Brioche/milk toast with utane method

Since I discovered this recipe from Christine, I have been making it quite often :)

Last week I had a friend visited me, she tried it and she loved the texture, so soft :) that's why I share the recipe with all of you so that you can make yours at home! Once you make this brioche, you will only want to eat it everyday haha!

You can add dried cranberry or raisin or anything you like

Ingredients:
540g strong flour/bread flour
86g sugar
8g salt
9g full cream milk powder
11g instant dried yeast (I used 7g active dried yeast)

86g whisked egg - use 2 eggs: the rest will be used to brush the top (see step 7) before putting the dough into the oven to bake
59g whipping cream (I used at least 30% cream)
54g milk (I used whole milk)
184g utane dough - click here to see How to make utane dough

49g butter at room temperature

Instructions:
1. Except butter, add all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, then add all wet ingredients. Mix well

2. Add in butter, mix until smooth and the dough won't stick the mixing bowl anymore. Knead the dough until it becomes elastic.
When you are able to form thin membrane, that means the dough is ready

3. Grease the bowl and put the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1hour or until it's double in size

4. Punch the dough (deflate the air), transfer it to a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 3 portions, cover with plastic wrap and rest for 15mins

5. Roll out each portion into oval shape (horizontal => longer), fold 1/3 top of the dough toward the center and then 1/3 bottom toward the center. Turn the dough 90°, roll the dough toward the one end

6. Place 3 portions into the toast mold, let it rise until the size is doubled, about 1.5hour (depend on the temperature and humidity), it takes longer time if cold and dry

7. Preheat the oven to 180°c (10mins to preheat). Brush egg on the top of the dough, then put into the oven and bake for 35mins
Note: If the surface of the brioche is brown before 30mins, cover the top with an aluminum foil so that it won't be burn

Enjoy!

Simpliest hard crust bread

I wonder how I can bake French bread with a hard crust, I tried different methods, at the end I found the answer, it is so simple - very very hot oven. 

However, it is impossible to have 300°c-400°c environment in domestic oven... so... you can either buy a stone board or an iron-cast Dutch oven!

This recipe requires a 6-8quarts iron-cast Dutch oven. I only have one which is close to 6 quarts, it works too.

Ingredients
6 cups bread flour - I used multi-cereal flour
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp instant or active-dry yeast*
2 2/3 cups water at room temperature

*1/4 tsp yeast needs 16hours rise, 1/2 tsp yeast needs 12hours rise

Instructions
Previous evening prepare your dough

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour & salt, mix well.

a/ If you use active-dry yeast-
mix it with 1/3 cup warm water (maximum 37°c), set aside for 10mins to activate the yeast

Then pour the yeast mixture to flour mixture, mix with water until it is well combined

b/ If you use instant yeast
Add it in flour & salt mixture and add in water, mix well until combined

2. After forming a dough, it is wet and sticky, cover plastic wrap and leave it rise during the night
When it rises double the size, it is ready

The next day
1. Prepare for the 2nd rise: place a towel, sprinkle some flour. Then place 2 baking sheets (long enough to cover the whole dough) forming a cross, sprinkle some flour

2. Flour the working surface, fold the dough - from right to left, left to right, top to bottom, top to bottom

3. Place the dough on the baking sheet with the seam faces the bottom, cover the dough with baking sheets and then the towel
If the towel can't wrap completely the dough, place one more towel on the top

Leave it rise for 1-2hours or until the size is doubled

4. 30mins before you put the dough to the oven to bake, place a cast-iron Dutch oven with lid into the oven, then turn on the oven to preheat at 250°c

5. After 30mins, take out the Dutch oven, open the lid, slide the dough in it
If the dough stick on the baking sheet, then flip the dough in the Dutch oven, remove the baking sheet

Do not worry if the shape doesn't look good. It will be nicely formed in the oven

6. Cover the Dutch oven with the lid, put it back to the oven
Turn down the temperature to 230°c and bake for 40mins

7. After 40mins, remove the lid and bake for another 10mins
The crust should be harden during this time

8. Remove the bread and cool it on a wire rack before serving

Enjoy!

Marinated barbecue chicken

I watched a cooking program on internet, I found this recipe quite good, so I want to share with you all.

What you need to know is that you have to make it one night ahead.

You can marinate pork or beef, the recipe is very similar to Korean barbecue sauce.

