Cinnamon Apple Ring Bread

This Cinnamon Apple Ring Bread has a soft texture with full of Cinnamon favour and sweet juicy apple cubes in the centre.

 

I adapted the bread recipe from Mummyposhpearl and filled it with cinnamon apples. I am very happy with how well it turned out.
 

 

 

Cinnamon Apple Ring Bread

 Ingredients:

• 180g bread flour
• 120g cake flour
• 30g caster sugar
• 4g salt
• 4g instant yeast
• 210g of 1 egg + fresh milk mixture
• 20g unsalted butter, soften
• Cinnamon Apple Fillings (See recipe below)

 

Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients together.
2. Warm up the milk and egg mixture in a small pot over low fire. Do not let it boil.
3. Add the warm milk mixture into the flour mixture. Knead till well combined.
4. Add in the soften butter and knead the dough until it become smooth and non-sticky. Sprinkle additional flour sparingly if necessary as the dough is sticky to knead at the beginning.
5. Transfer the dough to a oiled bowl, cover with cling wrap and let it rise until double in size, about 1 hour.
6. Punch out the air and transfer to a flat work surface.
7. Roll it out into a flat rectangular shape and spread the cinnamon apple filling evenly over the surface.
8. Roll up firmly like a log, and joined the 2 ends together to form a round ring. Carefully transfer it into a buttered spring form ring cake pan, seamed side down.
9. Proof for a second time until double in size, about 30 minutes.
10. Use a kitchen scissor to make a few diagonal cuts around the ring. Brush some melted butter over the top and bake in pre-heated oven at 175 degree C for 20 minutes or until golden and firm to touch.
11. Brush the top with more melted butter for a glossy look. Let cool before storage.

 

Cinnamon Apple Fillings:

Peel and cut 4 medium apples into small cubes. Mix with 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon. Cook in a a small pot over low fire until soft. Set aside to cool down for later use.


This is for Yeastspotting.

Soft Cheese Butter Loaf

I have been making breads over the last few weekends. This afternoon, I made cheese butter loaf. It is so tasty and soft that I can't wait to write this post to capture the recipe.
 

 

 

 

Cheese Butter Loaf

Inspired by Table for 2....or more

Dry Ingredients:

• 320g bread flour
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt

 

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 egg (lightly beaten)
• 33g honey
• 165g low fat milk
• 65g low fat cream cheese (soften)

 

• 16g unsalted butter (soften)

 

• 3 tbsp of grated Parmesan cheese

 

Topping Ingredients:

• 15g soften unsalted butter
• 15g soften cream cheese
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

 

Steps:

1. Mix together the wet ingredients of egg, honey, milk and cream cheese and set aside.
2. Mix together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
3. Add wet ingredients into the flour mixture.
4. Knead by hand for 10 minutes. Add in butter and continue kneading until the dough become nonsticky and elastic. Sprinkle some flour if needed during the kneading process.
5. Leave the dough in a oiled bowl, cover with fling wrap and let it rise until double in size.
6. Once doubled, punch the dough down and move it to a work surface.
7. Divide it into 6 balls.
8. Stretch each ball into a long rectangular flattened piece, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over the top. Roll it up from the short side. Place roll into a greased loaf pan, seamed side down. Repeat the same for the other 5 balls.
9. Cover the loaf pan with fling wrap, let the rolls proof for the second time until double in size, around 30-40 minutes.
10. To make the topping, mix everything together and set aside.
11. Preheat oven to 175 degree C. Using a knife, make a long slit in the middle the loaf lengthwise.
12. Spoon the topping over to cover the slit.
13. Bake at 175 degree C for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 160 degree C and continue to bake for another 20 minutes.
14. Brush with melted butter when it out from the oven.

 

We absolutely enjoyed the soft and yummy bread!

 

This is for yeast spotting.

Cranberries Cream Cheese Bread

I was on medical leave yesterday. Supposed to be resting at home but could not resist the chance to spend my few hours of fee time in the kitchen. So I started making bread after taking my medication.

