Java Chocolate Crunch Buns

This buns were made because my husband requested chocolate bread.  I didn't realize at the time that this wasn't a sweet bun recipe, instead it was a coffee and chocolate flavored buns.  Those two flavors were faint in taste, but it did color the bread brownish.  The pistachio nuts wasn't enough to satisfy the crunch factor in my opinion.  Maybe a bit more in quantity would be better next time.

There's this book that I just bought, which is called 300 Best Bread Machine Recipes and I've been making a variety of bread from it.  It's a bread machine book, but a lot of time, I converted it an oven-baked bread.  It's fairly simple to prepare it and our family likes it better.  I own another book of bread machine recipe but I get bored easily so I had to buy another one to play with :D

My husband did used it for making his sandwich for lunch and he was happy about it.  The texture was great, it was quite soft and fluffy.  Oh, the original recipe was a loaf but since I had a bit of time on my hand, I made them into rolls :)  The recipe will make about 12 buns.  Also, I added beaten egg glaze and a sprinkling of cocoa powder on the buns.  Honestly, I don't mind making it again actually with lots more pistachio, of course.

Well, it's a short post today; and here's the recipe!

Java Chocolate Crunch Loaf

Makes 1 loaf or about 12 small-sized buns


3/4 cup water
1/3 cup freshly brewed coffee (room temperature)
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons liquid honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 1/4 cups bread flour
1 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/3 cup pistachio nuts--can increase to 1/2 cup if you want
1 1/2 teaspoon bread machine or instant yeast

Measure all ingredients into baking pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.  Insert pan into the oven chamber.

Select Dough Cycle.

At the end of its cycle, remove the dough to a lightly floured surface.  Cover and let rest for 5 minutes.  Prepare a 9-x 5-inch loaf pan, spray it with nonstick cooking spray.  Or if making buns, lay a parchment paper on a large baking sheet.

Roll the dough into an 8-x 10-inch rectangle.  Working form the short side, roll jellyroll-style.  Seal the seam by pinching the dough between the thumb and forefinger.  Place the dough seam down in the pan.  Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubles in size.  Usually I preheat my oven to 150F for 15 minutes before I have to put my bread in.  I turn it off, wait for 5 minutes then put the bread in.  This will take about 1 hour for the loaf to double.

If you're interested in making small-sized buns, divide the dough into 12 balls.  Roll each ball on a floured surface until smooth.  Place them on baking sheet, cover with a towel and let rise until doubles.  Before baking, brush the tops with egg glaze (1 egg beaten with a tiny amount of water) and sprinkle with cocoa powder.

Bake the bread in a 350F oven for 35-40 minutes for loaf; about 20-25 minutes for buns, depending on the oven.  Remove the baked loaf or buns from the baking sheet immediately and set on a rack to cool.


Source:  300 Best Bread Machine Recipes by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt

Pumpkin Loaf with Pumpkin Seeds

This I believe is my second post of pumpkin-related baked goods that I made this month.  Everyone else is on to their 10th pumpkin posts, I'm still working my way up, lol.  It's just my schedule this month is preventing me to bake as frequently as I want to.  But no worries, I've a few posts to write before I've to make new stuff.

Anyway, this bread--yes, it's another bread post--caught my eyes and it came from the same blog that has the sweet bread loaf.  I decided that since I had all the ingredients why not make it.  The bread barely taste like pumpkin, it's unlike a pumpkin quick-bread; this has  a very subtle pumpkin flavor but it's moist throughout and was very good with a cream cheese spread.  I bet it'll make a great pumpkin French toast.  Too bad I didn't think about it until today.

Because I like to make my dough in a bread maker, I dump all the wet ingredients first then add the dry ingredients with yeast on top.  If making this on a mixer with a dough hook, you have to make sure that it's sufficiently kneaded, do a window-pane test, proof, and then proceed to the shaping part of the recipe.


Pumpkin Loaf with Pumpkin Seeds


350g bread flour
 ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
140g milk 
130g pumpkin puree (steamed pumpkin and mashed with a fork)
2 tablespoon honey 
26g unsalted butter, softened

Beaten egg for egg wash
Raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds -- I used about 1/3 cup or so

Additional butter for brushing, optional 


In a mixer bowl, place bread flour and salt, give it a little stir.  Add yeast, milk, pumpkin puree, honey, and butter.  With a dough hook, knead the dough until smooth and elastic.  Do a window-pane test.  Grease another large bowl, dump the dough into it, cover with plastic wrap, and let it proof for about 1 hour.

If making with a bread maker, place all the wet ingredients first then add the dry ingredients with the yeast on the very top.  Select Dough cycle.

When the dough has doubled, place it on a well-floured surface, punch one time to release the gas.  Roll the dough into a ball and let it rest, covered with towel, for 20 minutes.

Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.  

