Sausage bun / Carrot and goji bread

 

 

 

Sausage versus carrot and goji - 一个被视为不大健康的，一个听到都知道是健康入骨的，两个在一起成了一个非常强烈的对比，味道又会是怎么样的呢？　

 

On Sunday, both hubby and I would go out for our 'usual' yam cha sessions in the afternoon and we'll indulge in something we usually don't. We had economy noodles at the market in Pasar Tanah Merah 石咀巴刹。They taste really good. In my opinion, they sell the best economy noodles 经济粉面 in Sandakan. I always wonder, how difficult is it to prepare fried noodles? Why is it that not all of them cook good-tasting ones? My phone was sent in to repair and maintenance, so I used my hubby's phone to snap some photos of the food and posted them on FB. A friend commented, 'Never imagined that you guys would eat these kind of food, knowing the nature of Jennifer's job'. Honestly, I don't think I was shocked to see these kind of comment. It's not the first, for sure. What do you guys think a nutritionist eat?

 

Yep, I don't eat sausage bun everyday, or probably not even once in 6months. And neither have I been eating or buying bread or buns from outside. I have shared about the reason a few post back and I better not re-emphasize that again, in case I get mistaken that I eat apple and oat all day long.  

 

I made this sausage bun, cos I wanted to have a change from the usual plain buns we've been eating. But sausage bun with white dough would be so plain, so I made it with a carrot and goji dough, don't you just love the golden color? Carrot and goji are both excellent foods that benefit the eye. The goji berry is among the highest source of carotenoids of all known common foods. Gojis contain 500 times the amount of vitamin C, by weight, than oranges About 11mg of iron per 100g can be found in the gojis.

 

The bread dough is the soft and fluffy milk bun dough that I've been using all this while. It does involve an extra step of preparing the starter dough, but the results of the bun or bread is sooo much worth it. I have stopped trying out other bread recipe, even though claimed very soft and fluffy, cos to me, I have already found 'the recipe' for my soft and fluffy bread. It was originally a recipe by Alex Goh, but I have adapted it very much making it my own recipe which works well either kneaded by hand or breadmaker. I have kneaded this dough using my faithful Donlim breadmaker.

 

Starter dough

• 100g bread flour
• 70g boiling water

To prepare the starter dough, pour boiling water over flour and stir with folk until combined to a slightly tacky dough. Cover and chill in the refrigerator. Keep for 20min before use, can keep up to 12hrs in refrigerator

 

Main dough (the ingredients are placed in the breadmaker according to the order they are listed):

• 3tbsp rice bran oil*
• 150g carrot and goji berry puree (prepared by steaming and pureeing 1 carrot and 1tbsp goji)
• 100g fresh milk
• 2tbsp dark muscovado sugar
• pinch of salt
• 300g bread flour
• 100g all purpose flour
• 2tsp active dry yeast  

*Other than grapeseed oil, rice bran oil is also a healthy baking oil. It is the oil extracted from the germ and inner husk of rice. It is notable for its high smoke point of 232 °C (450 °F) and its mild flavor, making it suitable for high-temperature cooking methods such as stir frying and deep frying.

 

1. Add all the ingredients (in the order listed above, except for the scalded dough) in breadpan.

2. Select mode no. 7 (dough 发面）. Press START.

3. When the ingredients have combined together, about 3min into kneading, add in the scalded dough by pieces.

4. After 1hr 30min, a beep alert will sound indicating that the dough is ready.

5. Remove the dough from the breadmaker.

6. On a floured surface, punch the dough to remove trapped air. Knead a few times. Form about 130g portion of dough into ball shape. Using a rolling pin, flatten into an oblong disk and roll up to form a rope shape. Roll up around the frankfurter. Brush top of bun with milk/ water or beaten egg wash, sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds.

7. Place the bun in an enclosed oven (temperature not switched on) for a second rise, about 45min, or until the buns double or at least 1.5x their original size.

8. Preheat the oven to 170deg C. Bake the buns for about 15-20min.

 

 

Attaching a photo of myself, indulging in my sausage and carrot goji bun. Happy Monday :)

 

 

My boy's first wanton

Being a mom, being a nutritionist, being a founder of an FB group 'Healthy Food For My Baby' with over 15k members, I have unconsciously toned down my feistiness. Back then, I would easily blurt out my opinion or my stance either on FB or directly to your face, but for my own good, for my future's sack, as my son's role model, I should keep myself calm. Guess I'm finally improving my EQ.

 

Okay, the above statement has nothing whatsoever to do with the recipe or food that I'm gonna share. I'm only voicing out my current thoughts on a not very nice Monday morning. I realized my blog is my only place where I can vent out my frustration.  

 

Back to my boy's first homemade wanton.. I can't remember if I have ever wrapped or made wanton before. I cannot recall for sure. In my memory, this is the first wanton I've made for my boy and everyone in the house (maid included, lucky her), and I'm pleased with it. I youtubed to find out if there's a proper way to wrap wanton (yes, you can find all sorts on youtube these days and there are some ways to wrap wanton), but I realized I mistakenly bought the small size wanton sheets, so there's no way I can wrap it other than just making sure it seals the hefty filling I put in properly.

 

We had it for breakfast, and I've also packed a portion to bring to the nanny's for the lil' fella's lunch.

 

Aren't they cute? They look like little money bag from those olden days.

Organic mee-sua with homemade wanton, served w/ amaranth leaves soup

 

 

Filling for wanton (makes about 25-30 mini wanton)

• 300-400g pork mince
• half an onion, minced
• 1/3 medium size carrot, minced
• 1 Chinese mushroom, soaked till soft, minced
• 2tbsp chopped spring onion

Seasoning for pork mince, I marinated them overnight so that the flavor infuses better 

• 1tbsp vegetarian black bean 'oyster' sauce
• 3tbsp liquid amino
• 1tbsp toasted sesame oil, organic
• white pepper powder
• 1tsp corn flour

The next morning, I combine the marinated pork mince with the minced vegetables and a beaten egg white, and wrapped with wanton sheets. Place about a teaspoon of the filling in the centre of the wanton, brush sides of wanton sheet with water and seal.

 

To cook the wanton, simply dump them into a pan of boiling water. When the wantons are cooked, they will float on top of the water.

 

I served them with organic meesua and some amaranth leaves and egg soup with goji (wolfberries)

 

The soup was prepared with

• Ikan bilis stock
• Amaranth leaves 苋菜
• handful of goji (wolfberries) 枸杞
• 2 Chinese mushroom, soaked till soft, sliced
• 1 beaten egg, added in the end

 

 

Black sesame chiffon cupcakes with banana

It was my mom-in-law's birthday yesterday. Coincidentally, all of MIL's siblings were back to Sandakan for the QingMing festival (tomb-sweeping festival 清明节）and we were going out for a 'reunion' dinner. But my hubby only told me it was MIL's birthday in the afternoon. And he asked if we should get a cake. Yet both him and I knew very well that none present at the dinner would like any cakes from outside. They are all well over their 40s and are all very health and sugar-conscious and probably have stopped eating cakes sold outside for decades. I knew I had to bake something, but weren't sure what I should make cos of time constraint. Finally I decided to bake my favorite chiffon cupcake recipe, which I was very familiar with, but I was gonna double up the recipe and gonna add in black sesame as I felt it's a very 'healthy' ingredient. Hohooo... just right for the health conscious ones.. ay?

 

 

 

I was quite proud of myself that I baked them well and at the same time, I needed to make sure the little fella got his milk and took his late afternoon nap before we went out for dinner. All these were done in 20min when the chiffon cupcakes were baking in the oven. Just wondering if the 'pat on the shoulder' should be given to me, or to my little fella for being a good boy yesterday. Sometimes he takes at least a couple of hours before he finally give in to his nap.

Instead of using black sesame powder (which you can obtain simply by grinding toasted black sesame seeds), I used a sachet black sesame cereal drink powder (see photo below). I made up the black sesame drink with a cup of warm water and chilled it slightly before using it in this recipe. This drink is made up of black soya, black sesame, black rice, walnut, blackcurrants, pine nuts, black mu-er 黑木耳 and 何首乌。 I felt that drinking this drink is better than drinking black sesame alone, cos there are a multitude of other antioxidants and nutrients available from other iron-rich grains, seeds and nuts. Black soya, black mu-er and 何首乌 are also great for hair health. I have also used it to bake soft and fluffy black sesame bun with sunflower seeds. 

