UFO Bun ????

Whenever I make breads from whatever overseas site, I always have to reduce the water content by 10-15%. If not the dough will not be pliable� very sticky and can�t be formed. Maybe it�s due to the type of bread flour or the humidity in Malaysia.. I dunno..but reducing the water a little bit sure make things better

The site shows that this bun has filling� but I can�t seem to find out what it is. So, I omitted it. Hub said, the topping itself is tasty enough, no need to add in filling. He likes it.. he likes it.. kekekeke


Bun (A)
160 gm bread flour
40 gm low protein flour
1 tsp yeast
� tsp salt
1 Tbsp milk powder
40gm sugar
30gm egg
90gm water (I used 80gm only, add in by the teaspoon if u can still handle it)
30gm butter

Topping: (B)
50gm egg
40gm sugar
1 drop vanilla essence
30gm low protein flour
� tsp baking powder
10gm ground almond
45gm melted butter

Method:
1. Mix everything in (A) together except butter. Knead until dough is smooth and stretchy. (took me half hour by hand, I don't have a bread machine). Knead in butter until well incorporated.
2. Cover and leave to proof until double in size.
3. Punch down dough and divide into 6 portions. Roll each portion into a ball and place on a piece of baking paper, about 5 inch diameter.
4. Let proof until double again.
5. For topping, melt butter and mix with ground almonds.
6. Beat eggs with sugar until sugar dissolves. Add in vanilla essence.
7. Sift flour with baking powder.
8. Combine (5), (6) and (7).
9. Chill until consistency turns thick.
10. When dough balls have doubled, pipe topping starting from the centre of dough, in spiral pattern until it almost covers the top of bun. When baked, the topping batter will later melt down the sides.
11. Bake in 200C preheated oven for 15 minutes.



(From what u can see of my buns, they are a bit burnt, I did 200C for 7 minutes, and they browned, so I quickly turned down to 170C for another 10 minutes, but yet.. **sigh** still brown, very brown. The next time around, I�ll go 180C for 15-20 minutes, it depends on your oven)





Source: http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/e-pan/recipe/recipe.htm

Read More

Almond Puff Fingers ???

These are called Almond puff pastry if you ever see them in Baker�s Cottage (a Msian bakery chain). I prefer calling them almond puff fingers, as they are finger sized.

This is a copycat version of those found in Baker�s Cottage. Not as buttery as theirs, as mine uses frozen store bought puff pastry. More convenient!!! Sacrificing on flavour.... 'sigh'

I tried this 2 times, doing it better the 2nd time around. First time, the top was a bit chewy because I used pure egg white and Hub said it�s not sweet enough. 2nd time, I mixed the egg white with sugar and it tasted similar with the ones bought from BC.. 2 thumbs up from Hub.

1 pack puff pastry
2 Tbsp egg white
2 Tbsp fine sugar (not icing sugar)
80gm almond flakes
2 Tbsp fine sugar

Method:
1. Roll out pastry in between 2 sheets of plastic to thickness of 5mm.
2. Mix egg white with 2 Tbsp sugar.
3. Peel upper sheet of plastic and spread egg white mixture evenly on top of pastry.
4. Sprinkle almond flakes all over pastry.
5. Replace top sheet of plastic and lightly roll to press almonds onto pastry.
6. Remove upper plastic sheet and sprinkle remaining sugar over almonds.
7. Put pastry into the freezer for half an hour to set the topping.
8. Preheat oven to 180C(fan)/200C.
9. Cut pastry into finger sized pieces. ( I cut up 40 pcs of them ) Place them onto a baking sheet. No need to grease baking sheet.
10. Bake for 12 mins on 180C and 30 mins on 140C.

*****
Period of baking varies depending on ovens. The first bake of 180C should end when the almonds achieve a very light golden colour and the pastry is well risen. 2nd bake of 140C is to make it crunchy. You may need to bake it longer if it�s still not crunchy enough. But raising it to 150C may produce a slightly browner colour. Do what you may think is suitable for your preference of colour.



Almond flakes sprinkled onto rolled out pastry that had been applied with egg white and sugar


Sprinkle on more sugar...


Cut them up into finger sized pieces


All puffed up and ready to be munched!!!

Read More

Carrot Cake ?????

I got mixed reviews from those that ate this carrot cake.... Some said it's really good..some said, it's sticky. Some said the icing was fine, special with an orange touch, some said the orange taste spoiled the cheese taste... It's like, 50-50...

This is also my first attempt at icing a cake with cream. I've never iced or frosted any cake using cream before, besides the so called royal icing of mine doing words on my bakes. So, it's pretty.... ugly..hahaha, especially the carrots, some are fatter, some slimmer...some dun even look like carrots. But the cream cheese icing is really a bit too sweet for me.. although I've reduced so so so much of the sugar..