Flatten the dough into a large rectangular shape.  Roll it up like making a swiss roll, starting from the short side. Place the dough into the pan, seam side down.  Let it proof again for another hour or until the dough has doubled in size.  Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

Brush the top with beaten egg, scatter pumpkin seeds and pat them down to make them stick.  Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the bread is hollow when tap on the bottom.  Once it's done baking, brush the top with butter if desired; remove it from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

To keep the bread soft, store in plastic bag for 2-3 days at room temperature.




Source:  adapted from Cook Bake Love

Banana-Coconut Cream Cheese Nut Bread

Banana bread is my go-to quick bread to make when I'm pressed in time but I really, really want to bake.  In this case, I want to finish an opened cream cheese package and there's some ripe bananas on the counter.  I've always had bananas in the house; they're eaten frequently and my family doesn't say no to banana bread.

I'm pretty sure I've made this banana bread before but I don't remember where I got the recipe.  Luckily, Pinterest came to my rescue.  Judging from the way the recipe is I can tell that this one is a keeper.  I traced it back to Southern Living magazine website and it was one of their most popular recipes to be made over and over again.  The original recipe had some cinnamon crisp topping but the recipe that I found from Pinterest eliminated that topping.  So I made my own modification which was to add shredded coconut on the top of the loaves.  It gives a nice texture to the bread and goes together with the flavor profile.  And I love that this recipe yields two loaves, one for me, none for you :D!

Banana-Coconut Cream Cheese Nut Bread

Yields 2 loaves

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
1 cup roughly chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
About 1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degree F.  Greased and floured two 8-x4-inch loaf pans.

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.  Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended.  Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanilla.  Spoon batter into the loaf pans.  Sprinkle coconut equally on top of loaves, pad lightly so the coconut will adhere.

Bake for about an hour or until a wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan; shielding with aluminum foil the last 15 minutes to prevent browning, if necessary.  Cool bread in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.  Remove from pans, and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.


Source:  adapted from Southern Living

Sweet Sandwich Bread

I know I really, really love bread when I would forego social gathering in order to tend my bread making session.  This happened when I made this sweet bread a few weeks ago.  I was looking forward to be home and tending my dough when my son got invited to a friend's baptism.  All I kept thinking was how I couldn't leave my overnight sponge go a little longer while my mouth was saying, I'll chat with you soon, to friends.  I had to drop my son off and raced back home to do the bread.  It was a lot of steps, making this bread that was.  Then I had to back out again to pick him up before the bread was ready to be baked.  All I had to say to my friends was, so nice to see you again, thank you for having him(my son) here; and hugged each of them.  Then I rushed back home again.  So much for wanting to chat...

I even missed the baptism part.  I hope my friends forgive me and will invite me again to a social gathering :)

Well, the bread was worth the hectic afternoon I had.  This was a soft, Asian bakery style bread which is beloved by Asians (apparently).  My mom would love this kind, she wouldn't love Dave's Killer Bread no matter how many beneficial seeds it has :D  For me, this bread is best for eating fresh and as toasts.  The recipe yields 2 loaves; one I freeze and ate a week later.  Still good, soft, and wonderful when toasted and ate with soup.

This photo below showed the loaf that was baked in a Pullman pan with the lid on.  I wasn't happy with my Pullman pan which I bought in Indonesia.  I'm thinking I need to invest in a better pan.

I made the dough using a bread maker even though the recipe showed manual method.  I think either way is fine, I like the convenient of bread maker making my dough.  If making with bread maker, you should put all the ingredients at once, choose Dough setting, and let the machine do the work.

Here's the recipe:

Sweet Sandwich Bread

Makes 2 large loaves


Overnight sponge:
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast---I used SAF Instant
60 g water
100 g bread flour

In a small bowl stir together the yeast with 20 g water.  Add the rest of the ingredients and knead to form a dough.  Let it proof for 30 minutes.  Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for up to 48 hours.


Bread Dough:
550 g bread flour
80 g sugar
6 g salt
20 g powdered milk
10 g instant yeast
1 cold egg
270 g cold water
75 g unsalted butter, at room temperature

Egg wash, optional

In a bowl of a mixer place bread flour, sugar, salt, powdered milk, and yeast.  Stir with paddle attachment until combined.  Add the overnight sponge, egg, and water.  Switch to hook attachment, mix it all until forms a dough.  Add butter, and continue mixing until it forms a smooth and elastic dough.  The dough will be rather sticky but should be smooth in appearance.  Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a plastic wrap and let proof for 45 minutes or until double in size.

On a floured surface, divide the dough into 6 equal round portions.  Let it rest for 10 minutes.

Roll each portion flat with a rolling pin, then roll it up like a jelly roll.  Let it rest again for 10 minutes.  Repeat this step one more time.

Preheat the oven to 375 degree F for regular loaf pans or 400 degree F for Pullman pans.

Place 3 piece of dough into two greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pans or Pullman pans.  Let it proof for 50 minutes or until it reaches 80% on the loaf pans.  Brush loaves with egg wash if desired.  Cover the Pullman pans with the lids.

Bake the regular loaf pans for about 30 minutes, and the Pullman pans for about 35 minutes.  Take the loaves out of pan right away and let cool completely on wire racks.


