Kitchen Corner

July 31, 2008

Breakfast Bar

This is a quick and simple recipe which you could make it in advance and store it in an airtight container. It could be given as a gift or get one or two with you in the rush hour. Make a 23 x 33 x 4cm baking pan
  1. Combine 250g rolled oats, 75g shredded coconut, 100g dried cranberries, 125g unsalted roasted peanut, 45g pumpkin seeds, 40g sunflower seeds and 40g black sesame.
  2. Mix in 397g condensed milk and spread evenly on a baking tin which attach with baking parchment.
  3. Bake in a preheat oven at 130'C for 1 hour.
  4. Let it cool down for a while before cut into the desire size of bar.

Hokkaido Milky Loaf

I had this recipe from HHB. As mentioned at her blog, the bread texture is truly cottony that I supposed the fresh cream and milk produced a better texture.
I baked the dough into a perfect square sandwich loaf and this fantastic recipe will be added into our breakfast menu!

July 29, 2008

Lemon Curd Cheesecake

This was one of the best selling product in Huntingdon especially during the summer as it's so refreshing. The cheesecake contains cooked lemon curd which could easily get from the supermarket or made our own homemade lemon curd. I did it myself as I like to add more lemon juice to have a strong lemon flavor and used some the left over to decorate the cheesecake. Recipe for 9 inch baking tin Bottom base: 155g Digestive biscuits crumbs 75g butter (melted) Fillings: 375g cream cheese 50g sugar 300g cooked lemon curd 7 tablespoon lemon juice 15g gelatin (dissolve in water) 250ml whipped cream Cooked lemon curd: 135g butter 330g sugar 3 egg beaten, strain 3 teaspoon lemon zest 6 tablespoon lemon juice *Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice for stronger flavor Method:
  1. Mix crumbs and melted butter in a bowl. Press crumb mixture onto bottom pan and keep in the fridge.
  2. To make lemon curd: In the top of a double boiler, combine all the ingredients over gently simmering water. Cook until thickened and coats back of spoon. Remove from heat and completely cool.
  3. To make the filling, in large bowl with electric mixer on medium-high, beat cream cheese until fluffy, gradually beat in sugar then beat in zest and juice follow by lemon curd.
  4. Add the dissolved gelatin into the mixture and add in the whipped cream until everything combine. Pour into crust and chill in the fridge until it set.
  5. Decorate the cheesecake with some whipped cream at the side of cheesecake and pour over some left over lemon curd on top of the cheesecake.

July 21, 2008

10 Grain Loaf

I bought few packages of Red Mill whole grain flour from the Market Place Supermarket weeks ago. There are rye flour, wholemeal flour and 10 grain flour. I've used rye flour for a rye bread in my previous attempt whereas wholemeal flour had been used for wholemeal bread or pancakes. Yesterday, I tried to make another loaf with the 10 grain flour which contains wheat, rye, triticle, oats, corn, barley, soy, brown rice, millet and flax seed. There are finely grounded grains which is quite different from the wholemeal flour I've been used for some time ago. Perhaps the dough would be much smoother. I purposely left the bread rise without a lid-on as my other half like the caramelized bread edges. Finally, it rise absolutely tall and end up we've got quite a big slice of bread. As for me, I love the outlook of homemade country loaf. The bread texture was soft as I used a recipe which contains milk and egg. I could hardly tell what is the flavor as too many grains had combined together. Sometimes, it tasted like soy, sometimes like brown rice and sometimes barley. Well, whatever it is, it's a healthy bread. Recipe: 250g bread flour 80g 10 grain flour 30g sugar 5g yeast 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 egg 65g ice water 100g milk 30g butter
  1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Gradually add in all the wet ingredients and mix it by a flat beater at low speed until everything just combine.
  2. Add butter continue to mix for 1 or 2 minutes. Change to a dough hook continue kneading for about 20 minutes at medium speed.
  3. Off the machine and clear the sticky dough at side of the bowl. Continue kneading for few seconds.
  4. Knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface until the dough smooth but not sticky then shape it into a smooth round dough, cover with cling film and let it rest for 20 minutes.
  5. Knead the dough and punch out the gas.
  6. Flatten a dough and roll out into a longish shape. Roll up the dough like a Swiss-roll.
  7. Flatten the rolled-up dough and roll out again into a long rectangular shape then roll up the dough tightly.
  8. Place the rolled dough in a greased bread tin.
  9. Spray water around the tin. Place it in the oven with door close, proof for 60 minutes without lid on.
  10. Proof until it rise over the top of tin then take out the tin from the oven and preheat the oven at 180'C.
  11. Bake approximately 40 minutes or until golden brown (used an aluminium foil to cover the top after 25 minutes to prevent burning at the top).
  12. Take out the bread to cool down before slicing into pieces. Store leftover bread in airtight container without slicing it into pieces to let it stay fresh for the next serving.