Barbecue chicken served with burger - too yummy

I made the bread, it is the recipe of bagel, I just shape it into ball, click here to get the recipe 

Ingredients
100g sliced chicken

2tbsp soya sauce
2tsp sesame oil
1 clove garlic, diced
1/2 echalotte, diced
1/2tsp red pepper powder*
1/2tsp cane sugar

* You can use dried or fresh red pepper, slice them into small pieces

Instructions
1. Mix all the ingredients together with a pair of chopsticks, the meat absorbs the sauce little by little when you stir them

2. Cover with a plastic wrap and store it in the fridge overnight

Ready to fry it on a pan or if the meat is a big piece, you can put it on a grill
Excellent to eat with rice :)

Enjoy!

Dinner roll - healthy version

After raining for few days, it's so sunny and warm today. I wanted to grab this chance to make 2 batches of dinner roll... but I found that I don't have enough all-purpose flour :( ok.. let me think... I'll try to mix it with other kinds of flour, to make it healthy :)

Ingredients
1cup Milk (slightly warm)
1/3cup Sugar
7g Dry yeast

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups multi-cereals flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1tsp salt
1/3 cup or 75g butter at room temperature
3 egg yolks

Instructions - click here.


You may ask: What to do with the rest of the egg white? 
Store it in the fridge for a few days, then we can make:
1. Pavlova - click here to get the recipe
2. Mont blanc - click here to get the recipe

Tips to make meringue successfully, click here

Enjoy!

Brioche with coconut filling

My husband likes coconut, last week I saw a recipe of brioche with coconut filling, in Asian style, so I try to make it.

Ingredients of coconut filling
30g sugar
30g beaten egg (less than 1 egg)
28g butter at room temperature
50g grated coconut

Rest of the egg - for brushing

Instructions
1. Mix sugar and egg until they combine together
Add in butter and then grated coconut
Store it in the fridge

Keep the rest of the egg aside

--------------------------------
Ingredients of brioche
100g warm water
3g dried yeast

Strong flour (winter quantity = 225g , summer = 250g) *
8g milk powder
8g custard powder/ corn starch
30g sugar

1 egg
20g butter at room temperature

*need to adjust according to the humidity of your place, it is dry here. If humid, add more flour

Instructions
1. In a small bowl, mix water and yeast and set aside for 10mins

2. Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl, mix all dry ingredients, mix well
Add in egg, mix well
Add in yeast mixture, mix well
Add in butter, mix well

3. Knead the dough for 10mins with stand mixer (kitchen aid) or until you can stretch the dough thin enough like semi transparent with your fingers

4. Let the dough rise at a warm and humid place for 1-1.5hour or until the size is doubled

5. Punch down the dough with your fist
Take the dough out and place it on the mat, let it rest for 15mins

Preheat the oven at 180°c, put a small bowl with water inside

6. Take the coconut mixture from the fridge
Roll out the dough into large rectangular shape
Use a specula, spread the coconut mixture on 2/3 of the dough - from the left side to the middle
Note: Do not spread the coconut mixture on the edges

7. Fold 1/3 dough (without coconut mixture) towards the left side
Fold another side towards the right side
Now it forms a narrow long rectangle, squeeze all the edges so that they stick together

8. Turn the dough 90°c (it becomes a wide rectangle)
Fold 1/3 dough from right towards left, another 1/3 from left towards right

9. Roll out the dough into long rectangle shape again
Divide the dough into 3 parts = leave the top part 1cm uncut, start there and cut towards the bottom

10. Knit the dough into braid like the following picture, twist a bit the cut edge facing upward - we can see several coconut mixture layers

11. Place the dough on the mould, let it rise until the size is doubled

12. Brush the beaten egg on the top
Put in the oven and bake for 23mins or until it becomes golden color

Enjoy!

Pizza dough with poolish

It has been quite long time I haven't made pizza! 
This time I want to try poolish pizza dough, to have better texture and taste :)

All you need is time! Poolish takes time to develop, so we do not need a lot of yeast.
If you don't have time, use this recipe.

The following recipe is for 4 pizzas!