While waiting for the dough to complete it first proofing, the after effect of the medication started to kick in, making me so drowsy and sleepy. I pulled myself to proceed with the punching and shaping and the final egg wash of the dough before popping them into the oven. I also patiently waited for 20 minutes to go by before removing them from the oven. I realised my bread rolls are so much skinnier than those I saw in Sonia’s post. But they do taste as soft and yummy as how Sonia has described. So I attributed the skinny roll to my not up to standard kneading skill. After the first bite, I leave them to cool down and went to bed (finally) in the late afternoon. It was only in the late night when I read back Sonia’s recipe again then I realised that I had missed out an important step, that is the 2nd proofing to double the size before the egg wash stage. Alamak! But considering that I baked these bread rolls under the influence of medication, I shall forgive myself. But I will attempt this again over the weekend as my girls like them so much.

Cranberries Cream Cheese Bread

 (Adapted from nasilemaklover)

Ingredients:

• 50g cream cheese (I used low fat version)
• 40g dried cranberries
• 280g bread flour flour
• 40g caster Sugar
• 2.5g salt ( I added ¼ tsp)
• 120g milk (I used low fat milk)
• 40g egg (slightly less than 1 medium egg, keep the remaining for egg wash)
• 1tsp instant yeast
• 28g unsalted butter, soften at room temperature
• Egg wash (with the balance egg + 1tsp milk)

Method:

1. Beat cream cheese with a spoon or folk till creamy.
2. Mix all ingredients (except butter & cranberries) together.
3. Start kneading the dough on a floured surface.
4. Add butter and continue knead till dough becomes smooth, glossy and elastic.
5. Add in cranberries and gently incorporate into dough.
6. Place dough in a oiled bowl and cover with cling wrap. Let it proof till double size (about an hour).
7. Remove dough from the bowl, gently punch down the dough to remove air bubbles. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions ( about 90g each).
8. Roll each into small round dough ball, let them rest for 15mins.
9. Using a rolling pin, roll each small ball into flat oval shape, then roll it up like swiss roll by hand, press firm on the closing. Repeat for the other 5 balls.
10. Line them in a non-stick baking pan (9”x9”), with the closing side faced down. Let them rise until double in size.
11. Apply egg wash and bake at pre-heated oven at 180 degree C for 20mins until the top is golden brown.
12. Remove from pan and cool bread on a wire rack. Store in air-tight container.

I am submitting this for Yeastspotting.

Cheesy Beer Bread

I am not a beer/wine drinker but somehow I like to look out for recipes that contain beer or wine. Well, since I can't drink them, I shall eat them :)

 

This is a very easy to make and very tasty savory quick bread - Cheesy Beer Bread, adapted from Handletheheat.

 

Ingredients:

 

• 2.5 cups plain flour
• 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (I subs with 120g mixed cheddar and mozzarella)
• 3 tbsp caster sugar (I used 2 tbsp)
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt (I omitted) 
• 0.5 tsp ground black pepper
• 1.25 cups light-bodied beer (I used light Korean Fruity Beer)
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled, divided ( that is 70g) 

 

Methods:

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Grease an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan.
2. Mix the flour, cheese, sugar, baking powder, salt (if using) and pepper in a mixing bowl.
3. Add in the beer and 4 tablespoons of the butter. Stir to mix but do not over mix.
4. Place the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the surface. Brush lightly with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached.

 

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool for 1 hour before serving. 

Steamed Man-Tou with Custard Filling

I made these steamed buns (or man-tou / 馒头) for tomorrow's breakfast as  hubby and younger girl need to leave home early for a community service activity.

 

 

 

When the buns first came out from the steamer, my girl quickly run over to ask for one. But when she noticed that there are filling inside the buns, she immediately protested why they are not her favourite plain white bun. I gave her a small bite to try and she immediately liked it and ask for one whole bun for herself.

 

I think the custard spread was too thin. Nonetheless, they are soft and tasty. Next time, I will increase the custard filling amount by half for a thicker filling.

 

 

 

Steamed Bun/Man-Tou with Custard Filling 

(Adapted from my Dual Color Buns recipe)

 

Ingredients:

• 300g flour (I used Hong Kong Flour but plain flour is fine too)
• 3g baking powder (about 1 tsp)
• 3g instant yeast (about 1 tsp)
• 25g caster sugar
• 160ml milk
• 15g canola oil

 

For the Custard Filling:

• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 7g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp custard powder
• 100 ml milk

 

Methods:

1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and make a well.
2. Pour in the milk and mix.
3. Knead the mixture into a dough and add in cooking oil. Continue to knead by hands until the dough become smooth and non-sticky.
4. Form the dough into a ball, and cover with a damp cloth. Let rest for 15 minutes before use.
5. Meanwhile, make the custard filling by mixing together all the filling ingredients in a small bowl and place it over a pot of boiling water. Keep stirring the mixture until it become thicken. Cover with cling film and set aside.
6. Roll the dough into a flat long stretch about 20 cm long. 
7. Spread the custard evenly over the surface of the dough.
8. Roll up the dough lengthwise to form a log. 
9. Seal up the seamed edge with wet finger.
10. Cut the roll into 8 equal parts and place each of them on a piece of baking paper. Let rest for about 50 minutes until each bun rise by 50% in size
11. Place the buns into a bamboo steamer and steam over medium heat for 12 minutes.

