Cottony Soft Sweet Loaf 绵绵甜土司

这个面包用了一对一的面包粉和中筋面粉（普通面粉），本来是要拿来包陷料的，但面团很粘手，只好胡乱杆开卷起放入loaf pan里做成土司。剩余的一点面团我滚圆后放入纸杯里做了四个杯子面包。

我用面包机来打这个面团，按了键钮后就去忙别的。用面包机打面团的缺点就是无法亲手feel面团，所以等到发酵好后一起都太迟了。如果用手揉面团便能更好的控制水份。

因为加入了中筋面粉面包非常的松软，放在室温三天都没变硬只是稍微变干了点。妈妈对这个面包赞不绝口，而爸爸则比较喜欢这个面包。

Ingredients:
150g bread flour
150g plain flour
2 tbsp milk powder
4 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tbsp olive oil
1 tsp instant yeast
1 egg (reserve a little bit for egg wash) + cold water = 200g (lightly beaten)

Method:
1) Mix all dry ingredients in mixing bowl, add wet ingredients, mix into a dough.
2) Knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
3) Cover with cling wrap, let it ferment for 60 mins.
4) Take out the dough and punch out the gas. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions and roll into ball. Let the dough rest for 20 mins.
5) On a lightly floured surface, flatten dough and roll out into longish shape. Roll up the dough like making a swiss-roll. Place the dough in a greased loaf pan, seams side down (I used a 9"x5" loaf pan as I do not own a bread tin), let it proof for another 50 mins.
6) Brush the top with whole egg mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for about 25 mins. Remove bread from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.

Note:
Reduce sugar to 2 tbsp if you like it plain.

Lucius's Weight and Height (2M)

Last month, Lucius weighed 5kg, 56cm. He gains 1.5kg and 4.5cm this month.

Traditional Peanut Cookies 传统花生饼

冰箱里有一包花生碎刚好100克，趁着Lucius还没醒来快手快脚做了半份食谱，连egg wash也省了。从准备材料到进入烤箱前后只需20分钟。

有些花生饼入口即溶，会粘牙，有些又下了太多粉，脆但吃不到花生的香味。这个食谱做出来的花生饼是我喜欢的口感，花生和粉的比例刚刚好，酥脆得又不会粘牙，很好吃。要谢谢星姐的分享。

如果你有20分钟不妨尝试这个食谱。

我把食谱翻译成英文让不谙中文的朋友也能受益。中文食谱看原著。

Ingredients:
(A)
200g ground peanut
180g icing sugar
300g plain flour
(B)
200ml peanut oil
(C)
1 egg yolk (for glazing)(I omitted)

Method:
1) Mix (A) till well combined.
2) Add in (B) slowly, mix till a dough is formed.
3) Roll the dough (about 12g each) into a small ball and place on a lined baking tray, press lightly to flatten it.
4) Use a straw to press lightly at the centre to make a circle. Brush the surface with egg yolk.
5) Bake in a preheated oven at 150C for 20 mins. Transfer to wire rack for cooling. Keep in airtight container after cooling down completely.

Note:
1) I halved the recipe, made 46 cookies, each cookies = ½ tbsp dough.
2) I only rolled the dough into small without pressing and also omitted the egg wash.
3) As my cookies are bigger than the suggested size, mine took about 25 mins to cooked.
4) In step (2), do not knead the dough, just mix to form a dough will do. Kneading the dough will make the cookie to become hard.

(Recipe source: 星厨房)

Happy Two Months Lucius!

Lucius turned 2 months on 25th April 2010.

(Photos taken on 25th April 2010, Lucius 2 months old)

Fine Butter Cake 细致牛油蛋糕

这几年来我很少做重油的蛋糕，除了懒惰打发奶油外，最大的原因是为了父母的健康。但是，我和牛油蛋糕却有一段情缘，我第一个学做的蛋糕就是牛油蛋糕。

那时每次做蛋糕不外是牛油蛋糕，不然就是换汤不换药的云石蛋糕或是巧克力蛋糕。牛油和粉的比例往往是一比一或是更高。现在回想起，当年还真是吃了不少油。

这个蛋糕一年前看到Florence做时我就已经蠢蠢欲动，蛋糕组织看起来好细致哦！因为它的油份量我一直没行动，但其实我一直都没忘记。

上个星期天下午趁Lucius睡着我心血来潮动手做了。蛋糕没有让我失望，如其名真的很细致，而且不油腻。因为爸妈不喜欢太重的牛油味，我把Golden Churn butter换成SCS。

