introduction
I enjoy this web site very much and learn a lot by reading the blog. I think it is time to introduce myself. I love baking and when I lived in Canada my children are small and ate everything I baked. My husband and I will spend a weekend baking sweet buns; most of them are Chinese buns just as cocktail buns with coconut filing and pineapple buns with butter topping. After the boys left home we don’t see any reason to bake anymore and especially our cholesterol is so high, we have to change our life style. So I stop baking bread altogether. Until two years ago I read in the Newspaper about no knead bread (we moved back to the States). I watched the video and bake one. It became out so good and easy. I changed the recipe and add 50% WW flour. One thing leads to other, I checked out bread books from the library and I brought a couple of books. I took a class Whole Wheat Bread from Peter Reinhart in Atlanta and he also signed my book. I’m back baking bread again and I love it.
Siuflower
(in Chinese siu means little)
Comments
Hi, Siuflower.
Welcome to TFL!
How fortunate, to have been able to take Peter Reinhart's course.
David
Hope you enjoy TFL! It's a great place to visit. weavershouse
glad you joined us and are enjoying baking bread. Would love to hear your recipe for the sweet buns with pineapple and coconut. I also need to watch what I eat, but they do sound so good!
These recipes come from the Genuine Chinese Cusine Cake and Breads by Cecilla Au Yang. I found the sweet dough is very good on the first day and it dry out the next day. I have used other sweet bread dough and use the filing and topping for the buns. Have you eat the Coconut bun and Pineapple bun before?
Cocktail bun
Bread Dough:
1 lb high protein flour
4 tsp instant yeast
3 ½ oz sugar
1 ½ egg
2 tbsp milk
¾ cup warm water
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Sift the high protein flour onto a table and make a well in the centre. Put in the instant yeast, sugar, eggs, milk, water and mix it well. Add the vegetable oil and knead into a soft dough.
Knead the dough until firm and elastic. Cover and prove in a warm place for 30-45 minutes. Remove the dough and fold it one and return to bowl, prove for another 30-45 minutes.
Filling:
3 oz butter
4 oz sugar
1. 5 oz shredder coconut (fresh)
2 tbsp milk
2 oz cornstarch
1 oz all purpose flour
¼ tsp vanilla essence
Cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the remaining filling ingredients and mix into a puree. Chill for later use.
Brushing
1 beaten egg
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup light syrup
Topping:
1 oz all purpose flour
½ oz sugar
1.5 oz soft butter
Mix all the ingredients together and set aside for later use
To complete-
Roll the dough into a long thick rope. Divide into equal portions each weighting about 2 oz.
Roll each portion into an oval shape, wrap up a portion of filling in each oval and pinch the edges to secure. Place on a greased baking tray, cover with cling film, and prove for 30-45 minutes. Brush with the beaten egg and pipe the topping paste across the top of each bread then sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake in a preheated oven 350 F bake it for 15 minutes. Remove and brush with the light syrup.
Pineapple bun
Bread dough:
1.5 lb high protein flour
5 oz sugar
3 egg
¼ cup milk
1 cup warm water
5 tsp instant yeast
¼ cup melted butter
Sift the high protein flour onto a table and make a well in the centre. Put in all the ingredients except the butter and mix it thoroughly. Gradually draw in the flour and knead into a soft dough. Add the butter and knead evenly until the dough is elastic. Place in a greased mixing bowl, cover and prove in a warm place for 45 minutes. Remove the dough and fold it one and return to bowl, prove for another 45 minutes.
Remove the dough onto a floured table and roll into a long rope. Divide it into 24 equal portions of about 2 oz each and shape each portion into a ball.
Arrange the balls on a greased baking tray and cover with cling film. Prove for 1 hour.
Topping:
7 oz all purpose flour
½ oz milk powder
4 oz extra fine sugar
2 oz chilled vegetable oil (shortening)
2 oz chilled butter
½ tsp ammonia powder (you will find it in Chinese groceries store)
½ tsp baking soda
1 tbsp milk
½ egg yolk
1 tbsp smashed pineapple
¼ tsp vanilla essence
Sift the flour and the milk powder onto a table and make a well in the centre. Put in all the ingredients and mix evenly. Gradually draw in the flour and knead into a soft dough. Divide into24 equal portions.
Roll the dough into thin rounds. Slash criss-cross patterns (diamond pattern) on each round.
1 beaten egg
To complete_
Place a piece of topping on each ball of dough and brush the topping with the beaten egg. Bake in an over preheated to 350F for 15 minutes.
I used The Hogson Mill Bread flour (high protein high gluten) came in 2 lbs box.
siuflower
First, no I haven't had coconut or pineapple buns. They just sound wonderful. I do have a couple questions..can you tell me what light syrup is.. is that light corn syrup?
Do you think not having 1/2 tsp ammonia powder will make much difference? And finally, there is only 1 tbsp of pineapple in the recipe? Thank you again.
Are you close to China town in your area? These buns are very different from the western buns. I used light corn syrup. The 1/2 tsp ammonia powder gives the favor of the topping and makes it very unique from other topping. Without the ammonia powder it just taste like regular butter topping. The tbsp of pinapple is just give it a favor of the pineapple. The name of pineapple bun is refer to the diamon pattern of the topping look like a pineapple.
Siuflower
Yes, I think there is, but I'd have to have my husband take me there.. I get lost in the city. We have a great store Uwijamaya (I'm sure that's spelled wrong) not far from me, which I bet has the ammonia powder. Thanks for the explanation of the pineapple bun.
I think it is better for you to go to China Town and find a bakery that selling Cocoktail and Pineapple buns and taste it before you try to make it. If you don't like it, there is no point of making the bread. It will also give you the idea what it taste like and you can compare with the one you bake.
Siuflower
if you look into "In the New' at the right column of the Fresh Loaf, "What is happening in the world of bread", you will see the first blog/link with Chinese Character that show you how to make Pineapple Bun.
Siuflower
Siuflower,
Glad to have you join us. This site is a great place with very nice people...and many accomplished bakers. Great that you were able to take a class instructed by Mr. Reinhart. Thanks for posting your recipes.
Howard - St. Augustine, FL