Ruby Jewel Cookies : Bake-Along #90

It's Bake-Along #90, and the bake for this week is Ruby Jewel Cookies, selected by Zoe, to bake along together with Lena and myself. Everyone is welcome to join our Bake-Along. 

These cookies are very easy to  make. The dough is very similar to sweet pastry dough. It is made in the food processor and takes only  a couple of minutes to come together. The dough is refrigerated for about 1 hour to chill (though I refrigerated mine for two days!). Shape the dough into small balls, about 3/4-inch sized. I've used mini muffins pans which I've lined with cute little muffin cases. Drop the round balls into the muffin cases in the pan, then using the end of a wooden spoon, make an indentation in the centre of each cookie. Fill it up with some jam. I've used a small plastic bag, fill one corner with a few tablespoons of jam, cut a small opening at the corner, and pipe the jam into the cookies. 

I've made only half a recipe, and yield exactly 30 mini cookies. The only changes I've made to the dough is to use only 40gm of sugar for the dough. And the sweetness of the cookies turns out just right for us.

I baked these cookies for exactly 18 minutes until the edges are golden. Allow them to cool in pans on wire racks.

Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving. The cookies are tender, buttery and tasted really nice with the black cherry jam that I've used. If you have an opened jar of jam in the refrigerator that is begging to be used, it would be a great idea to make these cookies.

We love these Ruby Jewel Cookies. Pretty and cute to look at, fun and delightful to eat! It is quite difficult to stop at just one! Yums!

** for half a recipe, my measurements are listed in blue
Ruby Jewel Cookies
(adapted from "The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book")

Makes about 5 dozen cookies (Yield 30 cookies for half a recipe)
2 large egg yolks (1 large)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (1/2 tsp)
2-1/4 cups (11-1/2oz/360gm) all-purpose (plain) flour (180gm)
2/3 cup (5oz/155gm) granulated sugar  (40gm)
1 cup (8oz/250gm) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (125gm)
about 1/3 cup (3-1/2oz/105gm) seedless raspberry jam or other thick jam (about 1/4 cup)
confectioners' (icing) sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Have ready 2 ungreased baking sheets or miniature muffin pans and, if desired, about 5 dozen miniature paper muffin liners.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and vanilla ; set aside.
In a food processor, combine the flour and granulated sugar. Process briefly to blend. With the machine running, add the butter 2 or 3 pieces at a time and process until the mixture looks crumbly. With the machine still running, add the egg yolk mixture and process until blended and the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and shape it into a flat disk. Wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
With lightly floured hands, shape the dough into 3/4-inch (2-cm) balls. Place each ball in a paper liner, if using. Place the cookies 1 inch (2.5cm) apart on the baking sheets or in the muffin pans.
Using the end of a wooden spoon handle dipped in flour to prevent sticking, make an indentation in the center of each cookie, but do not press all the way through the dough. Using a spoon or a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip, fill each indentation with about 1/4 tsp jam.
Bake the cookies until the edges are golden, 15-20 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pans on wire racks. (If baking on sheets without paper liners, use a thin spatula to loosen the cookies carefully while the are still warm). Transfer the cooled cookies to wire racks and, using a fine mesh sieve, dust with confectioners' sugar.

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Do stop by Lena of Frozen Wings and Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, and all our friends who has baked along with us in the linky below :

For our next Bake-Along, we will be baking Theme : Strawberry Shortcakes. You may bake any Strawberry Shortcakes recipe and link your post to our linky which will open from 21st to 20th January. Everyone is welcome to join us! Only current posts please.

A friendly reminder when linking to our linky :

1. Please mention Bake-Along event in your own post linking direct to any of the hosts' post (Joyce, Lena or Zoe)

2. Please link only new and current post, PLEASE FOLLOW THE BAKE OR THEME provided by us. Unrelated post will be deleted.

3. Feel free to display our Bake-Along badge in your post.

An InLinkz Link-up

Chocolate Pots de Creme : Bake-Along #87

It's time for our Bake-Along #87, and this week's recipe is selected by me! I have been meaning to make Chocolate Pots de Creme for the longest time!  I'm baking this chocolaty dessert with Lena and Zoe, and everyone is invited to join us.

