2012

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Weizenbrötchen - German Hard Rolls with Poolish

Friday, December 28, 2012

These small crisp bread rolls with a crunchy crust and a soft tender crumb, also known as Weizenbrötchen, or Semmel in German, are the classic German hard rolls. They are eaten frequently for breakfast, or with cold cuts as lunch in Germany. An overnight poolish starter lends a nuttier flavour to bread and the shiny brown crisp crust brought about by the steam created by placing a pot of hot water at the bottom of your oven. You can always freeze them and re-crisp in a 150C/300F oven for 10-12 minutes.

Weizenbrötchen - German Hard Rolls with Poolish

adapted from Plötz Blog

Poolish	Dough
100 g Water 100 g Bread flour 0.1 g Fresh yeast	150 g Bread flour 55 g Water 5 g Fresh yeast 5 g Salt 10 g Sugar 3 g Olive oil

Combine together the poolish ingredients in a mixing bowl. Leave it, covered, at room temperature for 16-20 hours.
Mix the starter, bread flour, water and fresh yeast at low speed for 3 minutes, then increase the speed and mix for 5 more minutes. Add in salt, sugar, and olive oil and continue to knead for another 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and form into a round ball. Cover with a clean kitchen towel. Set aside for an hour. Stretch and fold the dough after 30 minutes. Knead the dough thoroughly and divide it into 5 large or 8 small portions. Shape each portion into an oval and place them on the parchment paper lined baking tray. Cover and prove for an hour.
Place a roasting tray at the bottom of the oven. Preheat the oven to 230C/450F. Score the rolls and place in the hot oven. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the roasting tray. Bake 20-25 minutes until they are nicely golden brown and crisp.

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Shredded Red Cabbage and Carrot Salad

Monday, December 24, 2012

Red cabbage, red cabbage, also known as purple cabbage, like blueberries, contains concentration of anthocyanin polyphenols that some experts believe may have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities. It’s an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A.
This is a simple and delicious salad that keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator. Finely shred the cabbage into thin strands for the best result.
May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and blessed Christmas and success and health for the New Year 2013!

Shredded Red Cabbage and Carrot Salad

adapted from The New York Times

350 g Red cabbage, cored and finely shredded
250 g Carrots, peeled and finely grated
2 tbsp Finely chopped garlic sprouts
1 tbsp Freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp White wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 Small garlic clove, finely minced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
6 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

Cover the shredded cabbage with cold water, and let sit for 15 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Drain.
Toss together the red cabbage, carrots, and chopped garlic sprouts.
Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic and Dijon mustard. Whisk in the oil. Toss with the vegetables and garlic sprouts. Taste, adjust seasonings and serve. Alternately, allow to sit for 30 minutes to an hour in the refrigerator, then serve.

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Poppyseed Wholewheat Bread Ring

Thursday, December 20, 2012

This delicious poppyseed filling swirled bread ring, prepared with a tangzhong starter via gelatinization of starch in flour, kneaded in a bread machine, makes a great accompaniment to an afternoon tea break or a holiday brunch.

Dough	Filling
180 g Tangzhong starter 160 ml Buttermilk, lukewarm 50 g Corn oil 1 Large egg 50 g Raw sugar 7 g Sea salt 220 g Bread flour 250 g Wholewheat flour 10 g Instant dried yeast	100 g Butter, softened 80 g Brown sugar 2 Small eggs 200 g Ground poppy 100 ml Milk 2 tbsp Chopped almonds, optional

Place the dough ingredients in the bread pan in the order given above. Select the “Dough” cycle, and press “Start”.
Cream butter and brown sugar together until well combined. Gradually beat in eggs until blended. Stir in ground poppy and milk until well mixed.
When the “Dough” cycle is finished, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it briefly. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 1cm thick rectangle. Evenly spread on the poppy filling. Roll dough up, starting lengthwise to form a Swiss roll. Seal edges well by pinching close and and join the two ends to form a ring.
Place it on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cut slits 1-inch apart with a scissor or knife. Turn each slice on its side. Cover and let rise in warm place until double in size, about an hour. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Brush the bread ring with some egg wash and sprinkle the chopped almonds over if using. Bake for about 35 minutes until nicely golden brown.

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Poppy Striped Cookies

Monday, December 17, 2012

These delicious shortbread striped cookies are created by alternating stripes of lemon and poppy pieces. For pinwheel variation, stack the two dough rectangles on top of each other, and roll up into a long cylinder as if you're making cinnamon rolls. They're buttery, melt-in-your-mouth, and fun to make.

