SWEET BUNS

Mamamia! These buns are absolutely to-die-for. Very soft and with the perfect sweetness - you will end up feeling proud of yourself for making it. If you have never made buns before, this recipe will be a great one to start off with. It is very easy to make, but all you need is patience!

I used a dough hook to knead the dough, which really helps! The instructions below is by hand.

Adapted from happy home baking

Ingredients

(make around nine 60g portions)

150g bread flour

150g cake flour

5g active dry yeast

3g salt

125g milk

1 egg

60g castor sugar

50g butter

(1 egg, beaten for glazing)

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add in milk, egg and butter. Mix into a dough.

2. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough until the gluten is fully developed (see tip below) and the dough is elastic, smooth and non-sticky. It will take about 25 mins to knead the dough by hand. Initially the dough will stick on to the work surface. Do not be tempted to add more flour or even give up kneading! After continuous kneading, the dough will no longer stick to the work surface.

3. Place the dough in the mixing bowl and cover with a damp towel or cling wrap to seal in the moisture. Allow the dough to ferment(or proof) until double in bulk. This will take about 1 hr. To test whether the dough has been fully proofed, press a finger into the dough and withdraw quickly. It should leave a deep impression and spring back very slowly. For an insufficiently proofed dough, the impression will spring back instantly.

4. Take out the dough and punch out the gas produced. Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes. Cover with a damp towel or cling wrap.

5. Divide the dough into 60g portions. Shape and add fillings as desired. Arrange dough in a greased or lined pan. Let the dough proof for the second time for about 30-45mins. Cover with a damp towel or cling wrap.

6. Brush the top with egg wash. Add almond flakes on the top of the buns, as desired.

7. Bake for about 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 190 degC. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Tip:

To check whether the dough is fully developed, take a small piece of the dough and stretch it with your fingers. If it can be stretched into a thin layer without tearing easily, the dough is fully developed.

DELICIOUS CORN MUFFINS

Corn muffin is synonymous to Kenny Rogers Roasters. It is the first impression you get when eating at KRR, and of course the mac and cheese and roasted chicken too.

The dense texture with a hint of honey is just right and makes these muffins to-die-for. This recipe calls for frozen corn, but I used Del Monte's Fresh Cut Whole Kernel Corn instead.

Adapted from Food.com

Ingredients

makes 18 muffins

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup cornmeal

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup frozen corn (I used Del Monte's Freshly Cut Whole Kernel Corn)

1. Preheat oven to 200C.

2. Mix butter, sugar, honey, eggs and salt into a large bowl.

3. Add flour, cornmeal and baking powder and blend thoroughly.

4. Add milk while mixing.

5. Add corn to mixture and work into mixture.

6. Do not mash corn, the whole kernel is baked into the muffin.

7. Fill the muffin pan with muffin cups and fill 2/3 full with batter.

8. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until muffins are light brown.

SWEET RAISIN BREAD

Home made buns are simply irresistible. These raisin buns are delicious on its own or toast these buns and smothered with butter and you got yourself a wholesome breakfast, which reminds me of the raisin toasts that I dearly miss in Australia.

Making breads/buns needs a lot of patience, but the outcome is surely satisfying. I used a mixer with the hook to knead the dough, but you can knead it with your hands by following the instructions below.


Recipe adapted from Her World Cookbook Vol. 53

by Rohani Jelani

Ingredients

100ml water, at room temperature

1 level tsp sugar

2 level tsp instant yeast

550g high-protein flour

1 level tsp salt

1 level tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 level tsp allspice (optional)

100g sugar

70g softened butter

130g raisins or sultanas

150ml cold milk mixed together with 50ml cold water

1. Mix the room temperature water and tsp of sugar in a cup and stir in the yeast. Set aside for 10 minutes until the mixture is frothy.

2. Measure the flour, salt, cinnamon, allspice (if using) and 100g sugar into a bowl and mix in the butter with your fingers. Add the raisins, the frothy yeast liquid and almost all the milk/water mixture. Mix with your hands to get a soft dough, adding the remaining liquid only if the mixture looks dry.

