Date & Walnuts Loaf

This is an old fashion bread that I've adopted from an ninety years old reader from a woman magazine.  It is a teacake/coffee cake that meant to be eaten freshly made with the accompany of tea or coffee. Because it doesn't use a lot of butter in the recipe, the texture of the bread is a bit dry.  It is usually served with a generous amount of butter to moisten and enhance the flavour of the bread.  Imagine spreading butter to the warm bread and the butter melted and soaked into the bread, Yum! It's also a great idea for kid's lunch box with the goodness of fruit and nuts.

In Australia, banana bread, muffins and brownie are the most popular homebake.  Maybe we have just forgotten about this old fashion bread and I reckon we should bake this bread more often to keep this recipe to last from generation to generation.

Have a Happy Mother's Day!

Date & Walnuts Loaf

1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
1 cup water
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
3 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups self raising flour
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Method:

1. Pre heat oven at 180c.
2. Pour water into a small saucepan, add dates and butter and let it boil. Take away from heat and add the bicarbonate of soda.  Let it cool a bit.
3. Mix the flour and sugar into a mixing bowl, add beaten eggs and then add the dates mixtures. Stir well and finally add the walnuts. Top the bread with 3 extra whole walnuts.
4. Pour the dough into a paper lined loaf tin, bake for 40 minutes.

Banana & Walnuts Bread (Lactose Free)

Gluten free baking has been popular at cafe these days but there are hardly any lactose free baking available. My son is lactose intolerance so every time when he goes to camp with the school, he has to supply his own milk and request a special diet. He just miss out all the fancy shakes and milk based beverage when we are out dining. Most of the time he can tolerate cheese, ice-cream and chocolate but when his stomach is not well, these special treats are out of the question.

One of my friend's son has very bad reaction to dairy product so all her baking would be dairy free by using lactose free product. You can find lactose free milk, yoghurt and cheese easily these days so it is not a problem if your kids don't like soy or other milk substitution. I come across this recipe from Coles website of Curtis Stone's recipe and decide to making it a lactose free version. Usually my son doesn't like baking contain banana or walnut but he has been eating a few pieces and I guess I can call it a success!


Banana & Walnuts Bread (Lactose Free)

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 tablespoons Lactose Free yoghurt
3 bananas, mashed
1 2/3 cups plain flour
1 1/2 cups walnuts, toasted and chopped (leave 3 whole walnuts for garnish)
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. Sift flour into a mixing bowl, add sugar, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. 
2. Add the oil, beaten eggs, vanilla essence, yoghurt and banana to the dry ingredients, then add the toasted walnuts until it is well combined.
3. Pour the mixture into a paper lined loaf pan and top with 3 whole walnuts for garnish.
4. Bake for 1 1/4 hours at 180c or until the skewer comes out clean when insert into the cake.

Japanese Melon Bun (日式蜜瓜包)

This Japanese melon bun is similar to Hong Kong's pineapple bun (香港菠蘿包), only it has a fair looking as it does not glaze with egg before baking.  The cookie dough topping is not as flaky as the HK pineapple bun.  And the texture is firmer and a little floury but it still very good after it has been a few days old.  It is sometimes labelled as Japanese pineapple bun in some bakery.  The name of the melon bun is derived from the rough cracking look of the cookie dough.  The joy of eating this bun is liked having a milk bun topped with a soft cookie.  And I really think it tastes like the Chinese's giant cookies (光酥餅). I have doubled the recipes to make 12 buns using the bread machine. If you want to watch the video kneading the bread by hand, please click here.


Japanese Melon Bun (日式蜜瓜包)
(make 12)

For the bread dough:
2 tablespoons egg
140ml milk
30g butter
70g sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
280g bread flour
6g dried yeast

For the cookie dough topping:
50g butter
70g sugar
50g egg
160g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Method:

1. Following the sequence of the order from the bread dough, putting the ingredients into the bread machine, starting from the liquid and putting the yeast last.
2. Press the "dough" button.  When it is ready, punch down to release excess air.  Sprinkle some flour on the workbench and knead till the dough is smooth and not sticky.  Divide the dough into 12 equal sized portions about 45g each.  Make into bun shape and put onto 2 paper lined baking trays.  Let it rest in a warm place (a warm oven) for about 45minutes or until it is double in size.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the cookie dough, mix the flour, baking powder and sugar together.  Make a well in the middle, add the egg and mix well.  Add the butter and knead till a soft dough form.  Keep in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
4. Divide the cookie dough into 12 portions. Roll into round flat shape with a roller, then lay on top to cover the bun.  Use a knife to mark a criss-cross patten on top. Let it rest in a warm place for another 30 minutes.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 180c for about 15 minutes.

Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

When I looked at the recipe of this Easter buns, I was expecting some choc chip kind of buns.  However,   the cooking chocolate melted with the dough all together in the bread machine to form this rich chocolate buns.  I had these with lots of nutella for breakfast.  Who would complain too much chocolate for Easter and it is not too bad for my first trial of Easter buns!

Chocolate Hot Cross Buns


1 1/2 cups warm milk
2 teaspoons dried yeast
60g butter, melted
1 egg
1 heap teaspoon coffee powder mixed with 1 teaspoon hot water
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 cup bread flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
180g dark cooking chocolate, chopped

For the crosses:
1/2 cup plain flour
1/3 water
1 teaspoon sugar

For the glaze:
2 tablespoons hot water
1 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon gelatine

Method:

1. Combine milk , yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in bowl, leave for 10 minutes till frothy.
2. Put the liquid ingredients (milk mixture, butter, egg, coffee mixture) into the bread machine followed by the dry ingredients (remaining sugar, salt, flour, cocoa).  Press the dough cycle button.
3. Add dark cooking chocolate into the bread machine after 10 minutes.
4. When the cycle is completed, divide dough into 16 balls.  Place them close together onto a paper lined baking tray.  
5. Mix the plain flour, water and sugar together and pipe the crosses over the dough.  Or in my case, add more flour to form a pastry dough and lay the crosses over the dough.  Leave in a warm place for 30 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 200c. Bake for 10 minutes then reduce to 180c and bake a further 20 minutes or until the bread sound hallow when tap on top.
7. Brush the glaze over the hot buns immediately.  Serve the buns with nutella spread.

Source: adopted and modified from the recipe of hot cross buns from taste.com.au

Chinese BBQ Pork Buns

After realising that I'd made a mistake in putting all the tangzhong in making the pizza buns from the last post, I made the Chinese BBQ pork buns by putting 1/2 of the tangzhong as required from the original recipe.  It's not so sticky, a little easier to handle and the taste and texture are still the same.  I made six BBQ Pork buns and six buns with lotus seed paste.  You may have seen these little buns selling at the pushing trolly at Yum Cha restaurant.  If you can't find the Chinese BBQ pork, some left-over roast meat with gravy will be as good.

Chinese BBQ Pork Buns and Lotus Seed Paste Buns
(make 12)

Tangzhong: (湯種)

25g bread flour

125ml (1/2 water and 1/2 milk)

Ingredients of bread:

125ml milk

1 egg

1/2 of the Tangzhong

30g butter, cut up

55g caster sugar

5g salt

370g bread flour

5g instant yeast

For the filling of BBQ Pork Buns:

1 cup of Chinese BBQ pork, cut into small pieces

1 tablespoon Hoisen Sauce

1 teaspoon Oyster Sauce

1 teaspoon Soy Sauce

1 teaspoon Sugar

1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds

dash of sesame oil

garlic

For the filling of Lotus Seed Paste Buns:

Store brought Lotus seed paste 

egg, beaten for glazing

black sesame seeds and sunflower seeds for garnishing

Method:

1. Mix water and milk mixture with the flour to make the tangzhong in a small saucepan.  Cook over low heat and stir until it is thickened.  When you see some "lines" appear in the mixture with the stir, it is ready. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.  
2. Transfer the tangzhang into a small bowl, cover and fridge for 3-4 hours.
3. When ready to use the tangzhang, leave it room temperature beforehand.
4. Put the milk, egg and tangzhang into the bread machine, followed by the rest of the dry ingredients  and add the yeast last.  Press the "dough" button.
5. When the dough is done, place the dough into a floured workbench.  Knead with extra flour to form a smooth dough.  Divide into 6 portions onto two paper-lined tray.  Rest the dough at a warm place (a warm oven) for 15 minutes.
6. Divide each portion into two, roll flat a little and fill with the fillings. Turn over and place onto the baking tray.  Repeat for the rest of the dough.  Make 12 buns.  Rest in a warm place for a further 40 minutes.
7. Brush the top with egg and garnish with either sesame seeds or sunflower seeds. Bake for 20 minutes at 180c.