 

Serve warm.

 

This is for Yeastspotting.

Soft Cheese Bread

Soft Cheese Bread - A tasty and soft bread that is not complicated to make at home.

 

 

 

 

 

Soft Cheese Bread

Adapted from chubbyhubby

 

 

Ingredients

• 397g bread flour
• 1½ tsp kosher salt (I used 1 tsp)
• 32g brown sugar
• ½ cup of lukewarm water (around 35^oC)
• ½ cup + 1 tbsp lukewarm milk (around 35^oC)
• 7g instant yeast (I used 2 tsp)
• 28g unsalted butter
• 170g grated cheese (I used 200g grated cheddar cheese)
• 3 tbsp dried chives (optional)
• some garlic power, mixed into the grated cheese (not in original recipe)

Method (Kneading by Hand):

1. Whisk the yeast in the lukewarm water in a small bowl. Set aside. Whisk the flour, salt and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Warm the milk and melt the butter in a small saucepan set on low fire. Do not let it boil.
3. Pour the milk and yeast  mixtures into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
4. Knead the dough by hand, sprinkle extra flour if too wet, add more water (bit by  bit) if too dry, until  you get a non-sticky and smooth dough, about 8-10 minutes.
5. Add in the chives (if using) and knead to incorporate into the dough.
6. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let it rest at room temperature for first proofing, about 60 minutes or until it doubles in size.
7. Once the first proofing is done, transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 6 equal pieces.
8. Roll them into small balls. Working with one ball at a time, roll it  into flat rectangle sheet, around 8 inch in length by 6 inch in width.
9. Sprinkle the garlicky grated cheese on the surface of the rectangle, and roll the dough up like a rug, from the long side, like rolling a swiss roll. Seal up the seam part (tapping it with wet finger) to prevent the melted cheese from leaking out after baking. Coil the roll to form a spiral bun and tuck the other end underneath the bun.
10. Place the spiral buns about 1” apart in a greased round cake pan. Sprinkle the top with some water and cover loosely with plastic wrap for second proofing until 1.5 times it original size. This will take about 1-1.5 hours.
11. Before baking it at preheated oven (180^oC), use a toothpick to poke some holes gently through the top crust to release the air bubbles that may have formed in the cheese buns during the rising process.
12. Bake the bread for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
13. Remove the bread from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.

 

This is for Yeastspotting.

Cinnamon Apple Braided Bread

I like to bake with fruit as they add moist and natural sweetness to the baked breads/cakes. Among the many, apple is my first choice, followed by bananas. Both are relatively cheap and available all year round.

 

This Cinnamon Apple Braided Bread is another of my fruity bakes. Sometimes back, I have made a similar one, using puff pastry (Apple Braided Pastry). This time, it is a yeasted bread with cinnamon apple fillings. They are soft, sweet and flavourful.

 

 

 

 

Cinnamon Apple Braided Bread

(Adapted from here; Yield : 2 loaves)

 

Bread Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp instant yeast
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup warm milk

 

Apple Filling Ingredients:

• 3 medium apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (add 1 more tbsp if preferred)
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

 

Method:

For the bread dough:

1. Combine flour, sugar and instant yeast in a mixing bowl.
2. Combine milk, melted butter and salt, stir until well incorporated.
3. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir using a wooden spoon to form into a soft dough.
4. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead by hand until you get a smooth and non-sticky dough, about 8 minutes.
5.  Place dough in a oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a cool dry place for about 60 to 90 minutes, or until it doubled in size.

 

For the apple filling:

1. Place the apple slices in a mixing bowl, coat them with lemon juice.
2. Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon together and sprinkle them over the apple. Toss to coat them evenly.
3. Set aside until the dough is ready.

