Bika Ambon Mini

Ingredients

Group 1

350ml coconut milk (200ml Kara coconut cream + 150ml water)

1 lemongrass

2 kafir lime leaf

1 pandan leaf

1/2 tsp tumeric powder

1/2 tsp yellow coloring

1/4 tsp salt

Group 2

150g tapioca flour

75g plain flour

6g yeast

Group 3

150g sugar

3 eggs

1 tbsp condensed milk

Group 4

30g melted butter

Directions

• 
  whisk Group 1 together in a saucepan and cook with low heat till rolling boil and put aside to cool 
• sieve to remove the lemongrass, lime leaves and pandan leaf and make sure the volume is 350ml
• in a bigger bowl, sift Group 2 and add Group 1 mixture... put aside for 15min
• mix Group 2 together and to the batter
• finally add in melted butter
• whisk well and cover the bowl and leave to rest for 1-2 hours
• after resting the batter, lightly whisk to remove air bubbles as much as possible and transfer to measuring cup for easy pouring
• pre-heat mould (put metal sheet under the mould) on very low fire, whisk mixture and pour in 3/4 full into each mould... cook till bubbles formed on the surface and put the cover on (total about 10min)
• cook till top is fully cooked and gently remove from each mould

Foodnote: Recipe adapted from here. After successfully making the sarang semut mini, I am excited to try to make this since it looks quite easy and straightforward. It turns out well actually. I really likes it. I just saw another mould with 12 holes! Now I am so tempted to get it hhmmm... 

Kueh Sarang Semut (Honeycomb cake)

Ingredients

Caramel

250g sugar

250g hot water

3/4 cup or 170g butter

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

70g condense milk

75g flour

75g tapioca flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

Directions

• prepare caramel: cook sugar till desired darkness then slowly add water
• remove from heat and add in butter... stir till fully combined and leave to cool
• in a bowl, whisk eggs and caramel mixture
• add in the rest of the ingredients and mix till clumps free
• butter and flour cake mould and pour in batter
• bake in a pre-heated oven at 160°C for 35 - 40min
• or for mini sarang semut: lightly oil and pre-heat the mould, add the batter 3/4 full and when bubbly, cover and cook for 20min under very very low fire
• for bundt cake/cake pan, let cool for 10min and flip to remove cake from the mould

Foodnote: First time trying to make this and when my friend in Chicago hehe shared the recipe and I happen to have all the ingredients, I quickly get to it. I made the mini version and it is very very soft and the honeycomb is so nice. I find the kuih taste so much better the next day. My friends who tasted it all says that it is very good. So yeah... this recipe is definitely a keeper! Will make it again for my family.

Might also want to try this recipe just to see the difference.

French Baguette (Rapid Dough System)

Ingredients (make 6 loaves)

Group 1

(100%) 882g bread flour

(1%) 9g instant yeast

(1%) 9g caster sugar

(1.5%) 18g bread improver (crustry)

Group 2

(68%) 600g cold water

Group 3

(2%) 18g salt

Directions

• 
  combine Group 1 and 2 in a mixing bowl and mix under low speed for 2min
• increase to medium speed and mix for 3min
• add Group 3 and mix at low speed for 2min followed by medium speed for 3-5min till window pane stage (thin membrane)
• transfer on lightly floured working area and round the dough
• place in a lightly oiled large bowl and rest for 15-20min
• divide the dough to 6 portions at 250g each
• with smooth side down, gently flatten the dough (squarish) and roll down (smooth surface)
  
• cover with damp towel for 20min intermediate proofing
• shape and moulding ~ baguette, batard, cob etc.
• transfer to a generously floured tray and leave for final proofing for approximately 50min (temp: 32°C, humidity: 80°C)
• preparation before baking: lightly dust the surface of the bread and score accordingly and spray the surface with water
• bake at 220°C with steam for 10min and lower the temperature to 180°C for another 12min
• transfer to a cooling rack immediately once out of the oven

Foodnote: The last lesson for basic bread. The skin is really thin and crispy. Bought tulang merah and immediately dig in when I reached home. Super yummy and niece also told me that the bread is delicious. The best part of the lesson is learning how to calculate the formula. I really learn a lot and even created a spreadsheet for easy calculation next time I need to bake bread with different measurements. Saved the excel file under Google Drive and can be accessed/downloaded under References in this blog. 

