Wool Roll Bread

Soft and fluffy milk bread shaped into a wool roll is fun to make. The bread is filled with delicious cranberries or any other filling of your choice. I have tried cranberries & Nutella filling. It is a pull-apart milk bread you will absolutely love.

Lately this Wool Roll Bread has been very popular . It seems that the Wool Roll Bread has become trendy because of a Malaysia YouTuber "Apron".  The video was clear and easy to follow along. Wool Roll Bread is a soft fluffy bread loaf that bake with a round cake tin (or a round pot that can go into the oven). The special thing about it is the bread shaping method, which after baking, the bread looks like a roll of wool. That is why is called wool roll bread. Let make the unusual cool Wool Bread!

Ingredients:

• 80ml lukewarm milk
• 3g instant yeast
• 300g bread flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 30g sugar
• 1 egg
• 100ml double cream
• 100g dried cranberries or Nutella or any filling of your choice
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 3 tbsp milk to brush the top of dough

Method:

Add 1 tsp instant yeast into the lukewarm milk. Stir well and keep it aside to bloom.

In a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, salt and sugar until well combined. Add in the cream, egg and yeast mixture. Use a dough hook attachment to combine the ingredients until dough ball is formed, about 2-3 minutes. Knead for another 6-8 minutes until it is smooth. When ready, shape dough into a ball, place in lightly greased bowl, cover and let it rest in arm spot for another 60 minutes, or until the dough is puffy and has doubled in size.

When the dough has doubled in size, tip it onto a lightly floured surface. Then, carefully deflated the dough. Using a bench scraper or a sharp knife, divide into 5 equal pieces.   

                                     

    Form dough pieces into balls. Cover and let them rest for 15 minutes.

  Roll each into a ball

    pull in the edges and overlap the dough

 Flip over and roll with seam down until the top is smooth and taut

 Let it rest for 15 minutes

                                       

While waiting, chop the dried cranberries. Set aside. Prepare the pan. Brush melted butter generously all over the inside bottom and sides. Line the pan with baking paper and brush with butter.

Take one of the dough balls, and roll out into a long oval approximately 12" long by 5" wide. Then using a very sharp knife or a bench scraper, cut a long thin lines from middle to the top of the dough piece.

 Place the dough ball on a lightly floured surface

 Roll out into a long oval

 Lightly mark/score the middle of the oval and start cutting the top part of the oval

 Place chopped berries or any filling of your choice into the bottom part

 Fold in one side

 Fold in the other side

 From the bottom, roll up the dough

 Keep rolling

 Tuck the seam under the rolled up dough

                                   

 Ready for the pan

Scatter about 1 tbsp of the chopped dried cranberries on the bottom uncut part of the dough. Fold in the sides and start to roll up the dough from the edge closest to you. Place the rolled up piece onto the prepared round pan with the seam side down. Repeat with the other 4 pieces of dough.

 Place dough balls into the lined pan

 Arrange them like so

 Cover with cling film

 After 60 minutes of proofing in a warm spot

Cover the shaped dough in cling film and let it rest for about 60 minutes until it has risen and looks poufy. Preheat oven at 170ºC/150ºC for fan assist oven.

When ready, brush the top of the bread with milk. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the top are golden brown. 

Remove pan from the heat. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting and popping out the pan. It's ready!

Yoda Birthday Cake

Decided to bake a baby Yoda cake for a big Star Wars fan! 

 

Chicken Bhuna

Chicken Bhuna is an amazing spicy Indian recipe. This chicken recipe made with different types of spices like garam masala, black pepper and some other spices with finely chopped tomatoes.

This Indian chicken curry is not only easy to make but it also tastes fantastic. Enjoy with freshly cooked basmati rice and naan bread, if desired.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 chicken breast, diced into 1 inch chunks
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
• 2 tbsp of ginger, chopped
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp chilli powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 5 tomatoes, chopped
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp of fresh coriander, chopped
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• salt to taste

Method:

Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan and add the garlic, green chilli and ginger. Mix them for a minute in hot oil then add the chopped onions. Stir and leave to cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.

Once the onions have turned golden brown colour, add the turmeric, chilli, cumin, coriander and garam masala. Stir and cook for about a minute.

Add the chopped tomatoes with 100ml water and a good pinch of salt. Stir together, cover the pan and allow it to come to a boil. Stir occasionally until the masala becomes nice and thick

Add the chicken pieces to the pan and coat the pieces in the masala so it is all nicely covered. Cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and combined with the thick masala sauce.

Stir in the lemon juice to add a little zing and garnish with fresh coriander to serve. Enjoy!

Vegan Naan Bread

Super easy vegan naan bread. The perfect accompaniment to a delicious curry or just as is! Soft, fluffy and wonderfully flavourful !!

Ingredients:

• 120ml warm non-dairy milk or water
• 1½ tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 60g non-dairy yogurt
• ½ tsp salt
• 300g plain flour

Vegan Garlic Butter, optional

• 2 tbsp vegan butter, soft at room temperature
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• salt & pepper to taste
• fresh herbs of choice

Method:

Combine warm milk, yeast and sugar in  large bowl. Set aside until frothy and foamy, about 10 minutes.

Add the olive oil, non-dairy yogurt, salt and flour. Mix to combine with a wooden spoon or fork, then transfer to a lightly floured working surface and knead with your hands for 5-10 minutes until a smooth soft dough forms. Alternatively, use a stand mixer with dough hooks for kneading the dough.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp kitchen towel or foil and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

After it rises, cut dough into 6 pieces. 

