Apricot Marmalade Buns

Apricot Marmalade Buns - another bread and bun post. :)

The recipe is taken from jocooks. I halved the recipe and produced 17 soft and delicious buns that are good for breakfast and tea-break.

Ham And Cheese Rolls

I try to bake on Sundays so that we could have home-baked breakfast the next morning before we go for work and school. These Ham and Cheese Rolls are freshly baked yesterday afternoon, a lazy Sunday that we spent at home as my younger girl is down with stomach flu.

These rolls are puffy and soft with 2 fillings that my daughters and I love, ham and cheese. The addition of dried mixed herbs also add flavor to these savoury rolls.

I adapted the recipe from The Batter Baker but made some adjustments to the proofing process, in accordance with the usual yeasted bread proofing process that I am more comfortable with. 

Here is the recipe with all the adjustment that I have made:

Ham and Cheese Rolls

Yield 7 rolls

Ingredients:

• 135ml milk
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2/3 tsp instant yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 200g all purpose flour
• Ham and Cheese slices (cut into half)
• Salt-free dried herbs

Methods:

1. Combine milk, sugar and butter in a small bowl, place in simmering water to bring the temperature up to 45 degree C and stir to dissolve the sugar.
2. Add in the instant yeast, set aside for 5 minutes until bubbles formed in the mixture.
3. Add in the flour and salt, stir to mix and then knead by hand on a slightly floured surface till a soft and non-sticky dough is formed.
4. Place the dough in a oiled bowl, cover up with tower and leave it to rise till double, about 1 hour or slightly longer.
5. Punch down the inflated dough, knead it a few times, then place it back to let it rise for a second time, for 30 minutes.
6. Take out the dough from the bowl and give it a quick knead. Divide the dough into 7 small balls. Roll out each ball into a flat rectangle, sprinkle some dried herb on it before placing one halved-slice of ham followed by one halved-slice of cheese on top. Roll up from the short side to conceal the fillings completely in the dough. Pinch the 2 sides of the rolls to seal openings so that the cheese will not leak out during the baking process. Coat the top of the rolls with some more dried herbs.
7. Place the rolls on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Let them rest for 20 minutes before baking them in the pre-heated oven at 180 degree C for 15 minutes.
8. Once the rolls are taken out from the over, brush the tops with melted butter for a grossly look.

Fresh-made and home-baked breads are always the best! :)

This is for Yeastspotting.

Chocolate Chip & Walnut Blondies

I baked these Blondies with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts together with my elder girl as birthday present for her senior in the school's band.

These squary cookie/bar are very crunchy and chewy. Daughter shared the leftovers with her classmates who liked them very much.

The recipe as given below is adapted from Martha Stewart site. 

Blondies with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar (I omitted this)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt (i reduced to 1/2 teaspoon)
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used a mixture of dark and white chocolate chips)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (I used less than this amount)

1. Preheat oven to 175 degree C. Brush an 8-inch square baking pan with butter; line pan with buttered baking paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides for easy lifting later.
2. In a large bowl, whisk butter and sugar until smooth. Whisk in egg and vanilla. Add flour and salt; mix just until moistened but do not over mix.
3. Fold in 1/2 of the chocolate chips and walnuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan and smoothen the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips and walnuts on top.
4. Bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. 
5. Let cool completely in the pan. Using the overhanging baking paper, lift the blondies from the pan and transfer to a cutting board; cut into 16 squares.

Apple Crumble

Apple Crumble with Strawberry Sorbet for a hot Sunday afternoon.

This delicious and easy to whip up desert is adapted from Noobcook. I adjusted the quantity of ingredients as a afternoon tea-time dessert for my family of four.

Apple Crumble

Ingredients
(Serves 4)
- 75g plain flour
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon powder
- 35g cold butter, cut into small cubes
- 21/2 tbsp caster sugar
- 3 big apples or 5 small apples
- ice cream to serve (optional, I used strawberry sorbet as I did not have ice cream in my fridge)

Directions
1. Mix flour and cinnamon powder in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add cubed butter to sifted flour. Using fingertips, gently rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add sugar and mix well with a spoon.
3. Peel and core the apples. Cut into small thin slices. Arrange apple slices in a shallow baking dish.
4. Spread the crumb mixture to cover up the apples and press lightly with the back of a spoon.
5. Bake at pre-heated oven of 200°C for about 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly golden brown.
6. Carefully scoop the hot apple crumble in individual serving plate, top with a scoop of ice cream. Serve.



Green Tea Spongy Cupcakes

Another green tea bakes fresh from my oven - Green Tea Spongy Cupcakes. 

I simply love to fill my house with green tea aroma.:) These little green cuppies are light, soft and full of green tea taste that has a calm-down effect on me. 

Green Tea Spongy Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 95g cake flour
• 5g green tea powder
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 70g caster sugar
• 20g unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons fresh milk

Method:

1. Sift cake flour and green tea powder together, set aside. 
2. Line 12 cup cake liners in the baking trays. Preheat oven to 170 degree C.
3. With an electric mixer, whisk eggs and sugar on HIGH speed for about 5 to 7 mins, until the batter double in volume and is ribbon-like (the beater should leave a ribbon-like trail when the batter is lifted up). Turn down to Low speed and whisk for another 1 to 2 mins. This is to helps to stabilise the air bubbles in the batter.
4. Add sifted cake flour mixture into the batter in 3 separate additions. Gently fold in the flour with a spatula each time the flour is added. Take care not to deflate the batter.
5. Add the melted butter, fold with spatula until well blended.
6. Add in fresh milk and fold in gently with spatula.
7. Pour the batter into the cup cake liners and bake for 18 mins. Transfer to rack and let cool.