July 18, 2008

Chocolate & Nut Chiffon

This chiffon had a soft yet crunchy texture. It also had some moisture filling especially when there are some chocolate oozing out from the cake.
If you are looking for some chocolate cake but not rich yet soft then you may try this.
Recipe for 17cm chiffon tin:
  1. Whip egg whites until peak form then slowly add in caster sugar continue whipping until a shiny and smooth consistency.
  2. Add in the cornflour and whip until just combine.
  3. Mix egg yolks, oil, water, flour, cocoa powder and caster sugar in another mixing bowl until everything well combine.
  4. Add in 1/3 of the egg white mixture into (2) until combine. Then add half of the left over egg whites mixture continue mixing. Then mix in the remaining egg whites until well combine.
  5. Add chopped chocolate and mix until just combined.
  6. Pour into the baking tin then sprinkle chopped nuts on top and bake 40 minutes at 170'C.
  7. Turn the cake upside down for cooling before unmold it.

July 11, 2008

Ciabatta 意大利拖鞋面包

I was advised that this recipe would be very difficult to make, especially for a "fresh" bread maker like me! However, I would still like to try it because I'm crazy about its crusty texture with the soft crumbs. Ciabatta was originated from Italy and it's named as "拖鞋面包" by the Italian because the bread's shape looks similar to their traditional sandal. Somehow I didn't manage to produce a perfect "sandal" alike shape as the dough was really hard to handle. Well, I believe practice makes perfect! The bread smells very good and it gave us a very crusty texture. It just reminds us the sandwich we had in Europe years ago. Ingredients (2 loafs) Sour dough: 1/2 teaspoon instant dried yeast / 150ml water / 3 tablespoon milk / 1/4 teaspoon sugar / 150g bread flour Plain dough: 1/2 teaspoon instant dried yeast / 250ml water / 1/2 tablespoon olive oil / 350g bread flour / 1 1/2 teaspoon salt Method:
  1. Mix all the sour dough ingredients in a bowl then cover with cling film and leave it overnight or 12 hours.
  2. Mix all the plain dough ingredients with over night sour dough in a mixer with dough hook for about 15 minutes. It would be very wet.
  3. Use a dough scraper to scrap out the dough into a clean bowl for 3 hours proofing.
  4. Floured your hand and a baking tray with lots of flour. Divide the dough into 2 portion with a scraper then turn out one of the dough to the floured baking tray. Do it gently, do not punch out the gas from the dough.
  5. Gently stretch the dough into longish shape with floured hand.
  6. Floured your hand again and slowly fold in the edges around the dough. Do the same with another dough.
  7. Let the doughs proof for 20 minutes then bake in the preheat oven 220'C for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

July 7, 2008

Sweet Corn Bread

Sweet corn bread, I thought this bread supposed to be added with some corn puree or corn flour but it isn't and you will hardly get lots of sweet corn at every bite of this bread. But, the texture and flavor is absolutely fantastic! I doubt that the corn had created kind of aroma in the dough through the fermentation and through the baking or may be not. No matter how, it is super soft and tender! This bread soft from outside to inside, just like my friend advised "the bread supposed to be softer than the white bread!". It is so light and tender that you will like to have the next bite before shallow the first. As for me, I could just have it plain without any spread. Method:
  1. Mix all the dry ingredients then gradually add the wet ingredients by mixing with a flat beater at low speed until everything just combine.
  2. Add in butter continue to mix for 1 or 2 minutes.
  3. Change to a dough hook continues kneading for about 15 minutes at medium speed.
  4. Take out the dough from the mixing bowl, slowly add in some sweet corn by hand then shape it into a smooth round dough (make sure the corn is dry before add into the dough).
  5. Cover with cling film and let it proof for 90 minutes.
  6. Knead the dough and punch out the gas (be careful not to broken the corn while kneading it, do it gently).
  7. Use the hand to shape the dough in long rectangular shape then roll up like a swiss roll. Place the rolled dough in greased bread tin.
  8. Spray with some water around the tin. Place it in the oven with door close, proof for 60 minutes. Take out the tin from the oven and preheat the oven at 190'C.
  9. When the oven ready, bake the dough approximately 40 minutes or until golden brown, (I used a piece of aluminum foil to cover the top after 20 minutes of baking to prevent the top burning).
  10. Take out the bread to cool down before slicing into pieces.Store leftover bread in airtight container without slicing it into pieces to let it stay fresh for the next serving.