A simple straightforward dessert, baked "bain-marie" style, in a water bath. Very easy to make, simply combine the cream, milk, chocolate, espresso powder and cook over a low heat, taking care not to let it boil, until the chocolate has melted and the liquid is hot. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolk and sugar until blended, and while still whisking, pour the hot chocolate mixture gradually into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk to evenly combine and pour this mixture into a large measuring cup over a sieve. Skim off any foam or bubbles. 

Pour into ramekin moulds, place them in a roasting pan, fill the pan with hot water until halfway up the sides of the ramekin, cover the pan with foil, and carefully place the roasting pan in a preheated oven at 150C. Bake until set, about 50-60 minutes. Remove pan from oven, remove the foil and leave the ramekins in the water until cool enough to handle. Cover and refrigerate the ramekins until well chilled.

I chilled the Chocolate Pots de Creme overnight and we had it the next day.

The kids can't wait...well, it's chocolate, their favourite! (And I like my new ramekin moulds...I love ramekin moulds!)

 Yummilicious! Creamy, smooth, and so chocolaty! Not too sweet, which is a plus for me! 

It is quite rich and delicious! 

And so gloriously luscious!

(They rhyme!! ) 

Chocolate Pots de Creme
(adapted from "The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book")
makes 6 servings
1-1/3 cups (11fl oz/340ml) heavy (double) cream
1-1/3 cups (11fl oz/340ml) whole mill
6 oz (185gm) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tbsp instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder
6 large egg yolks
1/4 cup (1-3/4 oz/50gm) sugar

Preheat the oven to 300F (150C). Have ready six 3/4-cup (6fl oz/180ml) ramekins and a shallow roasting pan.

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the cream, milk, chopped chocolate, and espresso powder and cook, whisking frequently, until the chocolate is melted and the liquid is hot. Do not let boil. Remove from the heat.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and sugar until well blended. While whisking constantly, gradually pour the hot chocolate mixture into the yolk mixture. Pour the custard through a sieve placed over a 4-cup (32fl oz/1-liter) glass measuring pitcher. Using a large spoon, skim off any foam and bubbles from the top.

Divide the custard evenly among the ramekins. Place the ramekins in the roasting pan and pour very hot tap water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the cups. Cover the pan with aluminium foil.

Bake the custards until they are set but the centers still jiggle slightly when a cup is gently shaken, 55-60 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and leave the ramekins in the water until cool enough to handle. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Serve chilled.

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Do stop by Lena of Frozen Wings and Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, and all our friends who has baked along with us in the linky below :

Bake-Along is taking a break in October and we will be back on 17th November with our baking theme : "Theme - Galette". You may bake any galette recipe and link your post to our linky which will open from 17th to 28th November. Everyone is welcome to join us! Only current post please.

A friendly reminder when linking to our linky :

1. Please mention Bake-Along event in your own post linking direct to any of the hosts' post (Joyce, Lena or Zoe)

2. Please link only new and current post, PLEASE FOLLOW THE BAKE OR THEME provided by us. Unrelated post will be deleted.

3. Feel free to display our Bake-Along badge in your post.

An InLinkz Link-up

Maple Pecan Pie : Bake-Along #69

It's time for our Bake-Along #69, Maple Pecan Pie, selected by Zoe to bake together with Lena, myself and anyone who wishes to bake-along with us.

Pure maple syrup is really expensive over here, so I have substituted with Lyle's Golden Syrup Maple Flavour. If you are a maple syrup purist, you would probably be shaking your head, but if I make a full recipe, I would probably need to spend about RM60 just for the maple syrup alone, and that is the price for the cheapest brand.  Pecans are very expensive as well.

To make the crust, I've used the food processor to mix the dough, and use only about 3/4 tbsp of water. The dough is soft and a little sticky, I should have omitted the water! The sticky dough was a little difficult to manage but I managed to line the pie pan with the dough, after lots of patching up! Can you see from the photo above, one part of the crust has dropped off, yes, it was so flaky and tender that I broke a little of the crust after baking.

The filling is made by cooking the maple syrup (Lyle's golden syrup) until it is reduced to 1-1/2 cups, and let cool to room temperature before proceeding. It is then stirred together with eggs, brown sugar, salt, melted butter and vanilla until evenly mixed. The pecans are added in, stir well to combine and this filling is poured onto the partially baked pie crust, making sure the pecan is evenly distributed. The pie is baked for about 30-35 minutes. (I baked mine for about 38 minutes).