Soft Bread Roll

Ingredients (make 3 portions)

Group 1

(80%) 622g bread flour

(20%) 156g cake flour

(1.2%) 9g instant yeast

(10%) 78g skim milk powder

(1%) 8g soft bread improver 

Group 2

(65%) 506g water

Group 3

(8%) 62g butter

(8%) 62g shorterning

(1.5%) 12g salt

>> total %=196.7% or 1531g

Directions

• mix Group 1 and 2 in a mixing bowl at low speed for 2min and medium speed for 4min
• add Group 3 and mix at low speed for 2min and medium speed for 4-6min till window pan stage (thin membrane)
• divide into 50g each and round each dough (30 pcs)
• proof for 15min and shape each dough again by pressing it down and round again
• arrange in a tray lined with parchment paper and leave for final proof for approx 45min or till dough double in size (temp: 30°C, humidity: 80-82%)
• brush the top of each roll with egg mixture right before baking (egg+water and sieve to remove egg membrane)
• bake at 175-180°C for 12mins or golden brown in color

Foodnote: Simple buns but packed with flavor. Easy to make and delicious. Crispy on the outside super soft inside oooh la la. Can also put the rolls side by side in any pan to make pull-apart rolls.

Standard Sandwich Bread (Sponge and Dough Method)

Ingredients (makes 3 loaves)

Refer to Bread Formulas

Sponge Stage

Group 1

(80%) 674g bread flour

(1%) 8g yeast

Group 2

(65%) 438g cold water ~ 65% of 647g flour

Dough Stage

Group 1

(20%) 168g bread flour

(6%) 51g castor sugar

(2%) 17g skim milk

Group 2

(65%) 109g water ~ 65% of 168g flour

Group 3

(6%) 51g shortening

(15%) 13g salt

#based on 80:20 sponge:dough portion but can also be 60:40

Directions

Sponge Stage

• mix Group 1 and 2 in a mixer bowl at low speed for 2min and medium speed for 2min till a dough is formed
• transfer into a bowl, cover in clingwrap and leave to ferment (fermentation stage) at room temperature for 2 to 6 hours (can also ferment for 2hours and keep in chiller till ready to use)

Dough Stage

• mix Group 1 and 2 plus the ready "sponge" in a mixer at low speed for 2min
• add in Group 3 and mix at low speed for 2min and followed by medium speed for 2-3min till window pane stage (thin membrane)
• divide the dough into 3 approx 500g each, round and proof for 15min
• shape (refer to here) and leave for final proofing for 50-60min (temp: 35°C, humidity: 80-82%)
• bake at 175-180°C for 35min (for open top, spray the top of the bread and inside of the oven with water first)
• once removed from oven, immediately bang the tin loaf and remove bread from the tin
• cool on wire rack

Foodnote: Before this, I only know rapid dough and bulk fermentation method. Glad I took the basic bread class to learn this method. I find it is more flavourful and the skin is more crispy. I kept some leftover in an airtight container for almost a week and it is still good. When I want to eat, I lightly toast it on a pan and spread it generously with Lurpak spreadable. Soooo yummy!

Standard Sandwich Bread (Bulk Fermentation)

Ingredients (make 3 loaves)

Group 1

(100%) 842g bread flour

(1.2%) 10g instant yeast

(6%) 51g castor sugar

(2%) 17g skim milk powder

Group 2

(65%) 547ml cold water

Group 3

(6%) 51g shortening

(1.5%) 13g sea salt

>> total %=181.7% or 1530g

>> each bread pan = 500g + 2% or 10g (loss weight)

Directions

• 
  combine Group 1 and mix together in mixer bowl
• at speed 1 gradually add in the water and mix for 2min
• increase to speed 2 and mix for another 3min
• add shortening and salt and mix at speed 1 for 2min
• increase to speed 2 and mix for 3-5min till thin membrane or window pan stage
• transfer dough to working surface and round it
• put dough into lightly oiled bowl and let it proof for 1 hour
• transfer dough onto lightly floured working area and gently press it and cut into 3 equal parts
• round each dough, cover in clingwrap and let it rest for another 10-15min
• shape the dough accordingly (refer here) for open loaf or close loaf
• leave for final proofing for 50-60min (temp: 35% and humidity: 82%)
• bake at 175-180°C for 35-38min
• immediately after remove from oven, bang the loaf pan and remove the bread to a wired rack to cool

Foodnote: The difference between bulk fermentation is that it doesn't use any bread improver. Taste is supposed to be better but this bread can only last 3 days at room temperature. I like baking loaf bread actually... so I got the bread slicer (guillotine) from shopee. It cost me about S$6+ and I can cut difference thickness for my bread. Love it and good buy!

Standard Sandwich Bread (Rapid Dough System)

Ingredients (make 2 loaves)

Group 1

600g bread flour

9g instant yeast (Bruggermann blue)

24g sugar

6g bread improver (supertex)

12g skim milk powder

Group 2

390g ice cold water

Group 3

36g shorterning or unsalted butter (using butter will make the crust darker)

9g salt

Directions

• mix Group 1 in a mixer bowl with hook attachment
• on low speed, slowly add water and beat for 2min
• increase speed to medium and beat for 4min
• add group 3 and beat on low speed for 2min
• increase speed to medium and beat for 4-6min till thin membrane (lightly flour hands and pinch some dough... check for window pane)
• transfer on working area and round the dough
• rest for 15min covered with a bowl
• lightly flour top surface and gently flatten the dough
• using a scraper, cut the dough equally into 2 portion (approximately 535g)
• round each dough and lightly cover with clingwrap
• rest for another 15min
• shape the dough (see below) and transfer into lightly greased loaf pan
• final proof for 40-50min (temp: 32°C, humidity: 80%)
• bake for 40min at 175-180°C
• immediately after remove from oven, bang the loaf pan to release the temperature and remove the bread from the tin
• cool the bread on a wire rack

Shaping open top bread

• roll the dough from the middle with smooth surface facing you
• gently turn it over (ugly side up) and shape is very long triangle with point side away from you
• punch down the sides and the edge nearest to you
• from the top tip, gently roll down the dough towards you, using the base of the palm to lightly punch down till the dough is like swiss roll
• pinch close the open edge
• transfer into lightly greased loaf pan (smooth side up) and dough against one side of the pan
• proof until height of top of dough is same as height of loaf pan or slightly higher

Shaping rectangular (closed tin) bread

• roll the dough from the middle with smooth surface facing you
• gently turn it over (ugly side up) length wise
• punch the long edge near you
• from the top long edge, roll down... everytime punching the roll using the base of the palm down
• pinch close the open edge
• roll the dough so that the thickness is even throughout
• cut the dough equally into 2 and cut again into 2 (total 4 equal parts)
• arrange the 4 doughs side by side (in out in out)
• transfer into lightly greased loaf pan and punch lightly to even out the surface
• proof without lid until height of dough is 80% of loaf pan
• cover the lid before baking

Foodnote: Back to basics. Since I like to learn and really enjoy baking bread... I start again from basic to make sandwich loaf bread. The class is really interesting and the bread turns out so lovely. It is really soft and I really love it. Can't wait to practice and make it at home.

Apple & Pear Crumble

Ingredients

Crumbles

200g plain flour

100g cold butter

60g brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

Fillings

5 apples (or 3 apples + 2 pears) cubed with or without peel

1/2 cup raisin (optional)

1/2 lemon juice

2 tsp or more cinnamon powder

Directions

• chop cold butter into flour, brown sugar and cinnamon powder and form crumbles
• keep crumbles in fridge to cool
• mix all ingredients fillings together
• in a baking dish, take 1/3 of crumble and spread it on the base
• top with fruit fillings and top with the remaining crumbles
• bake at 180°C for 30-40mins

Foodnote: Have extra apples and pears given by my brother so decided to make this. Easy and nice to eat hot with vanilla ice cream yummm...