Healthy Banana Bread (My new go to recipe)

This banana bread recipe is actually very similar to a previous one I've baked and loved. Instead of maple syrup and almond milk, I subbed with honey and Greek yogurt and upped the amount of coconut oil from 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup. The resulting loaf is lightly sweetened with a moist interior and a nice crust.

If you have an extra egg, banana and don't mind some refined sugar, try this other recipe I have on the blog! For now, this healthier version will be on my regular rotation. It makes for a nice grab and go breakfast treat for those dreadful early work mornings.

Double Black Sesame Babka - Tangzhong Method

The best way to spend a me day on a weekend? Bake! Bread baking to be exact. Just all day, bread and I. It takes time and patience to make bread, in fact, the proofing time alone took a total of 2 hours. But that's all hands off time, so you can be off to binge watch shows or just lay on the couch and scroll through years worth of feed on some stranger's instagram page.

This babka is very similar to making cinnamon rolls. Rather than cutting the rolls into individual pieces, you cut down lengthwise, reveal all the layers, braid the dough, and bake in a loaf pan. I rolled out my dough slightly too long for the pan and got 4 mini rolls out of the trimmed ends.

Since this recipe uses the tangzhong method (hydrate part of the bread flour with water prior to mixing with the dough), the resulting product came out similar to Asian style bread - super light and fluffy! Compared to traditional babka recipes, it also uses significantly less amount of butter in the dough to achieve these tender crumbs.

The black sesame flavor and aroma permeates the entire loaf with ground black sesame seeds mixed into the dough as well as in the filling. The filling has a slight hint of cinnamon which complements the black sesame flavor well. Next time, I will try a pure black sesame spread for the filling.

Dutch Oven No Knead Bread - Jalapeno Cheddar

This no knead bread was one of the main reasons why I got a dutch oven. Bread and carbs are my weaknesses. I simply can't resist them in any way, shape or form. While I love me some fluffy Asian bread, I also enjoy a crusty chewy bread like this one right here.

This recipe is crazy simple, and with just a handful of steps, it is fool- proof.

Japanese Milk Bread - Tangzhong Method

There's something magical and exciting about yeast and bread making from the first rise when your little ball of dough doubles in size to the amazing aroma when your masterpiece comes out from the oven. This Japanese Milk Bread will mark a very active bread making season! Chio is going to be put to work!

Melon Pan Attempt #1&2

It sucks when I don't keep posting as I bake. This post should've been up back in early June.. Now, I kind of forgot which recipe I used. But judging from the portions each batch makes.. I think my first recipe was from Corner Cafe and second was from Cooking with the Dog.

1st----------------------------------------------------------------------



Bun recipe (here)
Cookie dough recipe (here)




^I also made an open face coconut bun! (More like it fell apart as I was wrapping it and I just let it be.)



Taste: 2 stars out of 5 (the sweetened coconut mix I put in some of the bun hid any off flavor of the bun dough)
Texture: 2 stars out of 5 (this bun recipe is softer than Cooking with the Dog's)

2nd----------------------------------------------------------------------



I've been following Cooking with the Dog on youtube for quite a while now. And when their tutorials on Melon Pan came up. I was beyond excited! The lady made them seem super easy& fun to make and super tasty!

The truth is bread making is not as easy as it looks. My bread came out edible the day out of the oven. But the next day it was dry and rough (still edible). The texture was dense and not fluffy as the ones I like to eat. I found that a lot of the homemade bread has this problem- hardening overnight.. How do bakeries keep them so soft and fluffy over days??! Is it really chemical additives? Or am I just lacking the proper techniques..

Well anyways, taste-wise the pan was not that great either. The flour taste of the bun dough was prominent. I suspect maybe a little milk powder would eliminate that problem. The one thing I enjoyed the most was probably the cookie dough. It was crunchy and sweet. And compared with the recipe from Corner Cafe, I prefer this one more. I would maybe try using this cookie dough on a fluffier bun next time.



Melon Pan
recipe from Cooking with the Dog on youtube
-makes 5 buns

Cookie Dough
25g unsalted butter, room temperature
35g sugar
25g beaten egg, room temperature
80g cake flour
1/4tsp baking powder

Bun Dough
140g bread flour*
25g sugar
1/3tsp salt
5g non- fat dry milk powder (omitted)
3g(a little less than 1tsp) instant yeast
1tbsp beaten egg
70ml warm water
15g unsalted butter, room temperature

*I used a mix of 50g custard powder, 50g AP flour and 40g bread flour.