Pizza Buns

Few years ago when I was talking to a lady who had travelled to Hong Kong, she told me that Hong Kong's bread tasted sweeter than the Australian.  To those who are used to the western style bread may not used to the sweeter taste of the bread from Asia.  There are many more Asian bakeries in Brisbane these day selling Hong Kong, Taiwanese or Japanese style bread and it is becoming very popular among the Australian as each bun sell only $2-3 dollars. They have so many varieties and flavours.  We'll grab a few of our favourite choice every time when we go down to Brisbane.  These pizza buns are made by the tandzhong method (湯種法) that produce soft bread like the one selling at the Asian bakery.  It doesn't turn hard or dry the next day.  Once you've learnt this method, you can create different variety of Asian bread.  My kids like this pizza bun the most to pack for lunch at school.     

   

Pizza Buns

(make 10-12)

Tangzhong: (湯種)

50g  25gbread flour

250ml  125g (1/2 water and 1/2 milk)

Ingredients of bread:

125ml milk

1 egg

30g butter, cut up

55g caster sugar

5g salt

370g bread flour

5g instant yeast

For the topping:

tomato paste

1/4 cup onion, cut into small pieces

can of pineapple pieces

chorizo or salami, cut into slices

short cut bacon or ham, cut into small pieces

shredded cheese

egg, beaten (for glazing)

Method:

1. Mix water and milk mixture with the flour to make the tangzhong in a small saucepan.  Cook over low heat and stir until it is thickened.  When you see some "lines" appear in the mixture with the stir, it is ready. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.  
2. Transfer the tangzhang into a small bowl, cover and fridge for 3-4 hours.
3. When ready to use the tangzhang, leave it room temperature beforehand.
4. Put the milk, egg and tangzhang into the bread machine, followed by the rest of the dry ingredients  and add the yeast last.  Press the "dough" button.
5. When the dough is done, place the dough into a floured workbench.  Knead with extra flour to form a smooth dough.  Divide into 5-6 portion onto two paper-lined tray.  Rest the dough at a warm place (a warm oven) for 15 minutes.
6. Divide each portion into two, roll flat into long shape.  Roll the two sides toward the middle and tuck both ends inward.  Turn over and place onto the baking tray.  Repeat for the rest of the dough.  Make 10-12 buns.  Rest in a warm place for a further 40 minutes.
7. Spread each buns with tomato paste, topped with onion, bacon, chorizo, pineapple and cheese.  Brush the side with egg.  Bake for 20 minutes at 180c.

Source: adopted and modified from Christine's Recipes

Note: At Christine's Recipes, she uses only 1/2 of the tangzhong for each loaf of bread (or each bread recipe).  I use all so the dough is a bit sticky but it still works.  I have to remember putting 1/2 of the tangzhong next time to see if it works better that way.

Cinnamon Sugar Braid

In my first attempt to make this bread, I forgot to put cinnamon to make the dough and I didn't shape it very well as I was in a hurry to finish it and went to pick up the kids at school.  So I delicate last Sunday to try it again.  The aroma of the bread lead my daughter from her room to the kitchen wondering what I had been making.  It smelled so delicious and we all cut a fat slice of bread.  It was so satisfying for a Sunday treat.

I found this recipe from the library cookbook "The complete Guide to Bread Machine Baking" by Better Homes and Garden.  If you've followed me long enough, you'd know that my weakness is to knead perfect dough by hand.  This book is like a treasure to me and I give my bread machine another hug and kiss!

Cinnamon Sugar Braid


3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, cut into small cube
1 egg, beaten
3 cups bread flour
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon instant dry yeast

For the topping:

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoon brown sugar

For the glazing:
1 egg, beaten
6 tablespoons icing sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon milk

Method:

1. Follow the sequence to put the 1st nine ingredients into the bread machine. (Always put wet ingredients first, then dry ingredients and yeast last) Select dough button. 
2. When the cycle complete, remove dough from the machine. Punch down, cover and rest 10 minutes.  (I didn't punch down but leave it in the machine for 10 mins before shaping)
3. Divide dough into thirds.  On a lightly floured workbench, roll each portions into an 18 inch long rope.  Put two ropes across at the top end and then lay the third one in between, tuck the top bits under.  
4. Sprinkle a little of cinnamon sugar onto a paper lined baking tray.  Braid the ropes into a neat shape, sprinkle 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar onto the ropes during braiding and tuck the end bits under. 
5. Leave it in a warm place for 45 minutes or until nearly double in size. (I leave it in a preheated warm oven)  
6. Brush the bread with beaten egg, sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon sugar.  Bake in a 180c oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Meanwhile, mix the icing sugar with the milk to make icing.
7. When the bread is cool a bit, drizzle with the icing.  Enjoy the nice and warm bread!

