Watermelon Milk Bread

I love the Hokkaido Milk Bread so much that I've bake another one with a twist! I can't wait to try it out when I found this idea from a facebook link :D Come help yourself with a slice of juicy watermelon! hahaha Doesn't  it looks like the real fruit? My hubby could not help grinning when I serve him a slice of this 'fruit' ^0^

Just an ordinary loaf bread by the look of its exterior, waiting to be awed when you sliced it!!

It isn't difficult to make this! Just roll and wrap the tinted dough according to sequence :D

Ingredient (one 20cm x 10cm x 10cm loaf)

• 270gm bread flour
• 30gm cake flour
• 1.5 tsp instant yeast
• 30gm milk powder
• 40gm sugar
• 9gm salt
• 30gm beaten egg
• 125gm milk
• 75gm whipping cream
• 1 tsp red yeast powder
• 1 tsp green tea powder
• 40gm raisins, chopped

Method

1. Place all the dry ingredient into a mixing bowl.
2. Combine egg, milk and whipping cream. Stir to mix well.
3. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredient. Use a scrapper to mix it into a rough dough.
4. Divide dough into 3 portions : 40% : 40% : 20%. Knead red yeast powder + raisins and green tea powder into each 40% portion leaving the 20% portion plain. Knead all the dough individually for 10mins until smooth and elastic. Cover with a damp cloth and proof for 60mins or until double in bulk.
5. Take out the dough and lightly knead. Rest for 20mins.
6. Roll out the red yeast dough into a rectangular shape. Roll up like a swiss roll. Set aside.
7. Roll out the white dough large enough to encase the red yeast dough.
8. Place the rolled red yeast dough onto the middle of the white dough. Wrap up and seal the edge tightly. Set aside.
9. Roll out the green tea dough into rectangle shape. Place step (8) onto the middle of the green tea dough and wrap up. Seal the edge tightly.
10. Place the loaf, seam side down, into the loaf pan. Proof for 60mins until it fills up 90% of the pan. Place on the lid pan.
11. Bake in preheated oven at 200 deg cel for 35mins.
12. Unmould and cool on wire rack completely before slicing.

Sliced and cut into triangles to resemble the real fruit!

Hokkaido Milk Loaf

This is another lovely loaf bread I've done! It raises very well as it almost reaches the ceiling of my little oven! ^0^ Therefore you can see that one side of the loaf is almost charred :P Lovely milky and sweet bread and soft texture too which I will make it over and over again! 

As usual I kneaded the dough using my bare hands :D Luckily this is a very manageable dough, after full 10mins of kneading and stretching, my palms is almost clear of dough bits :D

Recipe source : Angie's Recipes

Ingredient (one 20cm x 10cm x 10cm loaf)

• 270gm bread flour
• 30gm cake flour
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 30gm milk powder
• 40gm sugar
• 9gm salt
• 30gm beaten egg
• 125gm milk
• 75gm whipping cream

Method

1. Place all the dry ingredient into a mixing bowl.
2. Combine egg, milk and whipping cream. Stir to mix well.
3. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredient. Use a scrapper to mix it into a rough dough.
4. Knead the dough for about 10mins until smooth and non-sticky. Cover with a damp cloth and proof for 60mins or until double in bulk.
5. Take out the dough and lightly knead. Divide into 3 equal portions. Rest for 20mins.
6. Roll out each dough into a rectangular shape. Roll up like a swiss roll. Place the rolled dough into the loaf pan and proof for another 60mins until it reaches the ream of the pan. Lightly brush the surface with egg wash.
7. Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg cel for 35mins.
8. Unmould and cool on wire rack completely before slicing.

I am submitting this post to 'Bake Along #52" hosted by Lena, Joyce & Zoe

Healthy Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Nom nom nom, I've managed to use up the creamy cauliflower sauce  after baking two 10" pizza on the following day :D Hmmm why is the pizza crust so black?! hehehe Trying to be adventure in taste and I've added some charcoal powder into the dough. Worrying that my kids will be put off by the colour of the pizza though the charcoal powder will not impart any flavour to it, I've made any wholemeal pizza crust will almost the same fillings on top. In the end the charcoal pizza was completely polished up first! :D 

Charcoal Pizza Base
Ingredient (one 10" wholemeal crust pizza)

• 100ml lukewarm water
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 120gm bread flour
• 40gm wholemeal flour
• 1 tbsp charcoal powder (omit if making plain wholemeal crust)

Method

1. Sprinkle sugar and yeast over water. Set aside for about 10mins till frothy.
2. Sift flour into a mixing bowl. Stir in salt. Make a well in the centre.
3. Pour yeast mixture and oil into the well.
4. Knead dough till smooth and springy for about 5mins.
5. Place the ball of dough in a large flour-dusted bowl. Cover with cling wrap. Proof for about 1 hr till double in size.
6. Knock back dough and knead lightly. At this point of time can seal the dough tightly and chill in fridge till use. 

Recipe modified from : pinofyum.com

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Ingredient

• 1 10" charcoal pizza crust (recipe as above)
• 1 cup creamy cauliflower dough
• 1 cup roasted chicken breast, shredded
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• diced tomatoes
• minced fresh parsley
• olive oil

Method

1. Roll out pizza dough into a 10" circle. Prick the surface randomly with a fork.
2. Spread 1/2 cup sauce evenly over unbaked crust.
3. Arrange chicken/mushroom over pizza and top with remaining 1/2 cup sauce.
4. Sprinkle cheese over and top with diced tomatoes.
5. Bake in preheated oven at 200 deg cel for 25 -30 mins or until the edges of the chicken started to brown and outer crust is slightly crispy. Topped with chopped parsley and olive oil and serve immediately.

For this plain wholemeal pizza crust, I've added extra 1/2 cup sautéed mushroom and reduced the roasted chicken to 1/2 cup.

I am submitting this recipe to Aspiring Bakers #35: A Palate for Pizza (September 2013) hosted by Joey of Little Accidents in the Kitchen 

Panda Cookies

It's been quite some time I've bake cute cookies for my kids! Too cute too be eaten? Neh....they so happily munching off the cookies at high speed hahaha...No special flavouring was added to this batch of butter cookies. I just used a better quality danish salted butter and it is indeed very very fragrant during the baking process!! Luckily I chosen a good recipe for this cut-out cookies as the stamping of the panda features took me quite some time! While meddling with the cookie dough, I did not even require to chill them to firm them up. The dough maintained pliable and non-sticky throughout my repeating kneading and rolling out process :D Though is quite cumbersome to stamp out the individual panda patterns, I'm delighted they turned out beautifully cute and of course yummylicous too! ^.*

Parts of the Panda Cookie Cutters

stamp out the base first....

 followed by the face and body...

 assembled and ready for baking...

Ingredient (approx 24 panda cookie & 12 butterfly cookies)

• 180gm danish salted butter
• 30gm egg whites
• 80gm icing sugar
• 180gm plain flour
• 80gm cake flour
• 80gm rice flour
• 2 tsp charcoal powder

Method

1. Using a electric whisk, cream butter, egg whites & icing sugar till creamy.
2. Using a spatula, fold in plain flour, rice flour & cornflour. Lightly knead to a soft dough.
3. Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Knead in charcoal powder into one of the portion.
4. Place 2 dough into individual ziplog bag, roll flat. Keep dough sheet in the refrigerator, chill dough for about 1 hour.
5. Remove dough from the refrigerator. Roll out each dough into 5mm thickness. Stamp out cookies using your favourite cookie cutters.
6. Arrange on lined baking trays. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 deg cel for 25-30  minutes depending on size and thickness of the cookies. Cool well and store in air-tight container.

Creamy Cauliflower Baked Rice

Here comes the recipe for the baked rice using ceamy cauliflower sauce! As usual, for a healthier meal, I've used a mixture of brown & normal white rice as the base with lots of vegetables embedded inside :D Healthy and tasty one dish meal!

diced zucchini, shredded roasted chicken, sweet corn kernels, diced onions

mixed everything with creamy cauliflower sauce and ready to bake!

Recipe modified from: pinchofyum.com

Ingredient

• 1.5 cups rice (1 cup white rice + 1/2 cup brown rice, cook accordingly to package)
• 125gm sweet corn kernels
• 100gm zucchini, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 cup roasted chicken breast, shredded
• 2.5 cups creamy cauliflower sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Method

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan, saute onion until soft and fragrant.
2. Add in zucchini and fry for 2-3 mins until soften. Add in corn kernel and mix evenly. Add in salt & pepper to taste.
3. Place cooked rice, shredded chicken, mixed vege, 1/2 cup cheese and 2 cups cauliflower sauce into a large mixing bowl. Toss evenly.
4. Spoon mixture into individual casserole. Spread remaining cauliflower sauce & cheese over the rice mixture. Bake in preheated oven at 200 deg cel for 15 mins until cheese melted and rice heated through.

Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

Doesn't it looks creamy?!  From the look at it you won't know that it is only make with cauliflower as the main ingredient! :D A healthier choice from the traditional white cream sauce that use for cooking pasta and baked rice etc....I've tried out 2 recipes on baked rice and pizza using this creamy cauliflower and they turned out awfully good! Let's start with this simple creamy sauce first before going on how to prepare the both main dishes :D

Recipe ref : pinchofyum.com

Ingredient

• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 600gm cauliflower florets
• 5 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Saute the garlic with butter in a pan over low heat until soft and fragrant but not browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Bring the water to boil in a pot. Add cauliflower and cook, covered, for 8 mins until tender. Do not drain.
3. Spoon the cauliflower pieces into the blender. Add 1 cup of the cooking liquid, saute garlic/butter, olive oil, salt, pepper and milk. Blend until sauce is very smooth. Add more/less liquid depending on how thick you want the sauce to be. Use immediately or chilled for later use.

Look out for the next post on how to make use of this creamy cauliflower sauce!....

Creamy Cauliflower Baked Rice

Healthy Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Crustless Pizza & Sunshine Soup

I'm attracted to the name of this crustless pizza when I first flip through the recipe book :D I wonder why it is called crustless though there is still a base hehehe. It is like a pancake base unlike the usual base made with bread. It is definitely much simpler and faster to whip up this particular crustless pizza! No kneading nor proofing time required and tasted just like pizza with the usual topping like ham, cheese, mushroom or anything topping you fancy!

To make it a more substantial meal, I prepared another soup from the same recipe book :D Oh Sunshine Soup....what a happy named dish ^0^ I never tried using bell peppers as a soup base and I was amazed by the taste as it tasted so sweet and refreshing! 

Crustless Pizza

Ingredient

• 1 egg
• 100gm plain flour
• 250ml milk
• 100gm grated cheddar cheese
• 2 slices ham, sliced
• 5 button mushroom, sliced
• handful of sweet corn kernels
• salt to taste

Method

1. Combine egg, flour, milk and salt. Whisk till smooth. Stir in half of the cheese.
2. Grease a 8" non-stick baking pan. Pour the batter over the pan and bake in preheated oven at 200 deg cel for 25-30mins. 
3. Take out the pan, sprinkle over remaining cheese and spread the fillings over evenly. Bake for another 3-5mins until golden brown at the edge.

Sunshine Soup

Ingredient

• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 orange pepper
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1L chicken stock
• 500gm sweet corn kernels
• salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven at 250 deg cel. Line a baking pan with foil.
2. Slice peppers and remove core and seeds. Toss sliced peppers in oil and roast in oven for 25 mins.
3. Bring stock to boil. Add corn kernels and cook for 10 mins.
4. Remove a cupful of corn kernels from the liquid and set aside.
5. Blend the roasted peppers and the stock till smooth.
6. Combine the blended mixture and reserved corn kernels and bring to boil. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Recipe source : Nigella Lawson "Kitchen"

I'm sharing this recipe with Cook-Your-Books #4 hosted by Kitchen Flavours

Pork Chop Baked Rice

This is one of the popular dish that served at those Hong Kong Cafe 香港茶餐厅 which I adored :D I most likely to order this particular dish when I visited such cafe in Singapore :D For a healthier version, I replaced the white rice from the original recipe with brown rice instead, still as delicious!

Healthy fried brown rice with omelette

tangy tomato onion gravy

The pan-fried pork chops tasted slightly on the dry side when eaten alone :( but along with the tangy tomato sauce and cheesy topping, it managed to compensate the dryness. Overall it is very tasty and well-liked by my kids. Kids simply loves tomato sauce and cheese :D :D

Recipe source : Famous Cuisine Dec 2012

Ingredient

Fried Rice

• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp chopped spring onion
• 1 tsp chicken granule powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Pork Chop Tomato Sauce

• 300gm pork chops
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 large tomato, peeled and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 tbsp tomato sauce
• 125ml water
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp sugar

Marinade for pork chop

• 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger juice
• 1/2 tbsp chinese wine
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Method

