Lavender Blossom Sponge Bread

Sometimes when people asked me what I wanted to bake today!!! I'll have to answer them wait till I got that 'click'! The 'click' that always brings us surprises and curiosity. And I love it that way, so that we can always filled our lives with surprises. Well, today I have both flowers & leaves in my bread....does that sounds wonderfully GREEN to you!?

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients for Sponge Cake :

(A)

4 egg yolk

1/4 cup Lavender sugar/sugar

1/2 cup superfine flour

3 tbsp oil

40ml milk

a dash of dried lavenders

- beat egg yolk and sugar untill foamy & pale.

- alternately stir in flour & milk untill well mixed.

- then stir in oi & lavender untill well combined, set aside.

(B)

4 egg whites

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tspn cream of tartar

- whisk egg whites, cream of tartar & sugar untill fluffy & foamy.

Method :

- finally, stir ingredients (B) to (A) in three portion untill well combined.

- pour batter to a 10x14" tray lined with parchment paper.

- bake at 185'c for 20 mins.

- then set aside to cool.

- remove the top cake crust carefully & set aside.

Ingredients for Matcha Bread :

360gm bread flour/high protein flour

190gm water

160gm starter dough

5gm salt

2 tspn yeast

1 tspn matcha powder

Method : Please follow instruction from here. I'm using my baguette dough here in this recipe or you can use other bread dough recipe.

TO ASSEMBLE :

- roll bread dough flat about 12x16" or just about the size that is slightly larger than the sponge cake.

- place the cake on the dough and then roll it up like a swiss roll.

- seal both side nicely and place the dough to a bread tray 10x4x4".

- leave to proof for about 45mins or double in size.

- finally, bake at 190'C for about 40-45 mins or untill brown.

- leave completely cool before slicing.

Now, here you have a nice loaf of fragrant soft bread with a kinda sensation & calm flavour. Love me or hate me, daaaaaahling! You still have to make your own loaf of bread....*sigh* Enjoy!

Simple Steamed Fatt Kuih @ Brown Sugar Fatt Kuih (Flour)

We're celebrating Wesak Day on this coming Friday. Wesak Day is the most important festivals of the Buddhists in Malaysia and fall in the month of May. It is celebrated to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha because according to Buddhists, all the three events took place on the same lunar date. The celebration for the Wesak day begins much before the dawn when the Buddhists gather in Buddhist temples for worship all over Malaysia. The celebration is done with prayers, chants, offerings and giving alms. The Buddhist eat a vegetarian diet prior to the festival in order to cleanse and purify themselves. For me, I'm not going to the temple. So, just do my praying at home with all these steamed fatt kuih.

You can click here for more info.

Ingredients :

(A)

100gm warm water

1 tbsp flour

1 tbsp sugar

10gm yeast

(B)

350ml water

300gm sugar

1 tbsp ros syrup/ 1 tspn red colouring

(for brown sugar version : 200gm brown sugar+ 100gm palm sugar)

(C)

500gm all purpose flour

10gm cooking oil/butter

Method :

- combine ingredients (A) and leave aside for 10 mins.

- combine ingredients (B) and dissolve sugar over medium heat untill just about boiling.

- leave ingredients (B) cool for about 15mins.

- combine ingredients (A), (B) & (C) together and mix well.

- leave the mixture proof for 3-4 hours.

- preheat steamer in medium heat.

- the mixture will look very fluffy & moist (as shown).

- stir batter before divide into small cups for steaming.

- use a pair of scissors slightly coated the edges with cooking oil.

- then make a cross cut through each cups.

- coat the scissors with cooking oil before each cuttings.

Finally, steam for 30 mins over medium high heat. Not medium & not high, it's in between. The steaming heat is very important. It helps to give you more bigger smile on your fatt kuih.

It's my lucky day, I guess! I have all smiling at me beautifully.

