Chicken Farm Bakers' Project # 8: Bread Baking "Around the World!" - Semlor The Scandinavian Bread

This month the Chicken Farm Bakers' Project # 8 is "Bread Baking with the auntie on the hot summer". Actually my friend is not that old, but all the people in our group like to call her auntie from her behavior (ok, it's in a good way, she always concerns about us ^ ^). The host (haha, the auntie) wants everyone to try something new and different so each one of us has to bake the bread from different countries or continents around the world.

I had to make "The Scandinavian Bread", which I feel so lucky as this continent has a lot of bake goods specialty. But the only problem for me is I don't have a book about Scandinavian baking before >*<. So, I had to buy 2 books on this project (haha, it's an excuse, you know that). This time I use the book name ......................

I choose the Semlor, the bread that usually eat from after Christmas until Easter. (you can read the whole story about the semlor here). And I know that when you see the look of this bread you can understand why I choose to make it, ^ ^.
The bread is so cute with the whipped cream and the icing sugar topping. Originally, the bread will be served in a bowl of milk, but eating it on its own is

Semlor
Makes 6

Bread
40g	Unsalted butter
150cc	Milk
3g (or 1tsp)	Instant yeast
30g	Sugar
½	Egg
8	Cardamom
3g	Salt
240g	Bread flour
Egg wash
	1 egg yolk + 1tsp of water
Filling
60g	Almond powder
20g	Silvered almond
120g	Icing sugar
1tbsp	Sugar
1tbsp	Amaretto
2tbsp	Water
Decoration
200cc	Whipping cream
2tsp	Icing sugar
	Icing sugar for dusting
To serve
	Milk (optional)

Make the bread:
Put the flour, the sugar, cardamom and yeast in a bowl, whisk to combine, add and salt whisk again. Pour the liquids mixture into the bowl.

Use large spoon (or pastry scraper) to mix everything together, and knead briefly to bring all the ingredients together.

Take the dough out of the bowl and knead, you will see the dough will be elastic after about 2 minutes.

Add the butter and knead by using the heel of your hands to compress and push the dough away from you, then fold it back over itself (see the picture here). Give the dough a little turn and repeat. Put the weight of your body into the motion and get into a rhythm. Keep folding over and compressing the dough.

Knead for 10-15 minutes (up to your strength and up to the recipe) or until the dough is soft, pliable, smooth and slightly shiny, almost satiny.

Put the dough into a light buttered bowl. Let the dough rise in a warm place until double in size about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180°C, and butter the muffin pan (Texas Muffin pan).
Take the dough out of the bowl. Gently press down the dough and cut the dough into 6 pieces.
Roll each piece into a ball, place on the prepared muffin pan. Cover and rest for 30 minutes or until almost double in size.

Mix egg yolk and water together and pass through sieve.
Brush the bread with egg wash before put into the oven.
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
Take the bread out of the oven and place on the wire rack.
Let the bread cool completely before make the filling.

Make the filling:
Mix almond powder, icing sugar and sugar together, pour the amaretto and water into the mixture, mix until combine.
Fold the silvered almond into the mixture. Set aside.

Whip the whipping cream with the icing sugar until stiff. Set aside.

Filling the bread and decorating:

Cut the bread, with a knife point a little downward to make a hole in the bread.
Cut the top of the bread with the cookie cutter.

Put the almond filling in the bread, then top with the whipped cream.
Cover with the top, and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Serve in a bowl and pour the milk in the bowl or eat on its own.

Chicken Farm Bakers' Project # 8: Bread Baking "Around the World!" - Semlor The Scandinavian Bread

Carrot and Walnut Quick Bread, Healthy Easy Bread

Last week after seeing a doctor, I feel like I wanted something more healthy in my fridge, ^ ^. Well, you know that baking is fun and eating it is great. I love to bake and I enjoy eating it too. But there is a time that we have to accept the truth, we can't live our life that way.

So, I try to find some healthy bread to balance my diet, starting by baking a quick bread. I mean, it's better for your health than cake right? This bread is very easy to make,too, it takes only 10-15 minutes for preparation, it's the real quick bread.

This bread is packed with all good things, carrot, walnut and rye flour. It's not too sweet, the sugar in the recipe is quite low, so it can be a good snack (ok, I have an unheathy plan for you, but it's delicious when serve it with the spreadable cream cheese, ha).

*If you like, you can add 25g of raisin, it will give this bread a sweet flavor and children will love it, too.

Carrot and Walnut Quick Bread

Makes 8X18 cm loaf

80g	Carrot, grated
30g	Walnut, roasted and cut into small pieces
70g	Unsalted butter
35g	Caster sugar
35g	Brown sugar
	Pinch of salt
1	Egg
¼ tsp	Baking powder
½ tsp	Baking soda
60g	Cake flour
40g	Rye flour

Preheat the oven to 180 °C

Sift both of the flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Place the baking paper in the 8X18 cm loaf pan.

Beat the butter until light, then add both of the sugar, beat until combine.

Put the egg into the butter mixture, beat until combine.

Pour the flour mixture, carrot and walnut into the butter mixture.

Fold until homogenize.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 50 minute.

Carrot and Walnut Quick Bread

Crunchy Macadamia and White Chocolate Cookies

It's a long time since my last post, well, there are some moment that you have a lot of things to do but so little time. I had a lot of work and less time to bake >*<. Anyway, yesterday I had a request from my auntie, she wanted me to bake some cookies for her doctor.

So, I rushed to the kitchen and start baking, haha. I choose the Macadamia and White Chocolate Cookies, I keep this book in the kitchen rather than my room. I really love it and I use it a lot). Because I want the cookie that is a bit dry, so it will be good for traveling.

This cookie has no egg too, so it can stand for sometime (I think about a week). I add the salt into the ingredient list, but if you using salted butter you can omit it or the cookies will be salty.
The texture is crunchy and crumby, for me it's the perfect gift. But if you don't want to bake it for anyone, just making this cookie for yourself, it will be the best gift for you too.

Ready to go!

Crunchy Macadamia and White Chocolate Cookies

Makes about 20

170g	Unsalted butter, soften
115g	Brown sugar
225g	Plain flour
½ tsp	Bicarbonate of soda
55g	White chocolate, chop into small pieces
55g	Macadamia nuts,chop into the same size as the chocolate
¼ tsp	salt

1. Heat the oven to 180°C Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together using an electric beater until pale and fluffy.

3. Sift the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda together and add to the butter mixture along with the chocolate and nuts. Bring together to form a dough.

4. Roll large teaspoonfuls into balls (I use the scoop #40), and place on the prepared baking sheets about 5 cm apart. Flatten them lightly with your hand.

5. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on the baking sheets before moving them, with a palette knife, to cool down on a wire rack.

Crunchy Macadamia and White Chocolate Cookies