Showing posts with label tea bread. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tea bread. Show all posts

Thursday 19 February 2015

Vanilla and Coffee Cake



Soft like cloud cake with a comforting combination of Vanilla and Coffee







Let me begin by asking you, what’s opinion about simplicity? Hmmm!! Good question. If I turn the table and take the question myself, I would say “it depends”. It depends on time, context, occasion and mood. Sometimes an elaborated brunch does wonders but other time just a simple lunch is satisfying. But when it comes for breakfast I still like hearty, healthy and simple things. I have been exploring breads, muffins and cakes for breakfast. Coffee is an intriguing flavor to work with. I was very much exited to combine two wonderful flavor, Vanilla and Coffee, as I mind both together create a soothing sensation. Is there a thing like it, yes there it is. Try this recipe and you would now.


1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature

1 cup Granulated Sugar

3 Eggs (use 1½ cup curd, if you don’t want to use egg)
 
1 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

¼ Cup Vanilla Custard powder

1 Tablespoon Coffee powder

1½ cup Flour

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Cup Milk


Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Line a 12 cup cupcake pan with cupcake liners

In a bowl beat the butter and sugar together with a handheld mixer whisker attachment on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until creamed and fluffy

Add eggs and vanilla and beat on medium speed until everything is combined, about 2 -3 minutes.  Set aside 1/3 of the mixture

In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside 1/3 of dry mixture

Now add shifted Vanilla custard powder in the 2/3 portion of dry mixture

Add coffee powder to 2 table spoon of warm milk and dissolve properly

Slowly add the dry ingredients, Vanilla mixture to 2/3 portion of wet mixture and remaining 1/3 dry mixture to 1/3 wet ingredients plus coffee, in 3 additions and stirring by hand after each addition
Mix until just combined, do not over mix. This batter will be thick

Line a cake tin with baking paper. Now pour the vanilla cake batter in the pan followed by coffee batter on top. Tap the tin on a flat surface couple of times to release in trapped air
 
Bake for 35 minutes at 190 °C, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean


Monday 16 February 2015

Buttery Cinnamon Rolls

Soft, buttery, sweet and soaked in cinnamon goodness. Here it is, simple yet so gorgeous cinnamon rolls.






Add this comforting warm bread in your breakfast menu or just serve them with a hot cup of tea or coffee. These are super delicious and tad easy to make at home. I have been dyeing to make few types of bread from quite some time. So what was stopping me? It’s a shame to say, but a reality..I don’t get good yeast in the area where I live. It makes me cry. What a fuss for such a simple thing. If get a good one and buy in bulk they will die off eventually. Every time I open a pack and do the test, my heart beats faster and I pray to have a good yeast to continue my endeavor with bread. Of course I was lucky and went on to bake these beauties which are my current favorite (So yummm!!!)







I have mentioned before in my earlier post on bread here the most important thing in bread making is your humble yeast and step to test that your yeast is alive is just not to be skipped. In this recipe all you need is all purpose flour, butter, sugar and cinnamon. Yeah some water and milk as well, and you can have a winner after the process.


2 and 1/2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Water
1/4 cup Milk
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 and 1/4 teaspoons Instant Yeast
2 and 1/2 Tablespoons Unsalted butter
FILLING
3 Tablespoons Unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon Ground cinnamon
1/4 cup Sugar

For dough:
In a large bowl, toss the 2 and 1/4 cups flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast together until evenly dispersed. Keep ½ cup flour for later use.

Heat the water, milk, and butter together until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot enough to touch. Pour this butter mixture into the flour mixture. You may add the reserved flour to make soft dough, if the mixture is too wet. I just used a spoon more. Your dough will be ready when it gently pulls away from the side of the bowl and has an elastic consistency.

Lightly flour the surface and knead the dough for about 3-4 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl and let rest for about 10 minutes.

For Cinnamon filling: 
After the dough is rested, roll the dough out in a rectangle (approx 12x6 inch). Spread the softened butter on top. Sprinkle it all over the dough. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar.  Roll up the dough tightly. Cut into 8 even pieces and place in a lightly greased the pan. I used a rectangular pan.

Cover the pan with cling film and allow to rise in a warm, for 60-90 minutes. After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 180 °C. Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned.

You can make Vanilla glaze by combining 1 cup of icing sugar, with 1 table spoon of Vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon milk. Mix well and spatter over the rolls.



Sunday 22 June 2014

Mini Chocolate Loaf - Easy Breezy Baking


My love for tea has incited my interest to explore more around its cup of warmth. I absolutely love English High tea. I feel it’s so classy and luxurious to spend your evening with a cup of tea being served with nice and fresh tea breads, scones, loafs, cookies, pies, cakes and bars…Umm Yummms. Sounds like pampering. 

Basically this concept of high tea was started by British Royal ladies. In those times of tight corsets it was very difficult to eat much during lunch time.  By early evening hunger use to strike back so this routine of having tea  with small treats at 4 o’ clock started. This not only fill the stomach to go till dinner but tasted great with tea.

And now days as I am more inclined to bake bready things I thought of baking a chocolate tea loaf.  I have been very nervous around yeast lately because most of the time it did nothing to my dough. The thing with instant yeast is you get your success sign in the very beginning. If you were ignorant like me, first thing you need to learn is to know whether your yeast is alive or dead. When you put your yeast with warm water, sugar and milk it start reacting to form a foaming mixture. If you see all that had happened and your mixture is bubbly and foamy, you have a alive yeast. On the contrary, if bubbles are not formed or very thin layer of froth has appeared, you very much have got dead yeast. Only thing you could do is to discard this mixture and start with a new yeast. It’s a must to have an alive yeast or your bread will not prove and rise.
To get started all we need is: 
2 tsp active dry yeast
1½ Tablespoons Lukewarm Water
½  Cup Lukewarm Milk
2 Tablespoons Superfine Sugar
50g Unsalted Butter, melted
2¼ Cups (335g) Flour
1 eggs
Dark Chocolate squares – 6
Place the yeast, water, milk and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a large bowl and set aside in a warm place for 10 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface.
Add the butter, flour, eggs and another 1 tablespoon sugar to the yeast mixture and use a spatula to mix until a sticky dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean, damp cloth and set aside in a warm place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Make a ball of dough and roll out 1cm-thick to make a rectangle.
Divide it by cutting with a sharp knife into 6 rectangle pieces. Place a chocolate square in the middle and fold the dough inward like wrapping a gift and seal the ends to make loaf like shape.
**Please make sure that chocolate pieces are big enough to get wrapped properly and should not be too small or else you would not be able to get good bits of chocolate.
Place these mini loafs on a baking tray lined with baking paper and set aside for 30 minutes or until risen. Sprinkle some granular sugar on top.
Place them in a pre-heated oven at 220°C and bake for 20 min or until golden brown.
Cool on wire rack and you are ready to enjoy crusty from outside and soft buttery bread with a rich gooey chocolate.
Its a winner….and sure pleasure thing to bake and eat.