White Loaf Bread

Which brand of loaf bread is your favour choice? In Singapore, people are really fortunate as we have so many different choice of brand and flavour to go for. For me i prefer Breadtalk white loaf bread, the taste is not just plain and the bread texture is unique. However i made one loaf bread myself with a little help from my mum.

Kneading part need your patience and persistence to finish it. Is tiring to knead the dough. It was purpose to knead the dough until elastic and smooth, elastic is where u can stretch the dough until thin layer and it doesn't break easily. Halfway through i stopped kneading after the dough doesn't stick to my finger BUT it not suppose to stop because i just so tired. =p

Blame to my laziness, the bread turnout not soft and fluffy. The outer layer is hard. Next time must knead it longer, how i wish i have a bread machine. It can save my time and energy. Hehehe..


Recipe source from http://www.cookingbread.com/
*I cut the portion into half make one loaf.

Dough Ingredient:

• 1/2 cup water (warm)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tbsp oil
• 3 cups of bread flour (384gm)
• 1/4 cup sugar (32gm)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 2 tsp yeast

Egg Wash Ingredient:

• 1 Egg
• 3 tbsp milk

Method:

• In a large bowl combine the lukewarm water, milk and oil mix together.
• Add 1 cups of flour and mix with a wooden spoon till smooth.
• Add in the sugar and eggs. Combine to stir together till smooth.
• Add in the salt and mix together.
• Add in the yeast and stir.
• Then allow the mixture to sit uncovered for 15 minute.
• Continue to add flour a 1/2 cup at a time. Stir till it becomes to hard to mix.
• Place some flour onto the counter and your hand, knead the dough until smooth and elastic.
• Place dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turn the dough over to lightly coat all sides of the dough. (This will help the dough from drying out)
• Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap or kitchen towel and set aside in a warm place for about 1 hour.
• After the dough has risen, pour out onto a lightly floured surface.
• Punch the dough to release out the gas from the dough.
• Shape dough into rectangles length
• Roll the dough into a log shape, pinch the seam closed with your fingers.
• Place the dough into the greased loaf pans.
• Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise till double in bulk about 1 hour.
• After the dough has proofed, make the egg wash and brush the tops of the loafs. Wait for 5 minutes then brush again.
• Preheat the oven at 180 degree and bake for 30 minute.
• Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.

Sun Moulin

Unlike other bakery shop like Breadtalk and Provence have many franchise. This bakery shop Sun Moulin has one and only in Singapore located at Isetan Scotts Basement 1.

I would like to share this Sun Moulin. I have never enter into the Isetan Scotts building whenever i go to orchard but until one day my ex-colleague told me that she will always visit and make her first stop for shopping at orchard is Isetan Scotts. By her entice word, make me feel like visiting this building one day since i have never visit before. So i did and i glad i did because i found this Sun Moulin where they offer a variety of bread which is atypical from other bakery shop.

This is only the front view of the bread and there are more varieties on de other side

Petit Choco Donut

Mochi Choco

Mochi Cheese

This are the mini assorted bread. 1pcs $0.65, 3pcs $1.80, 5pcs $2.70. Different flavor are allow to mix and choose. Petit Choco Donut coated with chocolate and almond on the top with creamy chocolate filling inside the bread. This is really scrummy. For the Mochi chocolate, cheese, soy and sesame is my flavour among all the bread. When the first bite and after chewing u will find the filling is glutinous, is like eating Muah Chee (mochi) but at the same time u also eating bread. This is the most special bread i have ever eaten in my life. After that i hook onto this bread, is a must buy for me whenever i visit the shop.

I also bought the other 2 bread. The one on the top right corner is a potatoes mix with pork filling bun, the filing contain more potatoes than the meat. Hmm not my liking. The below one is a mixture of bread and cake, the centre filled with custard cream, is soft and sweet. Good try. Some of the bread is quite pricey but is worth it.  

Sun Moulin
Shaw House, 350 Orchard Road
Isetan Scotts, Basement 1
Singapore 238868

Giant Tuna Fish

Check it out this huge tuna fish in Singapore. Yeah is in Singapore, actually this tuna fish is from Japan and the weight is 42.5kg. I happen to saw it on yesterday where i when to Isetan Scotts and they are having Autumn Kyushu Fair. I'm so lucky as the time i went are just right at 2pm is the Bluefin Tuna cutting demonstration. 

The chef is using a saw tool to cut off the tuna fish head.

 

This tuna head cost $50 

Next part is the fish body 

See how fresh the meat is 

Isetan Scotts basement always held Japan fair with yummy Japan cuisine food and it is really a enjoyable trip to there. Paramount the people who serve u are Japanese people with a superb customer service. Honestly the Japan food fair are not cheap but is worth it even the chefs is also Japanese. See how serious they are, not just perfunctory.       

Plain Roll Bun

As i mention before I'm a yeast lover, so i go on and try home make bun. Making a bread/bun require a lot of time due to the proofing. I spend about 4 hour plus to finish my final bun.

I realise that after mixing all the ingredient together, the next step to do the kneading is the worst and fun part. Worst is because the dough is super sticky, it keep stick to my finger. Fun is because u get to play with the dough and make different kind of shape up to your desire. While i was kneading the dough, my mum came and take a look and after that i let her take over to knead the dough while i prepare other ingredient.

After kneading, proofing and baking finally i get to try my first make bun. The bun is crispy when it is hot out from the oven but after a few hour of cooling the bread turn tough. The book stated that bake it at 180C for 20 minute. For the first batch i follow the book and some how the bun turn overly brown on the surface. So for the second batch i bake it at 180C for 15 minute and this time round the bread is not overly brown.  