Poolish ingredients
100g strong flour
100g water
0.3g instant yeast* (= 0.9g fresh yeast)

*For information: 1/8 tsp = 0.39g

1. Mix evenly the ingredients in a bowl

2. wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature for 8 hours

Dough ingredients
250g strong flour
8g salt
5g instant yeast (= 15g fresh yeast)
about 120g lukewarm water
some cornflour for dusting

Tomato sauce (from Jamie Oliver's recipe)
olive oil
one clove of minced garlic
1 can of tomato
fresh basil
salt & pepper

1. Place the poolish in the mixing bowl, add in flour,salt and yeast
Add in water little by little and knead the dough for 7mins or until the dough becomes smooth
Note: the dough should not stick around the bowl but slightly at the bottom

2. Place the dough on a slightly floured working surface
Grease the tray with oil, set aside

3. Divide the dough into 4, roll them into ball shape, place them on the tray, slightly sprinkle the surface with flour or grease the surface with oil, then cover them with plastic wrap

Let it rise for 1 hour at room temperature

4. Prepare the tomato sauce - heat olive oil and minced garlic on a pan at medium heat, add in tomato, then basil, salt & pepper, mash the tomato with a wooden spoon and leave it cook 20mins or until it becomes thickened
Set it aside

5. Preheat your oven to 250°c, take out your oven shelf bar, lay a piece of aluminium foil on it and sprinkle some cornflour on it

Place the dough on the floured working surface, floured your hands, then flatten the dough by your palm
Then roll it out with a rolling pin and stretch it in round shape until it becomes 25cm

6. Spread the concentrated tomato sauce on the dough (leave the edge to have some crust to chew!), add the ingredients that you like - mushroom, ham, black olives, mozzarella (no liquid in the package), other cheese...
Note: be careful not to use any wet ingredients -> fresh tomato, mozzarella in package with liquid... you will wet the pizza dough

7. Put the pizza into the oven at the lowest rack, bake for 10-13mins or until the pizza becomes golden color and crispy

8. Take the pizza out and place it on a wooden board
Wait for a minute before the ingredients are well set
Ready to serve!

Enjoy!

Cranberry brioche with caramel sauce

Happy Friday! It's so hot! I made the cranberry brioche yesterday, the dough risen a lot faster :)
It's very yummy with caramel sauce
All are homemade! 100%!

Click here to get the brioche recipe, don't miss it, it is the best recipe ever!
Click here to get the caramel sauce recipe, it is very easy!

Have a great weekend!
Enjoy!

Bagel is my favorite quick meal

I haven't made bagel for long long long time! I make it again today and it doesn't take lots of time to make some when compare to other breads :) Just realized that it is so easy to make, I'll make more in the near future :)

I just use the recipe of pretzel in fact, but it does tastes like bagels! I believe that they share more or less the same recipe.
So click here to get the recipe.
You can put grains on the top of the bagel to make it even healthier!

What to put inside the bagel? There are lots of variation. Personally I think the base should be cream cheese, with:
1. smoked salmon
2. salad/ fresh spinach
3. tomatoes
4. slices of cheese like brie
5. ham/ smoked ham 
6. bacon
7. chicken
8. pickles
9. honey
....

I like the combination of 1+2, 2+4+9, yummy!!

It is perfect for a quick lunch, or picnic. Easy to eat.

Enjoy!

Red bean brioche - use leftover red bean paste

Some red bean paste left in the fridge - it is perfect for making filling of brioche!

I just use the recipe of the utane/tangzhong brioche, and fill in some red bean paste in the dough.

Instructions
Follow the recipe of the brioche in my blog until steps 4. Here are the next steps:

5. Roll out each portion into oval shape (horizontal => longer), in the middle of the dough, spread the red bean paste on the surface evenly, leave each side 1/4 without the red bean paste

6. Fold both sides left and right towards the center, use your finger to press opening around the dough so that the red bean won't leak out
Roll the dough flat

7. Turn the dough 90°, fold 1/3 of the left towards the center, then 1/3 of the right towards the center

8. Roll out the dough to become flat again, then now you can roll the dough toward the one end to become cylinder shape

9. Now you should have 3 portions of dough filled with red bean paste

10. Place 3 portions into the toast mold, let it rise until the size is doubled, about 1.5hour (depend on the temperature and humidity), it takes longer time if cold and dry

11. Preheat the oven to 180°c (10mins to preheat). Brush egg on the top of the dough, then put into the oven and bake for about 35mins

Enjoy!