On a floured surface, roll out each piece into an 0.5cm thick oval or circle.

Preheat a cast-iron skillet or a non-stick pan to a medium heat and brush with a little oil or cooking spray. Cook each flatbread for 2-3 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on the bottom. Flip over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Cover the cooked naan with a clean kitchen towel to keep warm and soft until ready to serve while you cook the rest.

Vegan Garlic Butter: Combine vegan butter with minced garlic. Add salt, pepper and chopped fresh herbs to taste.

Brush the top of each hot naan with a bit of vegan garlic butter as desired.  Enjoy!!

Rou Jia Mo, (肉夹馍) Chinese Pork Burger

Rou Jia Mo literately means "meat sandwiched in bread" is a street food originating from the cuisine of Shaanxi Province and widely consumed all over China. 

A humble street food can be as memorable as fancy restaurant meal. 

First of all, let's talk about the filling. Depends on your dietary, you can make the filling with pork or if you are a vegan, use jackfruit or soy minced instead. I like to use pulled pork for the filling or pulled jackfruit. If you are too lazy to make it yourself, get the ready marinated from supermarket. 

INGREDIENTS

For the meat:

• 2 pound pork belly
• 3 cups water
• ¼ cup Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 4 spring onions, cut in half
• 3 slices ginger
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 slices galangal
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn
• 3 bay leaves
• salt to taste
• 1 cup chopped coriander

For the buns:

• 450g plain flour
• 8g active dry yeast
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1-1¼ cups warm water, depending on humidity

Method:

Keep the pork belly whole or cut into large chunks. Place the pork belly in a medium pot, and fill it with just enough water to cover it. Bring the water to a boil. Once the pork has gone opaque and appears cooked on the outside, turn off the heat, remove the pork from the pot, and rinse it clean under running water. Pour away the water and clean the pot.

Put the pork belly back into the clean pot, and add 3 cups of water, Shaoxing wine, sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, spring onions, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, galangal, Sichuan peppercorn and bay leaves. Bring everything to a boil, then immediately turn down the heat to low and simmer for 90 minutes to 2 hours, until fork tender. To test it, stick a fork into the meat. It's done if you can pull the fork out easily. Do not use high heat when simmering to avoid drying out the sauce. Add salt to taste.

While the pork is simmering, make the buns. To a mixing bowl, add the flour, yeast and salt. Slowly add the warm water, mixing and kneading until it forms a smooth dough ball. Once a dough ball is formed, knead it for another 10 minutes to build up the gluten in the dough (this will make the buns chewier). You can also use an electric mixer with dough hook attachment for this. The dough should feel soft and easy to work with. Cover the dough, and let it proof at room temperature for about an hour until it doubles in size.

After proofing, knead the dough for about 5 minutes to get rid of any air bubbles. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Cover the dough balls with a kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out while you are shaping the buns.

To shape the buns, take each ball and roll it out into cigar-like shape.

Next, roll it out into a longer and narrower strip, and fold it in half lengthwise. 

Roll it up into a bundle, with the loose end tucked underneath.

Turn it on its side, so that the swirls are facing up.

                                                  

Press it down with your palm. 

Now roll it out into a disc about 4 inches in diameter. Repeat these steps for all of the dough balls. Cover the shaped buns with a dry kitchen towel, and let rest for 20 minutes before cooking.

Pre-heat a flat-bottomed pan or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Place the buns in the pan about an inch a part (no oil is necessary). Cover the lid, and let the buns cook for 2 minutes on each side. The heat shouldn't be too high, or your buns may burn. After 2 minutes on each side, remove the lid, and cook each side for another minute or so until entire bun is golden brown. Continue in batches until the buns are all cooked

To serve, take out the pork, coarsely chop it and transfer it into a bowl. Mix in the chopped coriander and add the sauce from the meat to your desired consistency. Toss everything together.

Slice open a bun, load the meat inside..... And it's time to sink your teeth into this scrumptious little bundle of porky goodness.
 

**for vegan version, you can replace the pork with pull jackfruit

Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf

This recipe is going straight to the top of my "easy-but-oh-so tasty-recipes" to whip out when guests are coming over. It's perfect for morning or afternoon tea or as a treat for the lunchbox. And it freezes well too! Trust me, you are going to want to make this Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf  over and over again. Promise.

Soft and fluffy Lemon Poppy Seed Load made with fresh lemons.

Ingredients:

• 120ml vegetable oil
• 250g caster sugar
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• zest of one lemon
• 210g plain flour
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp poppy seeds
• 120ml greek yoghurt
• 60ml milk

Lemon glaze:

• 60g icing sugar
• 2 tsp lemon juice

Method:

Preheat oven to 180ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven. Grease and a 9x5 inch rectangular loaf pan with baking paper.

In a large mixing bowl, add oil, sugar, lemon extract, eggs, lemon juice and zest. Whisk briefly to combine.

Add flour, baking powder, poppy seeds and yoghurt. Start to stir and then add the milk. Gently mix until combined. Be careful not to over mix.

Add the batter to the prepared tin. Bake loaf for about 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean. If you find the top of the loaf is browning too much, simply add a piece of aluminium foil over the top towards the end of baking.

To make the glaze: Stir together icing sugar and lemon juice. If the glaze is too thick, add an extra teaspoon of lemon juice. Drizzle over the cake once it is completely cooled and serve.