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.

Spinach Pesto

These nice yummy healthy spinach pesto that you can use it to spread on sandwich or mix with your fav pasta as the sauce is so easy to make. The recipe is slightly adapted from the Woolworth recommended recipe with a slight twist to meet the preference of my eldest.

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 small handful of basil (roughly 4-5leaves)
• 1 big bunch of spinach, roughly one cup
• 6-7pcs of almond (you can either used skinned or those not)
• 1 small floret of broccoli
• 3-4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

Steps:

1. Wash and dry all the leaves to be used.
2. Put all the ingredients in the blender (I used only the small mini hand blender).
3. Blitz them for about 1-2mins. Open up and scrap the side and continue blitzing.
4. If the mixture is too dry, try adding a little bit more of the EVOO.
5. If you will like to use this for adult or older kids that will prefer a little bit more seasoning, you can just flavour it with some home made anchovies stock powder or chicken stock powder or even parmesan cheese powder.

Apple Strudel

Had been thinking and thinking for a long time and finally, managed to do it this time. If you want it easier, you may buy ready made pastry, otherwise make yourself. If you making yourself, start with the pastry, while resting it in the fridge, do the apple filling, then work on the pastry again and the custard cream and back the pastry. This way, you can maximise your time.

Do note that I had used brown sugar instead of castor sugar and I had reduced the amount. If you using castor sugar and have sweet tooth, top up a bit of it.

Ingredients

For the pastry:

• Puff Pastry, refer to recipe here
• 35g brown Sugar (if castor sugar, 70g)
• 1tsp cinnamon powder
• 1tbsp melted butter

For the apple filling

• 5 small size apple
• 50g butter
• 70g brown sugar (if castor sugar, 90g)
• 1/2 tbsp cinnamon powder
• 30g raisins
• Juice from half a lemon
• 7g corn flour
• 1 tsp water

For the custard cream

• 2 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar
• 2tbsp plain flour
• 1 cup cream milk mixture (I used 80% cream and 20% milk)
• 1/2tsp vanilla

Steps:

1. Prepare the puff pastry as per instruction of the recipe link provided.
2. Prepare the filling. First, peel the apple, core it and cut to either small chunks or slices up to your preference. Mine was cut to small slices. Sprinkle half of the lemon juice to the apple to prevent it from browning.
3. Melt the butter in the pot, add in all the apples and stir it till it is well coated. Cook with medium low fire and continuously stir to avoid it from burning.
4. Once the apple is soft and a little wilted, add in the sugar and cook till it dissolved.
5. Sprinkle in the cinnamon powder and continuously stir it.
6. Mix the corn flour with water and the balance of the lemon juice. Set it aside.
7. After cooking for about 5-6mins, slowly pour in the corn flour mixture and stir till it is thicken. Turn off the fire, set aside to cool
8. Next, prepare the custard cream. Stir in the yolks and sugar in a pot till it is creamy. 
9. Add in flour and stir till it is even and no clump.
10. Finally, add in all the other ingredients and turn on the fire, low and stir. The mixture must be stir continuously.
11. Once it started to thicken, turn off the fire and continue to stir till it cool down. Scoop into a container and let it cool in the fridge.
12. Roll out the pastry (half of the recipe, unless you using store bought one) to roughly 1cm thickness and cut it to 3pcs.
13. Mix the sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Brush the butter to the top of the pastry, and then sprinkle the sugar cinnamon mixture to the top of the pastry.
14. Preheat the AF at 200c for 2mins (if using oven, preheat at 180c for at least 10mins). 
15. Place the pastry into the AF and air fried it for 16mins at 160c. If using oven, 190c (fan forced) for 16mins too.
16. Once done, take it out to cool before plating.
17. Arrange the first piece of the pastry and top with some custard cream, apple filling, then the other piece of pastry, custard cream and apple filling and finally covered with the last piece of pastry. Sprinkle some icing sugar to it if you like and serve. 

Below is the other version that I had made using the curry puff mould.

Puff Pastry

The easiest puff pastry by Gordon Ramsay that I had slightly amended the recipe after some test and trial.

Ingredients:

• 100g of bread flour or strong flour or high gluten flour
• 150g plain flour
• a pinch of salt
• 220g of butter, at room temperature
• 130ml cold water

Steps:

1. Mix the flour and salt together till they are even.
2. Cut the butter to small pieces and use your hand to mix them into the flour, pinching it to mix.
3. Add in cold water and knead till it forms a dough. It may be a bit of wet, but it is ok. Cover with cling wrap.
4. Chill in the fridge for 20mins or more.
5. Dust the work bench with flour and dust the dough too. Roll it out one direction.
6. Fold left to the middle and right to the middle, as though the dough is 3part.
7. Now, roll the dough out again on one direction but the other way of what you work on just now (if earlier you work on landscape, it will be portray now).  Again, fold up the dough, like in step 6.
8. Cover in cling wrap and chill in the fridge again for at least another 20mins. 
9. Repeat steps 5, 6 and 7 for one more time and chill the dough for at least 40mins this time.
10. The pastry is ready for use now.

Chocolate Fudge (low calories, for diet consumption)

This recipe is from Lose Baby Weight that's kinda yummy, but I find it quite sweet.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of walnut
• 1.25 cups of dried dates
• 1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp warm water

Steps:

1. Line a small baking pan with greased proof paper.
2. Blend all the ingredients till well mix and the mixture bind.
3. Pour out on the baking pan and press it down.
4. Chill for bout 2-3hrs before cutting it to small pieces.

Lor Bak Gou (Turnip Cake)

I was rather amazed that I had made this like so many times but had never blog the recipe down. Well, here it is just in case I need to hunt for it again one of these days.

Ingredients:

• 500g turnip (julienne with my magi mix)
• 300g rice flour
• 50g corn starch
• 2.5 cups water (inclusive of those reserved water)
• 2 pcs of lap cheong or chinese sausages (cut to either small cube or slices)
• 6pcs of dried mushroom (hydrate and cut to small cubes - reserve the water)
• 4pcs of dried scallop (soaked in water and then shred it - reserve the water)
• 60g dried shrimps (soaked in water and lightly chopped - throw away the water)
• 2pcs of shallots, finely slices
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp salt (for marinade)
• 1/2tsp sugar (for marinade)
• 1/2tsp wine (for marinade)
• 1tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2tsp white pepper
• 1tbsp oil

Method:

1. Marinade the lap cheong, mushroom, dried scallops and dried shrimps with the marinate ingredients.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix the rice flour, corn starch, water, soy sauce, white pepper and 1tbsp of oil.
3. Heat up the 2tbsp of oil and saute the items from step one for about 2-3mins. 
4. Next add in shallots and saute for another 2-3mins before adding in the garlic.
5. Now add in the radish and stir fry it till it is mix evenly with all the other ingredients.
6. Lower down the fire and pour in the liquid mixture and quickly stir it around. Once evenly coated, turn off the fire.
7. Prepare the water to steam the cake. While the water is boiling, scoop the creamy mixture on a greased pan.
8. Steam for about 20mins on high.
9. After it is done, leave it to cool before slicing or serving otherwise it will be sticky.