Baguettes (Poolish)

Ingredients 

Poolish (night before)

1g instant yeast

125g warm water

125g bread flour

Dough (next morning)

300g bread flour

5g salt

1g instant yeast

140g warm water

Directions

• mix poolish ingredients and let it sit overnight in a covered bowl at room temperature
• poolish should be very bubbly the next day to indicate active yeast
• add water to the poolish and mix in the dry ingredients
• let the dough sit in the bowl covered for 10min
• stretch and fold the dough 4x at 10min interval
• let it proof for 1hr
• punch down the dough and divide into 3 equal parts
• fold and roll each dough and rest for 15min covered in damp cloth
• shape the dough into baguette and transfer to baguette tray
• let it rest for 1hr covered with damp cloth
• meanwhile pre-heat oven to 240C
• score the baguette, spray with water and bake for 20-25min till desired color (add ice to bottom tray to create steam. Remove ice tray after 10min. Reduce the temperature to 200C at 15min)
• let the bread cool fully on a wire rack before slicing

Foodnote: Love baguettes and going to keep trying to find good recipes. Trying this recipe. This is a good recipe. Dough is easy to handle and steps is very clear. I still need to improve on my shaping and scoring but overall this is good. The smell of baking bread is always so good. Will definitely make it again... perhaps maybe I divide the dough into 4? Make the baguette skinnier 😊

The poolish makes the bread soft and really yummy nom nom nom... Will stick to this recipe for baguette for now. Might try to add diastatic malt next time.

Pumpkin Sourdough Bread

Ingredients

300g bread flour

100g active sourdough starter

6g salt

250g pumpkin puree

50g pumpkin seeds

Directions

• in a bowl, mix flour with salt
• add starter and pumpkin puree and stir well
• transfer to mixer and using dough hook, mix for 10min
• transfer back to bowl and rest for 30min
• do first coil fold and rest for 30min
• add pumpkin seeds 1/4 at a time while doing coil fold and rest another 30min
• do 3rd coil fold and rest till dough double in size
• transfer into floured surface and shape
• put into proofing basket, cover with plastic
• leave in chiller for 8 up to 48hrs till ready to bake
• pre-heat oven and dutch oven to 230C
• transfer to silicon mat, score and transfer to dutch oven
• insert ice into flap of dutch oven
• bake for 30mins covered
• remove lid and bake at 200C for another 15min

Foodnote: I have pumpkin seeds and been wanting to try and make pumpkin sourdough bread. Found this simple recipe from here. Weather is good and sunny... have bought pumpkin from the supermarket to make into puree. Starter is still active so it became another bread day. However, I only managed to get 230g of puree so I added 20g water. Turns out good. 

The smell of baking bread is marvellous as always and love that it is a bit rounded and not flat. There is not much oven spring but I am good with it.

It was a rushing day. While cooling the bread, I went out for walk. A friend message me that she have extra ticket for Perfect Timing by Dr Omar Suleiman. So I decided to bless half of the bread for her. Reached home late so I only managed to taste the bread the next day. Lightly toast it on my non stick pan and slather it with my favorite Lurpak butter.

Ok... it is so delicious oh my. Definitely will make this again 😘👌!

Summary of Sourdough Bread: Step by Step

Directions 

Day 1: Sourdough Starter 

• (eg. require 140g starter. Always make a bit extra)
• half feeding in morning (eg. 20S+20W+20BF) 
• final half feeding in evening (eg. 50W+50BF) 
• (to accelerate process, put in oven with lights on)
• feeding of active starter ratio 1S:2W:2BF

Day 2: Prepare Dough 

• measure and mix all dry ingredients in a bowl eg. all flour, salt and diastatic malt (optional)
• add distilled water and starter and mix to shaggy dough 
• rest for 1 hr
• 3x stretch & fold every 30min (add additions at 2nd fold)
• check gluten development (window pane) if still not ready, do coil fold
• proof till size increase by 25% (total 3-8hrs or 12-24hrs if using unfed starter) 
• transfer on working surface (divide if required) and gently round with scraper making a tight loaf
• rest 20min
• meanwhile lightly flour banetton with rice flour 
• gently shape a tight dough and transfer to banetton
• cover with plastic and leave in fridge to cold retard for 8hr up to 48hr 

Day 3: Bake 

• pre-heat oven 240C no fan together with dutch oven for minimum for 45min to 1hr 
• transfer dough into freezer for 30min to firm up and help with scoring
• transfer dough to parchment or silicon paper 
• rub surface of dough with rice flour
• score deep enough for oven spring
• transfer into hot dutch oven and spray with water... quickly cover the dutch oven
• bake for 20min covered and lower oven to 230C and bake uncovered for another 15-20min till desired color 
• *Internal temperature for cooked sourdough bread should be 96-98°C
• cool on rack for > 1hr before slicing 

Optimal Sourdough Starter Preparation

Ratio 1:5:5

• divide required amount of starter by 2 eg. for 300g, use 150g BF: 150g W
• take 10% of 300g... so we need 30g starter
• use all sourdough starter once fully active or peaked

7min tips to get an Ear

• before baking, score bread as usual
• after 7min of baking, take out the bread and do a second score near the small "ear"
• continue baking
• ie. for a controlled scoring, score deeper at specific parts of bread after 5min of baking

Tips for better oven spring

• pre-heat dutch oven for 1hr
• immediately after putting in dutch oven+dough into the oven, turn off the oven for 20min
• turn on the oven 240C and continue baking for 20min or so and bake with open dutch oven till desired color

Click here for my go to regular recipe.