Source:  adapted from Cook Bake Love

Chelsea Buns

I just got back from my son's science trip with his school for 8 days last week, and I'm exhausted!  Not so much physically but mentally because there's so much to think about during the trip, the safety of the kids was always the paramount.  The constant vigilance of where they were and what they're doing, and the long drives wore me out.  But it didn't mean I didn't have good time because I got the chance to visit my bestie and my alma mater.

The kids went to Catalina Island Marine Institute to study marine biology and we stopped along the way, first at San Fransisco and second at Knott's Berry Farm.  The kids bonded and the chaperones bonded as well; the women I know were really wonderful and we got to know each other more.

With that trip behind me, I can now enjoy my spring break!  So need a break from a routine even though the typical springtime weather is back, days of grey and mist.  Ah, that's Oregon...

Maybe this Chelsea buns will cheer me up?  These are tasty buns, chockfull of moist dried fruits which my husband and I love.  My son still chose cinnamon rolls over this but he still ate a handful :)

Chelsea Buns

Yields about 12 large buns or 24 small buns


For sweet bread dough:
3/4 cup (6 ounces) warm water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup (2 ounces) bread flour
3/4 cup (6 ounces) plain yogurt--regular or Greek, can be substituted with sour cream or buttermilk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups bread flour
1 egg + 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)

For the filling:
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups mixed dried fruit

For the icing:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 1/2 to 4 tablespoons cream or 2 to 3 tablespoons milk


In a small bowl, combine the warm water and 2 teaspoons sugar.  Stir to dissolve.  Stir in the yeast and 1/2 cup flour.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until bubbly and active, about 10 to 15 minutes.

In a bowl of a mixer or bucket for bread machine, combine the yogurt, butter, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, and yeast mixture.  Add 4 1/2 cups of flour and knead the dough--by mixer or bread machine--to make a smooth, supple, and soft dough.  Add the extra flour only if needed, 1/2 cup at a time.  If using a mixer, place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to grease all sides, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise for 60 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.  If using bread machine, let it rise in the machine until the end of the Dough cycle.

Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly floured work surface.  Roll the dough into a 16" x 24" rectangle.

Spread the dough with the 1/3 cup melted butter.  Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle it evenly over the dough.  Scatter the mixed dried fruit over the cinnamon sugar and lightly press it down onto the dough.

Starting with a long end, roll the dough into a log and cut it into 12 slices for large buns or 24 slices for small buns.  Whatever the size of buns you cut, they'll turn out delicious!

Place the buns in lightly greased baking sheets.  Cover the pan and let the buns rise until they're nearly doubled, about 45 minutes.

While the buns are rising, preheat the oven to 375F.  Brush buns with egg wash and bake until golden brown, about 30-40 minutes.  While the buns are baking, make the icing by stirring together confectioners' sugar with cream or milk.

Remove the buns from the oven.  Drizzle the icing on the buns while they are warm.

Butternut Squash Bread with Dark Chocolate and Walnuts

Last year when my parents traveled to Indonesia, I had to take care of their house and yard.  I didn't have to do much with the yard though but I had to make sure the plants were watered well and picked a few handful of produce from their vegetable garden.  One day, as I was looking out the window from their living room, I noticed there's a vine that's growing over and around the short hedges lining up the front pathway.  It seemed like a squash plant tried to grow.  My parents and I love kabocha squash very much and there was a talk in the past of planting one or two plants in the vegetable garden.  We just love the sweet and smooth texture of this squash that when it's in season, my mom would buy one or two.  She then would slice it thin, dredged it in tempura batter, and deep-fried it.  That was our afternoon snack, and between us, we could probably eat the whole squash ourselves.  My mom wouldn't choose an overly big one, but she smartly picked the small one.

That plant was growing like weed and there's also one in the backyard, but when I asked my dad about it, he said he actually didn't plant any in the front yard so that was a surprise.  As summer progressed, I watched it bore fruits; the one in the front bore green fruit and the one in the back bore bluish-colored fruit.  From the look of it, one must be blue kuri squash and the other one was kabocha squash.  When my parents came back home, we waited until the stems became corky and the shape went blocky.  My dad loves it plain, steamed, and would eat it with a spoon.  I baked my share until soft and divided the flesh into several freezer bags.  These can be frozen for 3 months.

And here's one way to use up the squash, I made a quick bread with dark chocolate chips, walnuts, and dried cranberries.  I adapted the original recipe by using all-purpose flour instead of wheat flour because that's what I had at home at the time.  This won't last long in my house, everyone would eat slice upon slice with a drink of their choice!

Butternut Squash Bread with Dark Chocolate and Walnuts

Yield 1-9x5 inch loaf


2 eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
7.5 ounces peeled, seeded, steamed and pureed kabocha squash
2/3 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purposed flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 generous teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground dried ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup lightly toasted walnuts, plus extra for decorating top
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Heat oven to 350 F.  Coat a bread loaf pan with coconut oil or butter, or spray with vegetable oil.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, sugars, cooked/pureed kabocha squash flesh, and oil until smooth.  In a second bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg.  Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well.  Fold in chocolate chips, walnuts, and cranberries.