Poppy Striped Cookies

adapted from Küchen Götter

150 g All purpose flour
100 g Cold butter, cut into small pieces
80 g White sugar
1 tsp Lemon extract
1 Egg
50 g Ground poppy seeds
1 Egg white

Place flour, cold butter, white sugar, lemon extract and egg onto a work surface. Using a large knife and finely chop everything together. Divide the mixture into two.
Quickly shape one half into the light-coloured dough. Mix another half with ground poppy seeds and press the mixture into the dark-coloured dough. Roll each dough into a 12-cm x 35-cm rectangle, about 3-mm thick.
Brush one rectangle evenly with egg white and top with another dough. Cut the stacked dough into four 3-cmx35-cm strips. Brush the strips with egg white and stack one rectangle on top of the other, alternating light and poppy doughs to form a striped pattern. Wrap in plastic film. Chill an hour or until very firm.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Prepare two baking trays with parchment papers. Carefully cut the stack into 1/2-cm thick slices. Place them on the prepared baking trays and bake for about 10 minutes. Cool on trays 5 minutes. Remove and cool cookies completely on wire racks.

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Chocolate and Cranberry Bread

Thursday, December 13, 2012

This bread tastes freaking GOOD fresh right out of the oven. Chocolate and dried cranberries.. a match made in heaven. The kitchen smelled heavenly while this was baking and tasted even better with spread with a little butter. A note on the chocolate, I used 50% dark chocolate flavoured with sea salt, but it doesn’t have to be dark, simply use your favourite chocolate and you will enjoy the bread even more.

Chocolate and Cranberry Bread

adapted from Azelia's Kitchen

400 g White bread flour
100 g Wholemeal flour
50 g Cocoa powder
10 g Salt
1 g Dried instant yeast
370 ml Lukewarm water
220 g Rye levain, 100% hydration
40 g Olive oil
100 g 50% Lindt dark chocolate with sea salt, chopped
100 g Dried cranberries

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add in the flours, cocoa powder, salt and dried yeast. Make a well in the center, add in water, rye levain, and olive oil. Stir together until you have a smooth dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently knead in the chopped chocolate and dried cranberries. Cover and rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Lightly knead a few times and cover to rest for a further 20 minutes.
Shape the dough into an oval and place, seam side up, into a floured proofing basket. Cover tightly and proof the dough in the fridge overnight.
Preheat the oven to 220C/430F with an empty baking tray on the floor of your oven to heat up. Pour about 500 ml of hot water into the now hot baking tray. Invert the dough onto the baking tray lined with parchment paper. Score and bake for 45 minutes.

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Brussels Sprouts Curry with Hokkaido Pumpkin and Pomegranate

Monday, December 10, 2012

This is a quick and very easy vegetable curry with Brussels sprouts, Hokkaido pumpkin, flavourful, warming, and delicious served with some warm homemade bread or rice.

Brussels Sprouts Curry with Hokkaido Pumpkin and Pomegranate

-- essen und trinken

30 g Ginger
1 Onion
1 clove Garlic
350 g Brussels sprout
350 g Hokkaido Pumpkin
1 tbsp Olive oil
2 tsp Curry powder
200 ml Coconut milk
200 ml Vegetable stock
Salt
1-2 tsp Lime juice
2 tbsp Cilantro or parsley, chopped
Some pomegranate seeds

Finely dice the ginger, onion, and garlic. Rinse the Brussels sprouts and remove any wilted outer leaves. Trim the woody bottoms and cut in half. Cut the pumpkin into inch pieces.
Heat olive oil in a pan together with diced ginger, onion and garlic. Cook until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add in Brussels sprouts and pumpkin. Cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the curry powder over and stir until well blended.
Pour in coconut milk and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and cook, covered, over medium-heat for 15 minutes. Season with salt and lime juice. Garnish with cilantro leaves and pomegranate seeds.

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Peanut Butter Spelt Homemade Stamped Cookies

Thursday, December 06, 2012

Easy to make, a delicious peanut butter stamped cookie recipe , made with refined spelt flour, raw sugar, butter, egg, and peanut butter. They make the perfect homemade holiday gift for family and friends. And speaking of the gift, I was the very LUCKY winner of $40 Amazon gift card from Choc Chip Uru - Go Bake Yourself. Uru is a 17-year-old culinary genius and a serious chocolate fan. Please head over to her space and learn more her baking, her fun undercover stories. The cookie stamp and cupcake decorating set I have bought with the gift card have finally arrived this Saturday. Thank you once again, Uru!

110 g Butter, softened
150 g Raw sugar
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Vanilla
120 g Creamy peanut butter
220 g Refined spelt flour
1/4 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt

Beat the butter and raw sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and peanut butter until blended. Sift spelt flour, baking soda, and salt into the cream mixture.
Wrap the cookie dough in a plastic film and chill for 2 hours. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll the dough between two pieces of plastic film into 4-mm / 1/6-inch thickness. Dip the stamp into flour and tap off any excess, then stamp the cookie dough and cut out with a round wave cookie cutter. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Cover with a plastic film and chill the cookies for an hour.
Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Bake cookies until light brown, about 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely.