RED BEAN FLOWER BUN

Am really hooked on bread baking and quite some time  did not share any new project using yeast.  I have found baking your own bread so easy and addictive.   The smell alone was enough to make me salivate.

Although I like  buying Red Bun Flower Bun from bakeries,  I love baking them even more.  So decided to make them at home. They tasted better than bakeries and turned out warm. and super fresh.

These Red Bean Flower Bun are so appetizing that you will eat at least a couple of them in one sitting.  The soft and fluffy bun tastes so delicious, it  can be eaten  as it is.  It is so rewarding to sit down, sip a cup of coffee and devour them freshly baked.

You can shape these into a round ball instead  if you find shaping them to look like a flower a bit tedious.   Anyway what shape you make, they still taste awesome.

POMEGRANATE & MANGO BAKED OATMEAL

I was gifted with mango and pomegranate last week by one of my relatives.  So I need to make use of these fruit for my baking project.

After much consideration,  settled on this fiber packed and loaded with fresh fruits  Pomegranate & Mango Baked Oatmeal.  I think this recipe was an ideal choice for clearing up my mango and pomegranate.

Used mango juice instead of milk as well as mango slices for topping.   Although I live this version, feel free to substitute  your favorite in season berries or any other fruits  like blueberries, strawberries, apple, chocolate chips, dried fruit or banana.

This is such a delicious dish and  though it was mildly sweetened, my family enjoyed it so much without adding any sauce or syrup. Our family are in a verge of  reducing our intake of sugar in our diet,

Have you ever made baked oatmeal?  What  goodies do you like to put in  yours?

APPLE OATMEAL BARS

I  immensely wanted to eat nutritious bars that was not so sweet yet tasty.  The blend of  rolled oat and apple  makes this  Apple Oatmeal Bars  a perfect treat..

It was super easy and pretty quick to prepare.  Apple Oatmeal Bars are excellent for on the go breakfast or quick snack anytime of the day. Had used palm sugar (gula Melaka) to make these bars and it smells wonderful while baking.

Packed full of vitamin C, apple provides all sorts  of great health benefits. The phytonutrients in apples can help you regulate your blood sugar, for fighting off a cold and  to giving you smooth skin so there is even more reason to eat them up.  Whole apples are richer in dietary fiber so they are better nutritional choice than apple juice.

They are great alternative to granola bars minus the extra sugar.  Kids love them and they are almost like a cake

This recipe makes one pan so share the goodness with your friends or pack them in your lunches all week.

APAM NASI (STEAMED RICE CAKE)

After a long time, I cooked any traditional treats or kuih (bite size dessert or snack)  for my family. This Apam Nasi was my late mum's favorite.  She used to prepare it when she had leftover rice for our  breakfast. My mum mix the flour just before going to bed and first thing in the morning, steamed these Apam Nasi.

What I noticed, most of our traditional kuih were mostly steamed since at that time an oven was not available even baking was  done using charcoal.

Added only half a cup of sugar but if you want it sweeter use 3/4 cup instead.  Used  red food coloring and the balance as it is but this is entirely up to you.  If you don't have that small plastic molds, use 7 in round pan and steam it for 30-40 minutes.

We enjoyed our Apam Nasi without coconut.   Halve the recipe if you have a small family, my recipe below yield 25 apam.

SOFT & FLUFFY DINNER ROLLS

Bread rolls were always be an essential part of our meal  Everyone had their favorite bread rolls but mine was a dinner roll.   From this Soft & Fluffy Dinner Rolls, you can create a lot more variations either sweet, savory or stuffed.   Am going to show you,  how to bake these fantastic rolls..

You will find Soft & Fluffy Dinner Rolls  recipe looks similar to other bread you've baked but the method are a way simpler but turned out fantastic.

It begins with melting the butter using microwave or stove top then adding milk to bring down the temperature.  This is a important step before adding yeast, it should be warm to touch and not hot if not you would kill the yeast. Stir and keep covered for 5-10 minutes  if you're using  active dry yeast until it becomes frothy but if using instant yeast, you can skip the waiting time.

After combining the flour and milk mixture, stir with wooden spoon until well  incorporated.  At this point, it becomes sticky so cover the bowl and let rise for one hour.