3. Once dough comes together, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead well until smooth. Cover and leave to rise until double in bulk - about 1 1/2 hours. Then punch down the dough and leave to rise for a second time. This should take 40 - 60 minutes.

4. After the second rising, turn out the dough and knead for a few minutes to expel any large air bubbles. Form into 2 loaves or small buns.

5. Place the loaves in lightly greased loaf tins or arrange the buns on lightly greased baking trays, leaving enough space around the buns for them to expand. Set aside, for 20 - 40 minutes depending on the size of the loaves/buns, until they feel well-risen and spongy to the touch.

6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220C. The tops of the buns can be brushed with a little milk or beaten egg for a shiny brown finish, but they look just as nice and more 'natural' if left unadorned. Sprinkle the loaves/buns liberally with water and bake in the hot oven.

7. After 10 - 15 minutes, turn heat down to 190C and continue baking (timing depending on size of loaves/buns) until the loaves/buns sound hollow when tapped on the underside.

EGG TARTS

I have a weakness for egg tarts. Period. It comes in either puff or shortcrust pastry. Although I like 'em both, but I gotta admit I prefer the shortcrust version. These tarts are satisfaction guaranteed, and I could not believe I ate almost all of 'em.

I chose an egg custard recipe which used fresh milk instead of evaporated milk. It is a matter of preference, and I think the latter will yield a delicious egg custard too.

Pastry recipe adapted from Christine's Recipes

225 gm plain flour
125 gm butter
55 gm icing sugar
1 egg, whisked
a dash of vanilla extract

Custard filling adapted from Aunty Yochana.

280 gm. fresh milk
160 gm. sugar (I reduced to 140 gm)
3 nos. eggs
1 tsp. rum (I omitted it)
1/2 tsp. vanilla essence

For pastry:

1. Place butter at room temperature until softened. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer over medium speed until the mixture is smooth, fluffy and light in color.

2. Add in whisked egg, half at a time, beat over low speed. Add vanilla extract, mix well.

3. Sift in flour in two batches, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions with a spatula, and make sure all ingredients combine well. Knead into dough.

4. Roll out the dough to a 1/2 cm thickness. Cut dough with a cookie cutter that is just a bit smaller than your tart tin in size. Line dough in the middle of tart tins, one by one. Lightly press the dough with your thumbs, starting from the bottom then up to the sides. While pressing the dough, turn the tart tin clockwise/anti-clockwise in order to make an even tart shell. Trim away any excess dough.

For egg custard:

5. Heat sugar and milk together. Once sugar dissolves, off heat.

6. Whisk eggs and pour into the milk mixture. Do not whisk till frothy.

7. Add in rum and vanilla essence.

8. Sift the egg custard and pour into tart moulds and bake at 175C till egg custard sets.

Baking tarts:

9. Preheat oven to 200C. Position rack in lower third of oven. Bake tarts for 10 to 15 minutes until the edges are lightly brown.

10. Lower the heat to 180C. Keep an eye on them. Once you see the custard being puffed up a bit, pull the oven door open about 2 to 3 inches. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the custard is cooked through. Just insert a toothpick into the custard. If it stands on its own, it’s done.

SARDINE PUFF

Who wouldn't love short cuts especially when it tastes good? These sardine puffs are just what I am talking about.

If you do not want to go through the hassle of making pastry, use frozen parathas instead. It is a great alternative to the store-bought puff or shortcrust pastry. There are so many varieties of frozen parathas out there, and the best part of it is that you can choose any flavour you want to go with your favourite fillings.

I chose the parathas with green onions - can you see those tiny green spots on the puffs? For the sardine filling I chose Happyhomemaker88's, which has a mixture of sardine and potatoes.

I tweaked the recipe by adding 2 cili padi and a squeeze of lime juice to add a punch to the taste. Try it and you know what I mean.

Recipe adapted from Happyhomemaker88

Ingredients for the sardine filling

2 Tbsp oil
1 large onion, finely chopped

200g canned sardines, mashed coarsely (I used Ayam Brand)

1/2 cup of tomato sauce from the canned sardines

250g potatoes, cut into fine cubes and boiled until cooked

1 Tbsp curry powder

2 bird's eye chili (cili padi)

1/2 lime juice

salt, sugar and pepper to taste

1. Heat up oil and fry onions until fragrant.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for a few minutes until they are incorporated.