Fill the prepared loaf pan about three-quarters full with batter.  Gently tap the bottom of the filled pan on the counter a few times to release air bubbles.  Sprinkle additional walnuts over loaf, using your hand to gently press them into the batter.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Let cool for at least 1 hour before slicing into thick chunks.


Source:  adapted from Breadtopia

Pineapple Upside-Down Cinnamon Rolls

I've always wanted to try something different with familiar recipe, eating the same old sounds boring to me.  Well, I found it in this cinnamon rolls recipe; instead of normal cinnamon rolls, I treated my family to the pineapple upside-down cinnamon rolls.  And you know what, it's actually delicious!

The basic sweet dough recipe is already fantastic, it's a very soft dough that's easy to handle.  It can be made using a mixer or bread machine--which is my go-to machine to make bread dough.  Bread flour is my preferred flour to make sweet dough even though the original one uses all-purpose.  The quantity of pineapples was changed slightly to 2 cups instead of 1 1/2 cups.  I do like it that way so there's an equal amount of pineapple to the rolls, otherwise I would have eaten only rolls and no more pineapples.  

And because I wanted to bake it in the morning for breakfast, I proofed the two pans in my fridge overnight.  The morning of, take those pans out and set in the oven with a pan of boiling water placed on the rack underneath the pans.  Let it proof for 30 minutes and then bake.  

If you have cream cheese frosting, this is also good with it!

Pineapple Upside-Down Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 18 small rolls

Pan Sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 cups canned pineapple chunks (juice reserved)
1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
9 maraschino cherries, cut in half

Dough:
Flour for dusting
1 recipe Cinnamon Roll Dough--recipe follows

Cinnamon Filling:
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the pan sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Stir in the brown sugar until it melts.  Stir in the pineapple chunks and juice and cook until the sauce starts to bubble and thicken, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the salt, remove from heat, and divide the sauce between two 9-inch square pans.  Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.  Arrange half the cherries, cut side up, in the bottom of each prepared pan.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and cut in half.  Roll each half out to an 8 by 12-inch rectangle.

For the filling, combine the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl.  Set aside.  Spread each half rectangle of dough with half the melted butter and sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar.  Roll up the dough, starting with a short end, to form a tight 9-inch cylinder.  Cut each cylinder into 9 slice. Place each slice, spiral side up, in a prepared pan.  Cover with tea towels and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Bake for 23 to 25 minutes or until the rolls have risen and browned. Transfer to a rack to cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto serving platters.

Cinnamon Roll Dough

Makes 6 jumbo, 12 large, 16 to 20 medium, or 48 mini rolls

1 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature 
3 1/3 cups bread flour, plus more for kneading and dusting
2 1/2 teaspoons instant or bread machine yeast

In a 4-cup measuring cup, combine the milk, butter, sugar, and salt.  Microwave on High for 1 minute or until warm.  Whisk in the eggs.

Place the flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Add the liquid ingredients.  Mix on low speed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time, until the dough forms a soft mass and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 5 to 6 minutes.

Remove the paddle attachment and switch to the dough hook.  With the mixer on low, knead the dough with the dough hook.  Sprinkle the dough with a tablespoon of flour, if necessary, to keep it from sticking to the sides of the bowl.  When the dough is smooth, not sticky, and springs back when you press it with your finger, you've kneaded enough (4 to 6 minutes).  Place the dough in a large, oiled mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rise in a warm place for 45 to 60 minutes, or until it has almost doubled.

For bread machine dough:  Place the liquid ingredients in the pan of the bread machine after first step.  Add the flour, then the yeast.  Select Dough cycle, and press Start.



Source:  adapted heavily from I Love Cinnamon Rolls by Judith Fertig

Hot Cross Buns

Happy Easter everyone!  It's such a beautiful Sunday morning and we had this scrumptious hot cross buns for breakfast today.  I know that traditionally these buns are served on Good Friday, but clearly I didn't plan for Easter week--hung my head shamefully :)  This year's Easter is such an easy going day for my family, in fact, I think I'm going for a hike instead of having dinner later on.

I've made hot cross buns a long time ago.  I blogged about it and posted in my old food blog; I can't recall how that recipe fares with this one.  Remember that I'm making a promise to re-post recipes from the old blog?  This is a re-post on the buns but with a new recipe which I think is as equally good.  That's why I had two for breakfast with my coffee!

Hot Cross Buns

Yields 10 buns



500 grams bread flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground clove

75 grams unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature

50 grams granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, at room temperature

250 ml warm milk

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

175 gram dried mixed fruits--I've used a combination of raisins, currants, yellow raisins, and candied orange peel.  The amount is up to you, you could omit one or the other fruits.

