Hokkaido Milk Loaf

 
I am started to get busy again recently, totally left me with no time to blog. I have not gotten the replacement yet, short-listed a few candidates but no one really fit into my requirements and my gal is leaving at end of this week :(.  I guess I will be even more busier from next week onwards until the replacement is on board and settle down, training a new staff needs time as well....

I always wanted to get a bread maker to ease the making of bread. However when I finally got hold of one, I just let it shelve aside for a few months before I finally used it lol. It is true that making loaf using bread maker is really a breeze, I just simply added all the ingredients into my bread maker, set it to the functions and let it run on its own. Except during the kneading, I have to scrape down the side of the pan from time to time. Of course when 1st time using the machine, I need to keep going to the machine and see see look look to ensure everything is ok lol.

When I decided to make some bread out from my bread maker, Joceline posted her Hokkaido Milk Loaf. Looked at all the ingredients that can be found in my pantry and is a straight forward method, I shall wait no more heeheehee...

Sinful but one of my favourite way of eating the bread, spread with thick layer of butter and sugar, I finished the other 1/2 slice of bread before photo shooting, cannot resist hahaha... YUM YUM!

Recipe adapted from Butter, Flour & Me.


Ingredients :
270g bread flour
30g cake flour
20g milk powder
150g cold milk
80g whipping cream
40g brown sugar
3g salt
5g instant yeast

Method :
1. Mix everything together and mix until a dough form and knead until smooth and elastic.
2. Pour some oil into a bowl and let it spread around the bowl. Put the dough in and put plastic wrap over top of the dough. Then let the dough complete the 1st round of proofing, about 1 hour or until double in size.
3. Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface. Deflate and divide into 3 equal portions and roll them round. Cover with cling wrap, let rest for 10 mins at room temperature.
4. Roll out dough in longish oval and roll up like making swiss roll, can repeat the process for 1-2 times.
5. Place inside a greased loaf tin for 2nd proofing for 45  mins.
6. Pre-heat oven and bake at 180C for 35 mins or until turn brown.

7. Remove from the oven and transfer onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.


Method : (using Kenwood Bm250 Bread Maker)
1. Place the ingredients in sequence into the bread maker baking pan. I started with all the wet ingredients (cold milk, whipping cream) then dry ingredients (salt, brown sugar, milk powder, cake flour, bread flour then instant yeast)
2. Set to dough function : Menu 1, Light crust color, 500g loaf size
3. Remove the kneader once complete the kneading cycle (I think is about 1.3 hours, can't recall the exact timing. This is to prevent the hole in the loaf that cause by the kneader)
4. Once baking cycle completed, remove the bread from the baking tray and transfer onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.


Verdict?
The bread is soft even the next day, though the crust at the side of the loaf is a little bit hard probably till to the bread maker. I cannot detect much of milk taste but when I let my gals tried, one of them immediately asked me is it milk bread, said she can tasted the milk fragrant.

Honey Sesame Roasted Chicken

 

I am not very well since a few weeks ago, suffering from gastric issue. On top of that, I had bad headache for 1 week plus that making me feel even more sick. To make me feel even more down, one of my dept gal who worked under me for 6 years tendered her resignation :(. Thus during this period, I was really not in good mood of blogging....

I never have gastric problem in the entire of my life until 2 months+ ago, the 1st time I got gastric pain. I never skip any meal, in fact I eat many meals in a day, normally my stomach will not go empty for more than 3 hours lol. Not sure is it cos of drinking coffee? It may be coincidence but I started to drink coffee about the same period, may be a month before I started to have gastric problem.

My gastric issue was quite bad. For 1st time when I got it, I didn't feel much gastric pain but will vomit out almost after each meal, it was just like morning sickness until I almost thought that I was pregnant lol. It got better after medication and I reduced my coffee intake. Then after a few weeks, I got it again but this time round, I can feel the pain. And the same thing, I will vomit out every meal. For this time round, even Dr almost wanted me to do the pregnancy test hahaha.... Dr suggested that if I still didn't get any better, is better to go for endoscopy :(.

I have baked this dish twice. 1st time I had a little guest, dear daughter's schoolmate, stayed back for dinner, she requested for 2nd serving and even told dear daughter that the chicken is very delicious. 2nd time when I cooked this, dear daughter finished 2.5 pieces of the chicken maryland lol.

Recipe adapted from Jessie's Cooking Moment and Min's blog.

Ingredients:

5 chicken maryland

5 tbsp light soy sauce

5 tbsp worcestershire sauce

5 tbsp honey

8 cloves garlic, crushed

5 tbsp Water

pepper to Taste

2 tsp 2hite sesame seeds, toasted

Method:

1. Make a few cuts on the chicken maryland or prick the maryland with a skewer. Pour all the seasonings on the chicken & marinate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 190C, place the chicken on the baking tray, skin facing up. Bake for 15 mins and remove from oven.
3. Brush both side of chicken with honey and bake for 15 mins, remove from oven, turn the chicken and brush with honey and bake until golden brown. 

4. Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and serve.

Tip:

1. If you want to replace the worcestershire sauce with cooking wine, please reduce the honey by about 1/2tbsp.

Optional Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes, sliced

4 potatoes, sliced

olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

dried/fresh mixed herbs

Method:

1. Place the sweet potatoes & potatoes onto the baking pan in a single layer.  Drizzle with oil, add salt & pepper to taste.  Add the mixed herbs. 

2. Place the chicken maryland on top of the vegetable and pour in the marinade. Cook in the 190C preheated oven until the chicken marylands are golden or cooked through.

Verdict?
This dish is delicious, the kids especially like it a lot. I love the sweet potatoes and potatoes too, but make sure must bake until soft.  

Non Bake Coffee Cheesecake

This cake was for my best friend M's birthday. As that was my busy period thus I opted for an easy going cake and since she like cheesecake so non bake cheesecake is the best choice.

Since I was on coffee craze during that period so no hesitation on choosing coffee flavour for her lol.

 Recipe adapted from Kitchen Corner.

Ingredients : (for 8" round cake but I made in 6" and 4 cupcakes)

Bottom base: 

90g digestive biscuits crumbs 

30g oreo biscuits crumbs 75g butter (melted)  

Fillings: 

250g cream cheese 

60g sugar 

12g instant coffee (dissolve with 1 tbsp water) 

2 tsp gelatin (dissolve with 1 tablespoon hot water) 

170ml whipping cream 

40g chocolate beads (I used chocolate rice)

Toppings: 

150g whipping cream 

50g dark bitter chocolate

Method:

1.  Mix the crumbs and melted butter in a bowl. Press crumbs mixture onto bottom baking pan and keep in the fridge.

2.  In another bowl, beat cream cheese until soften, gradually beat in sugar until the sugar dissolve. Add in the coffee mixture until well blended. 

3.  Whisk the whipping cream in another bowl until thicken. 

4.  Mix the dissolved gelatin into the coffee mixture until well incorporated. Fold in the in the whipped cream until everything well combine. 

5.  Pour into the baking pan or chef rings and chill in the fridge until it set. 

6.  After the cheesecake has set. Melt the chocolate with the whipping cream. Pour a thin layer on top of the cheesecake. Let it set in the fridge. 

7.  Run a sharp knife at the edge of the cake pan and unmold when everything has set. 

Verdict?

Like what Grace has claimed, the cheesecake is creamy with rich coffee flavour. M is so happy to receive the surprise cake, she shared with her colleagues and all likes the cake a lot.