Oatmeal Bread

I have to say, I'm not a very good bread-baker. I've been fortunate enough to have had a couple of successes. And definitely motivated to perfect them and try new recipes!

Some breads that I've made were crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, right out from the oven. But as soon as they cool down, they're rock hard and just not something I wanna eat.

This attempt worked like magic!

Moist EVEN after it's cooled, lotsa visible air bubbles that make it really soft and fluffy

I am Definitely making this over and over

They would make perfect burger buns too I reckon.

recipe:

2 cups warm water

11g instant yeast

6 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 cup oil

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted

1 cup rolled oats, ground finely

pinch of salt

Combine water, yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl

Leave in a warm place for 10 minutes or until the mixture turns Frothy and bubbly

Add in the oil, sifted flour, oatmeal and salt

Use a wooden spatula and fold everything together to form a dough

The dough should be only slightly sticky and very soft

Using your hands if necessary, lightly knead in any lumps, in the bowl itself (this is a no knead recipe after all)

Cover with cling and leave to rise for 1 hour until it has doubled in size.

Flour your hands again and grab any portion of dough you need to make desired shapes.

(Be it a loaf, roll, bun, whatever)

Place the dough on a baking tray lined with grease-proof paper

Cover with a tea towel and leave it for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C

Bake the bread for 15-25 minutes depending on their sizes.

To check for doneness, tap the tops and it should sound hollow.

Remove from the heat, cover them with a tea towel and cool completely.

These are best eaten when Cooled.

Crusty White Bread

It was during my very first visit to Australia when I discovered that- There's a WHOLE LOT more to Bread than just the commercialised packet breads in supermarkets. 

Artisanal Breads

I was in love, addicted, "take it away from me!!"

From that time on I never looked at bread the same way..I think the only bread I wanted was crusty bread.

So there I was, thinking "ahh how hard could it be to make"

 eh eheh..maybe not so easy... I've tried and failed countless of times but I've found a concoction that works for me.

It has a very thin layer of crust and a soft inside

But it's best when toasted the day after.

 

recipe:

3 cups warm water

1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast

big pinch of Sugar

big pinch of Salt

6 1/2 cups All-purpose flour

Combine the Warm water, yeast and sugar.

Set aside for 10 minutes until the mixture turns frothy

If it doesn't bubble and froth, it means the yeast is dead, and you need to get new yeast.

In a large bowl, combine Sifted flour and salt.

Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture.

Use one hand to fold everything together, but don't knead it too much.

Cover it with a towel and leave to prove for 1 hour, till it's doubled in size.

Flour your hands and take out half of the dough.

Form a loaf and place it on a baking tray lined with grease-proof paper.

Repeat with remaining dough.

Cover again and prove for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220C and place an empty oven tray on the bottom shelf

Boil a cup of water in a kettle.

Put the tray of bread on the top shelf

Pour some hot water onto the bottom shelf and Shut the oven door.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool.

 

A day with the cousins- ham and cheese sandwich

With scrambled eggs too..yummmy!

Oooey Gooey Cheesy Cheddar

I love it

(ignore the lack of greens)
No one needs a recipe for a sandwich, because you simply follow your heart!

nyehehehe

Breakfast with Hamlet

Everyone who's sitting for the Literature exam later would understand exactly how I feel

Breakfast is essential on a day like this=) no breakfast, no brains, no A+ for literature..

So I had White Chocolate And Raspberry Bread Pudding

It was absolutely delicious! It does take time to bake in a mini oven though..but it was worth waking up early to make it..

Here are tze ingredients for 1 big sweet tooth:

2 slices of light rye bread

a sprinkle of ground cinnamon

2 handfuls of frozen raspberries

white chocolate chips (as much as you like)

3 tablespoons rolled oats (optional)

3 eggs

1/3 cups low-fat milk (whatever milk)

2 tablespoons sugar (or more)

a dash of vanilla

Oven - 180C

Toss the bread, cinnamon, raspberries, white chocolate and oats in a small oven-proof bowl

(a greased ramekin works fine too)

Whisk the eggs milk sugar and vanilla essence, lightly (no energy in the morning)

Pour the egg mixture over the bread mixture and use a fork to keep the bread down

Bake it in a preheated oven for 30 to 40 mins.

During the 30-40 mins, brush teeth, shower, do jump n jacks...make bed...lie on bed...make bed again *TING*

POOHDIN'S REHHDEHH! 

NOm noM eeek hawt hawt NOm noM nOm

 Filled with raspberry goodness=) the sour balanced the sweet prefectly

Already half gone and not even 2 lines of Hamlet in my head..Oh cursed spite!

Hamlet wishes to die..that's cause he hasn't had poohdin before..

lameness has taken over..

Brunch

I was supposed to help in the gardening this morning but was just too lazy to bend my back..So I agreed to cook my brothers a brunch to get myself out of gardening=P

  Sweet paprika seared steak, buttered toast, avocado,

scrambled eggs, baby spinach and pear salad with pickled onion.

Gordon Ramsay was quite particular about how the perfect scrambled eggs 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU_B3QNu_Ks

In-te-res-ting..

I love onions but they make me tear whenever I eat them raw..it's just way too strong to have them raw in salads..However, these pickled onions are perfect for salads and it's the easiest thing in the world. 

Pickled onions: 

2 red onions

1 cup white vinegar

3 tablespoons of sugar

Slice the onions thinly. Put them in a jar. Add in sugar. Pour in the vinegar. Shake lightly. Leave to pickle for at least 30 minutes before use. Or refridgerate for up to a week or two. 

Bread, why are you so crunchy?

Bread is a staple in our house..it's not very asian, but it's just impossible to avoid buying that crusty, rustic-looking loaf of bread in the Italian deli that I love so much=) Tonight was ALL about tze bread..

                                      Crostinis

 Smoked salmon and baby spinach "roses" with basil sour cream

 Pea and mint pesto with avocado

 This one's really just an egg sandwich with avocado on top..

 the 3 different crostinis

 And since we were already having bread,it only made sense that we have dessert..

French toast, warm cinnamon pears and chocolate sauce

 life is good

 Oh yeah!

Roast chicken and pizza anybody?

 Roast chicken is easiest when you can't think of what to cook for dinner. Of course, I could easily drop by woolworths and buy one, but nothing beats home-cooked..

The market had fresh turkish bread. Its just flat bread thats oval shaped and its perfect for making pizza

 I used basil, tomatoes and mozzerella cheese. Mozzerella is really mild and milky so I added a generous sprinkle of salt on top before grilling it in the oven. It was perfect! cheesy, tomato-ey and the basil, ohh man the basil gave it everything it needed=)But something was still missing..no greens? Then came salad and roast pumpkin to the rescue..really good

Roast chicken

1 whole chicken
1 whole garlic bulb
3 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sweet paprika powder

500g potatoes, halved (i used baby potatoes)
500g pumpkin, cut into wedges
2 sprigs of rosemary
3 tablespoons oil
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper

Butterfly your chicken http://video.about.com/bbq/How-to-Butterfly-a-Chicken.htm
With a pestle and mortar, pound the peeled garlic with salt. Add in the oil and blend it to a smooth mixture.
Using your hands, separate the skin of the chicken around the breast and the thighs. Fill it with the garlic paste.
Season the whole chicken with salt and rub the paprika all over it.
Place the chicken on a baking tray lined with foil. 
Toss the potatoes and pumpkin with the rosemary,oil,lemon and salt and pepper. Place them around the chicken on the baking tray.
Bake this in a 180 degree oven for about 45 minutes.