LET'S PLAY DOUGH

26/3/2016
Saturday

Yip Yip Hurray.... yeah, first time success!

For the past 2 weekends, I have been coaching my sister to bake.   She had retired early last year after working 30 over years with the same hospital. Nowadays she spend her time with her new found love, Qigong in the morning besides cooking delicious meals for her family.

So with plenty of time on her hands, its time to get those hands dirty and start baking.   

We started with an easy recipe from The Good Food Magazine ..... Paul Hollywood's recipe for Hot Cross Buns....even though Good Friday was over (25/3/2016). He was one of the judge to the Great British Bake Off. 

  

 1st Proof... sweating under the shower cap..... 

So while waiting for the dough to rise, I shared with her Justonecookbook recipe for Steamed Custard Pudding.  I have tried this recipe and just love the texture and easy method.  Got to get her to try it. The trick is covering the lid of the pot with a tea towel to catch the drops of moisture that may spoil the surface of the pudding. 

Just 1 cup of milk mixed with 3 tablespoon of caster sugar and 3 eggs. Whisk to combine and add your flavouring (this was vanilla extract. Maybe the next time can try orange or lemon). Then pour through a sieve into the ramekins.  Place on pan and steamed over LOW HEAT. Ready- steamed 10 minutes and leave in pan for another 10 minutes before removing to cool. Can be serve warm or chilled with sauce.

Steamed Custard Pudding with caramel sauce- bring to boil 3 tablespoon of water and 1 1/2 tablespoon of sugar till light amber colour. Add another 1 1/2 tablespoon of water (careful it will bubble) whisk and remove from heat.  

Opening ceremony of the oven... freshly baked Hot Cross Buns...

2/4/2016

Saturday

 This weekend is all about cakes..

Banana Muffin with dark chocolate filling

Marble Butter cake- using from  recipe NgSK Butter Cake which is so popular with foodbloggers.

The cake was lovely, moist and not too sweet and a keeper.  

Walnut Cake- another variation of the butter cake... we added about 100 gm chopped toasted walnuts. 

Actually not all about cakes, we did practice bread making again.....the White Loaf Bread. 

In a bowl add 1 large egg and top up with full cream milk to make 160-180 gm (depending on your dough texture).  Sieve 260 gm bread flour, 4 gm instant  yeast, 30 gm sugar, 1/2 tsp salt together in a large bowl. Add egg + full cream milk to combine and knead till elastic (around 10 minutes). Incorporate 30 gm of soft butter into dough and continue to knead for 10 to 15 minutes. Cover and proof till double in size.  Shape dough into 3 rolls and proof again 2nd time.     I realised that we should have left  the 2nd proof longer till it has risen up to 90% of the pan before baking.  However,  the bread was still soft the next day. 

Just to show you, my version of the Mille Feuille Nabe Hot pot before cooking. I adapted the recipe from Justonecookbook again.  I used the ikan bilis stock and used pork belly instead.  First just chilled the pork so that it will be easy to slice them thinly.  Layer them in between the cabbage leaves and tuck them tightly around the pot. Can add other vegetables, eg carrot, mushroom etc to fill up the center. Pour stock into pot and bring to boil.  Let it simmer for around 10 minutes and off heat (I let the residue heat of the claypot to finish the cooking). This is a good one-pot meal.!

And I find teaching and sharing rather fun and fulfilling too .....can consider doing it full time maybe.