 

To assemble:

1. Punch down the dough and divide it into 2 balls.
2. Working with one ball at a time, roll the ball on a floured surface into rectangle (about 1 cm thick).
3. Visually divide the rectangular dough
4. into 3 rectangular sections. Spread half of the apple filling in the centre section.
5. On the two remaining rectangular sections, use sharp knife to cut 6 diagonal stripes of around 45 degree angle on each section.
6. Cross the stripes over one-another to form criss-cross pattern.
7. Repeat the same for the second dough ball.
8. Rest the assembled loaves for 45 minutes, covered.
9. Bake the loaves in pre-heated oven at 190 degree C for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter over the surface of the loaves.

Let cool on the rack before serving.

 

I am linking this to Yeastspotting.

 

 

  

 

Home-made Yogurt Naan with Curry Chicken

This is our Saturday's night dinner - Home-made Yogurt Naan (Indian flatbread) with curry chicken.

 

The addition of greek yogurt made these naans so soft and light that they disappeared from the serving tray within 10 minutes. And making these naans is a breeze too, as evident from the short ingredient list and simple steps listed below.

 

 



 

 

Home-made Yogurt Naan

Adapted from Inquiringchef with some adjustments

(Yield 6 Naans)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 small tub greek plain yogurt (200ml), may increase to 250ml

 

Method:

1. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Stir in yogurt and knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
3. Form the dough into a ball. Let the dough rest in a lightly oiled bowl for 2 hours (the dough will not rise after 2 hours). Cover with cling film to prevent drying.
4. Divide dough into 6 parts. Press each piece into a flat, round disk then use the rolling pin to flatten them into 30-cm long oval-shaped flatbread.
5. Heat the oiled frying pan over medium-high heat. Place one naan at a time to the hot pan. Cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes on each side.

 

Serve them warm with curry chicken or for a true-blue Indian meal, have them with butter chicken or chicken tikka masala.

Soft Pretzels with Home-made Caramel Sauce

My family likes Aunt Annie's Pretzels very much but they are not cheap. Hence, I started making pretzels at home since I started baking. So we get to enjoy the soft and chewy snacks in the comfort of our home for a fraction of the price. Bringing a smile to our faces :)

 

 

 

 

I whipped up a quick home-made caramel sauce to go with the pretzels by melting approximately 3 tablespoons of brown sugar with the left over butter that I did not use up after brushing the pretzels.

 

Below is the Pretzel recipe which is adapted from the kingarthurflour site. The steps I am sharing below is for hand-kneading. If you intent to knead using the food processor or bread machine, you can refer to KingArthur site for the detailed steps.

 

Ingredients

For the Dough:

• 2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp salt (I used only 1/2 tsp)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 1 cup warm water (Start with adding 3/4 cup first. Add more bit by bit while you knead to get a soft and un-sticky dough)

For the Soda-Bath:

• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 tablespoons baking soda

For the finishing:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

 

Baking Steps

1. Place all of the dough ingredients into a bowl, and stir until combined. Knead the dough by hand  for about 5-10 minutes, until it's soft and smooth. Flour the dough and place it in a bag, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
2. While the dough is resting, prepare the soda bath solution by mixing the baking soda with the boiling water. Stir until the soda dissolved. Set the mixture aside to cool to lukewarm.
3. Preheat oven to 220 degree C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into eight equal pieces.
5. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
6. Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (about 28" to 30" long), and twist each rope into a pretzel.
7. Next is the soda-bath - Pour the baking soda solution into a wide shallow container, place the pretzel into the baking soda solution, spooning the water over their tops; leave them in the water for 2 minutes before placing them on the baking sheet. Repeat the bathing process until all the pretzels are "bathed". This baking soda "bath" is necessary to give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color.
8. Allow the pretzels to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
9. Bake the pretzels for 8 to 9 minutes, or until golden brown.
10. Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter over several layers to give these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm with caramel sauce.

This is for Yeastspotting.

Garlic Bread Says "Cheese"

Wake up to bright and sunny weekend with this yummylicious Cheesy Garlic Bread.

Last weekend, we went to Resort World Sentosa Singapore for a "staycation" i.e. short holiday without leaving the country. I made this quick Cheesy Garlic Bread for our breakfast before  departing to the resort.