1 egg, beaten



Hot Cross Paste

100 gram unbleached all-purpose flour

30 gram confectioners' sugar

80 ml milk



Dissolve yeast in a bowl with warm water.  Mix together the flour, cinnamon, clove, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.  Rub the softened butter with your fingertips and make a well in the flour.  Pour dissolved yeast along with the egg into the well.  Bring the dough together with your hands or with a spatula.  This is a quite soft and supple dough.  If it feels a little wet and sticky, don't panic, just stay with it and be persistent.  Avoid the temptation to add extra flour.

Turn the dough on to a clean surface and knead for 10 minutes.  Just as you reach the windowpane stage, add the dried mixed fruits to the dough and gently knead for a few minutes to distribute the fruits.  The goal is to distribute the fruits evenly but not the point of them being broken.  Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with damp cloth and leave to prove for about 90 minutes.  A good place to put the dough will be in a preheated oven that has been turned off.

As an alternative, a mixer with the dough hook attachment can be used if needed.  The steps will be the same as above.

Once the dough has doubled in size, turn the dough onto a clean work surface and gently pat to release the gas.  Cut the dough into 10 equal pieces, form into rolls and place on a nonstick baking pan or lined with parchment; leaving enough room to allow each bun to proof and grow without touching.  Leave to proof again for 60 to 80 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 350F.  While waiting, make the paste for the crosses by mixing together the flour and sugar in a bowl.  Add milk to form a paste that is a piping consistency, add a tablespoonful or more if needed.

Brush the buns with the beaten egg.  Spoon paste into a piping bag and pipe a cross on each bun.  Bake the buns for 25 to 28 minutes or until rich golden in color.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Note:  if you like, you can brush the buns while they are still warm with a simple sugar glaze.  It is made by combining 50 ml water with 50 gram granulated sugar, heat until sugar is dissolved and let cool.  It will add shine to the buns.



Source:  adapted from Fireside Bakery's Hot Cross Buns, the link can be found here.  Italics is mine.

Apple-Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

Is it time for apples yet?  You bet!  Even if I'm ready to face fall season I'm confronted to the fact that my son will start school soon and I'm back working as well.  Fall means cooler weather with more rain and the feeling of wanting for comfort food.  Apples fit perfectly because in the season because there will be apple cider, apple pies, crumbles, and many more.  What's more perfect is the aroma of apple and cinnamon, that just spells fall to me.

This pull-apart bread is very easy to make and will guarantee to make your kitchen smells good.  I've a friend whose apple trees bear enough fruits for me to pick some to be used in this bread.  Since this bake in no time, I'm planning to make it often for afternoon snack for my son when he gets home from school.  Try it, you'll probably welcome fall more than you like to :)

Apple-Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

Makes 6 servings



Nonstick cooking spray

1 7.5-ounce package (10) refrigerated reduced-fat home-style biscuits

4 teaspoons ground flaxseeds--I didn't have it so I substituted with wheat germ

2 teaspoons granulated sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup thinly sliced apple--I used 1 medium apple and used up all the apple slices to fill the bread

3 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts--mine is chopped slightly fine

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened

2 teaspoons orange juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract



Preheat oven to 350 degree F.  Coat an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan with cooking spray; set aside.  Cut biscuits in half crosswise.  In a small bowl stir together ground flaxseeds, 1 teaspoon of the granulated sugar, and the cinnamon.  Roll biscuit halves in flaxseed mixture to coat.  Alternately arrange biscuit halves and apple slices in the prepared loaf pan.  Sprinkle with any remaining flaxseed mixture and the walnuts.

In a small saucepan combine brown sugar, the 2 tablespoons orange juice, and the butter.  Cook and stir over medium-high heat until boiling.  Pour mixture over biscuits.  Bake about 25 minutes or until edges are golden and biscuits near center are done.  Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Invert bread onto a small baking sheet; invert again onto a serving platter.

For icing, in a small bowl whisk together cream cheese, the 2 teaspoons orange juice, the vanilla, and the remaining 1 teaspoon granulated sugar.  Drizzle bread with icing.  Serve warm.



Source:  adapted from Better and Home Gardens Fall Baking 2013

Parker House Rolls

Have to try this rolls whenever I see the recipe for Parker House rolls.  I'm imagining soft and fluffy rolls, warm and buttery.  And I'm not disappointed with this recipe.  It's a bit time-consuming forming this small pillows but of course, any shape will do.  The addition of sea salt at the end is necessary so don't skip it.

The way I did was a bit different than the recipe, there's things I modified to use up what I had at home.  I used SAF Red Instant yeast because that's the one I kept in my fridge; this way I skipped step number 1, i.e. proofing the yeast.  The quantity for using SAF Red Instant yeas is 2 teaspoons and it's added with egg.  Bread flour substituted all-purpose flour.  I added the water used for proofing yeast to my milk and then proceeded with the rest of the steps.

The next day I warmed rolls and ate it with homemade strawberry jam given by a friend.  It's oh, so good.

Parker House Rolls

Makes 36

1 envelope active dry yeast

1/4 cup water

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 egg, at room temperature

3 1/2 cups bread flour

1/4 cup unsalted butter

Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon

In a small bowl, whisk the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water (110°-115°).  Let stand for 5 minutes.

Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until just warm.  Combine shortening, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  Add warm milk; whisk to blend, breaking up shortening into small clumps (it may not melt completely).  Whisk in yeast mixture and egg.  Add bread flour; stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until dough forms.  Knead dough with lightly floured hands on a lightly floured surface until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes.  Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl; turn to coat.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap.  Let stand at room temperature until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°.  Melt butter in a small saucepan.  Lightly brush a 13x9" baking dish with some melted butter.  Punch down dough; divide into 4 equal pieces.  Working with 1 piece at a time, roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 12x6" rectangle.

Cut lengthwise into three 2"-wide strips; cut each crosswise into three 4x2" rectangles.  Brush half of each (about 2x2") with melted butter; fold unbuttered side over, allowing 1/4" overhang.  Place flat in 1 corner of dish, folded edge against short side of dish.  Add remaining rolls, shingling to form 1 long row.  Brush with melted butter, loosely cover with plastic, and chill for 30 minutes or up to 6 hours.

Bake rolls until golden and puffed, 25-35 minutes.  Brush with butter; sprinkle with flaky sea salt.  Serve warm.

Source:  The Fannie Farmer Baking Book, 1984.

Christmas Stollen

The darkness of winter is closing in and with that, the Christmas of 2011 is almost over.  Last night we had dinner with a family friend; their kids played with mine, the adults talked in front of the fireplace.  It's the most peaceful moment during the week leading to Christmas.  The food was superb, the desserts were equally delicious.  My panettone obviously needed tinkering, but the stollen came out beautifully.  It will no doubt be one bread that make it to my Christmas baking ritual.  To prove that I can make stollen, to prove to my walking friends that stollen is not an ordinary dried fruit-nut bread :)

And the kids, who were happily entertained by Tintin comic books.

Stollen

Makes 2 large breads



Fruit:

3/4 cup dark raisins

3/4 cup golden raisins

4 ounces whole candied citron, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1/2 cup dark rum or brandy



Sponge:

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 packages (1 1/2 tablespoons) rapid-rise yeast

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature



Dough:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very soft

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom, preferably freshly ground

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out and reserved

3/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup blanched whole almonds, chopped into medium-sized pieces

2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

12 ounces marzipan, homemade or canned

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Confectioners' sugar for dusting



The night before or even 2 or 3 days ahead, combine the raisins, candied citron, and liquor in a 2-pint jar with a screw-cap lid or in a resealable plastic bag.  Turn the container several times to distribute the liquor evenly.  Set aside at room temperature to soak.

To make the sponge:  scald the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat-you will see steam rising from the surface and small bubbles forming around the edges.  Remove the pan from the heat and let milk cool to between 120 degree and 130 degree F.

Put the flour into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer.  Whisk in the yeast and sugar.  Add the milk and whisk briskly to make a smooth batter.  Add the egg and whisk to combine well.  Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the sponge rise until it more than doubles in volume and then collapses on itself, about 2 hours.

To make the dough with a stand mixer:  attach the flat beater and beat the butter into the sponge in 2-tablespoon installment on medium speed, beating until incorporated after each addition.  Add the sugar, cardamom, nutmeg, vanilla seeds, almond extract, and salt and beat on low to medium-low speed until the dough masses on the blade, abut 5 minutes.  Scrape the bowl and beater, and stir in the raisins and citron, along with any unabsorbed liquor.  Add the almonds.  Switch to the dough hook.  Beating on low speed, gradually 2 cups of the flour and then knead for 3 to 5 minutes.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup flour on your work surface and scrape the dough onto it.  Knead the dough until all the flour has been incorporated.  The dough should feel fairly firm and only a bit tacky.  If it is too sticky, knead in up to 1/4 cup more flour.  Push any fruit that falls from the dough during kneading back into the dough.

Wash and dry the bowl and either oil it lightly or coat it with cooking spray.  Shape the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl, turning to coat all surfaces.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Turn the dough out onto an unfloured work surface and divide it in half with a pastry scraper or sharp knife.  Shape each piece into a all, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

To shape the stollen:  divide the marzipan into 2 pieces.  Roll each under your palms into a cylinder about 11 inches long.  Pat or roll each piece of dough into an oval measuring 12 inches long and about 9 inches wide at the widest point.  If the dough sticks at any point, dust it very lightly with flour.  Make a shallow depression down the center of each oval with the handle of a wooden spoon.  Place a roll of marzipan in each depression.  Lift one side of dough over the marzipan, covering it completely.  The edge of the top flap of dough should just reach the other edge of dough.

Line a large baking sheet (18 x 12 x 1 inch) with a silicone baking pan liner or cooking parchment.  Put the stollen crosswise on the prepared sheet, placing them about 3 inches from each end of the sheet and leaving about 4 inches of space between them.  Coat the stollen with cooking spray and cover them loosely with plastic wrap.  Let rise just until they have increased in volume by about half, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Adjust an oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350 degree F.

