Butternut Squash and Sunflower Seed Loaf 南瓜葵花籽包

After the success of my White Toast, I thought I'd try another of Kin's recipes from her book "Natural Breads Made Easy".  (天然麵包香 ~ 獨角仙@藍色大門.) 

It's supposed to be pumpkin but I have a butternut squash sitting in the kitchen waiting to be peeled chopped and something done with it.  In all honesty, it's probably been sitting there for at least two months when I had the intention of turning it into a butternut squash soup.  Butternut squash does keep well - I guess due to it's hard exterior but I do think the longer you leave it, the more dehydrated the flesh becomes.


Pumpkin and Sunflower Seed Loaf 南瓜葵花籽包
Pre-ferment Dough
bread flour                   70%          411g
water                           40%          235g
fresh yeast                    2%           12g
sea salt                         1%           6g
skim milk powder         2%          12g

Dissolve the yeast in water.  Add bread flour, sea salt, skim milk powder and knead until soft.  Cover the dough in cling wrap.  Refrigerate to let it prove for 17 hours.

Dough
bread flour                    30%         176g
skim milk powder          3%            18g
sea salt                          1%              6g
sugar                             10%          59g
egg                                3%            18g
fresh yeast                     1%              6g
water                             7%           41g
unsalted butter                7%           41g
cooked pumpkin puree   23%       135g
julienne pumpkin            15%          88g
roasted sunflower seeds 10%          59g

• Steam half a pumpkin with skin on until tender.  Then peel seed and mash.  Julienne the remaining half of the pumpkin.

• Roast the sunflower seeds in an oven briefly.  Leave them to cool.

• Cut the pre-ferment dough into small pieces.

• Knead all ingredients together (except the butter, sunflower seeds and the pumpkin julienne).  Add pre-ferment dough piece by piece and knead after each addition until smooth.  Add butter, sunflower seeds and the pumpkin julienne.  Knead until stretchable consistency.

• Put the dough into a big bowl.  Cover with cling wrap and let it prove for about 25-30 minutes.

• Divide the dough into two equal parts and hand square each.  Set aside to rest for about 20 minutes.

• Flatten the dough with your hands to drive the air out.  Roll the dough out with a rolling pin into a rectangle.  Fold both ends inwards (the two long sides) and roll it out once more.  Roll the dough up to about the same width of the loaf tin.  Spray water on it and coat the dough with sunflower seeds.  Place the dough into a loaf tin.  Cover with cling wrap.

 

• Let it to prove for about 45 minutes or until the dough has risen up to 80% of the depth of the mould.  Bake in a pre-heated oven at 170-180 deg C for about 30-35 minutes.

I substituted pumpkin for butternut squash as that is what I had at home.  I also found the dough mix very wet and sticky and I ended up adding a further 250 g of strong bread flour just so I could work with it.  I was anxious not to add too much as it will result in a tougher and drier loaf and may not keep as well.  As my dough had increased I ended up making 3 loaves from this batch each weighing just over 500 g each.  I gave each of the loaves away to friends and family so didn't get to sample my hard work!

It's All in the Yeast! Basic White Bread 白吐司

Every now and again (whilst growing up) I've always wanted to make a big, white, soft, fluffy but chewy loaf of bread.  I've baked Hot Cross Buns which turn out like stones and loaves of bread like house bricks.  I always thought it was because I wasn't very good at kneading the dough.

Right!  No excuse now!  Hubbs bought me a Kenwood Mixer with dough hook attachment - that will earn it's keep and do the kneading for me!  OK, bread has improved.  Have found if I mix a wet, sticky dough I can get a moist feeling loaf - but it does ooze over the time if over-filled.  I've got photos of dough hanging over the sides like an overweight person spilling over jeans 2 sizes too small - ewww?  You're right.  Not attractive.  Yet, the bread its still grey brown in colour and the texture looks holey in a good way but after 2 days more resembles a cellulose sponge and is fit for nothing but toast albeit a crisp and airy kind of toast.

I bought some fresh yeast last week after spotting a bread-making book in the local library.  OK, not a-n-y- ol' book, but it's Chinese with English translation!  (Yippee! As my Chinese reading and written is rather rusty these days!)  What better way to start than with the basics?  Labelled White Toast - it's in essence a sweetened white loaf.  Result?  Oh My Word!  A WHITE loaf!  Yes!  It really is white like a supermarket-bakery bought loaf!  It's the same brand of flour that gave me the off-white loaf last month (see here next to the jar of jam.)  Pleased?  I punched the air with delight!