Punch the dough down, knead the dough, scraping clean the bowl until smooth.  Add  one or two tablespoons of flour if it was sticky. Cover and let sit for another 30 minutes. Now they're ready to be shaped  and leave to rise again for 1 hour. before baking.

Don't mind to wait for more than 2 hours, in return I was rewarded with perfect, tender and gorgeous rolls! .

APPLE & RAISIN SCONES

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I love scones.  They are so versatile, you can choose from sweet with variety of fruits or  cheese ones and not to mention extremely easy.  This time, I had plenty of granny smith apples.  So this apple is going to be my baking project this week.

Always prefer to make a small batch so just used one and quarter cup of flour.  With this recipe  you could get  9 x 2.5 in  scones, just  sufficient for the small family.

Making scone is almost  the same as  baking pie or tart.  This requires you to blend dry ingredients with cold butter using your finger tips until it resembles  bread crumbs. The secret of good scones are not to handle the dough too much before baking.  It should be sticky and not too dry. Dip your cutter in flour each time before cutting out the dough.

Despite  containing  no eggs in the recipe, the scones are well risen, feather light, soft and utterly delicious.

My family enjoyed them fresh from the oven without any preserves or butter but prefer to add one more apple next time I bake them.

BREAD VADA

These are cubed bread slices, spiced with green chili, onion, cumin and cilantro together with rice flour, semolina and yogurt as a binder.  They are combined to shape like a doughnut.

After shaping with greased hands, Bread Vada are fried in oil till golden brown, I did mine by shallow fryingcan also be deep fried.

Adjust the heat according to your tolerance. These tasted heavenly for breakfast or as a snack immediately after you've fried them.

Serve them as it is or dip with your favorite chutney

BLACKCURRANT OAT BARS

It's a time for my weekend baking and am craving for a quick but tasty dessert that can be put together  in  less than 15  minutes.    Any guess?

Definitely my choice  goes to  Blackcurrant Oatmeal Bars  reason  being I am able to make use of fruit jam  that sits idle in my pantry for quite some time.

Oats are a favorite of my diet and often incorporated into bars and desserts.  Not only oats are versatile and inexpensive but they offer a host of health benefits. The oatmeal gives  a nice chewiness to these  bars.

Spread dough onto bottom of baking pan coated with butter.  Spreading dough with wet hands is the easiest method before topping it with fruit jam. I used blackcurrant jam but any jam you have on hand will do preferably a  quality and not too sugary ones.

Blackcurrant Oat Bars  are easy to make and fantastically delicious! Have given some to my friends, they love them and keep asking for more...

RAISIN BREAD PUDDING

Raisin Bread Pudding is one of the easiest ways to save leftover stale bread from wastage.  In fact those stale bread  can be transformed into interesting and filling meal. .

Below are  4  recipes to try out at home and these make a great breakfast/snack:

Microwave Bread Pudding

Egg Free French Toast

Roti John (Asian French Toast)

Bread Paratha

This  Raisin Bread Pudding is a dish you can make again and again, as it's versatile enough so you can be a bit creative with it each time.

Could not do more than one layer since my baking dish is 9 x 13 in but a smaller dish allows you to get more layers.

Also added sliced bananas, this is entirely up to you.  Other fruits can be added for flavor and to enhance the look of the pudding.

There are many recipes for bread pudding and several are served with a sauce.  As the pudding itself is delicious on its own, the sauce is something not used.  This recipe is wonderful without the sauce but the sauce made it absolutely delectable.

DARK & SOFT DINNER ROLLS

Making your own dinner rolls are surprisingly easy and when you taste these  soft rolls, you'll agree they are superior to any store bought ones.

Baking bread is a complete joy for me and I had a lot of fun experimenting classic recipes with a new twist.  How about baking this Dark & Soft Dinner Rolls for breakfast or snack?   These rolls get its color from cocoa powder and instant coffee.

The dough for these  Dark & Soft Dinner Rolls  have a nice texture and is simple to shape.  One of the important elements in getting a perfect roll is the liquid.  It should be lukewarm  rather than  hot. Small difference in the amount of water can make a big difference to your finished loaf. Too little liquid creates a dense and dry loaf.