Foodnote: Usually I use prima unbleached bread flour. The above bread is baked with bob's mill unbleached bread flour. 

Chocolate Cherries Sourdough Bread

Ingredients

350g bread flour 

40g cocoa powder

320g water

80g active starter 

8g salt

5g diastatic malt

Inclusions:

leftover cherries

semi-sweet chocolate chips

Foodnote: Recipe here. So I bought Cacao Barry cocoa powder to try due to the good reviews. It really smells amazing. Found this simple recipe however could be due to my technique, the bread ends up flat. Is it due to the inclusions? Will keep trying and learning.

Taste wise... it is ok with strong cocoa taste. Nice to bite into the cherries though. It taste awesome with cream cheese. Hhmmm will try chocolate cheddar sourdough bread.

Pandan Waffle

Ingredients

2 eggs
3/4 cup caster sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp soft butter (43 grams)

koepo pandan / vanilla essence

200ml coconut milk

1 1/2 cup plain flour

Directions

• using a mixer beat eggs till light and add caster sugar, baking powder and salt
• once combined add in butter and continue beating till light and fluffy
• add in pandan paste mix and add coconut milk
• finally add in flour and beat till fully combined
• batter is ready to be cooked in a pre-heated waffle maker
• lightly oil the waffle maker
• (since I am using a Kenwood sandwich maker, I cook 5min and then turn the waffle over and cook for another 5min)

Foodnote: I love love love waffles and I think Prima Deli's waffle is one of the best! Have not been successful as much with other waffles recipe but finally come across this! It really taste so yummy almost like prima deli especially with the crispy bits. The only thing is I am using a sandwich maker with waffle attachment. I don't have a waffle maker but this is good enough lah. I give a thumbs up to this recipe 👍🏽.

I get 8 small waffles. Ate some and keep the rest in the freezer for another day.

What I might try next time. Sift all dry ingredients together. Separate egg whites and yolks. Beat yoke with sugar, butter, coconut milk and pandan paste. Fold in dry mixture. Beat egg whites till stiff peak. Fold in egg whites to batter. Hope this will make the waffles fluffier?

Coconut Candy

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter

230g grated coconut (only the whites)

100g sugar

220g condensed milk

2 tsp vanilla

few drops coloring of choice

pandan leaf

pandan paste (optional. I added because I use green coloring)

Directions

• grease pan/glass container generously
• in a non-stick pan, melt butter on low heat
• add other ingredients and stir for about 20min
• the ingredients should clump together but not dry
• transfer onto the pan/contrainer and flatten it levelling the top
• leave it to cool for 30min and cut to small cubes
• allow to cool overnight and remove from pan
• keep in airtight container

Foodnote: I have grated coconut in the freezer so I decided to make this. Used to make this with mum during Hari Raya. It is so yummy and irresistible but because it is too sweet... I can't make this regularly huhu. 

Fruit Salad

Ingredients

greek yoghurt (can substitute for cream)

condense milk

cheese

any fresh or dried fruits:

blueberries

apples

grapes

mixed canned fruits also can (but not healthy already hehe)

raisins

seeds etc.

Directions

• mix yoghurt and condense milk
• combined all other fruits/ingredients
• keep in chiller overnight before consuming

Foodnote: I remembered eating a nice fruit salad at a hotel once. So decided to make my own. Saw a keto fruit salad recipe that called for all purpose cream and condense milk. I just use whatever I have on hand: condensed milk, greek yoghurt, blueberries, an apple, a small can of mixed fruits and shredded cheddar cheese. I adjusted the milk+yoghurt to desired taste and tadaaa... super yummy fruit salad hehe. I topped it with some dried fruits and seeds that I have. Delicious and "healthy" dessert woohoo.

Basic French Baguettes 2023

Ingredients

500g strong bread flour

10g instant yeast

350g distilled water

20g sea salt

Directions

• in a mixing bowl, add water, flour and yeast and mix using dough hook > slow speed 4min then fast speed 4min
• add salt after 4min
• dough will be sticky
• transfer to working surface and using a scraper lightly tuck and round the dough till top is no longer sticky
• lightly dust the top with flour and transfer to bowl (smooth side up)
• rest it for about 1hr (max 2hr) then leave it in the fridge overnight
• next day dough will be bubbly
• flour woking surface and top of dough
• release the edge of dough with scraper and turn bowl upside down to transfer dough on working surface
• using a sharp scraper gently cut the dough (about 145-150g each) ~ will yield 6 baguettes
• shape baguette > create a spine in the middle, roll rop over to the spine, roll bottom to the spine... put the edges together and pinch together
• roll the edge of roll to sharpen the edge of baguette
• place into baguette tray with seam side down
• proof for 45min and score
• spray tray generously before baking
• bake at 220°C without fan at 3rd bottom level ~ add tray with ice to create steam
• remove ice tray at 5min and spray water on dough (may want to rotate tray for even baking)
• total 25-30min baking time till desired dark golden brown is achieved 
• I left it for 5min the oven with temp off before transferring to cooling rack

Foodnote: Impressed with the youtube video and decided to try it out. I tested with 50% portion so each dough is approx 145g. It seems easy. The only thing is need to use the mixer but that is ok. My scoring still need improving hhmmm. I think I can bake a little bit longer as the color looks a bit pale. Will try again soon.

To freeze: Bake for 5-8min and remove from oven. After bread is completely cool, shrink wrapped and put in ziplock.