Bread and Buns

Glad to be able to join Learn2Bake, a baking club that organized by Mumto4Angels. And this is my first attempt to participate on the September Challenge – Basic Sweet Bun Dough. Despite the long preparation time, I was having fun in making bread and variety of buns from this basic recipe. The bread and buns were not only soft when is hot, but also it remained soft after a day old.

Basic Sweet Bun Dough (Straight Dough Method)
Adapted from Alan Ooi – Bread Magic

Ingredients
A:
330 gr High protein flour / Bread Flour
½ tsp Salt
1 ½ Tbsp Milk powder
60 gr Castor sugar

B:
1 Egg – Grade A

C:
120 ml  Water
10 gr Instant yeast

D:
40 gr Butter

Method:
- Combine ingredients A together in a mixer (if you are using the mixer) or put on the work surface and make a well in the centre (if you are hand-kneading).
- Give it a slight blend before adding in ingredients B and C.
- Beat using a 'S" hook or use a scrapper to combined the ingredients for approximately 5 minutes to form a dough.
- Add in ingredients D and beat / hand knead for a further 5 minutes until the dough has a smooth surface.
- Check whether the dough is fully developed by stretching a small piece of the dough with your fingers. If the dough can be stretched into a thin layer without tearing, it is ready. But if it does not stretch well, then beat or knead further till it passes the next stretch test.
- Remove dough and leave it in a big bowl, covered with a piece of damp cloth or cling wrap. Leave bowl in a warm place and let the dough to proof for about 30-40 minutes until it doubled in size.

To make a filling bun:
- From the basic sweet bun dough (after proofing), scale dough into
50 gr portions or according to your preference. Flatten dough portions, wrap in some filling.
- Seal edges and place them on a greased baking tray. Cover and proof buns for 45 minutes or until double in size.
- Brush the surface with beaten egg wash.
- Bake in preheated oven at 190C for 12-15 minutes or until golden.
- Remove and cool on wire rack.

Eggless Choc Chip Cupcakes

When you look at the above picture, are you thinking exactly like what I am thinking? To me, it looks like chocolate cookies hehehehe …..
Too bad, they are not but cupcakes. :)

It never rise completely that I suspect maybe I spoon out too much to the cup liners, resulting the batter overflowed from the cup instead of form a domed-shaped. :(

But most important, this cupcakes came out soft and tasty.

Thanks to The Batter Baker for sharing this simple and easy recipe.

Ingredients:

WET:

125 gr Milk

1 tbsp Cocoa Powder

50 gr Oil

1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence (I used Rum essence)

DRY:

110 gr Flour

1-1/2 tsp Baking Powder

70 gr Sugar

90 gr Choc Chips

Method:

- Preheat oven to 190C

- Warm the milk and dissolve the cocoa to release its flavour (Do not need to wait until it boil, switch off the fire)

- Add in oil and rum essence.

- Combine all dry ingredients into a separate bowl.

- Pour the wet ingredients into dry ingredients, stir till just combined (do not overmix). Batter will be lumpy.

- Scoop into cup liners.

- Bake for 15 mins or until cook.

Yields : 10 Mini Cupcakes

Assorted Mini Snowskin Mooncakes

Ingredients for skin:
75 gr Kao fen (fried glutinous rice flour)
75 gr Icing Sugar
30 gr Shortening
75 - 85 gr Cold drinking water
1/8 tsp Colour/Flavour paste (optional) **

Method:
- Sift kao fen and icing sugar together
- Add shortening by rubbing method until the mixture turns into crumb-like texture.
- Pour the cold water and mix till it form a soft dough (Do not ovemix)
- Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 mins.
- Divide dough into small portion according to the size of your mould.

With the mould dia 4.6cm, I use 20 gr for skin and 25 gr for filling.
The above skin recipe yields around 12-13 pcs.

NOTE:
** Colour or flavour paste can be diluted with cold drinking water before pour into the flour.

Pandan flavour snowskin with pandan lotus paste.

Oreo filling paste, recipe adapted from here

Chocolate Paste Filling, recipe adapted from here

Mango flavour snowskin with lotus paste.

Mini Mooncakes

I'm not really a fan of eating mooncakes, however I enjoy the fun of making it :) Here are my version of mini mooncakes.

One Lovely Blog Award

My sincere thanks to Weng - I Heart My Bakes for sharing this lovely award with me. :)

Feather Light Cheese Cake

Actually this is my second attempt on trying this recipe, where as the first time I baked (long time ago) totally FAIL, the cake cannot be consumed at all – to dense and wet, only the side part alright. Recently, after seeing Jessie and Wendyywy’s cheesecakes, I was encouraged by them to bake it again. You may also see Wen's too. From the past experience, so for this time I reduced the amount of milk and sugar. Although I still cannot get the cake texture as feather light as theirs, but quite satisfied with the end result :) The sweetness is just right for my liking and the cake texture is light, super soft and easily melt-in-your-mouth.

Recipe adapted from Alex Goh - Fantastic Cheesecake

Ingredients:
A.
250 gr Milk (I used 230 gr)
20 gr Butter

B.
125 gr Cream Cheese

C.
50 gr Flour (I used Cake flour)

D.
3 Egg yolks
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

E.
3 Egg whites
1/8 tsp Cream of tartar
80 gr Sugar (I used 60 gr)

F.
1 tsp chocolate paste

Method:
- Preheat oven 160C
- Cook A until boils.
- Cream B until smooth.
- Pour A into B and mix until well blended.
- Add C and mix until well combined. Place it over double-boiler. Mix until thickens. Remove.
- Add D and mix until well blended.
- Whisk E until soft peak.
- Take 1/3 of egg whites batter to the cheese mixture, mix well.
- Then partially pour the cheese mixture to the remaining egg whites, mix until well combined.
- Mix 100 gr of the mixture with chocolate paste.
- Pour into 10x30x4cm pan or 7” pan, wrapped with aluminum foil. Then drip in choc mixture on top and swirl to make marble effect.
- Bake in water bath for 50-60 minutes (I baked for 70 mins) or golden brown.
- Leave cake in oven with oven switch off and leave door open jar to cool
- Remove cake when cooled.