawns (I left the shell on, but should remove it to taste better)



• 8 square pieces of cheddar cheese (size of 2cm by 2cm)



• 8 pieces of soaked dried chinese mushroom



• 1 cube of butter



• A pinch of salt and pepper to marinate prawns



• 3 tablespoon of water



• 1 teaspoon of fish sauce



• A pinch of mixed herbs

1. Saute mushrooms with butter for 2mins.



2. Add in prawns and saute till prawns are cooked.



3. Place mushroom on the plate and sandwich the cheese with prawns.



4. Do not wash the pan, add in water, fish sauce and herbs. Leave water to boil and pour over the mushroom.



5. Put in microwave on high for 15 seconds to melt the cheese.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/13154/prawn-mushroom.html

Butter Fry Prawn

• 16 pieces of medium size prawned, shelled, vein removed and cut to semi half, season with salt, pepper and some sugar


• A pinch of mixed herb.


• 3 tablespoon of melted butter

1. Heat up butter. Add in prawn and fry till cook.


2. Dish out and sprinkle with mixed herb

http://www.grouprecipes.com/12451/butter-fry-prawn.html

Butter Crab

• 2 pieces of crab (600g)



• 1 piece of garlic (chopped)



• 3 teaspoon of cream cheese



• 200g of butter



• 6 leaves of curry leave



• 2 birdeye chilli

1. Saute garlic, curry leaves and chilli with one teaspoon of butter.



2. Add in crab and fry for about 10mins.



3. Add in butter and cream cheese.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/8288/butter-crab.html

Butter Fish

• 400g of fish slice (marinate for 2 minutes with salt and pepper, coat with some corn starch)



• 4 pieces of medium size prawn



• 50g of butter



• 5 tablespoon of skim milk



• 2 birdeye chilli



• 5 pieces of curry leaves



• 1 teaspoon of ginger (sliced)



• 2 teaspoon of cream cheese



• 2 pieces of white button mushroom



• 2 teaspoon of thick corn starch



• Oil to fry

1. Pan fry the fish till it is cooked. Dish out and leave it on serving plate.



2. Melt the butter and saute the prawn with curry leaves, chilli and ginger.



3. Once the prawn is cook, add in mushroom, cream cheese and milk.



4. Once the milk boils, add in corn starch.



5. Serve the sauce over the fish.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/5915/butter-fish.html