Source: adopted and modified from the cookbook "The complete Guide to Bread Machine Baking" by Better Homes and Garden.

Mini Cinnamon Donuts

When you have kids around home during holidays, you just have to keep supply them with food.  One day my son asks me to make him some pancake and I'm surprised as he often say no when I want to make it.  (That's the problem when he has a mum that cook a lot and being my guinea pig for taste testing, he eventually got sick of certain food) This time it's me that doesn't want to cook pancake, then he further request waffle and got me rejected again.  But I'm in the mood of making donuts!  My little donut maker has been neglected for so long that I decide to wake it up from its sleep and do some work for me!

I have been trying to add more fibre to our diet so I add in some wholemeal flour for the recipe.  I also add some colour sprinkles for a more festival looking.  The donuts taste the best when they are still warm and we eat so much that there isn't too much room left for lunch!

I'm going to celebrate Christmas this year with all my siblings.  As you get older, it is harder to gather with the whole family.  Christmas provides a very good reason to do so.  Merry Christmas to you all!

Mini Cinnamon Donuts
(make about 40)

1 1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup whole-meal self-raising flour
1 cup milk
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten

For coating:
caster sugar mixed with some ground cinnamon
melted butter or margarine
coloured sprinkles (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat donut maker.  Prepare cinnamon sugar and melt butter. 
2. Mix all dry ingredients together.  Then add the oil, eggs and milk, stir through mixture until well combine.  Add a little more milk if too thick.
3. Fill each donut hole with a tablespoon of batter then close the unit.  Bake until the donuts are browned or spongy when press with finger.
4. Remove donuts from the donut maker.  Dip each donut into butter then into cinnamon sugar. Sprinkle with some coloured sprinkles if you wish.

Cinnamon Rolls and Ham & Cheese Scrolls

I haven't made cinnamon rolls for a long time as the recipe I have is just "OK".  When I made some of them for my daughter's piano concert a few years ago, I had bad comment from my in-law.  (I"m used to that!)  This time I got good feedback and use the same method to make a savoury one as well.  The problem with day old bread is that it always turns hard and dry.  It's only the tangzhong method which is popular around the Chinese blogger makes soft bread that last longer.  Thanks to Jessica from kitchenbelleicious of her recipe that the cinnamon rolls are superb.  It is still soft the next day which is great for me to bake on Sunday and pack for lunch on Monday for the kids.  And it freezes well, so what do you say?  This is a great recipe that you should try, whether you have sweet tooth or not!  I only use 1/2 amount of Jessica's method as my breadmaker won't fit all and add some pecan into it (based on my old recipe) with less icing.  Go and pour heaps if you like it sweet to make you happy though.  The result of the ham & cheese scroll is liked the bread from Asian bakery which is a little sweet.  The texture is liked the bread from the tangzhong method.  You can cut down the sugar if you don't like it sweet for the scroll.  May be it is the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda doing the magic but I'm sure that the glorious butter plays an important part to the good result.  My son gives some of the bread to his friend at school and he asks which bakery does he got it.  He then tell him it's homemade and his friend reckons I should have a bakery.  How nice is that ! Hahaha! 

Cinnamon Rolls (Breadmaker Method)

2 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups baker's flour (I use Defiance)
8g instant yeast
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 cup extra baker's flour

For the filling:
6 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup chopped pecan nuts

For the vanilla cream glaze:
1.2 cup icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 tablespoons milk

Method:

1. Put wet ingredients followed by dry ingredients except baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into the breadmaker with the yeast last.  i.e. milk, oil, sugar, salt, flour and yeast.  Press to "dough" and let the breadmaker does the job for you.
2. When the dough is ready, add the extra flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and knead until smooth.  Roll it into thin rectangular layer and pour melted butter ( leave 1 tablespoon for later) and spread cinnamon sugar and nuts around the layer.
3. Roll it towards yourself and cut into 3/4 to an inch rolls.  Pour 1 tablespoon melted butter over the base of grease lined pan and lay rolls onto the pan.  Let it rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.
4. Bake in moderate oven for 15-18 minutes.  Drizzle vanilla icing over hot bread.  You can add more glaze if you like it sweet.

