Coffee, Chocolate & Cinnamon

Using back the straight dough recipe, I have been making lots of bread cos it is finished as soon as it is baked. So practically been baking them every other day that I am having so much fun making them. Sharing them with my neighbour who equally loves them.

I tried making my own version of Cinnamon & Choc Chips buns, Chocolate Chips Hot Cross Buns and also the much requested Coffee Bun (po-lo bun style) by my neighbour.

Hubby loves the Cinnamon & Choc Chips most, I love the Chocolate Chips Hot Cross Buns and the Coffee Buns, loved by my neighbour.

So here it is, the basic bread recipe with 3 different versions of toppings u can consider for your bread for a more interesting breakfast, else than the usual hotdog, ham and cheese.

Basic Bread Recipe x 2 (you can refer here)

Cinnamon & Chocolate Chips Buns

35g bread dough for bun

1 Tbsp of Cinnamon Powder

1Tbsp of Butter

1tsp of Sugar

Chocolate Chips

Mix them well together and spread over the bread dough after you roll them out

Sprinkle chocolate chips to the amount you prefer
Roll up tightly like a swiss roll. Cut evenly and put them in a baking tray

Chocolate Chips Hot Cross Buns
35g bread dough for bun
1Tbsp Melted Chocolate
2Tbsp Plain Flour
Chocolate Chips
Roll bread out and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Roll up like swiss roll.
Cut equally and roll into buns of 35g each
Pipe Melted Chocolate + Plain Flour in a 'Cross' shape over each buns after buns doubled in size

Coffee Buns (i modified from the Po-Lo Bun crust here)
無鹽奶油60g,細砂糖40g,高筋麵粉120g,雞蛋1/2個,
(外皮用高筋麵粉會較酥,用低筋麵粉會較軟)
**unsalted butter 60g, sugar 40g, bread flour 120g, egg 1/2**

步驟:
1.無鹽奶油放置室溫軟化,高筋麵粉過篩,雞蛋打散取一半
Leave butter to soften in room temp, sift flour and beaten egg into half portion
2.無鹽奶油+細砂糖用打蛋器攪打成毛絨絨泛白程度
Whip butter & sugar til pale
3.再將雞蛋分2次加入攪拌均勻
Add egg slowly and mix well
**i added 1tsp coffee granula melted in 1tsp hot water for coffee flavour**
4.將過篩的粉類加入攪拌均勻成團狀
Add flour and mix well to form dough
5.包上保鮮膜.放入冰箱冷藏1個小時
Referigerate dough for 1 hour
6.冷藏到麵包開始整形之前取出,平均分成8等份搓圓
Divide into 8 portion and wrap over shaped bread buns

Hope you will have fun baking them. The aroma of chocolate, coffee and cinnamon when they are in the oven, it is so therapatic. It goes really well, just in time if you start making them in the morning for a cup of tea or coffee for tea break. lovessss...

Mini Baked Oreo & New York Cheesecake

Decided to make some cheesecake as it has been long since I last made them. Have been experimenting a lot with different flavour of bread and haven been baking cakes. So, this round I decided to try this recipe that I come across from EllenaGuan and replaced with the less fat cream cheese.

The taste is really yummy even though I didnt use the usual cream cheese. It taste like eating ice cream cake, not too overwhelming and not too sweet. I love it, hubby loves them too, as well as the little ones at home. So, definately gonna make them again if I am hosting a small party at home.

Baked Mini Cheesecake (Oreo & New York, modified from EllenaGuan)

Ingredients:1 Pack (135g) OREO Cookies, cream removed and finely crushed

**i used 4 pieces of digestive biscuits, finely crushed for NY Cheesecake**

50g Unsalted Butter, melted
150g Sour Cream **replaced with whipping cream*
250g Philadelphia Cream Cheese **i use less fat cream cheese**
1/2 Cup (115g) Caster Sugar **i use 100g**
3 Eggs(55g each)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon Finely Grated Lemon Rind, about 3 lemons
3 Tablespoons (45ml) Fresh Lemon Juice
Extra Mixed Berries for Toppings, optional

For the crust:
Crushed the oreo biscuits and digestive biscuits seperately in a zip log back with rolling pin.
Melt the butter in microwave and slowly add to the crushed biscuits til it is well mixed.
Press into the cake liners in muffins tray. Chill before use.

For the cream cheese:
Mix cream cheese, whipping cream, sugar and lemon rind in mixer til combined.
Add eggs 1 at a time. Add lemon juice.
Take out prepared crust and scoop cream cheese batter into them, 80% full.
Bake at 160deg for 40-50min. **i shake the tray a bit to see if it is slightly set and wobbly to check if it's ready)
Leave to cool in oven with door slightly ajar.
Chill in fridge overnight before serving.

Another bread recipe to keep

A dear friend of mine from FB introduce a new recipe for making bread that doesnt require the extra effort of making TangZhong, and also some tips at the same time for kneading the dough with the mixer. I really thank her for that. Been so long, I have been trying to acheive that softeness and fluffiness. Oh my, this few days I have been baking batches everyday. It yields about 15-18 fist size breads, and just enough for the family's as snacks, supper and breakfast. And i get to really satisfy my own Otah Bread craze with this.

