White Bread

I have always wanted to try baking white bread but only got the chance to try it last night, probably after watching Food Factory the other day. We tested Grandma VanDoren’s White Bread Recipe from www.allrecipes.com. It has hundreds of good reviews so it is worth a try. Very few of the comments suggested using lesser sugar and yeast but I followed the recipe as is.

The wet and dry proportions were just perfect to make a nice dough. The rising times are also faster than what I have on my previous bakes. It is cooked in 35 minutes and the top is still light brown. It also slides smoothly out of the baking pan. The bread was crisp outside but very soft and fluffy inside. The scent of the yeast is “overpowering” for me so I will have to reduce it next time. I only baked one loaf and placed the two other unbaked loaves in the freezer. These need to be thawed at room temperature and let the dough rise before baking in the oven. I also managed to make small Nutella and Peanut Butter Buns and they taste great as well!

Here’s the recipe that I will follow next time.

Ingredients:

3 cups warm water

1/2 cup white sugar

2 packets (11g each) active dry yeast

3 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

8 cups all-purpose flour

flour for kneading

Procedure:

1. Using your stand mixer, combine warm water, yeast, salt, vegetable oil, white sugar, and 4 cups flour. Mix it well. Set aside until it becomes foamy and doubled its size.

2. Add the remaining 4 cups flour, one cup at a time. Knead on a floured surface for about 5 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl turning once. Cover with a plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it doubled in size.

3. Punch down the dough and knead it a few times. Divide the dough into 3 or 4 equal parts depending on the size of your bread pan. Shape it into loaves and place it in the prepared baking pans. Cover loosely with plastic wrap until it doubled in size.

4. Butter the top or do an “egg wash” for a crispier or shinier top. It adds flavor too!

5. Bake at 175 degrees C preheated oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Share and Enjoy,

Jane

Orange Cake

Here is a quick, easy-to-follow Orange Cake Recipe. It is filled with the delicious goodness of the fresh fruit. The orange-butter frosting is optional but will definitely add to the citrusy flavor and sweetness of the cake. The recipe is also great for cupcakes or even for a loaf.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup fresh milk

1/2 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

For the frosting (optional):

6 tablespoons butter, softened

2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C. Grease the baking pan.

2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine milk, orange juice, vegetable oil, beaten eggs and orange zest. Set aside.

3. In a larger mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Whisk well. To this, add the wet ingredients. Stir until everything is incorporated.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

For the Orange Butter Frosting:

1. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the orange juice,  vanilla extract and the orange zest. Beat well until smooth.

Based on a recipe from www.allrecipes.com.

Super-Soft Ensaymada

I was searching for ways to make a soft bread dough and I came across Kusina ni Manang’s Soft Ensaymada recipe. On her blog she shared the secrets of a soft dough – the addition of mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes to the recipe to retain the dough’s moisture, no kneading, and the use of shortening instead of butter.

So we tried her recipe yesterday and if you are looking for the softest bread, it would really not dissapoint. Taste-wise, you can adjust the amount of butter or margarine that you will spread on the rolls and put as much cheese as you want. The downside however was that the (uncooked) dough was so soft it was difficult to work on. And the time spent just for the dough to rise (excluding all the other preparations) was 4 hours in total! So you must plan your time well if you want to serve this.

We have yet to try the other half of the dough batch, which we made into our favorite, Cinnamon Rolls. It’s still on the fridge, already rolled and cling-wrapped. All we need to do is to thaw it a bit, let it rise for the last time and bake it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes! Yum!

Who wants to come and visit?

Cheers,
Jane

Banana Bundt Cake

I usually see Philippine bananas here in Singapore groceries. They are really in very good quality, I must say. The problem with imported bananas is that one day they are unripe, the next day they are overripe. So the “best time to eat” time is just a short period of time, usually a day. But thanks to this recipe, now we don’t have to be sorry for overripe bananas. Because that is what this recipe’s main ingredient is.

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Spanish Bread

Spanish bread is a bakeshop staple in the Philippines. It is best with coffee or your favorite soda and is a common Pinoy breakfast or merienda. Who would not love its creamy margarine and sugar filling and the soft crumby roll. This recipe is very similar to cinnamon rolls except for the filling and the style of rolling it. Also, instead of margarine I used butter. Here it goes…

Dough Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour, sifted

1 pack active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm milk

1/4 cup warm water

1 fresh egg, lightly beaten

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

4 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Ingredients for the filling:

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup bread crumbs and 2 tbsp brown sugar (for dredging)

 Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

2. In a small bowl or cup of warm water, add the yeast and a teaspoon of sugar. Give it a stir. Set aside in a warm place for at least 5 minutes until foamy.

3. In a mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients- flour, sugar and salt.

4. Add the warm milk, butter, egg, and yeast mixture. Mix until it can be formed into a dough.

5. Place the dough on a on a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 10 minutes or until it becomes a smooth, elastic ball.

6. Put the dough on a grease bowl. Turn the dough once to cover all sides with grease. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place for at least 1 hour until it doubled in size.

While waiting for the dough to rise, you can start preparing the filling:

On a bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup sugar until creamy. On another bowl, mix the bread crumbs and brown sugar. Set both bowls aside.

7. After an hour, knead the dough for at least 2 minutes then divide into four 16 equal parts. Flatten the doughs into a rectangular shape about 3 x 5 inches in size.

8. Brush the dough with the prepared filling leaving about a centimeter from the edge. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Roll the dough from corner to corner.

9. Dredge the rolls into a bowl containing the breadcrumbs and sugar mixture. Place them (seam side down) on a greased or non-stick baking tray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Set aside for another 30 minutes.

10. Bake the rolls in the oven for least 20 minutes.

This recipe makes 16 yummy breads.

Cheers!

Jane

Cinnamon Rolls

There is a certain joy when we prepare our own bread. Although this recipe is a bit challenging, especially when you’re doing it for the first time, it is really rewarding not to buy ready-made ones. Not to mention the lovely scent of cinnamon from the kitchen. Baking can also be good bonding time with kids. It’ll be as interesting as a science experiment as they watch the dough double in size right before their very eyes!

This is my third time to bake cinnamon rolls and so far, this recipe has delivered the tastiest and softest bread.

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