Here's the recipe adapted from my favorite chiffon cupcake's recipe
(I doubled up the recipe, which made about 17 cupcakes)
*this recipe doesn't yield sweet cakes, if you like your cakes sweet sweet, do consider topping UP the sugar.

• 4 egg yolks
• 1tbsp molasses powder
• 50g grapeseed oil
• 2 ripe banana (when I doubled up the recipe, I only used 2.5 medium size banana) **
• 3tbsp black sesame cereal milk drink ** (I pureed the banana with the black sesame cereal drink)
• 80g sifted cake flour (I used superfine flour)
• 4 egg white
• 2-3 tbsp. molasses powder (when I doubled up the recipe, I only used 5tbsp)

Garnish: Raw untoasted organic almond

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 165deg C.
2. Whisk egg whites till they form soft peak. Gradually add in molasses while continuing to whisk. Keep whisking till egg whites just reach stiff peak.
3. In another bowl, whisk egg yolks and 1tbsp molasses till thick. Add in oil and black sesame cereal-banana mix. Whisk till combined. Sieve in cake flour. Whisk to combine.
4. Add egg whites to yolk batter in 3 batches. Fold till just evenly mixed.
5. Divide the batter between cupcake liners till about 70% full. Tap liner gently against worktop to level batter and get rid of air bubbles. Top with an almond for garnishing purpose.
6. Bake for 20min. Let cool and serve.

Personal note:

I baked these at 165deg C in my toaster oven for first 10min. Then turn down the temperature to 155deg C and baked for another 10min. Just like the owner of this recipe mentioned, cakes crack after first 10min. 

Black sesame bun with sunflower seeds

I found the perfect bread for my organic peanut butter!! It's this black sesame bread! The nice nuttiness from this black sesame bun topped with sunflower seeds seems to be the perfect bread that matches nicely with my creamy organic peanut butter. I actually mix together the peanut butter with white tahini so I get lots of the omega goodness while I indulge in something that tastes so good!

 

This black sesame bread recipe is a recipe I worked out by accident. I was supposed to use my normal soy milk bun recipe for this, but my weighing scale was dirty and I had no time to wash it before I could weigh out my liquid ingredients, so I just put in one cup of the black sesame cereal milk into this recipe and the bun turned out 'oh! so fluffy!'. This dough was kneaded using my breadmaker. Its hydration level is very high. First, I'm not sure if it works kneading by hand, I have a feeling it's gonna be very messy (or sticky), and secondly, I'm not sure if it works on other breadmaker. Try it at your own risk, but the results are worth it.

 

 

 

Instead of using black sesame powder (which you can obtain simply by grinding toasted black sesame seeds), I used a sachet black sesame cereal drink powder (see photo below). I made up the black sesame drink with a cup of warm water and chilled it slightly before using it in this recipe. This drink is made up of black soya, black sesame, black rice, walnut, blackcurrants, pine nuts, black mu-er 黑木耳 and 何首乌。 I felt that drinking this drink is better than drinking black sesame alone, cos there are a multitude of other antioxidants and nutrients available from other iron-rich grains, seeds and nuts. Black soya, black mu-er and 何首乌 are also great for hair health. I have also used it to bake my favorite chiffon cupcakes recipe for my MIL's birthday.

 

 

Here's the recipe adapted from Alex Goh's scalded dough method

Scalded dough/ starter dough

·         100g bread flour

·         70g boiling water

To prepare the starter dough, pour boiling hot water over flour and stir with folk until combined into a slightly tacky dough. Cover and chill in the refrigerator. Chill for 20min before use, can keep up to 12hours in refrigerator.

Main dough

• 2tbsp grapeseed oil
• 1cup of black sesame cereal drink (made with 1 sachet in 1 cup of warm water), chilled before use
• 2.5tbsp brown sugar or dark muscovado sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 200g bread flour (hi protein flour)
• 50g all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp instant active dry yeast

* about 2-3 tbsp. raw, untoasted, organic sunflower seeds.