The secret to my successful loaf is in a 17-hour low-temperature pre-ferment dough.  What?!?!  I hear you cry!   70 % of the dough is kneaded and but in the fridge to prove for 17 hours.  As most of the dough has been proved once under the low-temperature, the final proving time is greatly reduced and the final proving gives a major raise in the dough.  The pre-ferment dough helps give the bread a moist, chewy loaf with a yeasty flavour.   This technique is explained in Kin's Book, Natural Breads Made Easy.  (天然麵包香 ~ 獨角仙@藍色大門.)  I've googled her name and here is her blog.

It is a process I've never come across before especially as she talks about Baker's Percentage.  For example, the amount of flour used in a recipe is 100%.  Other ingredients are measured by their weight in relation to that of flour.  Total always add up to over 100%.
So, what she is saying is:
Flour  = 100%     (1000g)
Sugar = 3%         (30g)
Egg    = 20%       (200g)
Salt    = 1%         (10g)
Yeast = 3%         (30g)

This is her recipe:

White Toast 白吐司

Pre-ferment Dough
bread flour          70%          480g
water                  40%          274g
fresh yeast           2%            14g
sea salt                1%            7g
skim milk powder 2%           14g

Dissolve the yeast in water.  Add bread flour, sea salt, skim milk powder and knead until soft.  Cover the dough in cling wrap.  Refrigerate to let it prove for 17 hours.

Dough
bread flour          30%          206g
sea salt                1%            7g
sugar                   10%          69g
water                  29%          199g
fresh yeast          0.5%          3g
unsalted butter    10%          58g

• Cut the pre-ferment dough into small pieces.
• Knead all ingredients together (except the butter).  Add pre-ferment dough piece by piece and knead after each addition until smooth.  Add butter and continue to knead until stretchable consistency.
• Put the dough into a big bowl.  Cover with cling wrap and let it prove for about 25-30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into six small equal portions.  Flatten them with your hand to drive the air out.  Hand square them.  Set aside to rest for about 20 minutes.
• Flatten the dough with your hands to drive the air out.  Roll the dough into a rectangle.  Fold both sides towards the centre and roll again.  Roll it out again until its width is similar to that of the loaf tin, but don't close the lid tightly.  Cover with cling wrap.
• Lastly leave it to prove for about 45 more minutes or until the dough has risen up to 80% of the depth of the loaf tin.  Close the lid.  Bake in a pre-heated oven at 170-180 deg C for about 30-35 minutes.

To fill a 450g loaf tin all the way to all top corners, you need 650 to 660g of dough.  You may fit one to several pieces of dough into a loaf tin.
The quantity listed in the recipe is enough to fill two 450g loaf tins.  

*Notes
Hand squaring is where you flatten the dough into a rectangle shape with the heel of your hand.  Then starting at the top, roll the short end up tightly on itself like a swiss-roll.

Driving the air out relaxes the gluten in the dough, redistributes the yeasts among other ingredients and evens out the temperature throughout the dough.

The author uses 3 squared pieces of dough to fill her loaf tin before proving.  

The author uses a pullman loaf tin which has a lid so the resulting bread is perfectly square when sliced.  I used a regular loaf tin.

I made half this recipe to try it out and didn't think to take photos of each step as I did so.  Apologies.  Wasn't expecting the bread to turn out so well!  I am planning on making a Pumpkin and Sunflower Seed Loaf tomorrow so I will try and take photos along the way, although the 17 hour pre-ferment dough is already doing it's business in the fridge!

Sticky Moist Ginger Cake

A deliciously moist cake - surprisingly light too!

I woke up and I fancied ginger cake.  Strange thing to want - not for breakfast though I hasten to add.  I just fancied baking.  I hadn't been in a cake baking mood for a few weeks.  I guess waiting for Junior to be born put me off!

Anyway, new Chinese mothers are encouraged to eat ginger after the birth of a baby to dispel any wind in the body.  (I have no idea why and do as I'm told - to a degree!)  So with that in mind I thought of making a gingery cake.

I made a cake with dates once and it was lovely soft and moist and well....datey!  I thought that it'd be nice if it was flavoured with ginger.  Until now, I never got round to making it into a ginger cake.

Ginger & Date Cake

Ingredients
300ml water
200g pitted dates
60g butter softened
175g dark brown sugar (muscovado)
1 tbsp ginger syrup ( from jar)
1 tbs golden syrup
2 eggs
200g self raising flour
2 tsp ground ginger (* I would've liked a stronger ginger flavour so I'd probably add 1tbsp next time)
60g crystallised ginger
60g stem ginger in syrup (I used 3 blobs)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method
- Preheat oven to gas 5.  Line tin with parchment.  (I used a 8" square tin).

