Baking Quest: Breads & Cookies

Over the weeks I have been baking a fair amount. Just baking. *Blogging not included.

Because of the huge backlog of Baking Quests I have collected.. I decided to just fit them all in a single post. More pictures, less words. But remember, a picture's worth a thousand words! *grins*

2 February:
My first attempt at bread! I used flour that Uncle Simon brought over from UK; it was Allison's Wholemeal Seed & Grain Bread Flour.

The loaf turned out rather dense and mummy didn't quite like it. Jer thought it was alright and best eaten as toast. For a first attempt, it turned out better than I expected. Especially since I just couldn't figure out what "tacky dough" feels or even looks like.

Verdict : looks good, tastes normal (edible), but failed my family test (Mummy didn't like the taste at all).


22 February:
Twenty days later, I returned to the wonderful making of bread. I was banned from baking during the Chinese New Year period.

"We need to space for all the New Year goodies and food, so don't make anything. No space for you."

It was fine by me. Not baking meant that I could see Jer over skype, where he was all the way over in the Southern Hemisphere. Yes, I have embarked on a journey commonly called "The Long Distance Relationship". But that shall be for a separate post. Now, on to the Wholemeal Seed & Grain Bread with Apricots.

Oh I got this loaf a little charred on the crust. Regardless, it was a wonderful success. Over the 20 days, I did a lot more homework and research. I compared with several recipes and came up with one that was theoretically and imaginatively feasible to work with. It turned out to be a rather small loaf though. haha.. But mummy ate it! She liked how there was apricots in it. Darren felt that there wasn't enough apricots though. meh~

Verdict: the slightly charred crust wasn't very helpful in terms of looks, but it didn't affect the nice apricot taste. & I passed the family test!


27 February:
Another shot at the Wholemeal Seed & Grain Bread. This time, I threw in apricots and sliced almonds.

Verdict: tastes just as good as it looks. & I passed the family test with flying colors! (Daddy brought the rest to office on Monday & he called me just to tell me it's all gone. *grins*)


5 March:
A few slices from the previous loaf I made, wound up in my Aunt's tummy. A few days later.. she started asking..
"Where's that bread with fruit and nuts? No no, not the multi-grain one. The one with fruits."
At which mummy & I looked at each other and asked her.. "The one with apricots and almonds?" ..

It's a wonderful feeling knowing that people like what I bake / make. So I told my Aunt I'll make another loaf. & here's that loaf I promised.

Truthfully, I made an apricot & almond loaf before this cranberry loaf. But I didn't like how the first loaf turned out. & because I take my promises seriously, I went on to make another loaf. All the apricots I had left went into the first loaf. There was nothing but cranberries left. I am not a cranberry eater. They just don't go well with my set of taste buds. So I really don't know how this loaf is like. Well, Mich & Soph said it was nice.. and my cousin was telling me the cranberry bread was really good. So.. I suppose it tastes awesome enough. haha!


10 March:
Checkerboard Freezer Cookies. Nothing special about their taste. They just look pretty and taste decent.

11 March:
I was dying to bake some cookies. Actual cookies. Jer used to make me cookies with oats and things I don't usually eat (I love every batch of his cookies regardless of what's in it). I didn't have any oats though, so I settled on making the classic cookie. Chocolate Chip Cookies!

For my first attempt, not bad! haha. Although it was a tad sweet (or according to Mich, salty > sweet). These cookies pass the family test too! Cause my eldest brother snacked on them while watching a Korean drama. hehe~ *grins*

Mailed to Wilson~ （＾-＾）

12 March:
Little ones for Daddy's fishing trip. Wholemeal Seed & Grain Buns / Rolls with Cranberries.

They turned out rather.. hardy. So I was thinking.. The next time I make bread, I shall let it rise once instead of twice. Usually, I let the dough rise for about an hour after kneading. Then, I'll shape it into a loaf and let it rise again (this time, in the loaf pan) for another 30 minutes or so. I wonder what happens if I just let it rise once. Hmm.. .. (´^｀)ゞ


14 March:
Another batch of freezer cookies. These were made on the 10th, but they're freezer cookies! I took them out of the freezer to bake for White Day. After all, this year's ホワイトデー, like Valentines' Day, was over Skype.

Checkered Cookies for White Day..

mouse over to bake them!

mouse over to bake them!

I baked the cookies while waiting for the bread dough to rise.. haha. Cookies on demand. (≧∇≦)/

Was supposed to give this loaf to Mich's dad. But It turned out rather dense and damp? I had the loaf in the oven a min or two before I realized I forgot to slash the top. Had to side slash it in the oven without burning myself. *sigh* Looks good.. but the taste was simply.. meh~ (╯︵╰,)


21 March:
Cut out brownies, perfect as ice-cream sandwiches! They're rather easy to work with. Just need to take note of how thin you're rolling the dough out. It's best to have them at about 1/8 to 1/4 inch.

I have not gotten any feedback for these cookies. Largely because I keep telling people to have it with ice cream. Heh~


22 March:
The cookie jar was emptied & fresh new cookies went right in. Peanut Butter Cookies with some oats. I think they could do with more oats and peanut butter though.

23 March:
My cousin wanted to watch me do pâte à choux again. She couldn't quite pull it off back at home. *shrug*

empty lil' puffs waiting to be filled with freshly made durian cream

I poured out a little more whipping cream than usual to make some red bean puffs. But I forgot.. So all the sieved durian flesh went into the whipped cream. And obviously, it ended up a little too creamy for my liking. Hahaha. Oh well! Everyone who tried the puffs said they were good. Yay!



Would you like to have some too? :)