Pepperratzies

Making Milli crepe is certainly NOT easy. I mean the ingredients are relatively easy but when it comes to the part of frying them THINLY in the slow fire while ensuring that the whole piece is not damage needs a lot of skills. This workshop that I went to taught me exactly that and yet I still need to come home to practice on making them as thin as possible. Quite a challenge but nevertheless, the one that I made in the workshop was quite nice hehehe…taste is there but if not careful enough in making it thin, there is a danger in making stacks of pancakes instead.

For this Mille Crepe, a total of 20 slices of crepe with layers of fresh cream, cream cheese and strawberry filling

Since young, I had always loved dandelions. It symbolizes freedom..white, fluffy and light, as if it has no worries. The moment the wind blows, it follows the flow. Looks so comforting. Seems so easy….to just fly to wherever the wind carries it.

Recently there had been a lot of changes that happened around me and within me, myself. For better or for worse…no one can tell. Even my friends are going through changes. Some comes with good news…some with disheartening one. As for me, I made a decision to move out of my comfort zone. It scares me a lot but then everyday, I look at the “motivational” paper around me, asking me to do something that scares me…so this is it! I took the advice

Was it easy to be the one initiating change? Definitely not….in fact, it takes a lot of guts to do it…say it…make it happen…

It is scary, not knowing the certainties and what will go on next in life. At the same time, it feels exciting, just like riding the roller coaster…a ride that fills you with adrenaline, fills you with life!

To those around me who are facing change, I wish you all a dash of luck, a cupful of faith and a spoonful of courage. Head forth with an open mind. As for me…I pray for wisdom and strength in facing the new change Aihoy captain….let the sails fly!

Been eyeing this recipe for a looooooooooonnnnggggg time and finally i did it! The result was great but I played cheat a little hahahaa. The dough was supposed to be 1 inch tall before the final proofing and surprisingly the dough rise quite high up. Once out of the oven, even taller than expected…more like ciabatta height.  Kinda spoilt my mood a little but then finally i thought of slicing the bread into half just so that I can roll it and it did work!! hahahaha….

Romania…who would have thought that I would be able to visit this country? Was kinda excited when I get to come here for a few days to meet up with some colleagues here. So off I came, after 2 transits and grueling hours on the plane…I am finally here, Cluj-Napoca!! It’s a pretty small serene town with nice people. The airport was kinda small as compared to others, but still they have a bus to get you from the plane to the terminal….actually..it’s walking distance but still…they are very organized. Arriving at noon and hours to burn before sleeping time, we went hunting for food and a colleague recommended this restaurant that sells typical Romanian food. Luckily he warned us that the portion are huge. 2 main course, a soup in bread companied with cold beer, it was enough to feed a whole family. Even 4 adults cant finish them all. Real solid food.

Net day, we toured town a little bit. Went up to the Fortress Hill and walked back to town. Really quiet indeed. The streets are quite empty even at noon! I have to say…a lot of weddings during the weekend. They have a tradition of honking their wedding car, just like Chinese hehehe.

Town was all toured in 6 hours but it was good fun. Food was great too! Found a nice pretzel stall that was founded in 1939. Yummy! I love the pasta and pizza they have here. Much better than the ones we have back in town hehehe

Here, I did something that I dont imagine myself doing….PLANKING!!! This is my attempt at planking on a side street pole. Kinda look like i got skewered…silly me hehehe….

 Just when I have plenty to talk about, my blog site decided to crash and be down for days…sigh. Let me just recap what happened: I went for a bread baking class with Melinda Soon and learnt quite a few things. So sweet of Melinda to allow us to experience REAL bread making techniques where we knead the bread by hand. Yes!! By hand! We were busy beating the dough for 1 full hour until the security guard came up hahhaaha

So after all that practice, it’s time for me to do it on my own at home, alone….just me and my mean machine. Apparently, all these while I didnt beat the dough long enough and this time i just did it until it no longer sticks to the bowl and my hand. Previously i thot the dough is just meant to be sticky and kept patting flour on it coz that how it was shown on TV.

So, this is how it should look like, an hour after proofing…doesnt it look pretty?? hahahaah shiok sendiri…

 So this time i made Cheese and Herbs with mayo topping. Used the same basic dough as taugh by Alex Goh. Added 1 Tbsp of parsley, 1/2 tbsp of oregano, 1/2 tbsp of basil and a dash of rosemary. Cant put too much orsemary coz it will give a bitter taste to the bread. Once the dough is proofed, i rolled Cheddar Cheese into it before proofing the smaller portions in a pinky cup. Family just LOVED it…hehehe HAPPY!

