Pretzels

I had this urge today to make pretzels so I thought I'd try to look up the origins of the pretzel.  While scrolling down the list of articles, I came across one called the "Lenten Pretzel" by Fr. William Saunders. An interesting read about the origins of the pretzel and it's traditional beginnings as a symbol of faith during Lent. 


It was interesting to learn that there is actual documentation describing the pretzel in a manuscript held by the Vatican Library. It was made during times of Lent when it is a time of reflection and pray and a period when you had to refain from eating meat or animal products. The pretzel was basically a bread which Italian monks in the 600s had made to remind everyone of this special time of pray and the shape of the pretzel was to symbolise the crossing of the arms in pray positon.  They made them to give out to the faithful  and some were also given to children for reciting their prays. And for this they were originally named bracelle, which is Latin for "little arms" and was also know as a pretiola, meaning "little reward" . Eventually the pretzel became very popular and evolved from a soft pretzel to a hard pretzel made more popularly by the Germans, who came to name them bretzel which somehow became the pretzel we know today. Interesting???!!! ... and today just so happens to be The Most Holy Trinity.


So here's my take on the pretzel adapted by a recipe by Christa Rose. I made a few adjustments and baked half of them like a bagel by boiling them first and the other just left to bake. Both were equally soft and buttery and I'll be adding different toppings when I make them again. 

Pretzels

1 1/2 cup warm water

4 tsp dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

5 cups plain flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup sea salt

1 egg, whisked with 1 tsp water

1. Dissolve the yeast and 1 tsp of sugar in the warm water. Set it aside until it is foamy, about 10 mins.

2. Using a large mixing bowl, add the plain flour, sugar, salt. Pour the yeast mixture and oil into the flour and combine. If it is a bit dry just add some more water and then knead it on a flour surface until is becomes a smooth dough. It should take about 8-10 mins and then place it in an oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and place it in a warm area. Leave the dough to rise until it has doubled, about an hour.

3. Preheat the oven to 180C.

4. When the dough has risen, remove it and punch out the air. Knead it again and divide it into 12 parts. Roll out the each piece into a rope about 40 cm long and twist it into a pretzel shape. This bit might be a bit tricky but I find if you hold both ends in a U shape and just twist it and lay it down it becomes easier and faster to make. 

5. Place each pretzel on a baking tray with a greased piece of baking paper. Leave them to rise for about 15 mins. Brush them with a bit of the egg wash and sprinkle with the sea salt. For this recipe I experimented with baking half the batch by boiling it in a pot of hot water, just like a bagel and then brushed it with the egg wash and the other I baked normally. I didn't find any difference between the two methods as they were equally yummy!

Mini Cinnamon Donuts

For the weekend I decided to give the kids a treat and make them Mini Cinnamon Donuts, half the size of a regular donut and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Just small enough to have a few bites but light enough not to spoil their appetite. 

I've actually made donuts before, Jelly Donuts but this time I thought of having a break from the messy jam filling. I had blackcurrant all over my fingers the last time and covered with icing sugar too! Nope going traditional today with snack sized donuts.....but you know they were so small we all ended up eating more.

For this recipe I've adapted Martha Stewart's Donut Hole recipe and tweaked it to make these smaller sized Mini Cinnamon Donuts.

Mini Cinnamon Donuts

3 3/4 cups plain flour
6 1/2 tablespoons sugar
 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk, warm
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
30 g butter, soften
1L vegetable oil for frying
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, coating

1/2 cup extra caster sugar for coating

1. In a bowl, add plain flour, yeast, sugar, salt. In a separate bowl combine the milk and eggs.
2. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix. Add the soften butter and knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it forms a soft dough, about 8 mins. 
3. Roll the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to proof until doubled in size or for about 1hr.
** I would normally preheat the oven 180C for 3mins and turn the heat off. Place the bowl (I usually use a enamel mixing bowl) with damp cloth into the oven to proof.
4. Punch down the dough and knead to form a ball. Using a 1tbsp measuring spoon scoop out the dough and roll it into a ball. Poke a hole in the centre of the ball using a the blunt end of a chopstick. Arrange the donuts on a greased baking tray to proof for about 30 mins
5. Heat the oil for deep frying and then bring the heat down to medium. Deep fry the donuts in batches and carefully fry on each side until lightly golden. Remove and drain on paper towels. 
6.Roll the donut while warm into a bowl of the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Shake off the excess sugar and serve.


I made these donuts thinking that it's only half the size of a regular donut but ended up eating more than I intended to eat. Too many bite size pieces to eat!!!.....Makes about 20

Hot Cross Buns

Easter time is a time for traditional easter goodies and Hot Cross Buns are one of them. A sweet bun usually filled with candied orange peel and sultanas or raisins and decorated with a cross on the top. It's traditionally eaten on Good Friday (sold all year round now), dating back to about the 12th century and were sold to tune of this old nursery rhyme.

Hot cross buns!
Hot cross buns!
One ha' penny, two ha' penny,
Hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons
One ha' penny,
Two ha' penny,
Hot Cross Buns!

I've adapted this Hot Cross Bun recipe from the same bread recipe that I used with the Japanese Bread and just added the sultanas to the mix.


Use the Japanese Bread recipe and replace the fillings with 3/4 cup of sultanas and roll into equal size balls to fit a square baking tin. Bake the hot cross buns for about 15 mins - 20 mins


Sugar Glaze


4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp water


1. Place all ingredients into a small saucepan and stir over low heat. Remove once the sugar has dissolved and brush over the baked hot cross buns.

Gone Bananas

Now what do you do when you have too many bananas in the kitchen?

        

        You make lots of Banana Bread! It's quick to make and you can pack loads of sweet bananas into a moist, hi-fibre, healthy, full of flavour bread. 

It's one of those comfort classics that everyone has a mum or aunt making it. For me, the all time best banana bread is the one my Mama (grandmother in Chinese) makes.....

                              it is THE BEST!!! 

A beautiful golden brown banana bread that's moist and delicious......ah but I can't give you her recipe (real family secret!!!) but you try mine.....

Banana Bread

80 g butter

1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

3 bananas, ripe, mashed

2 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

**optional 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

**optional 1/2 cup sultanas

Preheat the oven to 180C.

1. Mash the bananas in a bowl.

2. Cream the butter and brown & caster sugars. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla essence and mix well. Add the eggs. You can add the walnuts and sultanas as well.

3. In a separate bowl sift the flour,baking powder and salt. Fold in the flour mixture, alternating with the milk and stir until combined.

4. Grease a loaf tin and line it with baking paper. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for about 40-45 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave the banana bread to rest for about 5 mins before you remove the tin. Cover the bread in cling wrap and you can eat it when it has cooled. My grandmother would always cover the bread so that it would always stay moist.

Whenever I make this I would slice the bread in thick slices because a thin slice is never enough. You can also serve this like a cake by icing the top with a simple honey cream cheese frosting.

Honey Cream Cheese

125 g cream cheese, soften

1/4 cup icing sugar, sifted

1 tbsp honey

1. Cream the cream cheese until soft. Add the icing sugar and honey and stir until its smooth. Spread the frosting on the top of the banana bread. I use the same frosting but doubled on my Carrot Cake.

Walnut, Pumpkin, Sultana Bread

There's something about freshly baked bread that just invites you to have a slice or two. Is it the aroma of that freshly baked bread that fills the whole house and takes your breath away?


It's like a trigger awaking the senses of taste and smells of comfort. Warm crusty bread, melted butter dipping, the first crunch into that crust and that soft chewy centre. 


I remember as a kid having to eat wholemeal, wholegrain and any type of brown bread because it was "good for you". It was a special treat to eat white bread without any of those nasty little wheat grains. My brother and I use to crave for the white stuff!!! 


My mum would always buy those strange looking breads, the knotted buns with poppy seeds/ toasted sesame seeds, the pull-apart breads, round breads, farmer's bread, crusty Italian breads, gourmet vegie infused breads and anything that had a seed in it....... sunflower/linseed/rolled oats/cracked corn/pumpkin/rye/barley...and anything that just didn't look like normal white bread. 


So when I was sent away to school and got to eat all that white bread. I started to really miss all those healthy breads, that simple nutty taste giving it tons of flavour. But most of all it was those memories of the breads mum use to give us as kids, and that is the comfort of home......Thanks mum for all those "it's good for you" breads. I just can't get enough of it now.

Walnut, Pumpkin, Sultana Bread


1/2 cup green pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sultanas
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped roughly
1 batch of Japanese Bread

1. Make up the Japanese Bread  and follow the same method. Add in the green pumpkin seeds, sultanas and walnuts and knead until the dough is smooth. It might get sticky but just add some extra flour.
2. Let the dough rinse until at least double about 40 mins - hour. Punch the dough down and knead into 4 equal balls. Roll the balls into ovals and roll it up again. Place 2 rolls into each loaf tin and repeat. Leave it to proof again for 40 mins - hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 180 C and bake for 25 mins or until it is golden brown.


*** Hint. I find if you heat the oven for about 5 mins and turn it off, it's a great place to proof the dough. Just remember not to heat it too long and cover the bowl with a damp tea towel.

Bake Off

I guess I've been a little too enthusiastic lately with baking bread but it's really Gggoood all credit to Christine's Recipes Tangzhong Method of baking. I've baked 5 loaves to date!!

Tonight I'm baking bread with a spin on the recipe with a little walnuts, green pumpkin seeds and juicy sultanas. 

There's this bakery near my hubby's office and they bake this delicious Muesli Bread so tonight I'm going to try and recreate it. Wish me luck!

...............Only obstacle with baking it tonight is Earth Hour starting at 8.30pm so hoping to get this done by then. 

Plus, I'm making Meat Pies so keep u posted later tonight.

Japanese Style Bread (Tangzhong Method)

Over the recent holidays I really got into this really simple and delicious bread using this method of bread making called Tangzhong method.

I actually came across this recipe posted by Christine's Recipes Japanese Style Bacon and Cheese Bread last Christmas but never thought about making as I've always thought bread making was just too difficult. All that work for a loaf of bread but nothing beats the aroma of freshly baked bread....MMMmmmmm

Since my first adventure with bread making, I've just about made as many variations I could think of that the family would eat but there's so much more to bake. So anyway thanks to Christine for posting this recipe it's now a family fav!!

My first attempt at this recipe was the Bacon and Cheese Bread but I replaced the bacon with Turkey Ham. It was really easy and it was finished up in no time. The other variations I tried out was Cheddar Cheese, Cinnamon Sugar and Chocolate.

.................Try it!!!

Japanese Style Bread (Tangzhong Method)

Tangzhong Starter50 g plain flour
250 ml milk
1.Mix flour and water till it is smooth in a small saucepan. Stir it constantly with a wooden spoon over medium heat and so that it doesn't stick or burn the pan. 
2. The mixture will get thicker and you'll see lines appearing in the mixture for every stir you make.  The mixture is ready at this point and you will have the 65°C TangZhong.
3. Transfer the hot Tangzhong into a bowl and cover it with cling wrap making sure that it touches the surface of the mixture to prevent it from drying up. Cool the mixture to room temperature before using it. You can also refrigerate it and use for another day but it should be used within 3 days. I would normally chill it for about 30 mins before I use it.Discard the mixture if it changes colour.


Japanese Style Bread
400g plain flour, extra flour
Tangzhong starter
125ml milk, warm
1/2 tsp salt
50g sugar
1 egg
5 tsp dry yeast
50g butter, soften


Filling
Chopped ham and cheddar cheese

1. Place ingredients in a bowl and make a well, adding the tangzhong starter, egg, milk and butter and knead until it forms a dough. The dough can get really sticky so add extra flour and knead the dough until it is smooth but not elastic.
2. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp tea towel until it doubles in bulk or for about 40 mins - 1 hr. I would normally preheat the oven at 180C for about 4 mins and turn off the heat and use the oven to proof the dough.
3. Punch down the bread dough when it has doubled in bulk and knead into 4 equal portions. Cover the dough with cling wrap and let it rest for 15 mins.
4.Shape and roll out the dough into ovals. Sprinkle the fillings and place it seal side down into 2 greased loaf tins for another 40 mins - 1 hr or until dough is double in size.
5. Preheat the oven to 180C and bake for 25 to 30mins.
Remove bread from the tins and cool on rack.


The best thing about this recipe is that you can vary the fillings and shape of the bread. You can also form the bread into buns and bake on a tray.

Japanese Style Bacon and Cheese Bread (Tangzhong Method 湯種法) - Christine's Recipes: Easy Chinese Recipes