Coffee & Walnut Bread

This recipe yields ten buns.
Ingredients:
600g all purpose flour
3 tbsp honey
80ml lukewarm water
15g active dry yeast
150g toasted walnut
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp oil
1 egg
1 tbsp sugar
145 ml strong coffee plus 1 tbsp instant refined coffee
For egg wash mixture:
1 egg
1 tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp water
Preparation:

1. Just before making the dough. Dissolve yeast in 80ml lukewarm water in the bowl, let stand 5 minutes. In a mortar and pestle, crush the roasted walnuts into crumbs but not to crush the walnuts. Just a nice mixture of textures, from almost whole nuts down to some more finely ground bits.

2. Place 500g flour, salt, instant coffee powder and sugar attach bowl and dough hook to mixer and mix for about 1 minute. Stir honey in oil, add yeast mixture, fresh ground coffee, honey mixture and egg and mix the ingredients at medium speed 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

3. Adding remaining 100g flour to prevent dough from sticking to sides of bowl. Add walnuts, mix at medium speed just until combined.

4. Lift the hook up, remove any dough caught on it, then take the dough out of the bowl. Place to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, adding more flour if needed.

5. Place dough in a large bowl coated with non stick spray. Cover dough with plastic wrap and clean cloth, let rest 1 hour or until doubled in size.

6. Punch dough down, divide in half. Divide each half into 4 portion to make 10 buns. Then dust surface with flour and place the dough on top. Working with 1 portion at a time fold each bun into itself and then rolling it into a ball. 

7. Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Combine egg, sugar and water and whisk.

8. After 30 minutes, when the buns have doubled in size uncover them. Brush the buns all over with the egg wash.

9. Place them in the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove from pan, cool on wire rack for a few minutes and serve them hot or cold with jam or butter.

Matcha Mochi Red Bean Buns

No words… Can’t get these Japanese and Taiwanese combination green tea bread with red bean and mochi filling that I make and loved by my family.
Ingredients:
450g plain flour
100g milk powder
220ml warm milk
4 tbsp sugar + 1tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
1 egg
1 packed or 15g active dried yeast
50g butter, softened
2 tbsp Japanese green tea powder
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water (egg wash)
white sesame seeds
18 cubes  Taiwan soft mochi around 250-300g
red bean paste
Preparation:

1. First start with yeast dissolved into warm milk with 1 tbsp sugar and let it sit for 5 minutes. The milk and yeast should be foamy. If not, start over.

2. In a mixing bowl, place the flour, milk powder, sugar, butter, egg, salt and green tea powder with the dough hook attachment on your mixer, stir these ingredients on low to combine.

3. Add the yeast mixture bit by bit until the dough is starts to come away from the sides of the bowl.

4. Adjust and turn into speed 2, and knead the dough probably 8 minutes and it form a shaggy dough.

5. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrapper and tea towel. Let it rise in a warm place until it doubles. 

6. Dust the work surface with flour. Remove the dough from the mixer bowl and knead for a few minutes.

7. Divide the dough into two pieces. 

8. Knead it a couple of times it has an elastic consistency and form the two dough into a log shape.

9. Now cut it length ways to make 18 buns.

10. Take one of the buns and roll it into a shape ball.

11. Press your hands to stretch and flatten the dough. Repeat this with remaining of the buns.

12. Place a spoonful approximately 1 tbsp of red bean paste into the flatten dough.

13. Place a cube of mochi in the center.

14. Close the opening of the dough and seal tightly because any gaps will lead to a messy baking process.

15. Do this by turning each bun into itself and then carefully rolling it into a ball.

16. Place the buns on the baking tray lined with grease proof paper and cover them with the tea towel. Then leave them to rise for 30 minutes.

17. Heat the oven to 180°C for about 20 minutes before baking. After 20 minutes have passed, using a brush, generously coat each of the buns with the egg wash.

18. Then sprinkle over the sesame seeds.

19. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

20. When golden brown, remove the buns from the oven.

21. Then allow to cool on a cooling rack for as long as you please, as you can see on the photo I only have 14 buns left. My fam couldn't wait to dive in these deliciousness and comfort of home baked bread as soon as they came out from the oven.

Final thoughts; The smooth texture of the fresh mochi melted perfectly into the creamy center.

Rye Pandesal

My mom used to buy it regularly from a peddler on a bike every morning. I was actually surprise to find out how simple and easy it is to make and nothing beats the smell and taste of freshly baked homemade pandesal.

Ingredients:

4 cups plain flour

3 cups rye flour or bread flour

4 tbsp melted margarine

1 salt

4 tbsp refine white sugar

1 egg, beaten

400ml milk

15g active dried yeast

bread crumbs

Methods:

1. In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, heat the milk in microwave oven. Add the 1 tbsp sugar, yeast and stir to dissolve.

2. Leave in a draught free spot to activate or until it bubbles and foam.

3. Add the 6 cups of flour and other dry ingredients and stir with electric mixer or by hand until well combined.

4. Step by step we add the liquid ingredients, we start from eggs and stir.

 5. Then add the melted margarine.

6. Add the yeast mixture, mix dough at medium speed (level 2) for10 minutes or until smooth.

7. Add the remaining 1 cup all-purpose or rye flour at a time to prevent dough from sticking to sides of bowl, mix just until combined. If the dough still a bit wet add 1-2 tbsp flour.

8. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes.

9. Place dough in a large bowl coated with flour and cover with plastic wrapper and tea towel.

10. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

10. Put the dough back to the flat surface and divide into 2 portions.

 11. Now take one of the half dough and roll it into a long strip.

12. Cut into the individual pieces of the pandesal and make 16 rolls or defend on the size of your rolls.

13. Roll the sliced dough over the breadcrumbs.

 14.  place in a baking tray with wax paper. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.

15. Then place on the top bottom of the oven and bake for 20 minutes until golden browned.