FRESHLY BAKED

Nothing beats the smell of fresh bread in the morning.  

Last night, I made the dough and left it the fridge for the final proof.  

Up at 7:30 this morning to bake bread but Mum sent me on an errand.  Before I headed out, I removed the dough from the fridge and set it on the dining table to thaw.

Shoved the pan inside a pre-heated 200 degrees C oven at around 8:30AM.  

Got to eat hot, buttery homemade tear-apart butter buns before 9.  How cool is that?

Mum says the bread has "good flavour".  Thanks to the overnight fermentation of the dough.

Bread dough: 250 grams Casarine flour, 1 packet (5 grams) Shirakami Kodama Koubo, 25 grams caster sugar, 2.5 grams salt, 110 grams milk, 70 grams water, 25 grams butter

Filling: 45 grams butter (5 grams x 9)

Chilli Crab Kitchen is on IG.

CHICKY BUNS

I had intended to make Chicky Buns yesterday but life threw a passion fruit seed at me. It hit me hard. 

Still, the pain didn’t stop me from putting together the chicken filling last evening. I also prepared an Old Dough and left it to ferment overnight in the fridge. 

Today, after lunch, I mixed and kneaded the dough.  Then I attended an hour of Pilates.

When I got back about 90 minutes later the dough had finished its first proof.  It was wise use of my time.

*****

Makes 7 (after holding back 115 grams of dough to act as starter for my next batch of bread) 

Bread dough: 17 grams caster sugar, 1 packet (5 grams) Shirakami Kodama Koubo, 5 grams salt, 250 grams Reve de Lapin flour, 30 grams low fat milk, 160 grams water, 10 grams butter (softened), 115 grams Starter 

Pâte fermentée (old dough): 125 grams bread flour, 75 grams water, 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast, 1/4 teaspoon salt 

Placed in a lightly oiled plastic bag to rest overnight in the fridge 

Brine for the chicken thighs: 150ml apple cider, 300ml water, 20 grams salt 

Marinated for 5 hours 

Filling: 2 (should’ve bought 3) boneless chicken thighs (roasted and diced), 1 tablespoon dried cranberries, shredded cheese 

Topping: milk, dried rosemary 

Proofing: 90 minutes + 15 minutes + 75 minutes 

Baking: 200 degrees C, middle rack, 17 min

ALL ZEST UP TUNA BUNS

Made it to the gym at 6:30am thrice in 6 days. Feeling super good about myself.

Today is Deepavali holiday.  I made Tuna Buns.  Spiking the tuna with lime zest and chilli flakes was a real brainwave!

On a trip to Taipei in September, I managed to lay my hands on a pack of Hokkaido bread flour named “The bunny that loves to dream” (爱作梦的小兔子). It came with a recipe. 

I don’t read Japanese so I asked the very nice Aiko from our Tokyo office to translate the names of the ingredients for me. If you're interested, here is what she came back with: 

17 grams sugar
3 grams dried yeast
5 grams salt
6 grams skimmed milk (I’m assuming it’s milk powder)
250 grams flour
180 grams water
10 grams butter, softened

A staff in Champion Hands recommended an instant yeast - Shirakami Kodama Koubo (白神酵母) - suitable for bread machine dough. She suggested 1 packet (5 grams) of said Koubo (yeast) for every 250 grams of flour. 

I kneaded my bread dough by hand using the technique which I learnt at Brettschneider's.

*****

Makes 6

Bread dough: 17 grams caster sugar, 1 packet (5 grams) Shirakami Kodama yeast, 5 grams salt, 250 grams Reve de Lapin flour, 45 grams low fat milk, 135 grams water, 10 grams butter (softened)

Filling: 2 x 150 grams tuna flakes in sunflower oil, 1 small red onion (finely chopped), 1 teaspoon lime zest, 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes, 2 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise, a pinch of sea salt

Topping: shredded cheese, dried Italian herbs

Proofing: 60 minutes + 15 minutes + 60 minutes

Baking: 200 degrees C, middle rack, 17 minutes

试做 SHIO PAN

台北一禾堂的海盐奶油卷一直很火红。10天前我人在台北，也去朝圣。傍晚6点多，扑了个空。

从台北带回厉害的北海道面粉，今早自己试着做。

觉得还 ok 啦！

Bread dough: 220 grams bread flour, 30 grams Top flour, 3 grams instant yeast, 10 grams caster sugar, 4 grams salt, 180 grams water, 20 grams salted butter

Filling: 40 grams butter (5 grams x 8)

Finish: sea salt, milk for glazing

ROUX STARTER (TARO PASTE)

I yam what I yam, and what I yam is a taro.

One thing is for sure.  I won't be able to make bread for a living.  After an afternoon of toiling, I churned out only six buns.  Six!  If my life depended on it I'd be dead by now.

Today I made bread with a taro filling using Showa HI-NEON bread flour and taro paste that I bought from Taipei. 

I began by making a roux starter.  Mashed taro, flour and water were stirred over low heat until the water was reduced and the ingredients came together to form a paste.   It was then placed in the fridge for about 60 minutes before adding to the rest of the ingredients.

For the filling, I mixed a little butter into the taro paste to give it an extra creamy texture and rich flavor.  Since the store-bought taro was quite sweet I didn't add more sugar.  

Roux starter: 20 grams store bought taro paste, 10 grams Showa HI-NEON, 50 grams water

Bread dough: 210 grams Showa HI-NEON, 3 grams instant yeast, 20 grams caster sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 100 grams water, 15 grams butter

Filling: 150 grams taro paste, 15 grams butter

Finish: Egg wash

Crumb topping: 10 grams all-purpose flour, 15 grams almond meal, 10 grams granulated sugar, 10 grams salted butter

ANPAN BUNS AND RAISIN BUNS

A couple more experiments using Custard Roux Starter.

First I made some Anpan.

Then I made some raisin buns with a super fluffy interior.  The raisins had been plumped with Cointreau.

ROUX STARTER (CUSTARD)

Other than laziness, I cannot think what prevented me from using a Starter before this.

Adding a roux starter to the bread dough really boosts the moisture and flavour of the bread.

Akan datang for more bread adventures.

*****

Custard roux starter: 1 egg yolk, 10 grams caster sugar, 15 grams Showa PROMINENT, 65 grams milk

Bread dough: 250 grams Showa PROMINENT, 40 grams caster sugar, 4 grams instant yeast, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 50 grams water, 50 grams milk,  25 grams butter

Filling: 200 grams red bean paste

Finish: egg wash

BAKING WITH STEPH

Steph fell in love with this Matcha Azuki Financier from Japan.  So we made tried a hand at making it today.  To cope with the big turn out over at Steph's home this afternoon, we tripled the recipe.  At first I was secretly doubtful if we would be able to cope but I shouldn't have worried.  Everyone eagerly contibuted in her own way - shopping for ingredients, measuring them out, greasing baking tins, whisking the 12 egg whites, melting and filtering butter, spooning cake mixture into tins ...

In Steph's kitchen, the saying "Too many cooks spoil the soup" doesn't apply.  In fact, the many heads provided more solution to problems. For instance, when the melted butter was taking much too long to cool someone suggested, "Let's put the saucepan in a bowl filled with cold water!"  "Add ice into the water!" chipped in another. (I wish I had thought of that earlier.  Duh.)

I used the Financier recipe from Bea's.  Do check out her blog where she shares the most amazing recipes and photograhy.  Some people call these little cakes Financiers, some call them Friands.  No baking powder is used.  The rising agent is egg white, which we whisked until foamy, but not firm.  We didn't have the proper financier molds so we made used of whatever baking tins we had on hand.

The 1st batch was overdone but I love the colour and the crispy crust.



The next batch has a softer centre.  (At first we debated whether the insides were undercooked.  However, I came home to check Bea's photos and her financier appears to have a soft centre so we did do things right!)

Next up: Mini Cha Siew Buns. I wanted a bread dough that is soft and rich so I chose the recipe from Page 58 of 孟老师的100道面包by 孟兆庆。The ingredients are:

100 grams bread flour

50 grams all-purpose flour

20 grams caster sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

20 grams egg

80 grams milk

10 grams unsalted butter

The dough was hand-kneaded, mostly by Diane.  When I told everyone, "The bread dough should rise in a warm environment" someone offered "Shall I warm up the microwave oven then push the dough in?" 

How delicate is this dough?  Jamie Oliver will be impressed.  Proof that many cooks in one kitchen can spark off some really great ideas. I'm so going to use the warm microwave method in the future!

The buns were well received.  People were wolfing them down and exclaiming with every bite, "Oooh these are SO good!"  It must be because of the wonderful cha siew filling, handmade by Jane!  It has the right balance of meat, fat and just the right amount of sweetness.  Yums.

Jane is a great cook who has endless cooking tips to share.  All you need to do is ask. She also makes a mean roasted pork (烧肉) - the kind with the crispy crackling.  I hope she will teach me to make it some time.

THE PIG THAT WON'T FLY

Dear GPs,

This little pig cried wee wee wee today.

So many things went wrong. I had intended to give Piggy wings but was forced to forgo them because I was already having a hard time with Piggy's snout.  It kept sliding off!  I contemplated on using the stapler.  In the end, I used Super Glue.  (Kidding!)

At one point I got distracted by my mother making fishcakes and failed to watch the clock.  As a result, Piggy got badly burnt in the oven.

Since last week's fish-shaped buns were filled with tuna, I felt that it be apt to fill Piggy with a pork filling. My initial thoughts were on Mushroom and Bacon, or Ham and Cheese. Serena suggested luncheon meat whilst Moon felt  bakkwa would give Piggy that Singaporean edge.

During our morning stroll on Tuesday, Mum asked me, "What kind of bread will you be making next?"

"How about Char Siu (BBQ pork) Bun?" she asked while I was still contemplating.  She even gone on to suggest, "I'll take care of the filling, you make the bread." That threw me right off because Mum and I seldom see eye to eye on culinary affairs.  She cooks Chinese dishes, I bake Western-style cakes.  She prefers them savoury, I like sweets.  She doesn't interfere with my baking, I stubbornly stay out of her kitchen when she cooks.

I guess you can say we're both pig-headed. 

SaveSave

TAILS!

What the fish! Those fish-shaped buns on my previous post were subjected to an incredulous amount of ridicule. 

"Why haven't they got tails?"  being the most popular question.

"They look like pineapple tarts!" exclaims Serena.

I blame the cookbook and its author.  

Maki must have secretly rolled her eyes when she saw the 'fish'.  ("Maybe Fun doesn't know what a fish looks like!")  Since she has a sweet nature she does not call me stupid outright (which I downright appreciate).  Instead, she directed me to a Japanese website that contains step-by-step demonstration on how to form a kawaii 魚の形パン（fish-shaped bun).   Even if you don't understand Japanese, you'll won't be totally at sea.

FISH-SHAPED BUNS WITH SPICY TUNA FILLING 

Makes 12

Spicy Tuna Filling

2 cans tuna flakes in water, drained

2 small red onions, chopped

Olive oil

Mayonnaise

Dijon mustard

Anchovy paste

Dried chilli flakes

Bread Dough

270 grams bread flour

30 grams all-purpose flour

30 grams caster sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

3 grams (3/4 teaspoons) instant yeast

1 egg (about 60 grams)

130 grams water

30 grams butter, softened

Finish

Eggwash

To make the Spicy Tuna Filling: Mix all the ingredients together. Set aside.

To make the bread:  In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, stir all ingredients (except the butter) together on low speed until everything comes together.