July 4, 2008

Pandan Coconut Chiffon

This chiffon was made by some left over pandan juice and coconut milk that I used for kaya. I haven't come across pandan chiffon before, so I would like to have a little experiment and hopefully the result will be ok. It seems ok after cooled down in 2 hours. It sank just about 2cm from the top of the tin. Then I kept it in the fridge for better texture. I think that I did not add enough pandan juice that's why the sponge didn't have a sharp green color. Somehow the texture as soft as the previous chiffon I made. This is a very refreshing cake.

Recipe for 17cm chiffon tin:

110g egg whites/55g caster sugar/5g corn flour

40g egg yolks/pandan juice50g(sqeeze from the coconut juice with pandan)/vegetable oil 36g/55g plain flour/10g caster sugar/24g shredded coconut

  1. Whip egg whites until peak form then slowly add in caster sugar continue whipping until a shiny and smooth consistency.
  2. Add in the cornflour and whip until just combine.
  3. Mix egg yolks, oil, pandan juice, flour and caster sugar in another mixing bowl until everything combine.
  4. Add in 1/3 of the egg white mixture into (2) until combine. Then add half of the left over egg whites mixture continue mixing. Then mix in the remaining egg whites until well combine.
  5. Add shredded coconut and mix until just combined. Pour into the baking tin and bake 40 minutes at 160'C.
  6. Turn the cake upside down for cooling before unmold it.
  7. Chill in a fridge for better refreshing texture.

July 1, 2008

Sesame Bread

This bread has no different from other breads that I have made previously, except that with lots of sesame. I read an article that described black sesame high in calcium that each 100g of black sesame contains 2000mg of calcium whereas white sesame contains 440mg of calcium. Also described, black sesame contains 18 times more calcium than fresh milk!
After reading it, I decided to add in some sesame into my wholemeal bread to have more nutrition. I followed a wholemeal bread recipe which I believe it can be mixed with other plain bread or milky loaf too! The first dough I baked was not covered with a lid as I purposely want to shape it like homemade country bread. Therefore, I egg-washed the dough and sprinkled it with lots of sesame seeds.
The bread was beautifully baked in golden brown color with very fragrant flavor. The bread crumb was very soft and its top with sesame provides a crunchy texture. Then, I decided to make a second sesame loaf as my other half is crazy about it. I baked it with a Pullman tin with lid and added lots of sesame as well.
This time, the dough had turned into a square sandwich loaf. The texture has no different compared to the previous loaf I made.
Again, the fragrant of the sesame had given us another delicious and healthy breakfast!
Recipe:
1st recipe with 10% wholemeal (much softer version)
270g bread flour 30g whole wheat flour 6g sugar 6g salt 3g yeast 240g low fat milk 12g butter
30g white sesame (toasted)
50g black sesame (toased) 2nd recipe with 33% wholemeal (much healthier version)
250g bread flour
80g whole wheat flour
10g oat bran
30g sugar ¾ teaspoon salt 5g yeast
1 egg
150g ice water
15g low fat milk
30g butter 30g white sesame (toasted) 50g black sesame (toased)
Method:
  1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  2. Gradually add in all the wet ingredients and mix it by a flat beater at low speed until everything has just combined.
  3. Add butter continue to mix for 1 or 2 minutes.
  4. Change to a dough hook continues kneading for about 20 minutes at medium speed.
  5. Off the machine and clear the sticky dough at side of the bowl. Continue kneading for few seconds.
  6. Knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface until the dough smooth but not sticky.
  7. Mix sesame into the dough.
  8. Shape it into smooth round dough, cover with cling film and let it rest for 20 minutes.
  9. Knead the dough and punch out the gas. Divide the dough into three equal pieces and roll to form three even 'ball' shapes.
  10. Flatten dough and roll out into a longish shape. Roll up the dough like a Swiss-roll.
  11. Flatten the rolled-up dough and roll out again into a long rectangular shape. Add in some dried fruits on top then roll up the dough tightly.
  12. Do the same for the other two remaining dough. Place the rolled dough in greased bread tin. Spray with some water around the tin. Place it in the oven with door close, proof for 60 minutes without lid on.
  13. Put the lid on when the dough rise near to the top. Take out the tin from the oven and preheat the oven at 190'C.
  14. Bake approximately 40 minutes or until golden brown. (I increased the temperature to 210'C for extra 10 minutes until the bread had a golden brown color).
  15. Take out the bread to cool down before slicing into pieces. Store leftover bread in airtight container without slicing it for keeping it fresh for the next serving.