Blueberry and Yogurt Loaf

Since my almost 1 year old darling loves bread, mommy needs to bake more of it and makes a variety so that she gets her nutrients (she sort of don't really eat). And coincidentally I saw Farmer's Jack selling frozen fruits on loose rather than pre packed... hence blueberry bread.

Ingredients:

• 275g bread flour
• 25g cake flour
• 3g yeast
• 50g over night starter dough, recipe here
• 30g sugar
• 1g salt
• 125 warm fresh milk (if you using mixer or hand to knead, if bread machine, it is ok to be just cold)
• 5g olive oil
• 50g plain greek yogurt
• roughly 15-20g blueberries either fresh or frozen (I was even too lazy to thaw it)

Methods:

1. Place all ingredients, except the blueberries in the mixing bowl starting with the dry stuff then wet. Ensure that you don't put the yeast and salt together. 
2. If you using bread machine, use basic dough function to knead. Otherwise, use the mixer or hand to mix till the dough forms a nice soft elastic dough. Finally add in the blueberries and let it proof for 1hr.
3. Then knead again and fold the bread over and over. Place it on the baking tin and proof another 1 to 1.5hrs.
4. Preheat oven at 180C for 10mins. Bake for 20mins.

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.

Pretzels

This is my third or maybe fourth time making pretzels. First was a total failure, I can't shape the dough, it is too sticky and the yeast didn't rise too. Second time around, I think I soak it in the wrong solution... hehehe... and finally the third is a success. At this last round, I had used bread flour instead of plain flour and the texture is more chewy and the dough is much easier to work with. So if you prefer it softer, plain flour and if you prefer it chewy, the bread flour.

Ingredients:

• 500g flour or bread flour
• 8g yeast
• 28g sugar
• 1.5 cups of warm water
• 5g salt
• 1 cup water for the soda bath
• 2 tablespoon of baking soda for the soda bath
• 3 tablespoon of melted butter for coating
• seasalt for sprinkling

Steps:

1. Mix all the ingredients except the last 4 items into the mixer and knead them till smooth and form a nice dough. Leave it to rise for about 30mins (make sure you oil the container before putting in the dough and cover the container).
2. Just 2 mins before  you are ready to shape the dough, prepare the soda bath by mixing the water and baking soda in a shallow bowl. Also leave the salt on a plate to make it easier to dip the top of the pretzel with it.
3. Also oil two baking trays or using the non stick mat.
4. Divide the dough to 12 pieces and roll them to long pieces. Then twist it, dip it in the soda bath (the entire dough) and tip the top with sea salt.
5. Preheat the oven at 220C while leaving the pretzels to rise again for about 10mins.
6. Bake the pretzels for 12-15mins. 
7. Once brown, remove from the oven immediately and coat it with the melted butter.

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.

Gula Melaka Pak Tong Gou

Have a bag of rice flour lying around and not sure what to do. Google up for idea and got tempted to try this.

Ingredients:
Syrup:

• 100g gula melaka
• 100g white sugar
• 375ml water
• 1 pandan leaf

(A)

• 125ml lukewarm water
• 1tsp instant yeast

(B)

• 300g rice flour
• 250ml water

Steps

1. In a saucepan, heat up the 375ml water with the sugar and panda leaf till the sugar is well dissolved and the mixture is a little boiling. Remove from heat and let it cool.
2. Mix the ingredients in group A in a bowl. Let the yeast bubble up.
3. Mix ingredients B in a mixing bowl till it is well mixed. Then slowly stir in the hot syrup mixture to slightly cook the rice flour.
4. Once the mixture get to luke warm temperature, mix in ingredients A and stir till even. Leave it to proof for about 1.5hrs.
5. Pour the mixture onto a greased pan.
6. Boil a pot of water. Once boiled, lower the temperature to just let the water slightly bubbly. Steam the mixture for 15-20mins till the cake cracks at the top. 
7. Leave it to cool before cutting to avoid it from being sticky.

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.