Ham & Cheese Scrolls


Same method as for the cinnamon rolls, just omit the brown sugar, nuts, cinnamon and the vanilla glaze.  Add melted butter, pizza sauce over the base, then add the fillings before roll up.

For the fillings:
Ham and shredded cheese ( I would add some onion and pineapple next time to give a ham and pineapple pizza kind of taste)

Buttermilk Scones with Strawberries & Cream

We had a rainy Sunday and I felt like having scones.  I like cream scones so I usually use cream instead of milk for the recipe.  I never have full confidence in making scone as it never come out perfect as I could wish for.  I have mastered the taste using cream but the texture is a problem.  It could be too dry, undercooked or don't have the little split in the middle.  My day old scone becomes dry and hard that it could nearly knock someone's head down if they got hit.  The best scone I've ever had is from the country bakery near our town.  It has the creamy taste and soft texture that is perfect to make for Devonshire Tea.  I find this recipe using buttermilk and it's worth a try as buttermilk is low-fat and it makes fluffy pancake, that could possibly make creamy and soft scones, too.  I also has the problem using scone cutter as it makes large scone that takes longer time to cook making the scone dried.  Therefore, I am cutting them into smaller size by hand.  Even the scones have no split in the middle as the perfect scone, it is creamy and soft inside.  I have one this morning and it is still soft that I doesn't need to heat up in the microwave.  I don't feel too much guilt by putting lots of cream over it as it's made with buttermilk.  When I look at the fat content of the clotted cream selling at the supermarket and it's about 50% per 100g, not as bad as butter but I think I'll stick to whipped cream for my Devonshire Tea.

I gave some to Mum and she said she liked it so my scone making must be improving.  If you know how to make perfect scone with the split in the middle, please let me know.  Thank You!

      

Buttermilk Scones with Strawberries & Cream


3 cups self-raising flour
2 tablespoons caster sugar
40g butter
2 cups buttermilk
extra buttermilk for brushing
whipped cream
strawberry jam & fresh strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 220C.  Line the lamington pan with baking paper.
2. Rub butter with the flour with finger tips until resemble fine crumb.  Mix well in centre and add buttermilk.  
3. Use a knife to cut the buttermilk through the flour to mix a soft, sticky dough.  Knead dough gently on floured surface.  Roll dough out to 2.5cm thickness.  Cut into 12 and place them close to each other in the pan.  Brush top with extra milk. ( I have 9 in one pan and 3 in a small pan)
4. Bake 20 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tap over the top.  Serve scone with jam, strawberries and cream.

Source: adopted and modified from Australian Women's Weekly - Mix -Cakes, Muffins, Biscuits + Pudding

Focaccia Bread

Have you ever hug and kiss your kitchen appliances?  My kids laugh at me when they see me hugging and kissing my breadmaker.  It has done such a wonderful things in making bread, pizza dough, pasta and even jam for me.  It never let me down unless the recipe is a bad one.  Over the weekend, I made my first focaccia bread and pasta and that was a delicious "homemade" dinner.  Kids asked me what would I do if the breadmaker broke, I would certainly cry but luckily I have a spare.  When my husband bought me the Kenwood Chef, it gave me a new breadmaker as a bonus gift.  How nice is that!

