Chocolate Loaf

The chocolate bun from chowtimes really caught my attention for some reasons. I really wanted to bake some bun but due to the time constraint, I don't think I am up to the challenge right now so I turn this into a chocolate loaf.

I reduced the sugar from the original recipe since this is loaf that I probably will eat it with some jam and kaya, I don't want the loaf to be too sweet. The loaf turn out very soft and fluffy. I was quite surprise with the results as I was not convince that regular bread flour can produce a soft and fluffy loaf. But this loaf does give me a whole new perspective on bread flour.

The only downside on this loaf I think is lack of chocolate flavor. I was expecting a richer chocolate taste. I was sure because the recipe to call for any salt or because the cocoa powder I used was not fresh? ( the powder has been sitting in my pantry for a year ) what do you think huh? Maybe adding some chocolate essence will do the trick huh? Anyway.. I am definitely up for experiment again next time with the same recipe and make it a chocolate bun some day.
my adapted version:


Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 egg
  
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup sugar ( original recipe 1/2 cup)
  
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  
• 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Method:

• Put all ingredients into the bread machine according to your machine manual
• Select Sweet function, 2lb loaf with light crust
  
• Start the machine.
  

Cranberries Cream Cheese Loaf

Have been reading a lots of positive feedback for this cream cheese bread and after seeing this attractive production from Pure Enjoyment, I told myself there is no way I want to skip this. Since I have not been able to stop by the Asian store to stock up the high gluten flour I have been using for all my bread, I bought a package a bread flour from the regular groceries store and want to confirm again what the different between the high gluten and regular bread flour we get in the state.

The results was quite good, even though hubby still think that the bread may taste better with high gluten flour because he prefer a softer and elastic texture of bread as oppose to denser, heavier loaf. One thing for sure, the loaf remain very soft even 2 days after. I think this is another keeper but I probably will 1.5 the recipe.
Trying to be a bit creative here, In stead of a white plan loaf, I added some cranberries to sweeten the flavor so that Aidan can eat it plain. He is serious eating too much sweet stuff from his day care, so want to cut back his sugar intake now haa..

This is my adapted version
Ingredients :(Click here to the original recipe)

• 160g fresh milk
• 50g cream cheese
• 15g sugar
• 3g salt
• 20g butter
• 250g bread flour
• 1/2 tsp dry yeast
• 1/2 tsp bread improver (optional)
• 1/3 of cranberries (optional)

Method:

• Put the ingredients according to your bread machine instruction
• Select 1lb size with basic white loaf function
  
• Slice and enjoy
• for my bread machine, I added the cranberries at the final kneading cycle
  

Whole Wheat Yogurt Bread

This is one of my favorite recipe I found from KC forum that I would like to share with you. The original recipe use bread flour to product a white yogurt bread, Since I have some whole wheat flour left just enough for this recipe, I decided to finish up the wheat flour with this Whole Wheat Yogurt Bread.
This recipe produce a very soft loaf of bread and the bread remain soft after 3 days without any bread improver. Due to the yogurt content, I must said that this bread is actually quite sweet compare to milk loaf, therefore it's actually taste pretty good eating it plain or with minimum spread.

This is my adapted version. I reduce the recipe into half due to my bread machine capacity. Instead of using vanilla sugar and plain yogurt, I replaces it vanilla yogurt.

Ingredients: ( click here to view original recipe in French language)

• 1 beaten egg ( room temperature)
• 62.5g vanilla yogurt
• 160ml the whole milk
• ~32.5g sugar
• 250g whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp yeast dry
• 2 tsp butter ( room temperature)
  

Method

• Put everything in the order listed above or according to your bread machine manual.
• Set to dough function for the first 20 minutes.
• Then set to auto program for whole wheat bread 1.5lb with light crust to finish the rest of the baking process.

A simple meal I prepare to pair with this wonderful bread. Ham sandwich with swiss cheese, lettuce tomatoes, mayonnaise and some slice avocados. Yum yum..What a healthy meal for the whole family.

Whole Wheat Milk Loaf

This is my bread of the week- Whole Wheat Milk Loaf recipe taken from my previous Milk Loaf with minor adjustment.
Besides replacing the gluten flour with whole wheat flour, I also use the sweet dough function instead of the basic loaf function to get a lighter crust
The loaf come out perfect as I expected except it was almost half size smaller than the white bread. I was thinking maybe I should increase the ingredients to 1.5 more on my next loaf but this loaf is seriously quite fulfilling because of its' rich and dense texture. 2 slices of bread can actually stop me from snacking until my lunch time.
Just want to share with you my Saturday morning breakfast. Whole wheat kaya toast with a cup of white coffee. oo. wait.. It was 1/2 cup of white coffee. Try to avoid caffeine if possible but sometime I just need some coffee to get my day started.

Hokkaido Milk Loaf

This is another wonderful milk loaf recipe that I would definitely keep and recommend to everyone. Another thanks to for LCOM recommending this recipe in her blog. The loaf came out lovely, soft and fluffy just like the one you can get it from most of the Asian bakery store back home.

At first I was a bit worry about the loaf getting harden without the bread improver and I was wrong.The loaf remain soft and tasty even after the 3rd days. Yum! Yum! it's all I can say about it.

Since this recipe have been try and proven by so many fellow bloggers, everyone seems to have their own way to bake the loaf and this is how my bake mine.