The best thing about this version is you don't need to go through days of fermentation process. These steamed fatt kuih can stand for quite a few days even without chilling them in the refrigerator. You can anytime steam them for your own use. So, have fun & enjoy!

HAPPY WESAK DAY TO ALL!

Curry Chicken Bread

This curry chicken bread is very famous among the Malaysians. There's one restaurant at Kampar town (in Perak state) selling this with different kind of fillings such as chili crab & herbal chicken. But still I prefer the flavourful curry chicken filling. I think it's just perfect to go along with the bread. I made this for our Sunday lunch! So, here's the recipe.

Ingredients for Simple Curry Chicken :

1/2 chicken, chopped

3 large potatoes, quartered

4 stalk lemon grass, cut into two & smashed

3 tbsp curry powder

1 tspn turmeric powder

3cm piece cinnamon stick

handful of curry leaves (optional)

100ml coconut milk/evaporated milk

1.5L water

salt to taste

Blended ingredients :

1 large onion

5 cloves garlic

2cm piece of ginger

4-5 red chilies

Method :

- combine curry and turmeric powder together in a bowl.

- mix in some water just to form a paste.

- preheat pan or wok with 1/2 cup cooking oil.

- stir in lemon grass, cinnamon stick & blended ingredients, sauteed untill fragrant.

- add in curry paste mixture, simmer for awhile then stir in chicken meat, potatoes & curry leaves.

- increase the heat and stir mix the chicken & potatoes.

- then pour in the water and let to boil over medium heat untill the chicken & potatoes became tender.

- finally, add in the coconut milk & salt and let to boil for another 5 mins over medium heat.

- remove the curry chicken from heat and leave to cool completely before wrapping.

- then divide into two portions and wrap with aluminium foil nicely.

Ingredients for Sweet Bread :

480gm bread flour

120gm all purpose flour

110gm sugar

4 tspn yeast

1 egg, lightly beaten

300ml milk

60gm butter

1/2 tspn salt

Egg glaze : egg yolk + 1/2 tbsp milk

Method :

- combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl to form a soft dough.

- let to proof for an hour then punch to release air from the dough.

- divide dough into two portion, then roll flat that enough to cover your curry bag.

- again let to proof for another 1/2 hour or double in size.

- brush the bread with egg glaze.

- bake at 200'c untill golden brown or about 20mins..

This curry chicken bread has to be serve warm and not advise to keep overnight. If there's leftover, separate bread from the curry bag. Keep the curry chicken in the refrigerator untill the next serving. Well.... enjoy!

Apple & Banana Coffee Cake

What a week! I really need something to pamper myself. And hoping there's someone here to massage my back and leg for me, and treat me like a queen ^_^ hahaha.... That would be so GOOOOOD! But I still prefer to feed myself with my own hands. So, let's forget that and heading to my yummy recipe.

Ingredients :

1-1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tspn baking soda
3/4 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn salt
1/2 cup sugar
113gm butter
1 large egg
1-1/2 cup mashed banana
3 tbsp full cream milk
1 green apple, sliced

Struesel mixture :

1-1/4 cups chocolate chips
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped roasted walnuts
1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Method :

- combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt then set aside.
- cream butter and sugar untill fluffy.
- stir in egg and whisk untill well mixed.
- beat in mashed banana and milk then follow by the dry ingredients.
- blend well and then pour half portion to a 9x13" tray lined with parchment paper.
- line sliced apple on the batter and then sprinkle struesel mixture to cover the apple.
- and then repeat the remaining batter and struesel mixture.
- bake at 175'C for 45 mins.

I'll have to say this is the best recipe I've ever tried so far. Great feedback from all my friends and neighbours. I'll definitely make another batch of this on next week. Love the whole package especially the crispy topping and the apple sliced which provides just the exact moisture to the cake. Hope you'll enjoy it too!

Before ending this, I would like to thank the following foodie friends of mine for passing me these two wonderful awards buttons.