When you make bread by hand, kneading and shaping it lets you get a good feel for the dough and its elasticity. If it is too sticky, leaving it for 10 minutes after mixing can help.  Remember, you will get better as time goes on.

CAKE, FRUIT & YOGURT PARFAIT

When I have extra slices of my  Eggless Chocolate Cake DF  , I intend to turn this into a delicious  chilled dessert.

Eating a smart breakfast leads to healthier choice all day long. This Cake, Fruit & Yogurt Parfait is one of them. It is quick and easy to make, has only a few ingredients and also no bake. But when you put  a spoonful of Cake, Fruit And Yogurt  Parfait in your mouth, it creates a wonderful textures to tantalize your taste buds.

I used banana and mandarin orange but  you may use any fruit you have, In fact the amount and the way of layering it is totally up to your preference.

Instead of tall glasses, I made use of 12 oz mason jar  to fill my  Cake,  Fruit & Yogurt Parfait.

KAYA PANCAKE MUFFIN

I had half a botlle of kaya (coconut jam) left after making my Heart Shaped Kaya Rolls  . At first, I thought of  preparing  a pancake stuffed with kaya but changed my mind and chose Kaya Pancake Muffin instead.

Kaya Pancake Muffin is much quicker and importantly less messy and save your time.  Just imagine, frying the pancake,  stuffing then roll them up one by one.

These are versatile, on the go and delicious meals.  There are  ways to fill up these muffin  with sweet or savory stuffing. Pancake don't have to be sweet.  You can also make incredible meals with savory pancake too.   Just omit the sugar if you opt for  savory stuffing like cooked  shredded chicken, turkey, bacon or even mushroom, spinach or garbanzo beans..   Vary your fillings with  blueberry, apple, fruit pie filling,  nutella, chocolate, peanut butter instead of kaya.

Make it lactose free by using soy or coconut milk in place of milk. Go eggless by adding 1/4 cup yogurt or 1/3 cup of apple sauce instead of an egg.

PEACH CRUMB SLAB PIE

Peach Crumb Slab Pie is a fun way to serve pie like a bar.  The crust is rolled  to fit a rimmed jelly roll pan and shaped into a rectangle instead of round.

You can experiment with other fruits that are available throughout the year.  If using fresh fruits add juice of one lemon to avoid browning but now I used canned peaches that have been drained well.

We are not adding much sugar to the filling since the peaches are already sweetened.  Adding sugar to the crust as well but this is entirely up to your preference.

Don't worry if your crust tears while you're rolling it out, just patch it back together. You'll know it's good when you press the dough into ball shape.  If it is overly dry, add one tablespoon of ice water at a time.  At this point, you  can cover and refrigerate it.

HEART SHAPED KAYA ROLLS

Homemade rolls are easy to make especially if you use bread maker but mine are made by hand from start to finish.  With homemade rolls, you can easily customize the ingredients you are going to add for instance this Heart Shaped Kaya Rolls, you can omit egg or milk by substituting with soy or almond milk.


Really, you  can use any basic sweet bread recipe and varies the filling.  This time,  I used  kaya (coconut jam) or any other jam as the stuffing.  Be prepared to encounter messiness along the way. In fact my filling is overflowing at the time of rolling. as you can see from my photo below.

Nevertheless Heart Shaped Kaya Rolls turned out fabulous and  tasted awesome! The are no harder to make and are a great way to dress them up for special  occasion.

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MOIST BANANA MUFFIN

I had some overripe  bananas sitting on my kitchen counter so I decided that  my next project would be related to banana.

As usual, used only half cup of sugar instead of 3/4 cup since not keen to have over sweetened muffin.

Moist Banana Muffin  are  perfect  treat for breakfast  or great  for tea time too. Straightforward, simple and just like your favorite banana bread but in muffin form.

You can add  1/4 cup of chopped nuts to Moist Banana Muffin batter and no harm will come to the end result or you may want to add a little dried fruit to the mix. For more interesting flavor, add some finely grated orange or lemon zest or cinnamon instead of vanilla essence.

HONEY OAT BARS

Honey Oat  Bars are excellent for on the go breakfast or quick snack anytime of the day.