When the stollen are ready, remove the plastic wrap and place the pan in the oven.  Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the stollen are nicely browned.  An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part should register 195 degree F.  Remove the pan from the oven and immediately brush each stollen with half the melted butter.  Put the confectioners' sugar in a fine-meshed sieve and sift a generous layer all over the top of the stollen.  Repeat in a few minutes if you see the sugar melting in spots.  Cool the stollen completely on wire cooling racks.  To serve, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a sharp serrated knife.

Notes:  to age the stollen, bake in advance before Christmas arrives!



Source:  A Baker's Odyssey by Greg Patent

Monkeying around in the kitchen

Here are some recent explorations from my kitchen (with occasional help from Mom):

Chicken Pesto pizza, a relatively simple pizza made from store-bought pesto, grilled chicken, mozzarella and Provolone cheeses.

New Haven White Clam pizza,  a new favorite of my son and I.  I can't believe how simple it is to make this pizza, much easier than a traditional pizza.  The pizza dough recipe that I used in making these pizzas was from Frank Stitt's book,  Bottega Favorita:  A Southern Chef's Love Affair with Italian Food.  A great book!

These kue talam ubi were made of mashed ground sweet potato with tapioca flour, sugar, and salt. Steamed in a little Chinese wine cups, and top with a mixture of tapioca flour, coconut milk, and salt. They are just heavenly.

Kue putu mayang is next.  Ground rice flour, sugar and salt are the basic components in making this traditional Indonesian snack. Mine is far from perfect; the recipe definitely needs tweaking. But the sauce is perfect; coconut milk, salt, palm sugar, and durian paste!

Last one will be the monkey bread that I just made today. Unfortunately it is not made from scratch but rather from a mix. For a slight variation, I used a mixture of raisins, dried cranberries, and walnut for the topping. Oh, the soft texture of the bread is so irresistible!

Lemon-Coconut Bread

Quick bread is nothing sort of spectacular for a dessert but even if it posits to be humble, the effect is most often sweet and delectable.  Give way to lemon-coconut bread, made a few days ago because I wanted to escape the ho-hum of everyday chores.  I was in a good mood and had lots of energy because I accomplished not just one bread but two types of breads; one was my favorite bread of the week, three-seed whole wheat.

That bread was almost gone, only a slice or two left in the bread box, but I still  have the lemon-coconut bread.  It has stayed moist for two days and was meant to be savored piece by piece with a warm drink.  Perfect for a storm that's brewing in the horizon.

Lemon-Coconut Bread

Makes one 9x5-inch loaf



2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon zest

3/4 cup sweetened coconut

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

For lemon icing:

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

2-3 tablespoons lemon juice



Preheat oven to 350 degree F.  Grease one 9x5-inch loaf.

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl.  Stir in coconut.

Beat oil, eggs, and milk with an electric mixer in a separate bowl until frothy.  Stir in lemon juice.  Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  Spoon into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 70-80 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Make the icing:  Stir confectioners' sugar with 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a bowl with a wooden spatula.  Add more lemon juice if it's too stiff.

When the cake is done, let it cool in pan over rack for 10 minutes.  Remove pan and let it cool completely on rack before icing it.



Source:  adapted from 125 Best Quick Bread Recipes by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt

Flax Seed Bread

Sunday is the day when you're supposed to take it easy and be relax.  But in reality, it's most often the day that household chores are done in my household.  My chores were a mile long, barked like a military order:  bake a bread, do laundry, do a quick food photo session, get lunch, help put up shelves in bedroom, touch up the wall with paint, vacuum, mop, clean the backyard.  Pheww...when all of those were done, I could finally wipe my forehead; literally, sweats coming from raking the fallen leaves in the backyard.

But, I got a chance, even if it's only a sliver of relaxation, to have a lazy breakfast.  No need to cook elaborate breakfast dishes; I only serve slices of my flax seed bread, butter, and chocolate sprinkles.  Spreading chocolate sprinkles on buttered bread slices is definitely something from old tradition growing up in Indonesia that I keep till now.  My son grows to love it too, and I made sure I bought some packages of chocolate sprinkles when we went back to Indonesia.  There are three different types of chocolate sprinkles sold, milk chocolate, classic (which is taste like dark chocolate), and festive (which is colored sprinkles mixed in with chocolate ones).  These chocolate sprinkles are quite different from the sprinkles I find here in the US since the chocolate sprinkles from Indonesia are made with real chocolate, not just sugar.

I often make flax seed bread because not only it tastes good, it's also a way to serve flax seed to my family.  I couldn't eat them raw, neither could my other family members.  They're still quite crunchy in the bread but in a good way.  So even if the sliced bread is buttered and sprinkled with chocolate, at least the flax seed is providing healthy addition.

Flax Seed Bread

Yield 1 1/2-pound loaf



1 1/8 cup water

2 tablespoons canola oil

3 tablespoons honey

3 cups bread flour

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk

2 tablespoons flax seed

1 tablespoon gluten

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon SAF yeast or 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast



Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer's instructions.  Set crust on medium and program for the Basic cycle; press Start.  (This recipe may be made using the Delay Timer.)