 

1.       Remove the breadpan from the bread machine. Fit in the kneading blade.

2.       Add all the ingredients in the order listed above, except for the scalded dough prepared earlier.

3.       Insert and lock the breadpan into the bread machine.

4.       Select mode no. 7 (dough)* the display panel will display defaulted time of 01:30 (1hr30min). Press start.

5.       When all the ingredients has combined together (about 5min), add in the starter dough in small pieces.  

6.       After 1 hour 30min, a beep alert will sound indicating that the dough is ready.

7.       Remove the dough from the bread maker.

8.       On a floured surface, punch the dough a few times to remove trapped air. Knead and throw a few times. Let rest for about 5min, then form about 150-200g portion of dough into ball shape. (Cover your palms with vegetable oil if you find the dough is too sticky to knead or shape)

9.   Repeat with the rest of the ball.

10.   Brush the top of buns with beaten egg wash and sprinkle generously with sunflower seeds.

11.   Cover buns with damp cloth or cling film (or in the oven) and proof for the second time for about 45min, or until double in size.

12.   Preheat the oven to 175deg C. Bake the buns for about 15-20min.

 

Soy pandan bread roll with black raisins

If only you can smell by looking at this photo, you'll know how good this is. (blush)

 

I prepared some really soft and fragrant pandan hee pan, and I reserved the pandan soymilk I made for this bread roll.

 

I prepared pandan soymilk by pureeing about 5 pieces of pandan leaves with 1 cup of fresh unsweetened soymilk. My blender can blend the leaves till really smooth fiber-free, so I didn't even sieve the mixture. Even though pandan leaves are mostly used for fragrance where we are, they are actually quite a nutritious and antioxidant-rich plant. Screwpine foliage is rich in antioxidant  flavonoids and, as a result, is thought to have anti-cancer properties. This benefit is attained by consuming the leaves in rice, soup, as a wrap, or in desserts. The foliage is used as an arthritic pain reliever and an antiseptic for healing wounds and skin disorders, including leprosy and acne. Diabetics and those that suffer from ulcers may also find it to be beneficial. Read more about this here.

 

Some of the homemade buns and bread rolls I made are sold at my shop, Just Health. Most of the clients who buy from me regularly are those who are aware of the 'stuffs' that are added into commercial bread, making them 'mortal' or without lifespan. Some of them buy for their little ones, cos I don't use softeners, improvers, shortenings or eggs in my bread. There are also some who are cancer sufferers. This pandan bread roll with real pandan leaves, all inside them, would be great for them, cos pandan are known for its anti-cancer properties.

 

This is my usual soymilk bun recipe, using Alex Goh's scalded dough method, and is kneaded using my faithful Donlim breadmaker.

 

Scalded dough/ starter dough

·         100g bread flour

·         70g boiling water

To prepare the starter dough, pour boiling hot water over flour and stir with folk until combined into a slightly tacky dough. Cover and chill in the refrigerator. Chill for 20min before use, can keep up to 12hours in refrigerator.

Main dough

 

·         3tbsp vegetable oil (I use grapeseed oil)

·         150g soy pandan milk  

·         2tbsp brown sugar

·         ½ tbsp salt      

·         200g bread flour

·         50g all purpose flour

·         ¾ tsp instant active dry yeast 

*half a cup of raisins, soaked in warm water for 5min

1.       Remove the breadpan from the bread machine. Fit in the kneading blade.

2.       Add all the ingredients in the order listed above, except for the scalded dough prepared earlier.

3.       Insert and lock the breadpan into the bread machine.

4.       Select mode no. 7 (dough)* the display panel will display defaulted time of 01:30 (1hr30min). Press start.

5.       When all the ingredients has combined together (about 5min), add in the starter dough in small pieces.

6.       After 1 hour 30min, a beep alert will sound indicating that the dough is ready.

7.       Remove the dough from the bread maker.

8.       On a floured surface, punch the dough a few times to remove trapped air. Knead and throw a few times. Let rest for about 5min, then form about 200g portion of dough into ball shape.