I know it sounds really weird, to combine a chinese ingredient with old cheese from Amsterdam but hey….life is as such…always experimenting for new stuff

So, in conjunction with Ah Bu’s farewell and also to give a slight boost (or otherwise) to her new venture in ‘lap cheong’ business, I decided to make something new. Ok, lap cheng bun is not new but to combine with cheese??? It’s just like bread with kaya, top with sunny side up and a piece of cheese….ah bu’s fav!

Together with a piece of old cheese from Amsterdam, I am sure this is gonna be a REALLY unique combination. Looking and smelling from the results, they kinda smell and look good I have to say. Made 3 different types of buns with almost the same stuffing and topping. Used the same sweet dough recipe and just fold in some chinese sausage and cheese toppings.

The sweet bun type

The whole pile of my ‘sweet buns’ hahaha

2 more types of small buns where one is with only sausage on top with no filling while the other has sausage inside the bun with cheese toppings

Final verdict by Koppie on the small bun with chinese sausage filling and cheese topping: Not a weird combination at all!! The old cheese was ‘pungent’ while the wine from the sausage was just nice hehhee.. so happy with my experiment.

I had always been inspired to make those nice fluffy bread that we find in the bakery here. All the bread that i had made were nice so far but just not that kind where you peel the bread like peeling cotton. After searching many blogs and books, I finally did it!! It was Master Chef Alex Goh’s book!! His recipe was pretty simple and easy to make, yet the cottony type that I had been looking for

The dough ALMOST failed but with a little more flour and cold water, it managed to be saved….phhheeewwww….

Made the basic sweet bread dough and then improvised a bit here and there to make 2 types of buns. Decided to make those small Sweet buns with cheese fillings and the Sugar & butter bun (inspired by Qline)

Recipe of the sweet dough (from the book Magic Bread):

Part A
100g bread flour
70g boiling water

Mix these 2 together to make into a dough. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours

Part B
300g bread flour
100g plain flour
80g sugar
6g salt
20g milk powder
9g yeast

Part C
175g cold water
60g eggs (1 A size egg) 

Part D
60g butter

Steps:

Mix Part B together and mix in Part C slowly into the flour base until it forms a dough
Add in Part A and mix well
Add in Part D
Proof for 40 mins
Divide the dough into equal parts for the next use

For cheese filling buns, I divided them into 40g each, roll them out, put in cheddar cheese and roll it into a small ball. Made 12 of these and put it in to the bread pan. Here, I proof it another 45 mins. Egg wash it. Put it into the bottom shelve oven, 180C for 20mins….Voila!

For the sugar and butter bun, I divided them into 80g each, roll them out into oval shape. In a few i put in pumpkin and sunflower seeds for my nutty side hehehehe. Proof it for 45 mins. Cut a line along the bun. Egg wash. Put soft butter and sprinkle sugar on top. Put it into the middle shelve oven, 180C for 15mins.

The more I look at the other baker’s blogs the more inspired I am…despite a little ‘vacation’ that I had for the company meeting trip that took my 2 weekends away from my oven. This weekend I made Black sesame roll with walnuts. Made some adjustments to the original recipe where I am supposed to use red beans but since I have lots of walnuts, I just use them. This time round, I took the dough out of the machine and knead them by hand a bit before proofing. So happy that this time the dough looks just like a proper bread dough…not sticky but elastic and shiny After proofing, rolling it out into bread rolls just like what we see in open kitchen bakery. Had so much fun except that I had to do everything SUPER fast as Aidan boy was crying to go out for a walk. Still…..if i had the time for a bit of SS (shiok sendiri), it would be nice hahaha

I guess we need to put in the liquid slowly as the machine kneads the dough and still need some human touch.

So this is the end result….kinda happy with it but I guess it CAN be better hehehe

What would be more rewarding that receiving love from your own kids (even when its funded by daddy)? :D

Caileigh walked to me with a carnation at the market this afternoon as I was buying groceries. She looked so super sweet with that simple gesture. She might not know what exactly she is doing, just based on mere instructions but STILL, it felt great! To be appreciated and to have such a simple gift from the Mousies is simply great! I guess all mothers feel the same. No need for extravagant gifts, just companionship and love shown is enough. Not sure about the rest, but this stays true to me coz appreciation is more meaningful than monetary gifts. I love you guys very much, Mousies!! You made me feel real in this crazy world!  

Hugs and Kisses forever and ever…

Today is a good day for bread making indeed!! My 4th attempt for bread making and the Wholemeal Milky Bread that I made turned out so well that I danced the Victory dance ~woo hoooo~

Thanks so much to Grace for her recipe! Now i can enjoy the bread with Koppie and Mousies!!