Lyle's Golden Syrup - Maple Flavour, the closest that I can sub for pure maple syrup.

A slice of "Maple" Pecan Pie. I really love the buttery flaky crust. It was so flaky and buttery. The filling is a little sweet. I should have omitted the brown sugar which I wanted to omit in the beginning, but decided to follow the recipe instead. The pecans are so yummy, baked to a crispy crunch and delicious with the sticky syrup, which is a little soft and gooey.

The recipe recommends to serve this pie with whipped cream, but I think ice cream is the best!

Maple Pecan Pie
(adapted from "The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book")
makes one 9-inch (23cm) pie, or 8 servings
Flaky Pastry Dough (refer below*)
For the filling :
2 cups (22oz/690g) maple syrup
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup (2oz/60gm) firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp pure vanilla butter
1-1/2 cups (6oz/185gm) pecans, coarsely chopped

Roll out the dough disk into a 12-inch (30-cm) round. Transfer the dough round to a 9-inch (23-cm) pie pan or dish. Trim the edge of the dough round, leaving 3/4 inch (2cm) of overhang. Fold the overhang under itself and pinch it together to create a high edge on the pan's rim. Flute the edge decoratively. Refrigerate or freeze the pie shell until firm, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 375F (190C). Partially bake the pie shell ; Remove the pastry shell from the refrigerator or freezer. Line with a sheet of aluminium foil or parchment (baking) paper large enough to overhang the sides, patting the foil into the bottom and up over the sides. Cover the bottom of the shell with a generous layer of pie weights or raw short-grain rice on top of the foil. The weights help prevent the pastry from shrinking during baking. Bake for 20 minutes, then lift an edge of the foil to check the dough. If it looks wet, continue to bake, checking it every 5 minutes, until it is pale gold. The total baking time will be 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F (180C).

In a saucepan, over medium-high heat, bring the maple syrup to a boil and boil for 8-10 minutes to reduce by about one-fourth. Remove from the heat and pour into a heatproof measuring pitcher. The syrup should be reduced to 1-1/2 cups (12 oz/375gm). If necessary, return the syrup to the saucepan and continue to boil until sufficiently reduced. Let cool to room temperature before proceeding.

In a bowl, stir together the eggs, brown sugar, reduced maple syrup, salt, melted butter, and vanilla until well mixed. Add the pecans and stir well. Pour into partially baked pie shell, making sure the pecans are evenly distributed.

Bake the pie until the center is slightly puffed and firm to the touch, 30-35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool until just slightly warm, about 45 minutes. Slice into wedges and serve with the whipped cream.

* Flaky Pastry Dough
Makes dough for one 9-inch (23-cm) single crust pie or one 10-inch (25-cm galette
1-1/4 cup (200gm) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (125gm) cold unsalted butter
3 tbsp ice water, plus more if needed

In a bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and pulse to blend. Add the butter and pulse 5 or 6 times, until the mixture is the texture of coarse meal with butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the 3 tbsp water through the feed tube, pulsing once after each addition and adding just enough to make a crumbly dough; it will not hold together on its own but will when gathered into a ball with your hands. If the dough is dry, mix in more water 1 tbsp at a time.

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Do stop by Lena of Frozen Wings and Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, and all our friends who has baked along with us in the linky below :

For our next Bake-Along, we will be baking based on a theme which is "Theme : French Macaron". Please do join us by baking any of your favourite French Macaron, and link your post to our linky which will start on 6th till 15th November. Everyone is welcome to join us! Only current post please.

A friendly reminder when linking to our blog hop :

1. Please mention Bake-Along event in your own post linking direct to any of the hosts' post (Joyce, Lena or Zoe)

2. Please link only new and current post, PLEASE FOLLOW THE BAKE OR THEME provided by us. Unrelated post will be deleted.

3. Feel free to display our Bake-Along badge in your post.

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and I'm sharing this post with :

Cook-Your-Books #17 @ kitchen flavours

To join our blog hop, click on the link to get the codes :
get the InLinkz code

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Crisp Chocolate Bites : Bake-Along #63

It's time for our Bake-Along #63. My baking buddy, Zoe has selected Crisp Chocolate Bites to bake together with Lena and myself, and anyone who wishes to bake along with us. When this cookie was selected by Zoe, I immediately thought of Christmas! And while I was baking this, the song "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer" kept popping into my head, and before long, I find myself singing while making these cookies! LOL!