Thank you Chef Dennis! This is such a great honour. I'm really appreciate it! Chef Dennis was a restaurant chef for many years and he is such a great guy. Please check out his site for more stories. Then I would like to pass this award to the following friends :

(1) Lyndsey @ The Tiny Skillet
(2) Bo @ Bo's Bowl
(3) Chin @ Cherry Potato
(4) Silvia @ Citron & Vanille
(5) Rebecca @ Chow & Chatter
(6) Jannett @ Canadian Baker Too
(7) Alison @ Alison's Trials
(8) MaryMoh @ Keep Learning Keep Smilling
(9) Heavenly Housewife
(10) Anncoo
(11) Pigpigscorner
(12) Sook @ My Fabulous Recipes
(13) Chaya @ Sweet & Savory
(14) Mia @ SugarPlumFairy
(15) Drick @ Drick's Rumbling Cafe

Again thank you very much, Elin! You're such a sweetheart. Elin is such a sweet sweet friend. I met her over Foodbuzz more than six months ago. Hop over to check out her site for some fabulous recipes. And I would like to pass this award to the following :

(1) Cheah @ No Frills Recipe
(2) Claire @ Sharing is Caring
(3) Diana @ Best Asian Food
(4) Blessed Homemaker
(5) Shirley @ Enriching The Kids
(6) Sam @ Sandwich 365
(7) Julie @ The sporadic Cook
(8) Von @ Vondelicious
(9) Bridgett @ Le Bella Cook
(10) Lucie @ Cooking at Marystow
(11) Sharon @ Random Thoughts
(12) Jay @ Tasty Appetite
(13) Divya @ Divya's Recipes
(14) Brownieville Girl
(15) Barbara Bakes

Please feel free to collect the awards. Thank you very much and hope you all have a wonderful time!

Roasted Chicken With Stuffed Garlic & Ginger

Sorry that I went missing for couple of days! Something came up..... my father-in-law was missing from Seremban Hospital on Monday (17th) at around 5.30pm. Yes, he has slight amnesia. Luckily, my hubby & I found him four hours later (around 9.45pm) at Terminal One bus station. Thank god! He really scared us! The strange thing was my hubby's elder siblings went round the same bus station for a couple of times but see him no where! Whatever so, I'm glad he's back safe and sound. Guess, we can't help it either when the same thing happened on us one day, right! Even now, I could easily forgeting things... Joycee advised we should use more post-it notes to keep us reminded things to do. I use it almost everyday! hehe...

It's been a busy week. Not much cooking has been done...... So, I've made something simple. And here's the recipe.

Ingredients :

3 chicken whole legs
salt & pepper
2 tspn five spice powder
1/2 cup freshly grounded garlic & ginger

Method :

- make three deep cuts to the chicken meat.
- marinade chicken with salt, pepper & five spice powder.
- stuff grounded garlic & ginger in the chicken meat , then leave aside for about 1/2 hour.

- pan fried the chicken untill the skin turned slightly brown.
- then place them to a baking tray and bake at 185'C for 35-40 mins or untill golden brown.
- serve hot.

Black Sesame & Sweet Potato Baguette

Still remember the three quarter discharged leaven? Right! I combined that with 300gm of water and 390gm of all purpose flour, then leave to proof for 2 hours at room temperature 28'c(+/-). That's my starter dough and I kept the rest leftover in the fridge. I decided to make some soft baguette with them. I think Asian still prefer soft bread loaf the most. And I'm going to try something funky & fun to eat! Here's what I did.....

Ingredients :

360gm bread flour

190gm water

160gm starter dough (leaven)

6gm salt

2 tspn yeast

3 tbsp ground black sesame seeds

200gm sweet potato, cubed

3 tbsp butter, soften

Method :

- combine flour, water, starter dough, salt, yeast & ground black sesame untill a soft dough is form.

- leave to proof for an hour, then knead for a few minutes to release air from dough.

- divide dough into 2 portion and roll flat.