Then mix in butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and knead dough until smooth, elastic and comes away from sides of bowl in a ball. Dough should be soft and pliable.

First proof. Shape dough in a boule fashion place in lightly greased bowl. Cover with clingfilm and leave in microwave oven to proof. To create a warm environment for successful proofing, put a mug of hot water beside the dough. Close the oven door and leave to proof for one hour.

Using your index finger, make a hole in centre of dough. If indentation remains, dough is ready for next step.

Divide and rest. Gently deflate dough and divide into 12 equal portions. Form each into boule fashion. Cover with wet towel and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

Now fill and shape.

Second proof.  Lay the “fish” on baking tray. Cover with wet towel and leave to proof for 40 minutes or until the “fish” double in size.

Bake. Meanwhile, place a rack in the centre of your oven and preheat the oven at 200 degrees C.  Before baking, brush each “fish” gently with egg wash. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until light golden.

They all have tails - and its all thanks to Maki!  Now people are complaning that the buns have way too much filling.  Really, there's no pleasing these people is there?!  The answer is to stop trying to.

WHAT THE F***

In case you are wondering, these are tuna buns in the shape of fish!  Sure, they look like puffers than a regular fish.  How would I have known that they would all lose their tails during the proofing process?!

Inspiration for these cuties came from a book I recently borrowed from the neighbourhood library.  These days I no longer purchase a new cookbook for the sake of 2 or 3 recipes inside. At the risk of sounding cheap, I usually check out a library copy beforehand to determine whether a book is worth buying.

Last week, while I was browsing in my favourite section in Kinnokuniya Orchard, I came across a woman who had an array of cookbooks laid out on a table before her. In doing so she managed to cover most of the New Arrivals that were occupying the table in the first place. Oblivious to incredulous stares from shoppers around her, she fervently copied recipe after recipe from the cookbooks onto a writing pad. And as if that wasn't despicable enough, she started to dictate (quite loudly, if I may add) to a friend using her mobile phone!

I'm kinda relieved to know there’s a cheaper someone out there. :)

I've been dying to spin my new toy since it was delivered last week.  The KA works like a dream when it comes to kneading bread dough.

FISH-SHAPED BUNS WITH TUNA FILLING
Inspired by a recipe in《日式面包》by 邱勇灵/ 屈礼芬
Makes 12

Tuna Filling
1 can tuna flakes in water, drained
Mayonnaise
Dijon mustard
Anchovy paste
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Bread Dough
270 grams bread flour
30 grams all-purpose flour
30 grams caster sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
3 grams (3/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
1 egg (about 50 grams)
140 grams water
30 grams butter, softened

Finish
Raisins
Egg wash

To make the Tuna Filling:  Mix all the ingredients together.  Set aside.

To make the bread:  In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, stir all ingredients (except the butter) together on low speed until everything comes together. Then mix in butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and knead dough until smooth, elastic and comes away from sides of bowl in a ball. Dough should be soft and pliable.

First proof. Shape dough in a boule fashion place in lightly greased bowl. Cover with cling film and leave in microwave oven to proof. To create a warm environment for successful proofing, put a mug of hot water beside the dough. Close the oven door and leave to proof for one hour.

Using your index finger, make a hole in centre of dough. If indentation remains, dough is ready for next step.

Divide and rest. Gently deflate dough and divide into 12 equal portions. Form each into boule fashion. Cover with wet towel and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

Fill and Shape. Roll each dough portion into oval disk. Fill each portion with tuna filling and form into desired shape. Raisins form the “eyes”.

Second proof.  Lay the “fish” on baking tray. Cover with wet towel and leave to proof for 40 minutes or until the “fish” double in size.

Bake. Meanwhile, place a rack in the centre of your oven and preheat the oven at 200 degrees C.  Before baking, brush each “fish” gently with egg wash. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until light golden.

If you want to try a hand at making these fish, be sure to roll the tails flat during the shaping stage.  Otherwise you'll end up with tail-less fish like mine!