9.       Flatten dough into a oblong disk, sprinkle generously with soaked raisins. Roll up. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

10.   Brush the top with beaten egg wash and sprinkle with white sesame seeds.

11.   Cover bread rolls with damp cloth or cling film (or in the oven) and proof for the second time for about 45min, or until double in size.

12.   Preheat the oven to 175deg C. Bake the bread rolls for about 20min.

 

 

 

Pandan kikaku (hee pan) (sponge dough)

Pardon me for the poor photo taken, was trying to show how fluffy this was.

I've been making kikaku (or known as hakka hee pan) a lot lately, but it just seems that the recipes I tried (I tried two similar recipes) aren't soft enough. They are chewy but not exactly fluffily soft. Then I come across one that Wendy (from Wendy's Small Small World) made and she claimed that the recipe was a keeper and the hee pan came out seriously soft and fluffy. I had a look through the instructions, the sponge dough (or starter dough) needs to be kept overnight at room temperature, then another four-hour proof when mixed with the rest of the ingredients.. hm.. reading this, I somehow, had a feeling it is gonna be soft. I decided that I wanted to do it, and I got some pandan (screwpine) leaves cos I wanted to make a soft and fragrant one.

I prepared pandan soymilk by pureeing about 5 pieces of pandan leaves with 1 cup of fresh unsweetened soymilk. My blender can blend the leaves till really smooth fiber-free, so I didn't even sieve the mixture. Even though pandan leaves are mostly used for fragrance where we are, they are actually quite a nutritious and antioxidant-rich plant. Screwpine foliage is rich in antioxidant  flavonoids and, as a result, is thought to have anti-cancer properties. This benefit is attained by consuming the leaves in rice, soup, as a wrap, or in desserts. The foliage is used as an arthritic pain reliever and an antiseptic for healing wounds and skin disorders, including leprosy and acne. Diabetics and those that suffer from ulcers may also find it to be beneficial. Read more about this here.

The pandan soymilk blend that I prepared was partly used for this recipe and the leftover portion was used for my soft and fragrant pandan raisin bun.

Here's the recipe for my pandan kikaku (hee pan) using the sponge dough method

Recipe adapted from Wendy's Small Small World

Sponge dough:

1tsp dry instant active yeast
200 g all purpose flour
150g pandan soymil

Mix the above. Cover and proof overnight at room temperature. (I didn't do this overnight, I did it for about 4hrs during the day, at room temperature).

Main dough:

100g all purpose flour
150g glutinous rice flour
125g water
125g sugar (I cut this down to 5tbsp ie 75g)

*I also added 1tbsp grapeseed oil when kneading this dough

a bit of red coloring (I omitted this)
some oil for rubbing on palms while moulding the hee pan.

Mix the sponge dough and the main dough together, knead till soft.
Cover and prove for another 4hours. (I did this for about 2.5hrs)
Then shaped 50g each and place on a banana leaf.
Let proved for another 15mins, steamed at medium heat for 10mins.

Verdict: Like what Wendy mentioned, this recipe is definitely a keeper, thumbs up! The hee pan were softer and fluffier than the previous recipes I tried. But it's not for those who are short of time, cos it requires preparation in advanced.

Purple sweet potato kikaku (hee pan)

This morning I steamed some nice purple sweet potato and turned them into puree, which I then used in bread, sauce for my son's cheese-baked-rice and lastly, reserved some for this. As I got home all ready to make my purple color kikaku (or hee pan), I just realized I only have 30g of sugar left and only 50g of this sweet potato puree. Arghhhh!! And I really wanted to make them, so I made do with whatever I had and they still come out lovely. This is the recipe that I innovated with whatever I had left in my kitchen, adapted from this original recipe:

 

• 125g all purpose flour, sifted
• 125g glutinous rice flour, sifted 
•  30g brown sugar, sifted
• 1tsp instant active dry yeast
• 50g purple sweet potato puree
• 170g sweetened soymilk 
• 1.5 tbsp. virgin coconut oil  

1. Mix all ingredients, except for oil, until texture turns into a dough. Slowly drizzle in veg oil and knead till smooth.
2. Grab about 60g of the dough and knead into small ball.   
3. Place on baking paper (or banana leaves, in my case, I used cupcake liner).
4. Cover up and let it proof for 30min. (In my case, I let it proof in an enclosed oven, not on)  
5. Steam on medium low heat for 10min.

*Note

• Do not poof for too long, over-proved dough will turn wrinkly. Some sources from the other bloggers proof for 30min. But the problem is they never mention how to know when the kikaku is ready to be steamed.  
• Once the kikaku has been steamed for 10min, lift the lid to a little gap to allow the steam to release, this is to avoid sudden drop in temperature which will turn the kikaku wrinkly.

I don't even have photos taken of these lovely purple color sweet potato. All I have is this, photo of my little fella munching on them, or more like playing with it.

 

 

Cheese baked rice w/ fish

I get crazy when comes to stuffs I like to do. I love baking. I love cooking, especially for someone who appreciates the food I make, ie my little fella. The little fella spends his day time at the nanny's, ie during my work hours.  After 5pm, I fetch him home and we have about 1 hour plus to spare before we go over to my in-law's for dinner. Even though it's just a short 1 hour plus, I made some purple sweet potato hee pan (or kikaku) with fresh purple sweet potato puree and soymilk, you gotta check out this recipe that I innovatively made up last minute, cos I was running out of everything in my kitchen, yet still determined to make them, and I've also made cheese baked rice with fish for the little fella's dinner. All this while I thank God that I'm blessed with a little boy who doesn't mind waiting for me while I 'passionately' prepare his food. He would sit still for at least 20 to 30minutes when given something he enjoys eating or playing with before he starts wondering the house looking for new 'toys'. Oh, he's now 17month old.

 

 

 

 



This cheese-baked-rice was quite easy to prepare, most of the stuffs were readily prepared in advanced, when it was near dinner time, I just had to assemble all and baked in the oven for about 20-30min, which was a perfect recipe for me, cos I had spare time to assemble all while waiting for the hee pan to proof.

Homemade tomato sauce (can be prepared in bigger portion and kept frozen):

• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 sweet potato, purple (or replaceable with pumpkin)

Steam all till sweet potato turns soft. Puree all, together with the water that gets generated from steaming. If sauce is too thick, add a little water to thin it down.

For the cheese-baked-rice

• 1 piece of white fish fillet, about 50g
• 2 florets of broccoli
• 1/2 cup of cooked rice
• 3tbsp of homemade tomato sauce (see above for recipe and instruction)
• 2tbsp grated Cheddar cheese

To assemble:

1. Preheat oven to 180deg C.
2. Place cooked rice in a ceramic dish. Top with chopped broccoli.
3. Cut fish fillet into little piece and arrange on top of broccoli.
4. Flood with homemade tomato sauce.
5. Top with generous amount of grated Cheddar.
6. Bake for 20min till cheese turns golden brown.

Prune and honey braided bread roll

I have once again baked a bread roll with Alex Goh's scalded dough method adapted to my breadmaker Donlim DJH10X. This is a great recipe if you have elderly or kids at home and you don’t intend to add too much sugar into your loaves or buns. The addition of prune paste makes it naturally sweet. It also gives it a great rustic appearance. The texture of this bread roll is a little coarse, not so smooth, due to the usage of 10-grain flour in this recipe.  This bread roll has high very fiber and its prune content makes it great for those with constipation.

 

 

Scalded dough/ starter dough

·         100g bread flour

·         70g boiling water

To prepare the starter dough, pour boiling hot water over flour and stir with folk until combined into a slightly tacky dough. Cover and chill in the refrigerator. Chill for 20min before use, can keep up to 12hours in refrigerator.

Main dough

·         40g grapeseed oil or vegetable oil

·         160g water

·         100g prune puree (soak prunes in hot water for 20min, then blend till smooth)

·         2tbsp black soymilk powder

·         1tbsp honey

·         Pinch of salt

·         300g bread flour

·         100g 10-grain flour

·         1tsp instant active dry yeast

1.       Remove the breadpan from the bread machine. Fit in the kneading blade.

2.       Add all the ingredients in the order listed above, except for the scalded dough prepared earlier.

3.       Insert and lock the breadpan into the bread machine.

4.       Select mode no. 7 (dough)* the display panel will display defaulted time of 01:30 (1hr30min). Press start.

5.       When all the ingredients has combined together (about 5min), add in the starter dough in small pieces.  

6.       After 1 hour 30min, a beep alert will sound indicating that the dough is ready.

7.       Remove the dough from the bread maker.

8.       On a floured surface, punch the dough a few times to remove trapped air. Knead and throw a few times. Let rest for about 5min, then form about 70g portion of dough into ball shape (this recipe makes 12 small balls weighing about 60-70g each).

9.       Roll each small ball of dough into a rope shape. With the three ropes lined up, braid loosely just like how you’ll braid your daughter’s hair J. Tuck both end underneath.  

10.   Repeat with the rest of the ball.

11.   Brush the top of braided rolls with beaten egg wash and sprinkle with rolled oat.

12.   Cover braided rolls with damp cloth or cling film (or in the oven) and proof for the second time for about 45min, or until double in size.

13.   Preheat the oven to 175deg C. Bake the rose buns for about 15-20min.

 

  

Rose bun with ham

Roses for the Departed MH370

Today is the saddest day for Malaysia and the whole wide world as everyone mourns for the departed MH370, declared to have gone down in the Indian Ocean with likely no survivors.

 

This is another ‘scalded dough’ recipe, learnt from Alex Goh but adapted to suit Donlim breadmaker DJH10X. This scalded dough method has worked tremendously well with Donlim breadmaker to create bread loaf and buns that are soft and fluffy in texture and remain soft for at least 48hours, even without the use of any bread softener or improver. The method of pre-scalding a portion of the dough helps to loosen the gluten in the bread, making it able to create more volume. The bread is soft and easy to digest, making it a perfect nutritious snack for babies and kids.

*If you do not have ham, you may also make them with sliced cheese.

Here's the recipe for the rose bun, kneaded and proved with Donlim breadmaker DJH10X.

The technique on shaping the bun was learnt from Happy Home Baker.

 

 

 

Scalded dough/ starter dough

·         100g bread flour

·         70g boiling water

To prepare the starter dough, pour boiling hot water over flour and stir with folk until combined into a slightly tacky dough. Cover and chill in the refrigerator. Chill for 20min before use, can keep up to 12hours in refrigerator.

Main dough

·         150g water

·         2tbsp oat milk or soymilk powder

·         1tbsp brown sugar

·         ½ tbsp salt

·         ½ tbsp pizza & pasta seasoning (available from Just Health)

·         200g bread flour

·         50g all purpose flour / oat flour

·         ¾ tbsp instant active dry yeast

·         30g butter, at room temperature, not melted

·         4 slices of ham

1.       Remove the breadpan from the bread machine. Fit in the kneading blade.

2.       Add all the ingredients in the order listed above, except for the scalded dough prepared earlier, the butter and ham.

3.       Insert and lock the breadpan into the bread machine.

4.       Select mode no. 7 (dough)* the display panel will display defaulted time of 01:30 (1hr30min). Press start.

5.       When all the ingredients has combined together (about 5min), add in the starter dough in small pieces. Then add in chopped butter.

6.       After 1 hour 30min, a beep alert will sound indicating that the dough is ready.

7.       Remove the dough from the bread maker.

8.       On a floured surface, punch the dough a few times to remove trapped air. Knead and throw a few times. Let rest for about 5min, then form about 60g portion of dough into ball shape.

9.       Flatten dough into a round disk about the size of the ham you’re using. Place a slice of ham on the flattened dough. Roll up. Place the rolled-up dough, seam side down on another piece of ham and flattened dough. Roll up again.  Cut the roll in the middle into two equal halves. Place cut-side down on a baking tray. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

10.   Brush the top of rose buns with beaten egg wash and sprinkle with floral and herb salt (available at Just Health).

11.   Cover rose buns with damp cloth or cling film (or in the oven) and proof for the second time for about 45min, or until double in size.

12.   Preheat the oven to 175deg C. Bake the rose buns for about 20min.