My Hall of Fame (I)

How did I end up love baking?

My first love

Don't have much time to spare after
a day in the office?

The 30mins home cooked meal guide

A Guide to a simple baking,
the one that I used to teach Naim

We know something,
We do not know everything, we never will...
learning is a daily process...

The Baking Guru

And also thanks to Disney for bringing this guy and reminding us all that.....

MJ's BEN

The song from the year that I was born..luv it so much

Ben, the two of us need look no more

We both found what we were looking for

With my friend to call my own I'll never be alone

And you my friend will see, you've got a friend in me

Ben, you're always running here and there

You feel you're not wanted anywhere

If you ever look behind and don't like what you find

There's something you should know, you've got a place to go

I used to say, "I", And "Me"

Now it's "Us", Now it's "We"

Ben, most people would turn you away

I don't listen to a word they say

They don't see you as I do I wish they would try to

I'm sure they'd think again if they had a friend like Ben

Like Ben, like Ben

Well...we miss MJ...

Basic Ingredient: Yeast, sugar and salt

Ok...the title feels like a bit of academic, don't you think? Yes and no...
Yes, because I need to share a thing or two theories from what I learned during my many experiments.
No, because this is actually a thing that I encountered this afternoon when I was talking to a fellow colleague. She was saying, hey your bread looks really nice and fluffy but mine was hard and I also having a hard time with the yeast because I always kills it, probably water is too hot.

Here is the facts:
1. Yeast + sugar = ALIVE
2. Yeast + salt = DEAD!

Yeast eats SUGAR and produces carbon dioxide and alcohol as it grows and multiplies. You know what?...the alcohol produced by the yeast is actually the element that gives the bread flavour. Yummy!!!

Normally and of course to my convenience, I am using rapid rise or dry active yeast. This type of yeast, we do not have to dissolve it into warm water and it save yourselves from mass murdering them!!! :P
Just whisk it with the flour and sugar before adding liquid into it.

Just a note, if you really wanted to test whether your yeast is active or not....dissolve one teaspoon of yeast and 1/4 tsp sugar with 3 tbsp of LUKEWARM water ok...not hot water...orang kata suam2 kuku like your own body temperature. It is active when it bubbles after 5 mins, if it does not...you probably killed them already.

SALT....from most of the books that I read and some notes given by my son Naim after watching too many cooking shows and food science programs, yeast will die when it comes into direct contact with salt. So it best to add it after you mix yeast with the flour and sugar.

Jem Strawberi/Strawberry Jam

Resepi ini orang amik dari Nigella Lawson punya Domestic Goddess....memang best!

Bahan-bahan:
3 cawan/cups strawberry approximately 750gm gitu
2 cawan/cups gula/ caster sugar
2 sudu besar/tbsp jus leman/lemon juice
1 sudu teh/tsp cuka/vinegar
1 sudu besar/tbsp butter-optional just for shiny effect only

Cara-cara:
1. Basuh buah strawberi dan belah dua
2. Campurkan kesemua bahan2 ke dalam periuk
3. Kacau sehingga pekat (dalam 45min ke satu jam)
4. Cara nak uji samada kepekatan jam itu sesuai adalah: sebelum start masak tu, masukkan piring putih ke dalam freezer. Apabila anda nak menguji kepekatan jam tu, keluarkan piring dari freezer dan titiskan sedikit jam ke atas piring itu, biarkan sekejap supaya jam itu menjadi seju. Kemudian, lalukan jari anda ditengah2 jam itu. Kalau jam tu wrinkle atau berkedut, maknanya boleh tutup api
5. Saya lebih suka jam saya jernih tanpa ada cebisan buah jadi selalunya saya akan tapis dahulu jam tersebut semasa dia masih panas lagi. Bila dah tapis, saya biarkan ia sejuk sebelum masukkan ia ke dalam botol kedap udara.

Method:
1. Wash and halve your strawberries
2. Mix all the ingredients into a pot
3. Stir until it reach a very nice thick consistency (45mins to an hour)
4. To test the consistency: before you start cooking, place a white saucer into your freezer. When u wanted to test the jam, take the saucer out and put a droplet of the jam onto it and let it cool for awhile. And then run your finger across the jam and if it wrinkles, it is done
5. I prefer my jam to be clear and free of any fruit bits hence I normally strain it while it is still hot. After that you can let it cool before store it in an air tight container.