Ingredients:

150g Golden Churn butter (I used SCS butter)

1 tbsp corn oil/olive oil

110g sugar

1/3 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla paste or 1 tsp vanilla essence

3 eggs

140g cake flour

40g corn starch

1/3 tsp baking powder

3 - 5 tbsp whipping cream/milk (I used 5 tbsp milk)

Method:

1) Mix cake flour, corn starch and baking powder together. Sieve twice into a large mixing bowl.

2) Cream butter, oil, sugar, vanilla and salt till pale and fluffy.

3) Beat in eggs one at time, beat well after each addition.

4) Add in the flour mixture and mix at low speed till well blended.

5) Stir in the whipping cream/milk.

6) Pour batter into a lined loaf pan and bake at 180C for 35 - 45 minutes or till cooked (I used a 9”x5” black steel pan, bake at 165C for 40 minutes. For a taller and better looking cake, a smaller pan should be used).

Note:

1) After 10 - 12 minutes in the oven, remove it and make a length-wise cut on the surface of the batter with a knife so that the cake will "explode" nicely with a neat line in the middle.

2) For best result use Golden Churn butter and whipping cream.

(Recipe source: Do What I Like)

【外脆内软的】蓝山咖啡核桃脆皮蛋糕 Blue Mountain Walnut Crumble Cake

自从有了Lucius后我通常很早起身。这一天清晨六点钟就起身了。Pump完milk后距离Lucius起身还有一段时间，如果有一段空隙你会选择做什么呢？

我选择在厨房里与面粉，鸡蛋，糖，牛油为伍。

因为不想扰人清梦，我排除需要使用电动mixer的食谱。脑海里马上出现这个食谱。

这个食谱的做法简单但做出来的蛋糕和用creaming method做的蛋糕一样松软。我决定沿用这个食谱的做法，再利用家里现有的材料来做一个蛋糕。

因为时间还早我准备了一些crumbles洒在蛋糕上。想做crumble cake已经很久了，但是每次都因为懒或是时间的关系而作罢。

蛋糕出炉时也是我享用早餐的时候。吃着自己亲手做的蛋糕配上一杯热咖啡，很享受。

Ingredients:

Crumbles
20g cold butter (cut into small cubes)
60g brown sugar
60g plain flour
½ tsp cinnamon powder
1 tbsp water

Cake

80g butter

60g sugar

135g chocolate milk/milk
1 sachet (15g) Blue Mountain instant coffee powder*

2 eggs (lightly beaten)

220g cake flour }

1 tsp baking powder } mix together

½ tsp baking soda }

70g walnut (lightly roasted and chopped coarsely)
*can be replaced by any other instant coffee powder

Method:

1) For the crumbles - mix sugar, flour, cinnamon powder in a mixing bowl. With fingertips, rub in cold butter and slowly add in water until the mixture becomes crumbly. Set aside (keep in fridge if prepare in advance).
2) For the cake - cook butter, sugar, milk at low heat till butter and sugar dissolved, add instant coffee powder and stir till dissolved. Set aside to cool down completely.

3) Add eggs, mix well.

4) Sieve in flour mixture, mix till just incorporated.

5) Fold in walnut, mix well.

6) Pour batter into a greased and lined 8" round pan. Sprinkle the crumbles on top. Bake in preheat oven at 170C for about 50-60 mins till cooked (a skewer inserted comes out clean).

Note:

1) Suggest to start with step 2 first, while waiting for the liquid mixture to cool down, proceed to make the crumbles.

2) Cover the cake with aluminium foil loosely if the crumbles become brown before the cake is cooked.
3) The sweetness of the cake is just nice when eating with the crumbles. So you may want to increase the sugar amount in the cake if omitting the crumbles.
4) You may create you own version of crumbles, using crushed biscuit, add in chopped nuts, coffee powder......whatever you can think of based on your own liking.