1. Start by making cookie dough first- Cream butter with whisk. Gradually whisk in sugar. Whisk until sugar has dissolved.
2. When color turns near white, slowly whisk in egg.
3. Mix the cake flour and baking powder together. Sieve for 2 times.
4. Add 1/3 of flour mixture to the butter. Lightly mix with spatula. Repeat for the rest. Do not overmix!
5. Shape dough in cylinder shape. Wrap with plastic wrap and fridge for an hour.
6. Divide the dough into 5 equal pieces.
7. Shape each dough piece into ball. Flatten into disk.
(Return dough to fridge for easier handle)

6. Now onto the bun dough- Add sugar, salt, milk powder, yeast and bread flour to a bowl and whisk.
7. Beat egg with warm water and gradually stir with a spatula into flour. Stir until evenly mix.
8. Transfer the crumble flour mixture and knead/ throw until less sticky.
9. Flatten dough and spread on butter. Continue kneading for another 10 minutes until the surface is smooth and glossy.
10. Shape dough into ball and let it rest/proof in a covered bowl for 40 minutes or until ~2x in size.
11. Finger test- Coat finger with flour and poke into the dough. If the hole does not spring back, it is ready.
12. Lightly flatten the dough and roll into a long cylinder.
13. Divide into 5 equal pieces.
14. Shape each piece into ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes.
15. Reshape each dough into ball.

16. Cover with cookie dough and adjust the shape.
17. Hold the dough upside down and stretch the cookie dough into the center.
(I wasn't able to stretch my cookie dough cause it was too soft& melty. I just loosely laid it on top of the bun dough)
18. Pinch bottom of dough and dip the cookie dough in sugar. Make diagonal patterns on top with scraper. Repeat with the rest.
19. Rest for 40 minutes until ~2x in size.
20. Bake in a 340F preheated oven for 12 minutes or until golden brown.




^gave up taking a clear picture when they came out unsuccessful. It almost looks underbaked in the center ):

Taste: 1 star out of 5 (flour-y bun, 1 star for the sweet cookie dough)
Texture 1 star out of 5 (dry and dense, 1 star for the crunchy cookie dough)

--> Mission melon pan: failed.

Sweet bun again. Tuna Bun!

Same sweet bun recipe but this time I substituted 20g of all-purpose with custard powder. The dough was super sticky during kneading (completely different from previous times). However, after letting the dough double its size during the first proofing, it became less sticky and easier to handle with.


^fluffy!

Substituting with custard powder made the buns softer and more airy in texture. Not sure if it's just due to the slightly longer proofing time or the custard powder itself. I will try substituting all-purpose with bread flour next time! (Note: the buns turned out bigger this time. longer proofing time?)


^before& after

Lately, I am having so much fun coming up with different combination of filling and topping. This time, I filled the buns with some canned tuna, mashed hard broiled eggs, mayonnaise and black pepper. Brushed with an egg white glaze and topped it with some Mexican Topping piped lines. In addition, I also experimented with making some twisty looking hot-dog buns when I ran out of the tuna fillings. :p



Tuna Filling
*approximate numbers
1 can of tuna (~170g)
5 tbsp of mayonnaise
plenty of black pepper
2 hard boiled eggs, mashed

Mix everything together in small bowl. And fill in buns.



Mwhaha! Call me the Bread Master.

Chinese Cocktail Bun

Followed the same sweet bun recipe I did before and added a coconut sugar mixture in the center and some sesame topping this time. It turned out delicious! Cocktail bun has always been my favorite Asian bread (followed by pineapple buns!). Usually I avoid getting the coconut buns at Asian Bakeries because they tend to be over oily and too sweet. So in order to satisfy my childhood craving and not risk getting my blood vessels clogged , I made my own healthier cocktail buns!

My buns were made according to my taste (of course<3). They were to the exact sweetness I want and not a bit oily. The only thing that I can pick on is the bun texture. It was firm. Firmer than last time too. It's most likely because I used less bread flour and more all- purpose. Reheating in the oven solves the problem though. More bread experiments to come!


^my water roux paste


^from sticky to smooth and elastic


^doubling in size


^divided into 16 pieces


^the fillings(:


^all ready!



Coconut Filling
recipe from jun-blog
1 cup coconut flakes
3 Tbsp melted salted butter
5 Tbsp honey (or brown sugar)
1 egg yolk

In a small bowl, mix the coconut flakes, melted butter, honey, and egg yolk until it has a paste-like consistency.