- Boil water in a saucepan.  When water boils, remove from heat and add the dates.  Leave dates to soak for 10 minutes.

- Chop the crystallised and stem ginger into small pieces (about 1cm cubes), dust with a little of the flour to absorb some of the sticky syrup.  Leave to one side.

- Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and cream until smooth.
 
- Stir in the syrups and add the flour and ground ginger.  Mix well to combine.

- Break the eggs into the bowl one by one and stir well after each addition.  Stir the chopped ginger into the mixture.

- Add the vanilla extract to the date mixture.  Blend to a smooth pulpy consistency with a hand-held blender.

-  Add the bicarbonate of soda to the date mixture then pour into the flour batter.  Beat well to ensure well mixed.

- Pour into the lined pan and bake in oven immediately.  Bake for 35-40minutes until well risen and springy to the touch.  Remember to check the centre with a skewer to ensure the cake is cooked.  Leave to cool in tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool.  Delicious cold on own, or serve warm with  a drizzle of ginger syrup and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.


I baked chocolate brownie for hubbs to take into work after his paternity leave and also some of this ginger cake.  One of his colleagues commented how he liked the ginger bits in the cake.  I personally would  have enjoyed a stronger ginger hit to the cake and will probably put 1-2tbs of ground ginger in next time.  I might increase the amount of crystallised and stem ginger in too.

See the juicy chucks of stem ginger and small pieces of crystallised ginger in the cake?

Butter Coconut Buns 椰子麵包

As mentioned in earlier blog here is the recipe for Coconut buns  that I made the day before Junior was born.  It's from Alex Goh's Baking Class - Bread.

Ingredients

One portion of basic sweet bun dough

Filling
60 g butter (softened)
150 g sugar
1 egg
150 g desiccated coconut

Method

- Prepare filling: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add egg and cream until smooth.  Add desiccated coconut and mix until well blended.

- Shape filling mixture into 30g balls and set aside.  (This gave me enough for 25 balls.)

- Divide the basic sweet bun dough into 60 g portions, mould into balls and leave to rest for 10 minutes.  (I managed to get 30 balls from my dough.)              

- Lightly roll them flat.  Put the coconut filling on the sweet bun dough.. Wrap them up.

- Roll the dough flat to 14cm round, fold into half moon shape then in half again.

-  Using a knife cut an opening in the middle of the round edge.  Then pull the opening apart gently and make a v-shape.  Carefully open  up the inner face so you can see the filling.  Place onto a greased pan.

- Leave to prove for 45 minutes or until they double in size.

- Brush with egg wash and bake at 190C for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Basic Sweet Bun Dough ~ Sponge and Dough Method

This recipe is taken fron Alex Goh's Baking Class - Bread.  In his book, Alex has three different sweet bun dough recipes.  According to Alex, this method produces a softer, bigger loaf which keeps longer.

Basic Sweet Bun Dough ~ Sponge and Dough Method
Ingredients

(A)Sponge Dough
2 tsps Instant Yeast
2 tbsps Water
420 g Bread flour
1/2 tbsp Sugar
220 ml Cold water

(B)Main Dough
120 g Plain flour
60 g Bread flour
1 tsp Instant yeast
110 g Sugar
10 g Salt
20 g Milk powder
40 ml Cold water
1 Egg
60 g Butter



Method
For the sponge, mix instant yeast and water and set aside for 10 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients (A) and knead to form dough.

Cover the dough with clear film and let it prove for 2 1/2 hours.  Then, add the sugar, salt, eggs from the main dough ingredients (B).  Mix till well blended.  Then add flour, instant yeast, milk powder and the water.

Mix all ingredients till well blended.  Knead to form a dough.

Add the butter and knead to form a smooth and elastic dough.

Mould it into a round and cover it with clear film.  Let it prove 10 minutes.  Then it's ready for use in making bread or buns.

Baby Diep Finally Here!

I am pleased to announce that our little Tiger has arrived to join his Mummy and Daddy Tiger!  'Junior' made his entrance into the world 3 days later than his expected date - I can only assume he wanted a memorable birth date of 10/08/10!