Hot cross bun for Easter

I got chickenpox last week, rested for a week, but now I'm feeling better :)
Christ is risen :D

I followed the recipe of Jamie Oliver to make some hot cross bun, it's super soft and smells really good (because of the cinnamon)

If you like cinnamon you have to try out this recipe.

It is just taken out from the oven, hot hot hot!! didn't brush honey on it yet!

The flour mixture was liquid so the cross didn't form well....

So lazy to add cross this year...

Ingredients
200ml skimmed milk - I used whole milk
50ml water - I used whole milk
14g dried yeast - I used 10g
5g sugar

55g butter

465g strong bread flour
1tsp salt
1tsp mixed spice - I didn't add any
1tsp cinnamon
1/2 nutmeg - I used 1tsp nutmeg
50g sugar
2stems fine chopped fresh ginger - If you don't have any fresh ginger but only powder one, add 1tsp
1.5 egg

55g dried raisin
30g dried cranberry
2tbsp mixed peel - I didn't add any, but I think you can add lemon or orange peels

0.5 egg

2tbsp flour
1tbsp water

running honey


Instructions
1. Warm milk &water by either microwave or sauce pan, add in sugar, mix well, then add yeast. Put it aside

2. Melt butter, put it aside

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, salt, spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, ginger
Add in yeast mixture and melted butter, mix well
Add in egg, mix well

4. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and not stick on the side of the mixing bowl
Rise the dough in  a warm place until it is doubled (about 1.5hour or you might need longer time)

5. Punch the dough
Add in dried fruits & peels, fold them several times to mix the fruits into the dough evenly

6. Divide the dough into 12 portions
Roll them into balls
Place them on a tray lined baking sheet and let the dough rise until size doubled (about 1.5-2hrs)

7.  When the size of the dough is about doubled, brush 0.5 egg mixture on the surface of the dough

Preheat the oven at 190°c, place a small bowl of water at the bottom in the oven

8. Mix 2tbsp of flour and 1tbsp water to become thick mixture, if it is too thick, add little bit of water each time

Place the mixture into a piping bag with round tip, squeeze the mixture on the bread vertically and horizontally so that each bun has a cross on the top

9. Bake for 12-15mins or until it is golden color

10. brush running honey on the top
Serve hot!

Enjoy!

Strawberry/raspberry honey cornbread

Another cornbread recipe for breakfast - I like strawberry and raspberry so much, I bought some frozen ones because we are now in winter ;( when will summer come?

Ingredients
2cups flour
2cups fine corn flour - I used coarse corn flour
1/4cup sugar
2tbsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt

4 eggs
2cups milk
100g melted butter
1cup honey

1.5cup diced strawberries/raspberries - you can add more if you like

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven at 200°c
Mix the dry ingredients, then add in eggs, milk, butter and honey

2. Add in 1cup strawberries or raspberries, mix well

3. Pour the mixture into a mould, sprinkle the rest of the strawberries or raspberries on the top

4. Bake for
Cupcake mould: 12-15mins
Large mould: at least 35mins or until the middle becomes cooked (insert a knife to test)

Enjoy!

Red bean bun - utane method

I bought some red bean paste from Chinese supermarket, that I wanted to make Chinese bun, but at the end I found a recipe of red bean bun in Hong Kong style, by the utane/tangzhong method :)

It tastes so good as I thought, not deception!

Ingredients:
Utane
25g strong flour
125ml water

Dough
125ml lukewarm milk
5g sugar
6g active dried yeast

350g strong flour
50g sugar
5g salt
7g milk powder
56g egg (just a bit more than 1 egg)
about 120g utane

30g butter

Red bean paste
Rest of the egg
Optional: Sesame or poppy seed


Instructions:
To prepare the utane, click here

1. Mix sugar and WARM milk, then add in yeast, wait until the yeast floats on the top (about 10mins)

2. Mix all dry ingredients together, then add in wet ingredients. Mix well

3. Add in little cubes of butter and mix well
Knead the dough, when you are able to stretch the dough to become thin layer, that means it's ready

4. Brush some oil in a big mixing bowl and put the dough in it, cover it with plastic wrap
Let rise in a warm place until it is doubled

5. Take the dough on the working surface, punch to deflate some air inside the dough, divide it into 10 portions
roll each small portion into a ball, cover them with plastic wrap and let them rest for 15mins at room temperature