 

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Ingredients

• 1/2 Loaf of French Bread (I used 2 round French Petites brought from local bakery)
• 3 tbsp salted butter
• 3-4 cloves Garlic, chopped finely
• 3/4 cup Shredded Mozzarella/Cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp mixed dried herb (salt-free)

Method

1. Pre-heat oven oven to 175ºC.
2. Place butter in a small oven-proof bowl. Melt the butter in the oven at 150ºC. Once melted, add in the minced garlic and dried herd. Stir to combine. Continue heating it in the oven for another 5 minutes.
3. Slice the bread into half length-wise and brush the soft open top with generous amount of the butter mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and more herb.
4. Toast in the oven for 10-12 min or till top is golden and cheese has melted.

Serve while it is hot and crispy.

Adapted from USmasala

Pain au Chocolat

I set my eye on this recipe when I saw its picture in the bread recipe book I found in the Library. I baked this two weekends ago and intend to bake it again this weekend, with some slight variation to the filling as my kids find the filling too bitter for them.

Pain au Chocolat

(Source: Genki Japanese Bread by Yau Yung Ling)

Ingredients

For the Dough:

• 120g bread flour
• 80g cake flour
• 4g salt
• 6g yeast
• 6g custard powder
• 30g sugar
• 110g water (I used milk instead)
• 1 egg
• 20g butter

For the filling:

• 100g butter, melted
• 40g chocolate, melted
• 20g cocoa power
• 20g cake flour

(Note: my kids feedback that the fillings tasted bitter. Next time I will replace some quantity of butter with sweet condense milk as a variation to sweeten the filling)

Methods

1. Combine filling ingredients. Blend well. Refrigerate until firm.
2. Combine dough ingredients. Blend until incorporated. Knead to a soft, smooth, elastic dough. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. (Note: the dough will be very sticky and wet. You will probably need to add in more flour during the kneading process)
3. Take out the chilled filling. Roll out between 2 sheets of baking paper into a thin rectangle block.
4. Roll out the chilled dough to a thin rectangle layer on a floured surface. Place the filling on the centre of the dough sheet. Fold-in the edges of the dough sheet to wrap up the filling. Roll the dough into thin rectangle sheet again.
5. Visually divide the sheet into 3 rectangular sections, fold the 1st section over to stack on the middle section and then fold the 3rd section over to stack on the middle section too (just like the way we fold a piece of A4 letter to fit into an envelope). Roll the rectangle sheet to about 16cm X 8cm in size.
6. Cut the sheet into 8 squares of 4cm by 4cm. Put in a lightly oiled baking tray. Proof for roughly 45 minutes.
7. Place proofed square in a preheated 200 degree C oven. Bake for about 10 minutes. 

This is for Yeastspotting.

Peach Yeast Tart with Whipping Cream Topping

This is a very unique tart - it does not have the usual buttery tart base that one would expect from a fruit tart. To me, it is more of a bread than tart. To be precise, it is a yeasted bread topped with fruit and whipping cream.

 

 

This is my second time baking this, following the recipes from Technicolorkitchen and Table for 2... or more. The last round, I made the Apple Yeast Tart and this time round, I used canned peach to replace the apple. Both fruits are good topping options for the tarts and I think pear is another option that I will consider the next time when I bake this.

Peach Yeast Tart with Whipping Cream Topping

Ingredients:

• 245g all purpose flour, sifted
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 120ml warm milk
• 28g softened unsalted butter
• 4 pieces of peach (halve) in syrup (discard the syrup and cut into 2 slices for each halve)
• 50g brown sugar
• 120ml whipping cream, whipped to soft peak

 

Methods:

1. Place flour, caster sugar, salt and yeast in a bowl. Whisk egg with milk and mix into flour mixture.
2. Add in butter and knead to a smooth dough. I knead it by hand. Note: the dough will be quite sticky.
3. Place in a buttered bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a draught-free place for 30 minutes.
4. Punch down the risen dough and give it a quick knead (1-2 minutes) then press it into a 22cm buttered spring-form pan, cover with plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes (it will rise slightly).
5. Preheat oven to 200°C. Press peach slices into the dough, and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 180°C. Spoon cream over peaches and bake for another 15-20 minutes. The top should be slightly caramelized and the tart light and spongy.

This is for Yeast Spotting.

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.

Cinnamon Sugar Monkey Bread

I baked this Cinnamon Sugar Monkey Bread on Sunday afternoon together with my younger girl who was bored at home with no one to play with as her elder sister was at her friend's place.