"Hello!" Minh's first photo

My last blog entry was a quick one as I was due to go into hospital for some ante-natal checks.  They were concerned with protein detected in my urine because if my blood pressure was rasied it could indicate I had pre-eclampsia.  I did not have pre-eclampsia or high blood pressure but there was still protein present in my urine.  As a result, they decided to admit me into hospital that evening and my baby would be induced.  (Labour started artificially.)

Minh in his hospital cot

It was rather scary as I did not expect to have to stay in.  I had even driven myself to hospital that morning as well!  It was a saving grace that my hospital bags were packed and in the boot of my car!  In fact, they had been in there since the end of July in anticipation of Junior's early arrival!  I even called hubbs at work telling him to finish work early as I was going to be induced that evening.  The reason why he didn't accompany me to hospital is that this was my second visit for such tests.  The previous week, my midwife detected protein in urine and also raised blood pressure an referred me to hospital.  I called my hubbs who came home and took me in.  We spent the whole afternoon there with me being strapped to fetal heartbeat monitor for some of the time.  My blood pressure was fine but I still had protein in my urine so blood was taken for testing.  I went home but they rang me the following day to say they wanted to repeat the tests after the weekend.  I did wonder if it would be necessary as Junior was due on the Saturday.  The weekend passed with me feeling pretty much the same and I knew Junior was too comfy to move.  So I did some baking on the Sunday!

Minh would not settle in his cot at night so midwife put him in my bed with me

The induction was carried out by inserting a pessary tablet.  I had a tablet of prostatin administered at 7pm this was after an internal examination and a sweep as the tablet has to go in between the membrane and cervix.  All I can say is that it was very uncomfortable and unpleasant!  Good news for me was my cervix was soft enough to insert the prostatin tablet and was at 1cm dilation.  By around 11pm that evening I was experiencing some pain in my lower abdomen, it was waves of pain similar to when you have a bad tummy ache.  It was bearable enough.  I closed my eyes trying to sleep but found my brain still awake.  This is the problem I have in a strange bed.  At 01:45am the pain was irritating.  Each time I drifted asleep the pain would snap me out of it.  I asked for painkillers and had some paracetamol and codeine.  This is what I needed and managed sleep through to 06:00am.

Dressed and waiting for Daddy to come take him home

I felt shattered the next morning and looked as I'd done 10 rounds with Tyson!  At 09:45am I had my second dose of prostatin.  It was less painful but extremely uncomfortable!  She was not the most delicate of midwives!  After having the prostatin, you have to stay in bed for at least 1 hour as they strap you to the fetal heart beat monitor so they can see how baby reacts to the prostatin.  This was fine as I had my nose in a book.  Unfortunately for me, the pads were not picking up the heartbeat very well and so I had to stay longer on the machine.  The waves of pain increased in intensity at mid-morning.  Lying on my back was not so comfortable anymore.  It seemed to be easier laying on my side but it didn't help the pads detect baby's heartbeat.  I gave up trying to read as the pain was too uncomfortable.  I found it soothing and relaxing to have the small of my back rubbed.  The warmth in the massage helped to ease the pain.  As you can imagine, it again doesn't help the pads pick up baby heartbeat.  Midwife was far from impressed with me.  I took a break from the machine and from lying in bed all day at 12:30pm.  I found the pain distracting and it put me off my food despite my hubbs telling me I needed to eat.  2 forkfuls of salty cottage pie is all I could face. 

Enjoying a cuddle in my dressing gown after a feed

I asked for painkillers in the hope it would take edge of pain.  The paracetamol and codeine had no effect and still I needed to be strapped to machine.  All I could do was close my eyes and try to ignore the pain.  I asked hubbs to keep eye on monitor to ensure it continued to pick up baby's heart beat.  45 minutes later and I tell my husband I'd had enough.  He obediently undid the straps and pads and helped me to my feet.  I began to feel hot and agitated.  I knew where this would lead to, I was beginning to feel very irritated and restless.  I decided to get on all fours and rest my head on the raised end of the bed hoping that being off my back would help ease the pain.  I was not shy in exclaiming "Ow! Ow! OW!!!" when the waves of pain overtook me.  The midwife suggested soaking in a hot bath to help ease the pain.  I misheard her and thought she was off to get me a hot water bottle.  She came back 5 minutes later to tell me bath was ready.  My hubbs helped me to the bathroom and I was horrified to see a raised bath with steps to get into it.  Anything that involved moving against my will seemed like a mountainous task!  Anyway, I clambered in and yes, it was hot and it didn't help me when I was already feeling hot and sweaty but the pain seemed less long and less intense whilst I was soaking.  Poor darling hubbs did his best to cool my face by fanning a towel.  He dabbed at the sweat pouring down my forehead and in all honesty, I wanted to push the towel away and just say, "Just wipe it!  Don't dab it delicately!"  but bless him, I knew he was trying to help and secondly, I couldn't find the energy to complain at him!  I found that turning on my side in the bath and resting my face on the cool porcelain bath soothing and stayed there for some time.