Mexican Topping (piped lines)
recipe from Corner Café
30g softened butter
10g caster sugar, sifted
20g plain flour, sifted

Cream softened butter and sugar until pale. Fold in flour. Transfer into a small freezer/snack bag with a tiny cut at one corner for piping (or use a piping bag fixed with a 1/2cm or smaller round nozzle).

ENJOY!

First loaf of white bread.

I had high hopes for this bread when I saw the final product pictures of this recipe. The pictures of the soft buttery crust and the light shinning through the slice totally got me drooling on my laptop.

Epic fail. My result was not even edible.. Why? Because I did not prepare my active dry yeast properly. For some strange reason, I remember reading on some blogs saying that to substitute instant yeast with active dry yeast.. all you need to do is convert the amount using the ratio 1.5:1 and follow the exact same steps required for instant yeast. Mm, I guess that's still true because before anything.. you need to activate the dry yeast anyways. They didn't think that someone would be as dumb as me.. If only I had looked at the instruction behind the packet! Sigh. Complete waste of my 4 hours+. The bread turned out ..


hard as rock& flat top.

It tasted like STALE bread! I actually gave this bread extra proofing time so I could get the most fluffy bread.. and I also added an egg-wash hoping for some shiny and crunchy crust. But obviously, NOTHING MATTERS when the yeast is not even activated!


^I always wanted to take a shot like this. Not too bad. Yeah? Some light still went through. Haha.

Soft and Fluffy Buns

Despite the long preparation time, these buns were a delight to make. Witnessing the doubling in size is simply magical. Oh, and talk about those calories burned from all the kneading and throwing. I am embarrassed to admit that I was actually sweating a bit. Gotta get back in shape by making more bread!





Japanese-Style Sweet Bun Dough 湯種甜麵糰
recipe from Corner Café
-makes 16 buns

For Water-Roux Paste (湯種):
25g (just under 2 tbsp) bread flour
125ml (1/2 cup) water

Mix bread flour and water in small saucepan
Cook over low to medium heat
Stir continuously until it reaches 65ºC or until thickens and continue for 1 minute
Remove from heat
Cover with cling film and leave until it reaches room temperature

For Bun Dough:
375g bread flour
100g plain flour
35g milk powder (I left this out and substitute 150 ml of lukewarm water in recipe with 100 ml of milk and 50 ml of lukewarm water)
75g caster sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 package (7g or 2 1/2 tsp) of instant dry yeast
1 egg, lightly beaten
150ml (approx.) lukewarm water, adjust as necessary
40g butter, cubed

1. Sift bread flour, plain flour, milk powder, caster sugar and salt onto working surface. Add instant dry yeast and mix well. Form the flour mixture into a well. Add lightly beaten egg and lukewarm water roux and mix in. Gradually add just enough lukewarm water to form into a slightly sticky, soft dough. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. During hand kneading, the dough also needs to be thrown onto the working surface once every few minutes between kneading to improve the dough structure.
2. Knead in butter until incorporated. (Stop kneading when the dough sticks to the work surface and stretches like chewing gum when pulled) Form the dough into a round ball and let it rise until double in size in a large greased bowl, cover with cling film (should take about 1 hour in warm weather, longer in winter months). To test if the dough has risen properly, dip a finger into bread or plain flour and poke down into the center of the dough as far as your finger will go and pull out again – the hole should remain if it is ready. If the dough springs back, then it is not ready, continue to prove further.
3. Punch down, knead briefly and form into a ball shape. Then divide into 16 equal portions. The easiest way is to first divide equally into 4 larger portions first, then divide each of these again into quarters each. Form each into balls and let rest for 10 minutes.

4. Shape and fill the buns according to recipe. Place all finished buns on a greased baking sheet, lightly cover with cling film, and let rise until double in size (about 1 hour in warm weather, longer in winter months).

^before

^after
5. Bake in preheated 375F oven for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.


_________________________________
3.5 stars out of 5. These buns came out satisfying. Bakery status without the toppings and fillings. I popped one in my mouth right after they came out of the oven. The top and the inside were soft and fluffy, whereas the bottom was slightly burnt and crunchy. It tasted flavorless at first but after it slowly dissolved in your mouth, the sweetness kicked in. Next time, I shall add an egg wash on top before baking to give that shiny and crunchy top to the buns and maybe try different toppings and fillings. Perhaps the classic Hong Kong-styled pineapple bun or a shredded coconut bun orrrr tuna salad bun..? :D

p.s. camera-less for this week.. please excuse my bad quality photos.