This is a relatively fuss-free sweet bread to make. It was moist, full of cinnamon flavor and still very soft this morning when we ate it for breakfast. Certainly a bread which I will bake again.

When I told my girl that we are making Monkey Bread, she found it amazing. "What is a Monkey Bread? Why it is called a Monkey Bread?' These were the two questions she asked and I had no answer for her. Hence, we googled and get this information - Monkey Bread is also known as Hungarian Coffee Cake or pinch-me-cake. Some believe that when you pinch a piece to eat it, it resemble the eating behavior of monkey. LOL.

I adapted the recipe from Namelymarly. I halved the quantity for a single ring bread and also made some slight variation to the steps. Below is my adapted recipe.

Cinnamon Sugar Monkey Bread

Ingredients:

• 2½ teaspoons instant dry yeast
• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2.5 cups all-purpose flour + 1/2 cup more for kneading
• 1/2 cup raw sugar
• 2 tablespoons of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Combine yeast, sugar, and warm water in a small bowl. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until it becomes frothy. Then add the oil and stir slightly.
2. In a large bowl combine 2.5 cups of the flour and the salt. Stir until well combined.
3. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and stir.
4. Turn the dough onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. I used all the 1/2 cup flour.
5. Place the dough in a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm place until double; this should take about 1 hour.
6. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out.
7. Prepare a bunt pan by lightly oiling the bottom and sides.
8. Mix the sugar and cinnamon on a plate.
9. Pinch off a small piece of the dough and shape the dough into small ball and roll it in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Drop it into the bunt pan.
10. Repeat step 9 until all the dough are used up. I formed 2 layers of cinnamon sugar-coated dough ball in the pan.
11. Bake in preheated oven at 175 degree C for 25 – 30 minutes.
12. Once the Monkey Bread is done, remove it from the oven and set aside to cool. Invert the pan onto a serving pan to remove the bread from the pan.

Swedish Ring Bread

This is a very pretty, tasty and moist bread that I will definitely make again. It is a ring bread with ground almond and dried fruit mixture filling in it. I am sure it will be equally delicious with other fillings that the baker's fancy. I already planned to bake this again next week, with ham and cheese filling to turn it into a savoury bread. Is the original sweet version better or will the ham-cheese version win more support? I will  let my residential food tasters to be the judge. :)

This recipe came from "The Essential Baking Cookbook" that I brought from the book store few months back at a very good discount. Given that this first recipe that I have tried from this book turned out so well-received, I will definitely refer to this book more often and put it into good use.

Recipe for Swedish Ring Bread

For the bread:

• 7g dried yeast
• 2 tbsp warm water
• 170ml milk
• 60g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cups plain flour (I used a mixture of bread and plain flour)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 egg yolk, mixed with 1 tbsp water (for egg wash)

For the filling:

• 30g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 100g ground almond
• 95g mixed dried fruit
• 100g glace cherries, cut in halves ( I replaced this with another 100g of dried mixed fruit)

Methods:

1. Dissolve yeast in 2 tablespoons of warm water in a bowl. Leave aside for 10 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface and the mixture is frothy.
2. Heat the milk, butter, sugar and 1/2 tsp salt in a saucepan until just warmed.
3. Sift 250g of the flour into a large bowl. Add the yeast and milk mixture and beaten egg and mix to a smooth batter.
4. Add the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
5. Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and brush the dough with oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, or until well risen.
6. Meanwhile, to make the filling, cream the butter and sugar, then mix in the almonds and mixed fruits. Set aside.
7. Punch the dough down and give it a knead for 1 minute. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 10 x 18 inch (25 x 45 cm) rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving 2 cm border.
8. Roll up into a log and carefully bend it to form a ring with the seam underneath. use a little egg wash mixture to seal the ends together.
9. Place the ring on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Use a scissors to snip the outside edge of the ring at about 4 cm intervals. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes or until well risen.
10. Preheat oven at 175 degree C. Brush the ring with some egg wash mixture. Bake for 25 minutes or until film and golden. Cover with foil if the ring is browning too much.
11. Remove from oven leave it to cool down (this is the moment when all of us in the house could not resist the sweet and fresh aroma from the bead, especially my daughter who was doing her homework at the dinning table, right in front of the bread)

The bread is still so soft and aromatic in the next morning when we had it for breakfast. Brought a section to share with my fellow colleagues during afternoon tea time. They like it very much too.One of them even ask for a slice to bring home for her mum to try. This is how good it tasted :)