1. Tenderize pork chop with the back of a knife. Season with marinade for at least 30mins. (I chill overnight).
2. To make fried rice, heat 2 tbsp oil in heated pan. Add in beaten eggs and scrambled it lightly. Add in cooked rice and seasoning and toss evenly to mix. Add in spring onion and stir well. Set aside.
3. Coat marinated pork chop with some flour. Add some oil in pan, pan fry pork chop over medium high heat in batches until golden brown. Set aside.
4. In the same pan, heat up 1 tbsp oil. Add in 1 tbsp plain flour and stir-fry over low heat until slightly golden brown.
5. Add in onions and garlic and stir fry for 2 mins until onions are softened.
6. Add in tomatoes, water, tomato sauce and seasoning and bring to boil for 1 min. Dish up.
7. To assemble : Place adequate amount of fried rice in a heatproof bowl. Spread some onion tomato sauce over the rice. Place 2-3 slices of pork chops over the rice layering with some of the tomato sauce. Sprinkle some cheddar cheese over. 
8. Bake in preheated oven at 230 deg cel for 15 mins until the cheese melted and mixture heated through. Serve warm.

I'm sharing this recipe with Cook-Your-Books #4 hosted by Kitchen Flavours

Chocolate Cream Pound Cake

I love anything chocolatey, therefore I won't miss out this particular Bake Along #51 on Chocolate Cream Pound Cake! :D This is a simple chocolate cake, though is on a dry side which I did not anticipate it to be. Not the best chocolate cake I've baked but is still a tasty cake with a very crumbly and soft texture.

Ingredients

(modified from "Cake Keeper Cakes", Lauren Chattman)

• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup whipping cream
• 140gm plain flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 120gm unsalted butter, softened
• 200gm sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg cel. Line a 9" x 5" loaf pan.
2. Sift the cocoa powder through a fine strainer and into a heatproof bowl. Place the cream in a microwave-safe measuring cup and heat until just boiling, 30 seconds to 1 minute depending on the power of your microwave. Pour the hot cream over the cocoa and stir and mash with a spoon to make a thick paste. Set aside to cool.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
4. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. Beat in the cocoa powder paste until smooth.
5. With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
6. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, in 2 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely. Slice and seve.
8. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

I am submitting this post to Bake Along hosted by Joyce, Lena & Zoe

2nd Attempt on Teochew Spiral Yam Mooncake

Though my first attempt on spiral yam mooncake was rather successful in terms of taste, I'm not really satisfied with the spiral appearance :P Therefore I attempted the recipe (all ingredients remains the same) again but using a different wrapping method! This time round the spiral appearance  turn out even more pretty! So happy with the results :D

See the difference between the 2 mooncakes? I like the 2nd one as the spiral is more distinctive :D 

Yam Paste Recipe, click here 

Pastry Dough (makes 12 mooncakes)

(A)

Water Dough

• 60gm shortening
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 80gm warm water
• 1/4 tsp rice vinegar
• 180gm bread flour

Dissolve sugar into warm water. Cut shortening into flour till bread crumbs formed. Pour in warm water and vinegar gradually and stirring at the same time. Knead till a smooth dough is formed. Cover and rest for 30mins.

(B)

Oil Dough

• 180gm plain flour 
• 100gm shortening
• few drops of purple colouring (I use wilton colour paste)

Bake plain flour in preheated oven at 130 deg cel for 10mins. Stirring once in between the baking time. Cool down completely before kneading in shortening. While a dough is formed, incorporate in the  colour paste evenly.

Create Spiral Pastry :

1. Roll out coloured oil dough in between 2 sheets cling wrap, size enough to encase into the water dough.
2. Lightly dust a working surface with some flour, roll out water dough into a large rectangle.
3. Place oil dough over the middle of the large rectangle. Wrap up the oil dough like a book in 2 folds.
4. Turn the sheet 90 deg and roll out into a large rectangle. Roll up like a swiss roll.
5. Flatten the roll and roll out into a large rectangle again. Again roll up the sheet into a swiss roll. Trim off the both ends slightly* (reserved this for sealing the edge later). You will see the spiral forming in the roll.
6. Divide the roll into 2 large portions. Further divide each large portion into 6 equal disc. You will get 12 round discs.
7. Dust the working surface lightly. Roll out each disc into thin sheet. Wrap up a portion of yam filling and seal the edge tightly with some balanced dough*.
8. Bake in preheated oven at 160 deg cel for 25-30 mins.
9. Cool completely before storing.