I love eating Chinese steamed buns (pau) as much as I love making them. Making pau is a lot easier and quicker than baking bread. I can even knead it by hand. But, I must confess that mastering the skill is not easy. After spending months in making pau, I still couldn’t get a batch of completely “wrinkle-free” pau, no matter how much care and attention I put into kneading, proofing and steaming...

  These mini buns are made from a basic sweet dough recipe originated from Vinnie Baking Paradise. This recipe has been very popular among the local food bloggers. It uses sponge dough method which has many similarities with the 17-hour sponge dough method I shared previously.   Sponge dough method has always been my preferred method in bread making as compared to direct method for two simple reasons...

  Hi everyone! I’m back. Life had been very hectic for the past two months till I had no time to blog. My family and I were busy packing and unpacking. Yup, we had moved house! It’s a cross-country move from Singapore back to our home country, Malaysia – my 2nd major move so far! It’s very tiring and challenging. We had a lot of things to juggle and sort out within a short period of time. But now,...

  The month-long school holidays have just started in Singapore. Oh gosh! I dare not imagine how chaotic the house will be with my Mr. Talk-A-Lot around during this period? Though he sometimes had me on my wit’s end, I still cherish a lot the precious and priceless moments we shared together. For this holiday, we will be away for a short vacation starting tomorrow. So, you won’t see any update in my...

  Hi everyone, Happy New Year !!   Time flies! It has been three months since my last update. Sorry to keep everyone waiting, but thanks so much for your kind patience and continuing support!!!   During this period, life was exceptionally hectic with many unexpected things happened. Last December, instead of having Mr Santa, sick bug paid us a surprise visit. I had to battle with a persistent...

  Hello 2011! Hello everyone! What’s your New Year resolution? One of mine is to make more bread using tangzhong / water roux method (汤种法). It’s a bread making method that I never know its existence until I read about it from Grace’s blog (Kitchen Corner). [Please be prepared when you hop over to her blog as you may be drown by her mouth-watering bakes especially her homemade ice-cream.  Grace,...

If you have been following my blog, you will notice that I have not used nuts in all my previous baking and cooking posts, with the exception of “how to roast cashew nuts”. The reason is that my son was not ready to consume nuts. In one instance one and a half year ago, he developed asthmatic cough after eating a small slice of pancake with grounded peanuts filling. His conditions worsened...

Yes, it was a date with Chef Sam, the young, handsome and talented food technologist baker. Rain or shine I must turn up, that’s what I told myself. It was an important and special date for me. On that faithful day, I went along to Orchard Central, with my bag in hand. No, it’s not a lady handbag with make-up stuff but my camera bag filled up with lenses and flash. Got the clue now? Sorry, no prize...

  Pesto sauce (basil pesto)is a paste made by blending together fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese and salt. This sauce is ready for use without the need for cooking. If you love the aromatic smell of basil leaves, then this pesto will surely suit your palate. You can either DIY at home or buy the off the shelves ready packed ones at the supermarket. If you...

  Recently I bought a KitchenAid stand mixer which entitled me to enroll for 2 free baking classes provided by Mayer.   During my 1st baking class, I learnt how to make healthy multigrain bread and green tea castella cakes. The class was conducted by a young and talented chef (Chef Sam) who gave a lot of valuable baking tips. Both the items turned out to be very delicious, especially the freshly...