Pizza bread and more...

When I saw Shirley's post on the "Yukone" method on bread making, I told myself I had to try this! I knew of this method, but usually, it's the water roux method where cooking of flour is required. Actually, I've wanted to attend Valerie Kong's bread workshops since last year after I saw Wendy's post. However, several times, the timing and venue wasn't quite right for me. And now, she started teaching at Shermay. I found the price too costly! I'm still waiting, and hoping, that she will go back to CC to teach breads.


Anyway, back to Shirley's recipe. I was truly tempted by this roux method. Since she mentioned that any kind of flour can be used, I decided to use my wholemeal flour. Then, while I was pouring the hot water into the wholemeal flour, I accidentally poured more than required! Oops! Fortunately, very fortunately, the buns turned out to be truly soft and fluffy! This is truly the kind of breads I like! After one day, it was still fluffy, but not as soft as I suspect I have overbaked it! However, it was still softer than those I made previously without using the water roux method! The pizza bread stayed soft even on the third day! I made these before I left for my Malaysia trip.

Here is how I made them. I made doubled the recipe.

Recipe for Pizza Bread and Pork floss Sausage Buns, extracted from Kokken69.
Makes a 9" Pizza Bread and 16 Mini Sausage Buns


Water Roux
100g Wholemeal flour
150g Boiling water (I added a total of 180g instead. It still works!)

Bread Dough
320g Bread flour
80g Plain flour
11g Instant yeast (1 pkt)
100g Fine sugar
4g Fine salt
2 nos. Whole eggs (Approx. 96g)
90g Water (I added less here because I added too much at the water roux)

Fillings
1 pkt Mini cocktail sausage
40g Mixed vegetables
1 tbsp Tomato ketchup + 1 tbsp Maggi Sweet Chilli sauce
Shredded Cheddar cheese (up to your likings)

Method :

1. Mix water roux ingredients together in a bowl. Cover bowl with cling wrap and store in fridge for 12 hours.
2. In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, add all the ingredients except butter and water roux. Start mixing at slow speed. Then increase to medium speed and continue kneading until dough lifts from the wall of the mixing bowl. 
3. Add the water roux  and continue to knead for 3 mins at low speed.
4. Add butter and increasing kneading speed to medium.
5. Continue kneading for 15 mins on medium speed until dough is no longer sticky and does not break when pulled to perform window test. 
6. Cover with cling wrap and leave to proof in a warm area for 45mins.
7. With lightly floured hands and table top, knead (6) to form a smooth round ball.
8. Divide the big dough into thirds - one third is for the pizza dough. The remaining two thirds is to equally divide into 16 pcs.
9. Roll each dough into a round ball and leave to proof for 10mins.
10. Flatten each ball and roll out to a circle with a rolling pin. Place the mini sausage into each of the small 16 doughs, wrap and seal the edges of the dough to form a ball.
11. Flatten the bigger dough and let it rest in a pizza pan.
12. Leave to proof for 1 hour.
13. Brush the sausage doughs with milk. Bake it in a pre-heated oven at 185C for 8-10mins until brown.
14. Slightly flatten the centre of the pizza dough. Spread the tomato and chilli sauce evenly on the dough. Place the mixed vegetables evenly on top of the sauces. Then add sausage slices on it. Topped up with shredded cheddar cheese.
15. Bake it at 185C for about 18mins until slightly brown.
16. Leave to cool.
17. For the sausage bread, spread some mayo on top, then rolled them on pork floss to coat.

I'm submitting this to the Apiring Bakers #8 - Bread Seduction, hosted by The Sweetylicious.

Exciting Day!

A week filled with activities and bakings! I was rather busy this week with my own activities, in the office and at home baking. However, of all the happenings, the best was today's bake: Macaroons! I've finally found the right recipe to bake the macaroons. I've not dared to try so far, after my one failed attempt. I didn't have the guts to try again. However, when I saw this recipe from Martha Stewart's website, I thought it sounded easier than my previous attempt. So I decided to give it a try again since I have some whites in the fridge after my Orange Lapis Cake some weeks back! :p

I am very happy with what I've gotten for my macaroons! Here is how I've made it.