And as for carrots... I used Australian carrots, which has a lighter hue compared to China carrots, but Australian carrots taste better. So, if you want more visible carrot strips.. use China carrots. It's your choice.

Carrot Cake recipe

Ingredients:

Wet ingredients

500gm carrots (grated)

3 large eggs

1 big can of pineapple (about 500+ gm, gross weight, drained, pressed dry with hands, and finely chopped)

250ml corn oil

Dry ingredients

250gm flour

400gm fine sugar

100gm walnuts (coarsely chopped)

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

Cream Cheese icing

250 gm cream cheese (I used Tatura)

100 gm butter

150gm icing sugar (Most sites use 4 cups icing sugar for this amount of cheese, but I reduced it, yet I still find it too sweet)

1/2 tsp orange oil

Method:

Cake

1. Sift together all dry ingredients except sugar and walnuts. Mix in walnuts and sugar.

2. Combine all wet ingredients.

3. Combine both wet and dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Pour into pan and bake at 170C for 60 minutes.

Icing

1. Soften cream cheese and butter.

2. Beat cream cheese and butter on low speed for 1 minute then high speed for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add in sifted icing sugar and beat for another 1 minute.

4. Add in orange oil, mix well.

Ugly carrots..hahahaha!!!

Read More

Peanut Cookies ???

Not so traditional peanut cookies


When I was a small kid, I love the peanut cookies that my aunts (maternal side) made. Every Chinese New Year, my brothers will look forward to their kuih kapit, but I am waiting for the peanut cookies instead.

The traditional recipe calls for lard, but thinking of my mother who has hypertension, better not. Changed the tasty unhealthy fat to corn oil. So, it's not-so traditional already. It's not as soft, but still it's soft enough to be scarred and chipped by fingernails. So better be careful when transfering them. Many scarred ones went into my mouth and my hubby's mouth... It still melts in the mouth.

Yummy yummy! This is my first attempt..hehe.

Peanut Cookies

Ingredients:
1 kg flour
1 kg peanuts (the raw weight, then roast it, deskin and ground til fine)
1 kg of fine sugar (not icing sugar, can use caster sugar or fine granulated sugar)
400 ml corn oil (might need more depending on oil level of peanuts used)

1 egg (beaten)
1/2 cup peanut halves for deco

Method:
1. Mix flour, sugar and peanuts until well blended together.
2. Pour in the oil and knead until the oil is well incorporated. Add more oil if dough is dry.*
3. Take a small amount of peanut dough onto palm and roll into a small ball the size of a marble.
4. Place the peanut ball onto a baking tray and place a peanut half onto it. Lightly press the peanut half.

*If you reduced the sugar, you will need more oil to bind the dough together
*If you used icing sugar, the effect will be SWEETER




5. By using a chinese calligraphy brush (mopit), glaze the peanut ball with a beaten egg.



6. Bake at 180C for 12 minutes or until the egg glaze turns golden.







Tada!!! Nice and golden. Hubby can't wait to pop one into his mouth!

I made about 550 pcs of peanut cookies with this amount of ingredients. Cost? Around RM11 only not inclusive of electricity of course.. Cheap hoh!! But darn lot of work, especially preparing the peanuts:- roasting, deskinning, airing and grinding!! One afternoon for the peanuts, one for the cookie. 2 afternoons to make 550 pcs of peanut cookies. Quite time consuming actually, but if one has the time, can save a lot of money instead of buying them at RM15-20 for 100 pcs.

I'm making this again next weekend... cos I don't think what I made today is enough to be shared among my relatives.


Note: (26/12/2011)
The dough will become dry if you do these 2 things
1. Reduce the sugar
2. Use store bought roasted peanut nibs.

So, roast your own peanuts (those with skin) and do not reduce the sugar. If you do reduce the sugar you need more oil to bind the dough. So choose, oil or sugar, up to you to keep the dough intact.


Note: 24/1/2012
If you prefer floury, fine peanut cookies, mill the peanuts together with the flour, this way your peanuts will be as fine as flour. Then use icing sugar, but reduce it to about 750gm (icing sugar taste sweeter), then you will need more oil, probably, 500ml or more. Gauge it as you form the dough.
If you want a really melty peanut cookie, that doesn't need any effort to eat, use LARD (pig fat), or GHEE.
This cookie is crumbly, but not really that fragile. If you prefer yours with some mouthfeel, not too fine, then just follow the recipe exactly, use caster/fine sugar and stick to the amount. Somehow I find too fine peanut cookies stick to my throat and I prefer this version is isn't too fine, tooooooo melty. Up to you :)

Read More