Another sidenote, I read from a blogger that I cant have a 1:1 proportion for the Wholemeal flour to Bread flour as the Wholemeal is denser and will cut the elastic membrance of the bread, resulting in a not so soft bread to have. So i decided to just amend the recipe to 2:3 Wholemeal:Bread flour. Really so so different in texture after all the tips from my friend and also the guideline from this blogger.

how the dough looks like when it pass membrane test

the softness of the wholemeal bread

White Bread Flavour

Wholemeal Flavour

Bread (direct method, adapted from Dequeen Kitchen)
143g milk
35g egg
25g castor sugar
5g salt
250g bread flour **100g Wholemeal + 150g Bread Flour**
4g instant yeast

38g unsalted butter(softened)

Mix all dry ingredients and stir till well combined. Mix all dry ingredients and stir till well combined.

Add egg followed by milk till dough is formed.

Let the mixer knead for another 8 minutes.

Add softened butter and knead for 10 minutes or till dough is not sticky and forms a membrance when stretch.

Place dough in a greased container,cling wrap it and proof for 45 minutes or till it doubles its size.

Remove and divide them into small doughs(around 25-30g) and let them rest for 15 minutes.

Roll out,fill and shape as desired.

Place shaped dough onto lined baking tins,cling wrap and proof for 45 minutes.
Brush the top with milk.

Bake in a pre heated oven for 12-15 minutes at 160°C.

Remove from baking tin immediately and cool on rack.

**To make wholemeal flavour, I made the above amendments**

Finally.. Oreo Hokkaido Chiffon

Finally had the chance to really make this but the end results, it depends on individual. My aunt who said that she had it once when she saw it in the bakery, claimed that it was too dry and not nice. Me, on the other hand had been seeing my FB Baking Kakis baking them. So nice looking little chiffon cakes, I really must put my hands down to it.

I took the recipe from one of my friend, another passionate baker cum SAHM. Glad that I tried it cos both my aunt who didnt like Hokkaido cake, had 3 of it straight and Hubby had 2 at 1 go. But my cousins, didnt really like custard, not a lover of cream actually. I, myself also like it, but felt tt with a bit more custard would be better. =) So, here it is.

Hokkaido Chiffon (Source from Dequeen Kitchen)

You will need:
(A)
4 egg yolks
50ml oil(i used canola)
60ml milk
70g cake flour
3 Oreo Biscuits, removed fillings and crushed

(B)
4 egg whites
60g sugar

The Preparation:

Sift flour.
Whisk the yolks lightly and add in the wet ingredients in (A) followed by flour till well mixed.
Beat egg whites till foamy with electric whisk and add in sugar gradually,beat till soft peaks formed.
Fold in 1/3 of egg white mixture into yolk mixture. Then slowly fold in the rest until well mixed,do not deflate the egg white mixture.
Fold in the crushed Oreo at this point gently.
Pour into square cake cases.

The Baking:
Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from oven cool on wire rack.
When cake is completely cooled,pipe in custard cream and dust with icing sugar.

For the Custard Cream:
120ml whipped cream

2 teaspoon custard powder
20g icing sugar

Put all ingredients in a bowl.

Whisk till stiff peaks.
Ready to use.



Hokkien Mee using the 'Dry version Mee'

The other day I went to NTUC and saw that Prima came up with this dry version of Hokkien Mee. So I decided to buy a packet to try out how the taste is like. Cos I dont like those Hokkien Mee that comes in packet at the fridge area of NTUC as I feel it is not as fresh as compared to market and it will turns soggy very fast after you start to braised it in the stock.

Anyway, the texture of the noodles is ok but the saltish taste in the noodles itself is too overwhelming. It spoil my pot of hokkien mee cos it makes it slightly too salty. So next round, I will get the fresh ones from market so as not to spoil my Hokkien Mee standard. Will still share my recipe for the above, but please don't buy this Prima brand to cook, stick to NTUC types or market.

Hokkien Mee

Prawns (about 7-8 big grey prawns, shelled)

Fishcake (1 plate of 3 round pcs from NTUC)

Xiao Bai Cai (2 packets)

Minced Meat 50g

Noodles (about 4 adult portion)

Seasoning: 2Tbsp Fish Gravy, 1Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce, 200ml water, Dash of pepper

**May add 2Tbsp Oyster Sauce if you are using the market type cos the Prima too saltish for me to add) 

1) Fry gralic til fragrant in Olive Oil

2) Add in prawns, then fish cake, minced meat and veg last

3) When ingredients are 80% cook, add in 1/2 of the water, above seasoning and bring to boil

4) Taste and add remaining water bit by bit til taste is right

5) Add in hokkien mee and simmer til gravy is almost thicken. You may add more water if it dries up very fast

Another new recipe for direct bread method

Made another new variation of whole-grain bread, original recipe adapt from Carol's blog - Small Cheese bread. I made some variation as I need to make whole-grain for hubby as a healthier alternative for his diet. So I will always make amendments to all bread or cakes recipes to make it not so 'sinful' for him to eat.

Today I make them into small round buns and spur of moment as I saw another blogger using cookie  cutter to cut bread, I decided to cut into elephants and mickey shapes for my 2 lil ones. Effort not wasted as they simply loves it. Its an idea for me to keep in view for children partys. Great!!

Used some chocolate chips to deco the bread, edible sugar sprinkles as well. So here is my version of the bread.

Whole-grain Cheese Bread (**i omit the egg)

80g Whole-grain Flour

60g Plain Flour

60g Bread Flour

1tsp yeast

30g Sugar

100ml milk

30g Canola Olive Margarine

1) Mix all dry ingredients, add 1/2 of the milk

2) Continue to add milk til dough is form

3) Add Butter and knead til pass window test

4) Proof 1hr or til doubled in size

5) Roll out dough and cut into desired shapes (**i used the balanced for the round buns)

6) Brush with milk. Bake at 190deg for 20-25mins