Focaccia Bread (Breadmaker method)


Ingredients:
4 cups baker's flour (I use Defiance)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
8g instand dry yeast
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/4 lukewarm water
1 teaspoon mixed dried oregano and basil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic


Topping:

1. olive oil, salt, cheese, garlic, dried oregano and basil
2. olive oil, salt, garlic, cherry tomato, fresh rosemary 

Method:

1. Pour the liquid ingredients into the breadmaker: i.e. water and oil.
2. Then followed by the dry ingredients with the yeast last, i.e. salt, garlic, herb, flour and yeast.
3. Press the select button to "dough"
4. When the dough is done, take it onto the floured bench or place a piece of baking paper onto the bench.  Sprinkle the dough with some flour and roll it into rectangular shape that fitted into the baking tray or small round shape of your choice.  (I make one large rectangular and a small square)
5. Dimple the surface of the dough with your fingertips.  Leave the dough in a warm place for 15 minutes. ( I leave it in a pre-warmed oven)
6. Lightly brush the dough with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, herbs, garlic, cheese, halved tomatoes of your choice.
7. Bake at 210c for 15-20 minutes or until the bread is cooked through.  My dough is a bit thick, I actually bake it about 30 minutes.
8. You can cut the bread in half, butter it.  Put it under the grill for grilled toast or bruschetta bread.

Garlic Bread Rolls

When I read Elisabeth's homemade garlic rolls from Food and Thrift Finds http://www.foodandthriftfinds.blogspot.com/2011/06/homemade-garlic-rolls-and-conversions.html,  it just remind me that I haven't made bread for a long time.  People may have the skill or enjoy the fun of kneading bread but I find that my lovely friend - the breadmaker can do a better job than me.  This recipe is originally adopted from Suhaina's My Singapore Kitchen http://mysingaporekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/07/garlic-rolls-without-egg.html,  I combine Elisabeth and Suhaina's method using cheese, sesame seeds and fresh basil making this bread.  What I love making bread is that the smell, the softness and warm texture of fresh bread always make me feel hungry.

CORRECTION:  I've made a mistake about the orders putting ingredients into the breadmaker.  It should always be: 1st.  Liquid ingredients, ie. water
                             2nd. Fat, ie. oil
                             3rd.  Salt
                             4th.  Dry Ingredients, ie. flour, sugar
                             5th. Yeast

Here is the corrected recipe:
Garlic Bread Rolls - Breadmaker Method
(make 8 rolls)

3 cups high protein plain flours
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon sugar
2-3 tablespoon olive oil
sesame seeds
1 egg, beaten

Garlic Spread:
50 butter
3 grated garlic clove
2 tablespoon basil, chopped
3 tablespoon shaved parmesan cheese

Method

1. Pour in warm water, olive oil followed by salt, flour and sugar.  Put the yeast last.
2. Press the dough button and let the breadmaker knead until finished.
3. Combine butter, garlic, basil and cheese and blend until well mix.
4. Warm your oven at 100c for 10 minutes.  Then turn if off.
5. Place a piece of baking paper onto the kitchen bench.  Divide the dough into half. Roll the dough about 15cmx20cm rectangle.  Spread with about 1/2 garlic butter (leave 2 tablespoons for later use), then roll up the dough.  
6. Cut the the bread into 4 equal portions.  Repeat the procedure for the remaining dough.  Spread the left over garlic butter on top and sprinkle with some sesame seeds.  
7. Leave the bread for 2nd proof in the warm oven for 45 minutes or until the bread about double in size.  You may find some melted butter at the bottom of the pan, it will be absorbed in cooking later.
8. Brush the rolls with egg and sprinkle more sesame seeds.  Bake in moderately oven for 20-25 minutes. 
9. The bread is best to be eaten fresh.  Heat the cold bread in microwave for 20 seconds to get the freshness again.

Pizza with Brocconcini, Chorizo and Rocket

There is a new gourmet pizza take away opened in our town a while ago. Unlike the others, it has load of toppings and some of them are quite interesting such as pizza dressed with hollandaise sauce, pizza topped with pear, blue cheese and walnut.  I love their roasted capsicum, it makes such a different compared to the others.  The image of pizza being cheap take away has started to change and the others are following to have new menu with more gourmet ingredients to compete with the market.  Bocconcini has been a popular cheese, it has been used in TV cooking show and cooking magazines.  It is a fresh soft cheese of the Mozzarella family with 15.2g of fat and 280mg of sodium per 100g which is less than some of the other cheese.  No wonder it becomes popular!  On a lazy weekend,  why not make some pizza and get the kids to help you putting whatever toppings they like?