Peaceful slumber in his carrycot

Little did I know but 2 hours passed whilst in the bathtub.  I was still exclaiming "OW!" when necessary but strangely, I started experiencing new pains.  Not only did I get the waves of pain under the bump, I had strange heavy, downward pressure feelings under my bump and in my bowel area.  It was extremely uncomfortable to say the least!  After a while I decided that maybe if I push when I had the pressure feeling it would pass.  I thought it was trapped wind.  I pushed a couple of times and felt small amounts of water being expelled.  During one push I grunted loudly and the midwife heard me and knocked on the door.  She asked if I was pushing and I responded with "I'm trying not to."  She said if I was pushing I would need to get out of bath and be examined.  I stalled her by saying "In a minute."  The thought of moving was too much to bear.  I tried not to push when the urge came and found myself whistling to prevent pushing.  A couple of times it was just too much and I had to push.  Hubbs thought my waters had gone as he saw something brownish in bath water.  I told him waters are clear.  He left me to call a midwife.  They said it was membrane and pulled the plug on my bathwater.  They told me I needed to get out as baby would be born in bath otherwise.  I was feeling far from co-operative and all I could say was "I don't mind."  It took them a few minutes to get me to get out of bath as it seemed to me that if I moved, the pains returned.  Every time they told me to move (they were very nice and extremely patient) I replied with "In a minute, it hurts."  They tempted me by saying "The drugs are downstairs.  That's where the good stuff is." I eventually got out and sat on a chair and was wheeled back to my bed.  They examined me and before I knew it, they were wheeling my bed down the corridor, into the lift and down the next corridor to the delivery suite.  I was still naked and wet with nothing but a sheet to cover my modesty.  My eyes were still shut and I was long past caring whether I was clothed or not!  All the while, I was trying to resist the urge to push and was either whistling rather loudly or pinching great folds of skin from my poor husband's side!

"Yawn!  It's tiring being a baby!"

Once in the delivery suite, I needed to move onto the other bed.  I was not impressed by having to move.  I rose onto all fours and wondered how I was going to make it across the gap.  Roll over they told me.  Umm..not likely I thought - I have a big bump in front of me!  Anyhow, with hubbs support I made it onto the other bed and laid on my side.  They checked me and confirmed they could feel baby's head and I could start pushing.  I heard my hubbs asking about what pain relief I could have.  "It's too late for that," they said, "The baby's coming."  So I pushed with all my might and as loudly as my vocal chords would allow!  I grunted and I even heard myself howl!?!?!?  Exactly as when you watch birthing programmes on TV!!?!  A whoosh of hot wetness and a lump gushed out and the baby was born!  Junior's lungs certainly worked as we heard the loud cries of a baby!

A hot heavy weight was placed next to me and the midwife said to me, "It's your baby!"  "Eurgh!  It's disgusting!" I replied.  My eyes were still shut and I was commenting on the wet yukky mess that I felt between my legs.  I opened my eyes and there was a little wrapped up bundle looking at me.  When I thought how I might react at this point I thought emotion would overcome me and I would be crying.  But no, I was in awe at the little being next to me.  That it was mine.  That I had to take it home with me and look after it.  It was a strange feeling!  Oh, and I did ask my husband what we had and he confirmed it was a boy!  It was as our scan indicated back in March!  Silly surgery midwife putting doubt in my head telling me the heartbeat sounded like a girl's!

He weighed 8lb1oz (3.66kg) at birth and the time was recorded as 16:24pm.  Labour was documented as being 2 hours 32 minutes.  I guess that was from the time I went into the bath to the time that Junior arrived as at no point during the morning was I examined to see how far dilated I was.  In a way I'm glad, I would hate to be suffering in pain only be told that I was only 4cm dilated!  Was rather surprised at myself for going through it without pain relief.  I didn't count the paracetamol in the morning because lets face it - they did not make any difference at all.  I did get to have some gas and air as I was unfortunate to have suffered a second degree tear and needed stitches.  We spent the night in hospital and were finally discharged the following evening.

Here are some recent pictures.

Minh's favourite pasttime - drinking milk!

Minh at 2 wks+3 days