Tiramisu-in-a-cup

Monday Blues? ...no more, honey!

Open your fridge
Grab a tiramisu in a cup
Take off your shoes
Turn on the music
Indulge!

Note:
The recipe is half of the tiramisu found in this page.

Bread's 4 Essential Ingredients

For me breadmaking is therapeutic....it can easily provide you satisfaction seeing the yeast becoming active and foamy in the warm water. When the dough doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl, you will feel relieved knowing the gluten has actually worked. The soft and elastic dough while you kneading it with your bare hands makes you very happy because you are more that half way through before having some freshly baked breads on the table for breakfast. I like making bread and seeing my children eating the bread that I made...just priceless.

The Bread Bible by RLB listed 4 essentials ingredients in making bread - unbleached wheatflour, water or other liquids, yeast and salt. It is simple, isn't it? So talking about flour, what type of flour to use in making bread? The simplest way of choosing the flour is...look for a bread or strong flour. Bread flour or strong flour is normally used interchangeably, so what is strong flour? It is a flour with a protein content between 12%-14%. Another type of flour that can be used is unbleached all purpose flour with 8%-11% protein. You can check the amount of protein at the back or side of the packaging. 

If you are using normal plain/all purpose flour for a recipe that calls for bread flour, just replace:

1 cup bread flour = 1 cup plus 1.5 tablespoon all purpose flour

Other ingredients that are commonly used in bread is sweeteners such as sugar or honey or maple syrup, and fat such as butter and oil.

Maple Pecan Sticky Buns

Dough

Ingredients:
1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 cup sugar
1.5 tsp active dry yeast
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2.5 cups bread flour  (I used 1.5 cups bread flour & 1 cup cake flour)
1/2 tsp salt
113g or 4oz unsalted butter, soft at room temperature

Instructions:

1. Combine the warm milk & sugar in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Lightly whisk to blend and let it stand for 5-10 minutes until foamy. 
2. Add the egg and egg yolk and whisk until combined. Add in the flour and salt and place the bowl on the mixer with a dough hook. Knead on low speed for 2 minutes and increase to medium speed for 1 minute. With the mixer still running, add the soft butter, 1 tbsp at a time, allowing each addition to blend well before adding the next. Once all the butter has been added, let the mixer knead the dough for another 5-6 minutes at medium low speed, until the dough looks soft and silky.
3. Remove the dough from the bowl. Form it into a ball, transfer it into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1.5 hours. 
4. Start preparing the topping & filling (recipe follows).
5. Punch down the dough and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Press down the dough firmly to flatten it and expel the gas. Dust the top with some flour. Roll the dough into a 10x16 inches rectangle. Position the dough so that one of the long sides is parallel to the edge of your work surface.
6. Using a metal or silicone spatula, spread the filling over the dough, leaving a 1 inch border along the long side opposite you.
7. Beginning with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough into a cylinder, gently tucking and tightening as you roll. Gently but firmly. Wet your finger and gently run your wet finger over the long edge opposite you (it will serve as a glue to seal the roll). Finish rolling the dough onto the border. Roll the dough backwards so that the seam facing upward and pinch all along it to seal the dough. Turn the seam side down and cut the roll into 10-12 equal pieces. Set each bun with a cut side up on your work surface and gently flatten it a bit with the palm of your hand. Place the buns into the prepared cake pan, spacing them evenly. Cover loosely with a plastic wrap and let them rest for 45 minutes. 
8. Preheat the oven to 180C. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the buns are deep golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack for 5 minutes. 
9. Run a metal spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen the buns, invert the bun over a large baking sheet . You have to do this while the buns are still quite warm or else the topping will stick to the pan.

Topping
90g or 3 oz unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup chopped pecans

In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer or a hand mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes until creamy and a bit pale. With the mixer still running on medium speed, pour the maple syrup in a thin stream down the sides of the bowl and blend until smooth. Scrape the topping into a 12 inch  cake pan and spread evenly. Scatter the chopped pecans over the top. Set aside.

Filling
60g or 2 oz unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer and beat for 2-3 minutes until creamy and lightened.

Chicken Pepperoni Pizza

Ingredients:

The Crust

5 tsp active dry yeast
2 1/4 cups warm water
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
5 cups bread flour, plus some extra as needed
1 tbsp salt
Plain flour and semolina flour for rolling and shaping

The Topping

2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups instant spaghetti sauce
200gm sliced chicken pepperoni or salami
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
2 medium sized portobello mushroom - cleaned and sliced
1 red capsicum - chopped

Instructions:

By hand:

1. In a very large bowl, dissolve yeast & sugar in the warm water and let stand for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
2. Add oil, flour and salt. Stir with your hand until a rough ball forms, don't worry if it is still sticking to your hands at this stage. Using a plastic pastry scraper, scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes. Add up to a cup of extra flour while kneading to prevent the dough from sticking.

By stand mixer:

1. Or...if you are already fit enough :) and do not need extra exercise, dissolve the yeast in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer and let stand until foamy, add the oil, flour and salt and place the bowl on the mixer with a dough hook. Knead on low speed for 10 minutes.  Add up to a cup of flour while kneading so the dough will not be sticking from the sides of the bowl.
2. Remove the dough from the bowl. Form it into a rough ball, transfer it into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1.5 - 2 hours. Beware...the bowl must be big enough!
3. Preheat the oven 250C for at least 30 minutes before baking.
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough half . Gently shape each half into a loose ball. Cover loosely with the plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes.
5. Lightly dust 1 dough ball with plain flour and roll it into a round 30cm in diameter or a rectangle
6. Sprinkle 2 tbsp semolina flour on your baking tray and transfer the dough onto the tray.
7. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil.
8. Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce over the surface. Sprinkle half of the cheddar cheese. Scatter half of the pepperoni and vegetables. Top with 1 cup mozzarella.
9. Bake the pizza for 10-15 minutes until crisp and golden.  Repeat with the other half dough.