Pizza with Brocconini, Chorizo and Rocket 

For the pizza dough:

220g high protein plain flour, sieved

1 teaspoon dried yeast

1 teaspoon salt

160ml warm water or a little more

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the toppings:

pizza sauce (I use BBQ flavour)

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tomato, chopped

3 brocconcini, thickly sliced

1 chorizo, sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

garlic minced

roasted capsicum

black olive, pitted

shredded mozzarella cheese

rocket leaves

Method:

1. Place flour and salt into a mixing bowl.  Dissolve yeast in a little lukewarm water than stir in remaining water.
2. Make a the centre of the flour, place liquid into well and stir to form dough.  Remove dough from bowl and knead by hand for about 5 minutes.
3. Place dough in a clean bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place (oven is a good place) until doubled in size.
4. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface.  Make pizza according to your liking of thickness.  I make 1 large and 1 small thin pan pizzas.
5. For the toppings: grease the pizza pan, spread the pizza sauce over the base.  Arrange the pizza with cheese, chorizo, onion, tomato, olive, capsicum, garlic then sprinkle with some mozzarella.  cheese and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bake in a 180c oven for about 20-25 minutes.  Top with rocket leaves before serving.

Note:  As I don't have the baker's hand in kneading dough, I put all the ingredients into the bread maker starting from the liquid ingredient to dry ingredient and putting the yeast last.  (no need to dissolve in water)  After it is kneaded and rest, I then roll out the dough to make pizza base.

Ginger Scones

This is the best scone I have made so far, the texture is soft and not sticky.  It is as good as the scone you get from the Ginger Factory.  I combine the recipe from the CWA Cookbook and the recipe from the packet of glazed ginger.  I am not sure whether it is the soda water making this scone so soft or the use of the mixer creating a light dough.  I give some to my sister as she likes scones, otherwise I may eat the whole lot.

Ginger Scones
(make 8)

2 cups self-raising flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup lite cream
1/4 cup soda water
1 tablespoon castor sugar
2 tablespoons ginger cordial
2 heaps tablespoon glazed ginger, chopped
pinch of salt
egg wash (1 tablespoon of egg and 1 tablespoon of milk)

Fillings:
whipped cream
ginger marmalade

Method:

1. Combine flour into the mixing bowl with sugar and salt.  Add the beaten egg, cream, cordial, soda water and glazed ginger.
2. Use the dough hook for the mixer, mix with low speed till a soft dough is formed.  Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface, sprinkle some flour on top and flatten it to about 2cm thick.  
3. Use a scone cutter to into 8 scones and glaze with egg wash.  Place the scones on a paper lined baking tray and bake at 220c for 12-15 minutes.  The scone is cooked if it sounds hollow when tap on top.  Serve with whipped cream and ginger marmalade.

Ginger Scones 

Herb & Cheese Aussie Damper

 

Although the new year has just begun, three eastern states of Australia have been affected by the horrible flood.  I have been living in Australia for more than 2 decades and I have never had a summer that rain and rain for over two months. When the flood came to Brisbane, TV channels had been board casting live for 24 hours and everyone just hope that the rain would stop very soon.  My town was lucky to escape from serious flood damage but there still a lot of cleaning up afterward.  It's sad to see that people lost nearly everything and had to fight with insurance company for compensation.  There were also injured animals and the most tragic was the lost of human lives.  Many flood victims are still cleaning up and trying to get back to their normal life this Australia Day (26 Jan).  It is so great to see that many people are willing to help the victims though volunteering cleaning up, donating money and necessary items, cooking meals, offering shelters etc.....  Although we cannot beat the mother nature to ruin our land, it cannot beat our spirit.

I combine two recipes to make this savoury version of herb & cheese damper.  It goes very well with other finger food.  Damper is a bush tucker that is made in camping.  I first tried it when I went to an excursion with school to a farm, the farm lady put a bottle of beer into the batter and cooked it under wood fire in the bush.  We dipped the hot damper with honey and I always enjoy having it with the crowd of people.  Happy Australian Day!     

Herb & Cheese Aussie Damper

Ingredients:

3 cups self-raising flour

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 1/4 cup milk

80 butter, soften

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon mixed herb

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200c.  Line a 20cm round cake pan with baking paper.
2. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and crumble the butter with your fingers until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Add milk and cheese using a flat edge knife lightly mix until mixture starts to come together like scone batter.  Knead lightly and shape into the cake pan.  
4. Score top of damper into 8-12wedges with a sharp knife.  Bake for 45 minutes or until golden.  Serve with finger food such as smoked salmon, ham, olives, cheese and sun-dried tomato for great entertainment.