Chocolate Teddy Bear Pull-Apart Bread

My first attempt of making this cute character pull-apart bread....so cute!! I really like my bread maker machine which helps me to knead and do the first proofing. During the process I could just go for a quick nap till the machine buzz when the dough is ready hehehe...^0^ 

Shaped and proceed to 2nd proofing

Ingredient (8"x8" pan, 16 mini bread rolls)
*knead & 1st proofing by Kenwood BM250

• 200ml chocolate milk
• 30gm fine sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 295gm bread flour
• 8gm cocoa powder
• 30gm unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp instant yeast
• filling (optional) : dark/white chocolate chips, cranberries/raisins

*choux cookie for mouth decoration : mix together 20gm butter, 40gm plain flour, 10gm icing sugar. cling wrap and chill till firm.

Method

1. Place ingredients into the bread maker machine according to the sequence listed above. Select dough function to start the kneading and first proofing process, about 1.5 hours.
2. After the first proofing ended, turn out the dough onto a well dusted work surface. Gently knead to degas. Divide dough into 35gm x 16 portions and shape into balls. Remaining dough to shape into small round balls as ears. Cover with damp cloth to prevent drying out.
3. To wrap with fillings: flatten the 35gm dough and wrap up with your favourite fillings. Seal the edge firmly and place onto lined baking pan. See picture above.
4. After all 16 wrapped dough are placed into the pan, cover and allow to proof in a warm area for 50 mins until double in size. Roll out choux cookie thinly and stamp out small round shape to resemble the mouth. Gently place onto each dough. Attach the small dough (ears).
5. Bake in preheated oven 160 deg cel for 30 mins. Unmould into wire rack immediately to cool down completely. When bread roll has cooled down, decorate the mouth and eyes with melted chocolate. 

Brioche French Toast

A hearty brioche french toast with crisp bacon and fruits drizzled with maple syrup! 

homemade brioche loaf! 

Ingredient

Overnight Sponge Dough

• 250gm bread flour
• 160ml water
• 3gm instant yeast
• 1gm salt

Method : Knead everything together till it forms a soft pliable dough. Divide dough into 50gm or 100gm portions and place in a ziplog bag. Chill in fridge to ferment up to 12 hours. Dough can be also freezed up to 3 months.

Brioche Main Dough (knead and proof by Kenwood BM250)

• 100ml fresh milk 
• 200gm fresh eggs
• 50gm fine sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 30gm unsalted butter
• 400gm bread flour
• 100gm overnight sponge dough, teared into small pieces
• 4gm instant yeast

Method

1. Place all the ingredients into bread machine pan accordingly to the sequence above. Select dough function and let the machine knead and proof the dough for 1hr 30mins.
2. After 1st proofing remove dough from bread machine and place on a lightly floured work surface. 
3. Divide dough into portions of 200gm. Roll round and set aside to rest for 10 mins, covered.
4. Flatten the dough into a rectangle shape. Roll it up like a swiss roll, pinch and seal the edge. Repeat with the other dough. 
5. Take 3 strands of dough and pleat up. Tug the edges and place it into a pullman tin. Allow to proof for another 45 mins or until it reaches 80% of the tin. Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg cel for 35 mins until golden brown.

Recipe ref : honeybeesweets

Sardines Aglio Olio

Our quick and delicious dinner for the day! I like Aglio Olio as it only takes less than 30 mins to get it done and served on the dining table.  

This is all the ingredients needed for this speedy sardines aglio olio.

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 200gm spaghetti
• 2 cans sardines in extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 red chilli, julienned
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• handful of toasted pine nuts
• handful of flat leaf parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Salt it well. Add spaghetti and cook according to package instructions.
2. Prepare a non-stick pan. Pour in the extra virgin olive oil from the can sardines. Add in garlic and chilli when the oil is heated up. Saute till fragrant.
3. Add in sardines and mix well. Use the spatula to break up the sardines into chunks. 
4. Add in cooked spaghetti and toss well to mix. Add in lemon zest, juice, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
5. Add in pine nuts and parsley and stir to combine. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

bon appétit!

Sardines Arugula Pizza

This is really an easy peasy pizza to prepare for a quick meal! I always love to use wraps as the base for quick pizza. It is fast to cook and crisp up easily in short baking time. Top with your favourite filling you can get a delicious thin pizza in minutes! Thanks to Ayam Brand Singapore, me and my family get to taste a wide range of canned sardines. I feel safe to serve the Ayam brand sardines to my family as the products are free of monosodium glutamate (MSG) Moreover sardines are high in calcium and omega 3, a perfect natural source of nutrients for my two growing kids!!

Ingredient (4 servings)

• 4 multigrain wraps
• 2 cans sardines in green peppercorn
• 4 tbsp tomato & chilli pesto
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• handful of arugula leaves

Method

1. Drain oil (reserved 2 tbsp for drizzling) from the canned sardines. Split the sardines lengthwise.
2. Spread the tomato pesto onto the wraps. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over.
3. Scatter arugula leaves over the cheese. Arrange 5-6 split sardines on top of the arugula.
4. Transfer the wraps onto a lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 200 deg cel for 8-10 mins until the base is crispy and cheese melted. Drizzle the reserved oil over the pizza and serve immediately.