Crisp Chocolate Bites, you'll be biting into one and reaching for the next one!

The cookie dough is really, a thick batter that needs to be refrigerated for at least an hour to firm up. It will turn into a very thick-set fudgy batter! Shape the fudgy batter into 3/4-inch balls, but I used a small ice-cream scoop to scoop the thick batter and drop the rounds into a bowl of sifted icing sugar, roll to coat it completely. Place the balls on prepared baking pans and bake for 12 minutes until the cookies puffed and cracked on top. The balls of cookie from the small ice cream scoop I used is a little bigger than the size mentioned in the book, so I got only 25 cookies (and sizes varies, some are smaller than others, guess I'm not consistent when scooping the batter!), and I baked them for 17 minutes.

The only change I did was to reduce the sugar to half for the batter, which works out just nice for me, not to sweet.

While baking in the hot oven, the cookies spread out and cracked, making nice patterns on the surface. Or maybe they cracked, due to my singing?  HAHAHA!

These cookies are really crispy on the outside, with the sound of crispy crunch as you bite into it, but not all of these cookies are crispy like this. I noticed that the smaller ones are really crispy and the bigger ones are somewhat cake-like in the centre. I did not re-bake the bigger ones again, as they are good to eat too, with really crispy crunch on the outside. I'm glad I've reduced the sugar. The chocolaty, not too sweet cookies really goes well with the icing sugar that coats around it. Really nice! Eating these cookies, reminds me of eating whoopie pies, the crispy version!

Crisp Chocolate Bites
(adapted from "The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book")
Makes about 3-1/2 dozen cookies
6 tbsp (3oz/90gm) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 oz (60gm) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup (8oz/250gm) granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup (4oz/125gm) all-purpose (plain) flour
1/4 cup (3/4oz/20gm) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (2oz/60gm) confectioners' (icing) sugar

Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment (baking) paper. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over very low heat, combine the butter and chocolate. Heat, stirring occasionally, just until melted and smooth.

Pour the chocolate mixture in a large bowl and let cool slightly. Stir in the granulated sugar until evenly moistened. Add the egg and vanilla, beating until light and fluffy.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together onto a sheet of waxed paper. Gradually add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Shape the dough into 3/4-inch (2-cm) balls and roll in the confectioners' sugar to coat completely. Place the balls about 1-1/2 inches (4cm) apart on the prepared pans. Bake the cookies until puffed and cracked on top, about 12 minutes. They may appear underdone in the center but will turn crisp as they cool. Let the cookies cool on the pans on wire racks for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to the racks to cool completely.

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To view these Crisp Chocolate Bites that everyone has made, please visit Lena from Frozen Wings and Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids, and all our friends who has baked along with us in the linky below :

For our next Bake-Along, our bake is "Theme : Chiffon Cake". Bake any chiffon cake and link your post to the linky which will start on 10th July until 19th July. Everyone is welcome! 

A friendly reminder when linking to our blog hop :

1. Please mention Bake-Along event in your own post linking direct to any of the hosts' post (Joyce, Lena or Zoe)

2. Please link only new and current post, PLEASE FOLLOW THE BAKE OR THEME provided by us. Unrelated post will be deleted.

3. Feel free to display our Bake-Along badge in your post.

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I'm linking this post to Little Thumbs Up : June 2014 - Butter, organized by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Jozelyn Ng of Spice Up My Kitchen

and Cook-Your-Books #13 @ kitchen flavours

To join our blog hop, click on the link to get the codes :
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Italian Almond Tart : Bake-Along #55

Bake-Along #55, Italian Almond Tart, is selected by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, and I'm so glad that this tart is selected. It is really good.

Almonds and walnuts are two of my most favourite nuts when it comes to baking, and I love most bakes that uses ground almonds. This recipe calls for almond paste, an ingredient that I really like, which makes the bake, moist with nutty almond flavour. I have made my own almond paste, which is really very easy and takes only 5 minutes. To make the almond paste, please refer to my post here.

This tart starts with the pastry which is to be blind bake, partially cooked, before it is spread with the jam and filling for the final baking.

Homemade Almond Paste, which I've used all 264gm. And Homemade Mulberry Jam. Spread an even layer of any of your favourite jam over the base of the partially baked pastry.

The filling is a mixture of the Almond Paste, eggs, butter, flour and sugar. Once the filling is made, spread it out onto the partially baked pastry, over the jam, and sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top. Bake until filling is golden brown and the middle is firm, about 40 minutes. I tent the top with foil at 30 minutes into baking, as the top is browning too fast and the middle is not fully cooked yet. 

This is one yummy almond tart. The filling is moist, very tasty, nutty and very fragrant from the almond paste, slightly sweet and goes well with my homemade Mulberry Jam which is a little tart. The sweetness from the filling and the slight tangy jam blends perfectly together. And the crust pastry is buttery and crispy tender, though if I were to use this for other tart making, I would probably reduce the sugar slightly.

Overall review : Very good! These tarts are suitable for freezing. I freeze the leftovers wrapped in individual cling wrap. Remove cling wrap, thaw,  wrap in aluminium foil and reheat in the oven for about 10 minutes. 

Italian Almond Tart
(adapted from "The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book")
Makes one 9-1/2-inch tart, or 8 servings
Basic Tart Dough (refer below)
1/2 cup (4oz/125gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 lb (250gm) almond paste, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup (2oz/60gm) sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup (2oz/60gm) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (3-1/2oz/105gm) raspberry, plum, or cherry jam
1/3 cup (1-1/2oz/45gm) sliced (flaked) almonds

Roll out the dough disk into a 12-inch (30cm) round. Transfer the dough round to a 9-1/2-inch (24cm) tart pan, preferably with a removable bottom. Trim off any excess dough by gently running a rolling pin across the top of the pan. Press the dough into the sides of the pan so that it extends slightly above the rim. Refrigerate or freeze the tart shell until firm, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 375F (190C). Partially blind bake the tart shell as directed below. Transfer the tart shell to a wire rack. Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven, and reduce the oven temperature to 350F (180C).

In a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed or a whisk, beat the butter until smooth. Add the almond paste, one piece at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. While continuing to beat, sprinkle in the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the flour.

Spread the jam evenly in the bottom of the partially baked tart shell. Spoon in the almond paste mixture and spread evenly over the jam. Sprinkle the surface evenly with the sliced almonds.

Bake until the filling is golden and the middle is firm, 35-40 minutes. Transfer the tart to a wire rack and let cool completely. If using a tart pan with a removable bottom, let the sides fall away, then slide the tart onto a serving plate. Serve at room temperature.

Basic Tart Dough

1 large egg yolk

2 tbsp ice water, plus more if needed

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1-1/4 cups (6-1/2oz/200gm) all-purpose flour

1/3 cup (3oz/90gm) sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup (4oz/125gm) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch (6-mm) cubes

Using the food processor :

In a small bowl, stir together the egg yolk, the 2 tbsp water, and vanilla. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and pulse to blend. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the egg mixture and pulse just until the dough pulls together. If the dough is dry, mix in more water 1 tbsp at a time.

Roll out the dough as directions in the recipe above.

For Blind Baking :
Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 375F (190C). Remove the pastry shell from the refrigerator or freezer. Line with a sheet of aluminium foil or parchment (baking) paper large enough to overhang the sides, patting the foil into the bottom and up the sides. Cover the bottom of the shell with a generous layer of pie weights or raw-short grain rice on top of the foil. The weights help prevent the pastry from shrinking during baking.
For a partially baked pie or tart shell, bake for 20 minutes, then lift an edge of the foil to check the dough. If it looks wet, continue to bake, checking it every 5 minutes, until it is pale gold. The total baking time will be 25-30 minutes.

Almond Paste
For my own record :
To make about 250gm of almond paste :
150gm ground almond
90gm sifted powdered sugar
1 to 1-1/2 tablespoon egg white (adding a little at a time as needed to form a dough)
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/8 tsp salt
Mix everything together and knead to a dough. Use as directed or can be frozen.

To join our blog hop, bake this Italian Almond Tart and link your post to our Bake-Along linky.

Please visit my baking buddies, Lena from Frozen Wings and Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids, and all our friends who has baked along with us in the linky below :

For our next Bake-Along, we will be baking based on a theme. Since Christmas is just round the corner, our theme for Christmas is "Theme : Christmas Log". Bake any Christmas Log and link your post to the our blog-hop linky which will start on 23rd December right up to 31st December. Everyone is welcome! 

A friendly reminder when linking to our blog hop :

1. Please mention Bake-Along event in your own post linking direct to any of the hosts' post (Joyce, Lena or Zoe)

2. Please link only new and current post, related to the current bake or theme provided by us. Unrelated post will be deleted.

3. Feel free to display our Bake-Along badge in your post.

To join our blog hop, click on the link to get the codes :

get the InLinkz code

Brown Sugar-Raisin Bread : Bake-Along #53

It's our Bake-Along week, and for this bake no. 53, it's my turn to select a bake and I've chosen to bake, Brown Sugar-Raisin Bread, together with my baking buddies, Lena and Zoe and anyone who are welcome to bake-along with us.

The full recipe makes 2 loaves, I've made half a recipe for one loaf only. And the instructions are given for the use of a stand mixer, which I have adapted for the dough to be mixed by using the bread machine instead. The liquid ingredients are placed at the bottom of the bread pan, flour is spooned over covering the liquids, salt is added to one corner of the pan, sugar to another corner, make an indentation in the centre of the flour and add in the dry active yeast. Select Basic Dough Cycle. Press Start. When machine beeps about 15 minutes later, add in the raisins gradually. 

When the machine has done with the full cycle (about 1 hour 35 minutes), right up to the first rising, remove dough, roll it out to a 8 x 12 inch rectangle, scatter the mixture of cinnamon powder and brown sugar all over, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Roll up tightly, press the seams to seal, and place in a greased loaf pan, cover loosely with greased cling wrap, let rise until about 1-inch above rim of pan. Remove cling wrap and bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack.

I'm sure you can imagine the aroma of the cinnamon while the bread is in the oven! Smells really good! The bread bakes up a nice golden brown.

This bread has a soft and moist texture, not the fluffy kind of soft, but with a light dense and soft texture, very nice. The raisins and the cinnamon-sugar combination makes it a lovely sweet bread, good enough eaten on it's own, it does not need anything else to go with it, but just a cup of hot black coffee or hot tea.

Brown Sugar-Raisin Bread
(adapted from "The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book")
Makes two 9-by-5inch loaves
1 tbsp active dry yeast
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1-1/4 cups (10 fl oz/310ml) warm water (105-115F/40-46C)
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
1 tbsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
6 to 6-1/4 cups (30-31oz/940-970gm) bread flour, plus extra as needed
3/4 cup (4-1/2 oz/140gm) golden raisins (sultanas)
3/4 cup (4-1/2 oz/140gm) dark raisins

For the filling :
2/3 cup (5oz/155gm) firmly packed light brown sugar mixed with 4-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

In a bowl, sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of the granulated sugar over 1/2 cup (4fl oz/125ml) of the water and stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the remaining water, the milk, melted butter, remaining granulated sugar, salt, egg and 2 cups (10 oz/315gm) of the flour. Beat on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the yeast mixture and 1/2 cup (2-1/2 oz/75gm) of the flour and beat for 1 minute. Add the raisins, then beat in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the bowl sides. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on medium-low speed, adding flour 1 tbsp at a time if the dough sticks, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a greased deep bowl and turn to coat it with the oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of two 9-by-5 inch loaf pans. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough in half and roll or pat each half into an 8-by-12 inch (20 x 30-cm) rectangle. Lightly sprinkle each rectangle with half of the filling, leaving a 1-inch (2.5cm) border on all sides. Beginning at a narrow end, tightly roll up each rectangle into a compact log. Pinch the ends and the long seam to seal in the filling. Place each log, seam side down, in a prepared pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until about 1 inch (2.5cm) above the rim of each pan, 1-1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Bake until the loaves are golden brown and pull away from the pan sides, 35-40 minutes. Turn out onto racks and let cook completely.

#99/100

To join our blog hop, bake this bread and link your post to our Bake-Along linky.

Please visit my baking buddies, Lena from Frozen Wings and Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids, and all our friends who has baked along with us in the linky below :

For our next Bake-Along, we will be baking based on a theme, "Theme : Tuiles". You may bake any Tuiles recipe of your choice,  and link your post to the our blog-hop linky which will start on 28th October right up to 6th November. Everyone is welcome! 

A friendly reminder when linking to our blog hop :

1. Please mention Bake-Along event in your own post linking direct to any of the hosts' post (Joyce, Lena or Zoe)

2. Please link only new and current post, related to the current bake or theme provided by us. Unrelated post will be deleted.

3. Feel free to display our Bake-Along badge in your post.

To join our blog hop, click on the link to get the codes :

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Classic Cinnamon Rolls : Bake-Along #49

Bake-Along #49 is Classic Cinnamon Rolls, recipe from The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book, chosen by my baking buddy, Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids. 

The dough is initially mixed in the stand mixer, then I remove it halfway through and continue the kneading by hand. The dough is soft and needs some sprinkling of flour now and then. I use the full amount of flour as indicated in the recipe, 4 cups exactly. I did reduce the sugar as I find that it contains quite a lot of sugar. Refer to my adjustments in blue from the recipe below. The dough rises really fast, in less than an hour, it has already risen to more than doubled in size. I did not check on it earlier and was rather surprised to see that it has risen so well.

The sweet sticky glaze at the bottom of the pan is a mixture of brown sugar, melted butter and corn syrup, these are mix to a paste and spread over the bottom of the pan.

The dough are rolled to a rectangular, spread with raisins, I have used golden raisins and did not soak the raisins as specified in the recipe. Press the raisins lightly into the dough and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture all over. Roll the dough up tightly and cut into 16 pieces. Place the rolls, cut side up on the prepared baking pan. Recipe calls for 2 pans of 9" diameter to fit 7 rolls each. I thought of using a 10" square pan and fit everything in, by making 16 rolls instead of 14. But the pan is not big enough for all 16 rolls, I could fit in only 12 and the balance 4 rolls are baked in a small pan.

Leave the rolls to rise, covered until doubled in bulk. Brush with melted butter just before baking.

These rolls smells so cinnamony nice while they are baking in the oven. I can't wait for it to finish baking!  Once they are golden brown and cooked, remove them to a wire rack to cool.

The bottom of the rolls, so gooey and sticky and yummy!

These rolls are so delicious! The bread is soft and so good with the sticky gooey glaze. Even though I've reduced the sugar, I still find it a little sweet, but then gooey sticky cinnamon rolls are supposed to be sweet! I'm glad I reduced the sugar, may reduce it a little bit more when I make this the next time. All the rolls are gone by the next day! I love the raisins, coated with the cinnamon-sugar mixture is yummy, I've enjoyed picking up the ones that has dropped off from the rolls! :)

Please visit my baking buddies, Lena from Frozen Wings and Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids, and all our friends who has baked along with us in the linky below :

For our next Bake-Along, we will be baking based on a theme where our theme is "Theme : Rugelach". You may bake any Rugelach recipe of your choice and link your post to the our blog-hop linky which will start on  29th August right up to 7th September. Everyone is welcome! 

A friendly reminder when linking to our blog hop :

1. Please mention Bake-Along event in your own post linking direct to any of the hosts' post (Joyce, Lena or Zoe)

2. Please link only new and current post, related to the current bake or theme provided by us. Unrelated post will be deleted.
3. Feel free to display our Bake-Along badge in your post.

Classic Cinnamon Rolls
(adapted from "The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book")
1/4 cup (60 ml) warm water (110-115°F / 43-46°C)
1/2 cup (125g) plus 1 tsp granulated sugar (I use 1/3 cup)
2-1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
3-1/2 to 4 cups (545-625g) all-purpose flour (I use 4 cups bread flour)
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 large egg yolks
1 cup (250 ml) warm whole milk (110-115°F / 43-46°C)
1 1/2 cups (330 g) firmly packed light brown sugar (I use 1 cup)
6 tbsp (90 g) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup (155 g) light corn syrup (I use 3 tbsp)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (90 g) raisins, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes, drained, and squeezed dry

In a bowl, combine the warm water and 1 tsp granulated sugar. Sprinkle with the yeast and let stand for 2 minutes, then swirl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Spread the butter over the bottom and halfway up the sides of a large bowl. In another large bowl, combine 3 1/2 cups (545 g) of the flour, the 1/2 cup (125 g) granulated sugar (I use 1/3 cup), and the salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture, egg yolks, and warm milk. Slowly mix together until the dough can be formed into a large ball. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Knead, sprinkling with the remaining flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Gather the dough into a ball, place in the buttered bowl, and turn to coat all sides with butter. Cover with a kitchen towel. Set in a warm, draft-free place and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

In a bowl, mix 3/4 cup (185 g) of the brown sugar (I use 1/2 cup), 2 tbsp of the melted butter, and the corn syrup (I use 3 tbsps) to a smooth paste. Scoop half into each of two 9-inch (23-cm) round cake pans and spread over the bottoms. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining brown sugar  (I use 1/2 cup) and the cinnamon.

Punch down the dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll into a 10-by-18-inch (25 x 45 cm) rectangle. Brush with 2 tbsp of the melted butter. Scatter with the raisins, pressing them in lightly. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Starting at one long edge, roll the dough tightly into a cylinder. Cut off and discard the rough ends. Cut the cylinder crosswise into 14 rounds. Place 1 round in the center of each pan. Arrange the remaining rounds around it. Cover and let the dough rounds rise until doubled, 45-60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Brush the rolls with the remaining melted butter. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Place a wire rack over each pan and invert the rolls. Let cool and break apart to serve.

#72/100

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Banana Nut Bread : Free And Easy Bake-Along #40

It's my turn to select for our Bake-Along, and I've chosen Banana Nut Bread. I thought that we could do with something simple and nice, and this looks very simple. This is not actually a bread, to me the texture is somewhere between a bread and a cake. It certainly does not have the texture of a bread, so I guess it is closer to a cake, but again, this is much denser than a regular cake. 

Looks like a loaf cake to me, by the  crack on the crust, like most loaf cakes has. Whatever it is, this is quite nice. I made a couple of changes to the recipe as follows :

• Firstly, as usual, I reduced the sugar, from original 250gm to 170gm. For me, I could further reduce the sugar by perhaps another 30gm or so.
• Next, I substituted the buttermilk with a mixture of homemade yoghurt and milk. 
• I noticed that the measurement for the flour in cups and grams are very confusing. In the recipe, it was written as 2 cups is 315gm, whereby the standard measurement for 1 cup of flour is anywhere between 113gm to 140gm, but I have always used 125gm for a cup of all-purpose flour. So here, I have used 250gm and not 315gm as stated in the recipe. 
• I have reduced the bicarbonate of soda by half.
• I've added 1/3 cup of golden raisins as I love raisins in banana cakes. I was planning to soak the raisins in some rum, but have completely forgotten about it. 
• I've added 1 tsp of vanilla extract.

It smells lovely while it was baking in the oven.  The texture is dense, soft and moist. Chunks of sweet smelling banana is scatttered throughout the cake, with the nutty walnuts and flavour from the golden raisins makes a very nice combo. 

I had a slice for breakfast the next day, and the flavour has further improved, as it tasted much better.

A thick slice with a cup of warm tea, would keep you energized for your busy mornings!

Please visit my baking buddies, Lena from Frozen Wings and Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids, and all our friends who has baked along with us in the linky below :

Our next bake will be based on a theme, Theme : Turnovers. You may bake any sweet or savoury turnovers, your pick! The linky will start on 20th March right up to 29th March. Do join us, everyone's welcome.

A friendly reminder when linking to our blog hop :

1. Please mention Bake-Along event in your own post linking direct to any of the hosts' post (Joyce, Lena or Zoe)

2. Please link only new and current post, related to the current bake or theme provided by us. Unrelated post will be deleted.
3. Feel free to display our Bake-Along badge in your post.

Banana Nut Bread
(adapted from "The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book")
Makes one 9 by 5-inch loaf
6 tbsp (90gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (250gm) sugar (I use 170gm)
2 or 3 very ripe bananas, coarsely mashed (about 1-1/2 cups / 280gm)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk (I use a mixture of yoghurt and milk)
2 cups (315gm) all-purpose flour (I use 250gm)
1 tsp baking soda (I use 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup (90gm) coarsely chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts (I use walnuts)
1/3 cup golden raisins (my addition)
1 tsp vanilla extract (my addition)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Grease and lightly flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the bananas and eggs (and vanilla extract, if using) and beat until smooth. Add the buttermilk and beat just until combined.
3. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, salt and nuts (and raisins, if using). Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and beat just until combined. The batter should be slightly lumpy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. It should be no more than two-thirds full. Bake until the top is dark golden brown and dry to the touch and the edges pull away from the pan sides, about 55-60 minutes. A cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into thick slices to serve.

Storage tip : Wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature overnight or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

#20/100

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