Ingredient:

• 160 gm bread flour
• 40 gm plain flour
• 1/2+1/4 tsp yeast
• 25gm caster sugar
• 1 tbsp milk power (I omitted as i don't have)
• 100ml fresh milk
• 30gm egg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 32gm butter

Method:

• Mix bread flour and plain flour together, divided the flour into half.
• Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl except for the butter, salt and the other half of the flour. Mix for about 3 minute or until you will see some small bubble. 
• Add in the salt and the other half of the flour and mix.
• Place the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently until the dough is elastic, smooth and no longer sticks to your hands. (To check whether the dough is elastic, use your finger and stretch the dough into a thin layer where the dough does not tear easily)
• Transfer the dough back into the bowl and add in the butter, keep pressing the dough with the butter together until butter is totally absorb.
• Continue knead the dough until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Turn the dough back into the bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to proof into doubled in volume. Place at a warm spot (30C) for 1 hour.
• After the dough become doubled, use a finger press on the centre of the dough. The dough should be springy and bound back when u press slightly on the side of the dough.
• Punch down the dough to release out the gas of the dough.
• Divided the dough into 6 pieces and cover it with the kitchen towel and let it rest for 10 minute.
• Shape the dough into the shape that you desired, place it on a baking tray with baking parchment and cover it with the kitchen towel until doubled in size.
• Brush the top with egg wash and bake for about 15~20 minute in a preheated oven at 180C.
• Remove from the tray and let it cool on a wire rack.

Moon Cake 2011

Picture taken from Deviantart

Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching next week. Do you guys celebrate this festival?

Well i guess in Singapore seldom children get the fun of celebrating this festival. I do remember when i was a kid, during mid-autumn festival i use to play the colourful candle and paper lanterns at the playground with my cousin but i do not get to see this anymore during this festival. Children nowadays carry those modern lanterns, come with many different design and with music too. During my young age also have the kind of modern lanterns however i prefer the tradition one.

When we mention about 中秋节, it will link to the mooncakes. During these period of time, u will get to see mooncake every where u go especially shopping mall. There are too many varieties to be spoil, from traditional bake mooncake to snowskin and even jelly mooncake. Every year my sister will buy mooncake for our family without fail. =)

This year she bought the snowskin, different flavour with wine mooncake. I try one, at the top which u can see i cut it into half. The filling is not so sweet just nice and the centre is a white chocolate coated with raspberry puree. Have u eaten your mooncake this year? => 

I wish everyone happy Mid-Autumn Festival, 中秋節快乐。^^

Sambawang Confectionery

I 'm sourcing for old school confectionery shop as i find their pastry and bread have a kind of old days feel (古早味)。It taste just extremely good to me and more importantly is not expensive. This kind of old school bakery shop has become lesser and fewer as those bakery chef are in their old age, sad to see that. That why i must grab the time to look out if there are any left in Singapore. Do u have any to share? ;)

From the left, u can see those pastry and cake are place. I feel like buying them all but i know i can't. Heehee.. They do sell bread too, u just need to walk into the shop and u will be able to see it.

I bought a sponge cake, custard puff, 2 slice of vanilla cake (from top left). The 2 slice of cake is for my mother. The sponge cake is soft and the taste is just good. I always like to place my custard puff inside the fridge for a few hour before i consume them is because i like it when the custard is cold. For the custard puff is full of custard within the puff, the custard is not so sweet and the puff is spongy and chewy. I will definately come back for more!

Sambawang Confectionery
Blk 6, Beach Road
#01-4869 Singapore 190006
Operating Hours:
Daily from 10.30am to 7pm

Glutinous Rice

Miss this old traditional Lo Mai Kai so much but instead of Kai (Chicken) i omit other ingredient. I start in hock on to glutinous rice when one days, my mum order a glutinous rice from a store at Ghim Moh market. So i taste a few bite and slowly i finished the whole plate and got hock on it and this is the best glutinous rice i have even eaten.

Since i seldom go down to ghim moh market, so i decided to make some plus i craving for it. Instead of using chicken as the ingredient, i replace it with dry shrimps, chinese sausage and dry mushroom. I didn't steam my glutinous for too long, i want the kind of chewy and abit dry texture. I don't really like the kind of sticky and watery texture. I would said depend on each individual palate. =p

After the whole process of cooking and steaming the glutinous rice, i find the texture just right, only the taste is abit blend.

Ingredient:

• 1 sticks chinese sausage
• Dry scrimps - soaked for one hour (depend how many u would like to have in it)
• 5 dry chinese mushroom - soak until mushroom soften and slice
• 1/4 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 & 1/2 tbsp of oyster sauce
• 1/2 tbsp soya sauce
• 1/2 tbsp dark soya sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 250gm glutinous rice
• 1/2 cup of water for cooking (I use the water from the mushroom and dry scrimps)

Method:

• The day before, soak the glutinous rice overnight
• Heat the pan with some oil and the fry the garlic until fragrant. Add in the chinese sausage, dry scrimps, mushroom and continue to fry.
• Add in the glutinous rice and the seasoning, toss evenly to combine and pour the cup of water until is absorbed into the rice.
• Scoop the rice and ingredient into a bowl
• Steam the filled bowl for 20 ~ 30 minutes (depend if u want it to be more sticky or dry)
• Serve immediately while it still hot.