3. Set aside to cool down.

4. Divide the paratha into half, wrap with the sardine filling and use a fork to seal the edges.

5. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

CHARN PAU - SAVOURY BUNS

This is a traditional savoury meat bun I grew up eating and I could eat two at a time. The baked buns are soft and sweet which goes well with either chicken or char siew (BBQ pork) fillings. Perfect for breakfast or tea time. Try it!

Recipe adapted from No-FrillsRecipes

Ingredients for Filling

300 gm chicken fillet, diced
4 shallots, diced
3 pips garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp light soya sauce
1/2 tsp of - salt and dark soya sauce
2 tsp cornflour + 1 Tbsp water to thicken
Dash of pepper


Preparation

1. Heat up a pan with the sesame oil, saute the chopped garlic and diced shallots till fragrant.

2. Toss in the meat, stir-fry, add in the sauces, sugar, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup water, cook till meat is cooked.

3. Fine tune taste to your liking and add in the thickening.

4. Dish out and cool before using. (Best to cook this a day before and keep refrigerated).



Ingredients for Bun

(A)
300 gm high protein flour
50 gm superfine flour
1/4 level tsp salt
15 gm skimmed milk powder
50 gm caster sugar
25 gm butter/margarine
1 egg, about 50 ml Egg glaze - 1 egg yolk + 1 Tbsp water + a pinch of salt

(B)
1.1/2 flat tsp dried yeast
1 tsp sugar
150 ml lukewarm water

Method:

1. Combine lukewarm water and yeast in a small bowl, sprinkle over with sugar, stir till dissolved. Set aside for 10 mins for it to ferment.

2. Sift flours together, mix in salt, milk powder in a mixing bowl. Mix with the dough hook for about 10 -20 seconds.

3. Pour frothy mixture into the combined flours, add butter and egg.

4. Beat @ low speed for 10 - 15 mins. or until a soft pliable dough is formed and it doesn't stick to the sides of the mixing bowl. Remove the dough hook.

5. Cover the mixing bowl with a damp cloth and let dough proof for 50 mins. till double in bulk.

6. Dough is ready for shaping once an indentation of a finger is left. Place dough on a floured top.

7. Gently knock back the dough and divide into 12 equal pieces, around 2 oz each. Let dough rest for 10 mins.

8. Flatten a piece of dough, wrap up with some filling, plait the seams, place seams down onto a paper lined tray. Continue with the rest of the dough.

9. Cover with a damp cloth, let rest for another 30 mins. or till double in size.

10. Brush with egg glaze and sprinkle on some sesame seeds.

11. Bake in preheated oven @ 180 deg C for about 15 to 20 mins. till golden brown.

12. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.

A MUST TRY CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

As the name suggests, you have to try making these cupcakes. It is easy to make which guarantees light, moist and rich looking cupcakes that you have been looking for all these while. Use good quality cocoa powder, and need not cut down the sugar. As the cupcakes are not so sweet, it allows you to top off with your favorite ganache or frosting, without feeling the guilt. Wicked!



Recipe adapted from Anncoo Journal


Ingredients:
Makes 18 cupcakes

100g Butter, softened
200g Sugar
2 Eggs
3/4 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk (125ml)
1 tsp Baking soda
1/2 cup Boiling water (with 1 tsp Nescafe Classic Instant Coffee powder)
190g Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
3 tsp Baking powder
40g Cocoa powder


1. Sift flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa powder in bowl. Dissolve baking soda in milk.

2. Cream butter and sugar until light. Add essence and eggs, continue beating.

3. Add in the rest of the ingredients (milk, coffee liquid and flour ingredients), beat till smooth.

4. Spoon batter into greased paper cases to 3/4 full.

5. Bake in a preheated oven at 160C for about 20 mins or until skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

6. Leave to cool on rack before icing.

7. Ice with whatever type of icing you prefer or dust lightly with icing sugar.