Tuesday 20 November 2012

Experimental Bread

Yes, I grew up in a house that is attached to a bakery. One would think I learned my baking skills there, and I can bake bread like a pro. But the answer is no. I am a self taught baker. I never had a chance to bake bread until last week. You see, I'm kinda afraid of the yeast and flour thingy. I've always thought it's complicated. All the kneading, proofing and letting the bread rise. I have all these fears - what if I don't knead it properly? How do I make sure I proof it correctly? And some other irrational fears of a newbie bread maker. :D

Yes, my friends, I have conquered my fear! My fear of baking bread, that is. I have tried last week during our playdate (it was my turn to host). It wasn't perfect because I forgot to knead it before letting it rise. Hah! But our guests said they were good enough. For me though, I wanted a softer and lighter texture. Time to practice some more!



Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup milk 
  • 2 1/2 tsps instant active dry yeast 
  • 1/2 cup warm water 
  • 1/2 cup sugar 
  • 3 large eggs
  • 4 to 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • egg wash (1 egg + 1/4 cup milk)
  • ham slices
  • cheese slices

Procedure:

1. Melt butter with milk in microwave oven. Let it cool to room temperature.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix the yeast and warm water and let stand for 10 minutes until creamy, thick and bubbly.

3. Whisk the sugar and eggs to the yeast mixture. Add the butter and milk mixture, mix well. 

2. In a clean, flat surface, dump the flour. Add the salt. Make a well in the middle and pour all the liquid ingredients (from steps 1-3). 
 
3. Knead the dough well until it becomes elastic. Transfer it to a large and lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise and develop the flavors for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

4. After letting it rise, punch the dough and transfer to a clean surface lightly dusted with flour. Knead very lightly and cut the dough equally into 16 pieces. With a rolling pin, roll out each dough and put the ham and cheese filling at the center. Carefully tuck the filling inside the dough.

5. Lightly grease a baking sheet and place the rolls in it. Cover with slightly damp kitchen towel and let rise again for 1 - 1 1/2 hours. preheat the oven at 350F, 10 minutes before the rising time ends.

6. Brush the top with egg wash, and bake 25 minutes.

Monday 12 November 2012

The Vagabond Mom's Birthday Giveaway Winners

A big thanks to all who joined my birthday giveaway! Congratulations to Margaret Chan and Say Yap. Please send me your details so I can ship the items.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stay tuned for my Christmas giveaway! :)

Thursday 8 November 2012

Bikanervala - Indian Vegetarian Restaurant

We had another Indian adventure last weekend. An Indian neighbor told me that the lights were up at Serangoon, so off we went to see them. But alas, it rained! That didn't stop us though. Good thing we brought umbrellas and the pram with us.

After we successfully passed the wet streets of Little India, we went to a small bazaar featuring Indian items. I was so happy seeing lots of Indian sweets, I automatically bought in every stall we passed by at. Good thing there were only 3 stores selling them, or else! :P

The husband ordered Raj Kachori. I'm not sure if he really knew what he ordered. Because I didn't like it. :( The round in the center is crunchy and when you cut it open, you can have a generous helping of beans and potatoes in the center. What I didn't like about it is the cold yogurt, I'm not a fan of cold savories.

Raj Kachori
Good thing the husband bought me vegetarian samosas. I love it, but I wanted to have at least 2 or 3 pieces!
Vegetarian Samosa
This is one weird dish, for me, that is. It's a chili dipped in flour batter and deep fried. The husband liked it. I didn't even attempt to try. :P
Mirch Pakora
Of course, it's not a complete meal without naan! I used to choose roti over naan. But the husband had me converted, I'm loving it. There's garlic, butter or just plain naan. All of them are delightful, especially when dipped in curry sauce!

Naan
Another dish we had was the daily special paneer. I liked it, primarily because of the cheese! :P It was really spicy, unlike the palak paneer that I have tried which wasn't peppery at all. 
Special Paneer
I was like a giddy high school girl when I saw their desserts! They were all delicate looking, actually too pretty to be eaten. It took me long to choose what to get. The husband was probably wondering what took me so long to get 3 small sweets! :P


Indian Sweets
I cannot wait to be back! I still miss tandoori and butter chicken though. Hah!

Head over here to join my birthday giveaway that's ending on the 10th!

Bikanervala
No. 1, Dalhousie Lane, Singapore, Singapore 209664
Contact Number: 6396 4138
Operating Hours: 10:00 - 22:30
Facebook: Bikanervala.SG

Monday 5 November 2012

Yahoo! Din Tai Fung!


When my in-laws were here last week, we brought them to Din Tai Fung. As always, it didn't disappoint. Even my mother-in-law who's not into Chinese food liked the food. Of course, they weren't awarded with one Michelin star for nothing!

I'm not in the mood to say anything. I'll let the photos do the talking today :)

Fragrant Pork with Crushed Garlic

Steamed Pork Dumplings

Pork Chop with Fried Rice

Wonton Noodles

Chicken Noodles
Lemongrass Juice
A few more days and my birthday giveaway is ending! Click here to check it out!

Thursday 1 November 2012

Homemade Waffles


For the longest time, I've wanted to make homemade waffles.  I have tried making pancakes and crepes at home but never waffles. I always dream of breakfast waffles or having it as a dessert with ice cream on top and chocolate shavings. Ooohh!

I tried looking up for a recipe on how to make waffles without the gadget (waffle maker) and ta dah! I found one that only requires you to use a grill pan! Thanks to www.alwaysorderdessert.com and I was finally able to have my waffles at the comfort of our home. :)


I actually didn't follow the recipe from the site. I got mine from allrecipes.com.  But I tweaked it a bit. Instead of using butter, I used vegetable oil and used yogurt to replace the eggs. My waffles turned out really good!


By the way, my giveaway is ending soon. You still have time to join and you might win kitchen stuff. Click here to know more!