Ingredients (Click here for original recipes)

• 125g whole milk (warm)
• 75g heavy cream (warm)
• 1/2 tsp + 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 40g sugar
• 270g gluten flour
• 30g cake flour
• 5g dry yeast
• 15g milk powder

Method:

• Put everything in the bread machine in the order listed above or according to you bread machine instruction.
• Set to dough function for the first 20 minutes.
• Then set to auto program for sweet function 1.5lb with light crust to finish the rest of the baking process.
• 3 hour later … VOILA! The loaf is ready.

An Edible Cinnamon Raisin Loaf

Usually hubby and I will have a glass of milk with cereal for breakfast before we leave to work. This week as we ran out of milk, I decided to bake a loaf of bread with the remaining ingredient I had on hand. Cinnamon Raisin Swirl loaf has been one of my favorite bread of all time. I usually just love it eat it plain. After some googling online, I found a recipe with quite a bit positive reviews and raving about how soft the bread and flavorful the loaf is and the recipe are quite simple and straight forward. So right after I reach home from work around 6pm, I quietly prepare and load all the ingredient into the breadmachine to make sure the bread is done before my time to bed. This time I experiment my loaf with ½ all purpose flour and ½ gluten flour because I want to see what’s the end result of using all purpose flour.

3 hours later, voila.. The bread is ready. It looks ok.. the loaf is soft and raised well when fresh out from the machine. Hubby and I take a few small bites to taste the loaf and we both think that the texture of the loaf was a bit dense and does not smell as good as the milk loaf I baked few days ago. Well I do not expect the loaf to smell as good as the milk loaf as this loaf as much less ingredient compare to the one. But overall, it was ok. At least edible haa.. No recipe post for this loaf as I am not planning to keep this recipe but continue my bread baking experiment with other recipes.

Next week, I will have my GCT (Glucose Challenge Test) for to check for gestational diabetes. My friend told me to avoid taking any sweets 10 days before the test, so I can pass the test. ( I failed the 1 hour test but passed the 3 hours test on my first pregnancy). I really home I can pass the 1 hours test and skip the 3 hours test this time.. it was really a pain to stay in the lap for 4 hours and have the technician drew my blood every hour. Do you think taking less breads and cakes this week will helps? I wanted to try the sponge cup cake recipe and a panda sponge cake recipes so badly in the past few weeks and I just can’t make time to do it. Thinking of trying it this weekend, or should I wait until I pass my test?

Just like a dream comes true …

Bread or bun making has been in my to do list forever, unfortunately I am not good in kneading dough, therefore I always hold off on baking bread and bun myself. Last year, while I was shopping at Target, I saw this Breadman bread machine was on sale from $87 to $17. 75% off from the original price.. what an incredible deal right? Can’t resist myself to pass this opportunity, as a result, I bought this machine and has been sitting at home for almost 2 months now.

Right after we returned from my trip, I decided to give it a try with a few recipes.. From pandan raisin bun (too ambitious the first time) to a couple simple white bread, fully done by the machine itself, it was a total disaster. The raisin bun taste like a cake than a bun, the first white loaf I tried from the recipes come with the machine was too dry and hard right out of the machine, not to mention what’s that going to be turn out the next day.. like a rock. The 3rd recipe I tried was even discouraging.. taste like flour, and hard like a rock. It end up in my trash right after the bread was cook. What a discouraging experience huh?

Just though of returning my bread machine to Target ( since I am still within the return period), I saw this wonderful yummy green tea loaf from LCOM. Read the article and follow the thread to Happy Home Baking blog, patiently review all the wonderful comments about this milk loaf. It sound like a little fool proof recipe to me. OK… technically I still have until the end of month to return the machine, I decided to give it a try.

Take a look of what I got. This picture was taken the next morning. This is like a dream comes true to me… a fresh loaf of bread come out from my kitchen.

Not only the bread is soft, it is very flavorful and rich in butter flavor just like how Happy Home Baking describes in her blog. This also reminded me the Hokkaido raisin bread I brought from pavilion during my trip home. Not only the bread taste good when is fresh out from the machine, it taste as good the next day with the softer crust. I gave it light toast on the 3rd day with butter spread; it was still wonderful with a slightly crispier crust. Hmm.. yummy.

Hubby saw that I was so excited with the loaf, he decided to pinch the loaf while taking the picture to show how soft the it was when fresh from the machine :)

Many thanks to LCOM, Happy Home Baking and her reader’s review.. some motivation and encouragement on bread making… Going to try more recipes in this couple week before my return data is DUE!

Ingredient I used (Click here for link to original recipe):

• 143g warm 2% fresh milk
• 1 egg (room temperature)
• ~ 38g unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 25g caster sugar
• 5g salt
• 250g gluten flour
• ~ 4g Instant yeast (since my scale only measure in 5 gram increment, so I did a rough est)
• 1 tsp bread improver

Method I used:

• Put everything in the bread machine in the order listed above.
• Set to dough function for the first 20 minutes.
• Then set to auto program for basic white bread 1.5lb with light crust to finish the rest of the baking process.
• 2.5 hour later … VOILA! The loaf is ready.

While I was searching for bread recipe for my next creation, I saw that bread flour is actually not the same as the high gluten flour I used in this recipe. I know that most of the Chinese bread recipe call high gluten flour and I always thought bread flour = high gluten flour. After doing a little bit of research, found that they are not exactly the same in term of the protein value contain in these flour. Click here for more detail explanation. Seems like high gluten flour actually produce a more elastic effects

Most of the western bread recipe call for all purpose or bread flour. I have been using all purpose flour and bread flour for my previous baking and it was a disaster. I have seen people replace all purpose flour with bread flour or using regular bread flour for this recipe and the outcome is wonderful. This has truly make me wonder how much different will these flour made? Should I try my next bread with all purpose flour or stick with the gluten flour?