It was super easy and pretty quick to prepare.  Use your preferred combo like sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds  or cranberries if you like. In fact the combination are endless.

Honey Oat Bars are free from wheat, dairy free and vegan   so they are good for those with food allergies.

I used chopped almond,. black sesame seeds and raisin for a total of 120 g.  Add 2 tablespoon of honey   if you want it sweeter.

BRAIDED NUTELLA BRIOCHE

This is my first post for the year 2015 so I have chosen to bake a yeast bread.  It is a buttery bread called  Braided  Nutella  Brioche.

The dough was so soft like a baby's cheek and bit difficult to handle. I  made mine by hand.  There is a sense of satisfaction in working the dough  by hand and crafting such an attractive bread and it certainly will impress your guests.I didn't add any flour while shaping but if needed add one or two tablespoon  to the dough.

Braided Nutella Brioche requires double proofing but it worth the effort since bread turns amazingly soft and beautiful.  When I took my first bite,  feel like am eating a cake and not a bread!

Made this bread into a braid but you could shape it according to your liking. This is the softest and butteriest  bread I  have ever baked!

SWEET CORN CAKE

It is a habit to check my pantry before any baking project.  From there,  will plan what I  want to bake next.  I found a can of whole kernel corn sitting in my cabinet.  So I have to make something out of this canned sweet corn.

Today I want share this  perfect Sweet Corn I have baked.  It turned  out great  with lovely texture and right amount of sweetness. Add about 1/4 cup more sugar if you like it sweeter.

Rinsed and drained well the corn before adding it to the batter. I squeezed out the water after putting it in a colander.

Turn this into muffin by baking them in a muffin pan but do not level the top.  Bake for  15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Actual baking time varies with each oven so watch closely.

MINI RAISIN BUN

I have not baked any bread for weeks  but  decided to bake  my son favorite Mini Raisin Bun this time.

If you're a bread baker, you will know that most of sweet bread using almost the same recipe with slight variations on ingredients or method.

Enjoy this tasty Mini Raisin Bun for breakfast or in between snack..  Love to serve them  in  bite size portion instead of regular one. Am using dark raisin but golden raisin can be added too.

You can also  turn the dough into a loaf by baking it in a loaf pan.

HOW TO MAKE ROTI CANAI

Roti  Canai  is one of most loved hawker food. This crispy and flaky prata  is available through out the day for breakfast, lunch or dinner. While some like it with just a sprinkle of granulated sugar but I like it served with a spicy curry.

There are several variations, either served plain or with eggs,  Our hawkers here have came up with their own variations which now include anything from cheese, banana, honey to chocolate and ice cream.

After forming into soft dough, it is coated with oil and kept covered for several hours. Another important  part is  flipping the dough in the air in a circular motion  to get that see through dough. Flipping the prata takes skill which come from years of practice. In my case, I got  that  paper thin dough  by pulling the edges slowly. The more you flip, the thinner  it gets so that when you fold it you get more layers. The perfect  Roti Canai  should be thin and crispy.


My Roti  Canai  is slightly bigger than what you get from those shop but if you want it smaller, divide the dough into 8  instead of 6 balls.

HOW TO MAKE ROTI  CANAI
Makes 6-8  roti

3 cup  wheat flour
5 tablespoon oil
1 tsp salt
2  tablespoon condensed milk
1 cup + 2 tablespoon water
extra oil for coating/frying
1 egg (optional)

* If adding  an egg, reduce the quantity of water

METHOD

1. In a bowl, combine salt, condensed milk and water.

2. Add flour and oil to the water mixture, forms into soft dough.

3. Knead the dough until smooth for 5 minutes, divide dough into  6-8 balls.

4. Coat each ball with oil and let stand for at least 5 hours or overnight.

5.  Oil your work top, flatten each ball with your oiled palms, Pulling the edges until you get a see through dough (professionals do it by flipping the dough in the air in a circular motion). Coil it up like a sea shell. 

6. Flatten the dough using your hand into round shape. Rest 10 minutes.

7. Fry on flat pan until both side turn golden brown, drizzle with oil as you fry.

8. Serve hot with curry or sugar.

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