When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the pan and place it on a rack.  Let cool to room temperature before slicing.



Source:  The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook

Chocolate Bread Parfait

Would you throw away leftover bread if you've known that you could make this heady yet luscious chocolate bread parfait?  I wouldn't so you shouldn't either.  I love the idea of using leftover bread which is abundant in Umbrian cuisine; it's kinda like genoise cake but in a slightly chewy way met chocolate-coffee-rum sauce.  This recipe was sent to me a long time ago but I haven't had time to make it sooner.  Spring is already here but this week, it's quite rainy and cold in Oregon so I thought making this parfait sounded perfect for the weather.

This is an honest and humble dessert, using simple and basic components but the result will sway you away.  The sauce is on the spot, not too sweet, very chocolatey, and the rum shines on.  I had to substitute almonds for pistachios because they're what I had at home.  Even with that, they didn't take away the flavor intended in the dessert.  Half of the recipe was just enough for us, more than that meant I need a strong determination not to eat all of them!

Chocolate Bread Parfait (Pane di Cioccolato al Cucchiaio)

Serves 6



8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

8 ounces country-style white bread, crusts removed

1/2 cup freshly brewed espresso

2 tablespoons dark rum

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1 /2 cups chilled heavy cream

1 cup sliced almonds, toasted---I used pistachios

Recommended equipment: A large rimmed tray or baking sheet, such as half-sheet pan (12 by 18 inches);  a spouted measuring cup, 1 pint or larger; 6 parfait glasses or wineglasses, preferably balloon-shaped

Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl set in a pan of hot (not boiling) water.  When the chocolate begins to melt, stir until completely smooth.  Keep it warm, over the water, off the heat.

Slice the bread into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and lay them flat in one layer, close together, on the tray or baking sheet.

Pour the warm espresso into a spouted measuring cup, stir in the rum and sugar until sugar dissolves, then stir in half the melted chocolate.  Pour the sauce all over the bread slices, then flip them over and turn them on the tray, to make sure all the surfaces are coated.  Let the bread absorb the sauce for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, whip the cream until soft peaks form, by hand or with an electric mixer.

To assemble the parfaits:  Break the bread into 1-inch pieces.  Use half the pieces to make the bottom parfait layer in the six serving glasses, dropping an equal amount of chocolatey bread into each.  Scrape up some of the unabsorbed chocolate sauce that remains on the baking sheet, and drizzle a bit over the bread layers.   Next, drop a layer of whipped cream in the glasses, using up half the cream.  Top the cream layer with toasted almonds, using half the nuts.

Repeat the layering sequence:  drop more soaked bread into each glass, drizzle over it the chocolate sauce from the tray and the remaining melted chocolate.  Dollop another layer of whipped cream in the glasses, using it all up, and sprinkle the remaining almonds on top of each parfait.  This dessert is best when served immediately while melted chocolate is still warm and runny.



Source:  reprinted with permission from Lidia Mattichio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali, authors of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy:  A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

This cinnamon swirl bread is one of many sweet breads I've discovered that's big on flavor yet very easy to make with the aid of a bread machine.  I purposely keep a bread machine just to make bread dough or pizza dough because it never fails to produce any kinds of dough I need.  And I don't even have the most expensive brand, in fact this machine was given as a gift about 10 years ago.

Cinnamon and brown sugar is a duo that can't be separated, there's got to be a recipe for cinnamon bread in every collection.  If you like cinnamon raisin bread, you won't miss the raisins in this bread.  I've made it with raisins and without raisins, both versions won two thumbs up from two members of my family and a lucky family of seven from my church who's gotten a loaf of this bread last week.

The texture of the bread is terrific, soft and buttery.  Slather one or two slices, toasted, with additional butter or peanut butter in the morning will get your day right from the beginning.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Makes 1 1/2-pound loaf



For the dough:

1 cup water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/4 cup sugar

3 cups bread flour

1/3 cup dry buttermilk powder

1 tablespoon gluten

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons SAF yeast or 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

For the cinnamon swirl:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted for brushing

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Place all ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer's instructions.  Set program for Dough cycle and start.

Grease a 9-x 5-inch loaf.  When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, remove the pan and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Pat the dough into one 8-x 12-inch rectangle.  Brush the rectangle with melted butter.  Sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon, leaving a 1-inch edge all the way around.  Starting at a short end, roll up jelly-roll style.  Tuck the end under and pinch the bottom seam.

Place the loaf in the prepared 9-x 5-inch pan.  Spry the top with cooking spray and cover lightly with plastic wrap.  Let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.  In about 15-20 minutes before the timer is done, preheat the oven to 350 degree F.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and the sides have slightly contracted from the pan.  If the crust brown too quickly, place a piece of aluminum foil loosely over the top.

Place the bread on a rack and let cool to room temperature before slicing.  Dust with plain or vanilla confectioners' sugar, if desired.



Source:  adapted from The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger