Bread+Potatoes

I am joining this bread baking event hosted by Lien where i am supposed to bake bread with potatoes in the recipe. And since i'm so into TANG ZHONG recently, of cos i'll use this time and tide to test the technique again..

And so! i have to think of a recipe that is bread with potatoes in them (and think of a name for it.) The first part was easy but name? I ran out of creative nomenclatures so why not something that's straight to the point right? HA! BREAD+POTATOES

My version of THE Potatobread, like the name suggests, is not as creative and may even be rather unadorned. The skeleton of my creation is mashed potatoes wrap in bread dough. Though the simplicity, i'm really beginning to like the product of using the tang zhong technique! my bread always comes out soft and yeast-taste-free. 99.99% fool proof guaranteed?

i've added parmesan cheese to my mashed up potato instead of adding salt to give it more taste. and the outcome? to me, NOT BAD AT ALL! haha~

so much on bread baking.. in fact, after browsing my past blog entries, i think i've only been 1.baking and 2.baking.. maybe it's time to use the stove again:)

Ingredients

Bread dough

95g bread flour

45g wheat flour

3g yeast

3g salt

15g castor sugar

6g milk powder

1 egg

30g milk

43g tang zhong

23g unsalted butter

Mashed Potatoes

250g potatoes

50g butter

1tbsp chopped coriander

black pepper

3tbsp parmesan

Method

Bread dough

1. Add all ingredients except butter and knead until dough consistency

2. Add butter and knead until membrane stage.

3. Put dough in a plastic bag with a little oilive oil and let proof for ~40mins

4. After first stage proofing, remove dough, knead for a couple of times, cut dough into portions and let proof for another 40mins

Mashed Potatoes
1. Steam potatoes until soft and mash the cooked potatoes

2. Add the butter and continue until will mixed

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and MIX!

Wrap mashed potatoes in flattened dough and shape well. cut a cross on the top of the bun and add parmesan cheese. egg wash and put in oven(lower rack) at 180 C for 15mins:)

What's in your Bread Basket?

baseball in the form of banana bread

I've been experimenting with breads recently.. i still can't capture the "essence" of proofing.. so i tried recipes without yeast. Then again, things just don't happen the way i want it to be. One of the recipes i tried was using yogurt, cream and baking soda as the 'fluffing' agent. But the bread turned out hard and still HARD! (it can double as a baseball and make a hole in the wall if i want to..) well.. but i need to confess, the recipe states that if the bread is too hard add more cream/milk, but i find it really beyond impossible to shape the dough after adding all the liquid ingredients. And so i threw the recipe out of the window

Green Tea Bread

BUT! *with grin* i've found a method of bread baking called 65˚C 汤种-tāng zhŏng-. It's fantastic! the bread turned out fluffy, it's almost fool proof and most importantly there's no yeasty taste. I Y it!

Green Tea Bread-Tearing

Anyways, with the 汤种 i baked cinnamon roll and green tea bread.. muahaha~ and i was so very satisfied with the results.. SIMPLY EXCELLENT! I'm goin to bake more breads in the near future.. simply because i still need to fine (/major) tune my technique of bread baking..

Scurries to my 面包宝典 (Book of 'BREAD' War)

Sausage Flowerpod

Flowerpod- got the idea while chating with chris. Since i'm so free aka unemployed STILL, and have just finished watching golden bride (yes i have access to its vcds), i guess it's back to my blog:) *Points to the bread beside moi* i think it's a pretty creation.. and easy too.. maybe i can sub the sausages for fruits or chocs!

Anyway, just use any bread dough recipe for the bread(duh!) Mine isn't fixed, as in i add water slowly until it's of the consistency that i like. Some days i need more and some maybe just half a cup, i'm quite sure it's because of the weather and the 'age' of the flour that i'm using. Flour that has been opened and placed on the shelf for a long time will absorb moisture and consequently, less water is needed:)

I'm not really the expert when it comes to proofing/fermenting the dough. Firstly, i'm not a great fan of the yeasty taste, so it's pretty hard for me to add the "right" amount of dried yeast. I know that the longer you proof, the more it'll taste yeasty. So taking Singapore's hot and humid weather into consideration, i don't proof for more than 20mins.:) Therewithal, we can use yeast inhibitors like salt and sugar. As a scientist, -EXPLAINS- yeast inhibition is due to the high osmotic gradient caused by high sugar and salt concentration surrounding the yeast cells. That's why low sugar breads like the french can expand frenzily.

More recently, i've found out that vanilla essense can mask the yeasty taste! Try it! it works! Btw, after many attempts to remind myself to add the essence including tying a ribbon on my index finger, i did drip that BIG ingredient in. BUT i forgot to eggwash my bread.. DAMN! I KNOW! I'm kicking myself now..

Anyways, though my bread is not shiny or eye-blinding, it's delicious! no yeast taste! YEAH!

Green Apple Bread Pudding

"Slack" a simple word, yet it can fully describe Meng ni's past ten days.. I'm going to continue my legacy for the next 10.. but in Hong Kong~ yoohoo!! and maybe send out my resumes from there? Haha~ anyways.. i have been watching a lot A LOT of tv. Somehow SCV decides to unlock the asianfoodchannel (channel 69) for my family... ??... i seriously don't mind their decision lor haha~ more channels for me to scroll.. But my point is, there's actually an asianfoodchannel website and they have all the recipes that have been/are showing on the channel itself..

This entry's recipe is obviously from that website.. and the bread pudding turns out really good!. It's not very sweet according to my sis (which she liked very much) and i think it's a lot better then the ones you see/taste at Buffets. More importantly, it's easy to prepare and ingredients are easy to get (from all supermarkets). I bought my baguette from delifrance, which was fresh from the oven i must say, it was warm to the touch and that made me a very happy Meng ni:)

OH! a note for those who are trying out this recipe. This bread pudding is not as soggy as those you find Buffets.. i think it really boils down to personal preference lah.. my sis didn't like the soggy soggy kind, so she preferred mine. For those who liked a more pudding texture, maybe add more of the cream mixture? another note.. the recipe on asianfoodchannel is a little vague, it states half of a large baguette.. eh.. how large is large huh?? haiyah.. anyways i cut the whole stick of baguette in.. so won't waste any food lah hor.

Fresh from the oven!

Ingredients:

About 50g unsalted butter, melted ( I agar agar one...from exp?? heehee.. bhb.. or the original recipe states 5 tbsp of unsalted butter.) btw, i like president's one.. french butter.

1 delifrance baguette, cubed

1 green apple, peeled and diced

3 Tbsp raisins (agar agar lah~ no need too precise.. u like raisins? put more lor)

2 egg yolks

2 whole eggs

1/3 cup caster sugar

1 ¼ cups whipping cream (president)

1 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 Tbsp Irish cream (optional) sugar for sprinkling (i didn't add)

maple syrup for brushing ( i like!)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F/175°C in fan assisted cooking. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking dish (or oval pyrex glass dish which i used) with half the melted butter. Toss bread cubes, apples and raisins together with remaining melted butter and spoon into baking dish.

2. Whisk together egg yolks, whole eggs and sugar. Whisk in cream, milk and vanilla. Pour over bread cubes and press down gently on bread to help soak in. Let stand for about 15 minutes. If you wish, drizzle with Irish cream.

3. Place baking dish in a water bath and sprinkle top of pudding with sugar. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the center of the pudding springs back when pressed.

4. Remove baking dish from water bath. Brush maple syrup over surface of pudding. Serve warm. Congrats!

my sis say she take until very artistic.. so MUST put it up