- combine butter & sweet potato, then place it to the flat dough.

- roll up the dough and seal the edges, place them to baking tray.

- leave for 2nd proofing for about 45 mins.

- make a few cuts on the surface of the breads and bake at 200'c for about 30-35 mins or untill brown.

This sweet potatoes bread can only kept for one day, means that you must be able to finish them by the next morning. I have to tell you that these are best for making french toast! Oh yes, you going to love it! Just imagine warm bread with sweet potatoes & eggs...hmm..mmm.... I even tried them with curry sauce....that even superb! So, enjoy!

Homemade Leaven @ Wild Yeast

Have anyone of you try making your own leaven? What is leaven? Leaven is an agent that produces fermentation. The leavening agent produces gas, air, or steam that expands when heated, making the resulting product light and altering grain textures. Leavening agents include Yeast, Baking Powder and Baking Soda. I was pretty excited experiencing the whole process and have to thank Angie for the information.

Leaven adapted from Dan Lepard.

Day 1 :

Combine the following ingredients in a 500ml jar or container. Cover & leave at room temperature 20'C(+/-). mine is 28'C(+/-).

*

50gm water

40gm all purpose flour/ 20gm rye flour

2 tspn raisins

2 tspn yogurt

Day 2 :

You can see the mixture starts bubbling with a hint of fermentation at room temperature 28'C (+/-). You'll see that some separation has occurred. Then add in the following ingredients and stir well. Cover & leave aside for 24 hours.

50gm water

40gm all purpose flour/ 20gm rye flour

Day 3:

You'll notice more bubbles were formed. These shows fermentation has started. And add in the following ingredients and stir well. Cover & leave aside for 24 hours.

100gm water

80gm all purpose flour

Day 4 :

Again add in the following ingredient and mix well. Cover & leave aside for 24 hours.

100gm water

130gm all purpose flour/110gm rye flour

Day 5 :

You'll see the mixture is fully activated. Now, discharge 3 quarter of the mixture and place it to another container for baking usage. Feed the leftover one quarter mixture with 100gm water & 130gm all purpose flour. Cover & leave in the fridge(lowest deck).

Day 6 :

Finally, my first batch of leaven has successfully formed. Yay! Each day as you remove some leaven for baking, remember replacing it with an equivalent of flour & water to keep the bacteria activated.

My first batch of wild yeast sourdough bread, no instant yeast added in. I just adored the look so much! Now, I have full supply of my own homemade leaven that I can use at anytime.

Pineapple & Persimmon Galette

The weather was quite freaky these few days! Bright and sunny in one minute, then comes the rain for a few minutes.... bright again..... follow by thunder.... bommm...zz....zz.... the sky became dark for the whole evening, NO RAIN! I think our mother nature is having a flu? Remember the tornado strikes Yazo City (US) a couple of days ago? Scary, isn't it? I wonder are there any of our blogger friends were involved! Hopefully none! May God bless you all!

I'm going to have something light today. A little tropical touch!

Ingredients for Pastry Crust :

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tspn sugar

1 tspn salt

226gm butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup ice water

Method :

- combine flour, sugar & salt, then rub in butter untll well combined.

- slowly stir in ice water untill the dough just holds together.

- wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for an hour.

Fillings :

2 large persimmons, sliced

1 canned pineapple (I used fresh fruit)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tspn lemon juice

1-1/2 tbsp flour

1/2 tpsn salt

Method :

- combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

TO ASSEMBLE :

- place chilled dough between 2 plastic sheets and then roll flat, roughly about 10x14" to fit into a 9x10" tray or any other size tray as desire.

- arrange all the sliced fruits onto dough and then fold the edges.

- bake at 200'c for about 30-40 mins or untill brown.

- you may also brush the outer crust with egg glaze (optional).

What else after that! Serve the pastry while it's still warm. Remember, the sugar & salt in the filling is adjustable. Enjoy!