6. Roll out dough into a circle, about palm size, put red bean paste on the dough
Be careful - use a tablespoon (measuring spoon) to scoop the red bean into a ball

7. Close the opening by squeezing the side towards the center, squeeze hard so that the opening won't be broken. 
Shape the dough to a ball, turn it upside down with the opening at the bottom

8. Line the tray with baking sheet, place each dough on it
Attention - scattered them with more space as they will be risen in doubled size!
Let the dough rise until doubled in a warm place

9. Preheat the oven at 180°c
Use a scissor to cut the side of the dough 5-6times (see the picture above) - you are not obligated to do that
Brush the rest of the egg on the top
Sprinkle sesame or poppy seed on the top

10. Bake for 15-20mins

Enjoy!

Utane method of making bread - create super soft texture

I have been making bread for a year, from the beginning that I knew nothing about making bread (no technique no skills), then knowing using the yeast, how to rise the dough, how to knead the bread.... after having lots of failures, I can say now I KNOW how to make bread! I'm so proud because I didn't take any class, I like self learning to discover new things lol

There are so things to learn on internet, I saw a method to make bread to make it softer - overnight dough - by putting the dough in the fridge a night before ... this summer, I found a better method to soften the bread! The texture is spongy & soft, it is the best method that I found until now.

So, let me share with you - Utane dough method. This method is from Japan - you must learn it if you like making bread!

The ingredients needed are flour & water, the portion is important
Water : flour = 5 : 1
For example: 50g water: 10g flour

Instructions:
1. Mix water and flour in a sauce pan, make sure the flour is well dissolved into the water, you can use a spetula to press the flour lumps => until there is no lumps left

2. Turn on the heat to medium at the beginning, when the mixture start being heat (you can start seeing a bit of steam), then reduce the heat to low.
Use a spetula to stir the mixture - KEEP stirring it so that no lumps formed (over cooked)

3. KEEP stirring... until the mixture becomes thickened
How to know when it is ready? when you stir the mixture, the stir trace/mark is shown clearly

4. Cool down the mixture, it is ready!

*You can watch this video to get a better picture - I would prefer using a spetula

Next time I will share the recipe of brioche - see the photos of my last post ;)

Brioche - so soft & yummy

I have made this brioche for few times already, each time we just love it! I will continue to make it more often ;)

I love the shape, it's so funny, like a cloud haha!

Dinner roll recipe - simple, fast & delicious

 I always like people make dinner roll, they look nice and yummy, the little buns on the pan look cute too! Yet I thought it is difficult to make them, haven't tried them until yesterday... 

I searched for the recipe and see how to make it, I'm surprise to find one which is super easy, fast but also tasty! I'm so happy to have the exact size of the pan mentioned in the recipe! Thank you Laura Vitale!

This is the recipe for making 12 rolls. Here you go!

Ingredients:
1cup Milk (slightly warm)
1/3cup Sugar
7g Dry yeast
4cups All purpose flour
1tsp Salt
1/3cup or 75g Butter (at room temperature)
3 Egg yolks


3tbsp Butter (melted)

Instructions:
1. Warm the milk, add in sugar & yeast, let it rest for 10mins so that the yeast becomes active and foamy

2. In a mixing bowl, add in  flour, salt, mix well at low speed. Then add the mixture of step 1, butter & egg yolk, mix well at low speed 

3. Knead the dough at medium speed for 5-7mins or until the dough becomes soft and smooth, it will not stick the side of the bowl

4. Slight grease the bowl and form the dough into ball shape, cover with plastic wrap, put it in a warm place for about 1hour or until it doubles its size
Note: I put in oven with a tray of hot water under to keep it warm and humid

5. Put the dough on the working surface (you can sprinkle some flour on the working surface if necessary), punch the dough and divide it into 12 parts

6. Grease the 9"X13" pan, roll the dough into ball shape and hide all the seams at the bottom, place them one by one on the pan (see the photo - 3 X 4)
Note: when you work on each dough, cover a kitchen towel on the rest of the dough to keep them from drying out

7. Cover the pan with a dry towel or plastic wrap in a warm place for 45mins - 1hour or until the size is doubled or 1.5 times bigger

8. Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 180°c. 

9. Bake for 20-25mins or until golden color. When it's ready, bring it out of the oven and brush the surface with melted butter 
Note: I didn't brush the top with butter

Enjoy!