Thursday's Bake: Sardine Puffs & Some Vol-au-Vents'




Friday's Bake: Yam & Corn, Sausage and Cheese & Sugar Buns



Saturday's Bake: Parisian Macaroons


Here is the recipe for Parisian Macaroons, extracted from Martha Stewart's Website.
Ingredients:
Makes about 16 filled macaroons [I made double of this]

1 1/4 cups plus 1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar
1 cup (4 ounces) finely ground sliced, blanched almonds
6 tablespoons fresh egg whites (from about 3 extra-large eggs)
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Macaroon Filling (Recipe below)

Directions:
1. To make the macaroons: Preheat the oven to 180C. In a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar and ground almonds. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites with salt on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar. Continue to whip until stiff glossy peaks form. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the confectioners' sugar mixture until completely incorporated.

2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Fit a pastry bag with a 3/8-inch #4 round tip, and fill with batter. Pipe 1-inch disks onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. The batter will spread a little. Let stand at room temperature until dry, and a soft skin forms on the tops of the macaroons and the shiny surface turns dull, about 15 minutes.
[For me, the batter was quite stiff, it doesn't spread at all! I also didn't have the "soft skin" form on my macaroons, though the top was dried after 15mins.]

3. Bake, with the door of the oven slightly ajar, until the surface of the macaroons is completely dry, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet to a wire rack and let the macaroons cool completely on the baking sheet. Gently peel off the parchment. Their tops are easily crushed, so take care when removing the macaroons from the parchment. Use immediately or store in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
[For me, I only baked each batch for about 10mins or lesser. My macaroons' size were rather small. When the top starts to brown, I'd take them out from the oven. The macaroons came off very easily from the baking paper!]

4. To fill the macaroons: Fill a pastry bag with the filling. Turn macaroons so their flat bottoms face up. On half of them, pipe about 1 teaspoon filling. Sandwich these with the remaining macaroons, flat-side down, pressing slightly to spread the filling to the edges. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
[For me, I use teaspoon to fill up the fillings. I half the filling recipe and still left quite a lot. I divided the fillings into four to add flavours-Chocolate, Green Tea, Orange & Coffee.]

Variations:
1. To make coffee-flavored macaroons: In step 1, add 2 drops brown food coloring to the egg whites after they are whipped. In step 4, blend 1/2 cup macaroon filling with 1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder dissolved in 1/2 teaspoon warm water for the filling.
2. To make cassis-flavored macaroons: In step 1, add 2 drops purple food coloring to the egg whites after they are whipped. In step 4, use 1/3 cup good-quality cassis jam for the filling.
3. To make pistachio-flavored macaroons: In step 1, add 2 drops green food coloring to the egg whites after they are whipped. In step 4, combine 1/2 cup macaroon filling with 1 tablespoon pistachio paste for the filling.

Macaroon Fillings:
Ingredients:
Makes 3 cups [I halved this recipe & still have half leftover]

3 large egg whites
1 cup sugar [should reduce]
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces

Directions
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk egg whites and sugar. Set mixer bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and heat mixture, whisking often, until it feels warm to the touch and sugar is dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Transfer bowl to the mixer, and fit with the whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until mixture is stiff and shiny, 3 to 5 minutes. Add butter, one piece at a time, and continue mixing until butter is thoroughly incorporated. The filling can be kept, covered and refrigerated, up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before stirring.

3. Variations: To make hazelnut-honey filling: In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of macaroon filling with 1/3 cup finely ground hazelnuts and 2 tablespoons good-quality honey.

I hope those of you who likes macaroons would give this recipe a try. Or those who is like me, fearful of failing, should try too! It was really a great achievement for me!

Back to baking

I'm back to baking again. I baked breads again on Saturday. It's luncheon meat, sausage & red bean breads. Somehow, my breads are still not as soft as what is sold outside. But I'll keep on trying!

The batch of freshly baked breads.

Up close with red bean & sesame bread.

Up close with sausage bread.

Different Kinds of Breads

I tried another recipe for sweet dough buns for bread, but wasn't as soft as it was meant to be. Could be that I added a little too much water than required. Nevertheless, the taste was still pretty good!

The dough proofed so much after the next day!

Awaiting to be placed into the oven to bake.

First batch of breads being baked.

A mixture of ham & cheese, sausage and bak kwa breads.

Packed them ready to be given out.

Cross-section of the ham & cheese bread the morning after.

Cross-section of the bak kwa bread the morning after!

Recipe extracted from Baking Mum.