Starbucks Banana Bread Recipe

This is always the winner of office snack.
I found this amazing recipe via Food.com
Again, I like changing up the recipe just to see the result.
Love it!

Bake it on your Sunday night and bring it to work on a busy Monday.

Ingredients:
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Egg
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Melted Butter
2 tsp Yogurt (Plain or any flavor)
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
3 Ripe Bananas, mashed
1/2 Cup Walnuts, chopped

How-to:
1. Mix butter, salt, sugar, vanilla extra along with the bananas
2. Add egg and yogurt, mix for 30 sec
3. Add dry ingredients to the mixture: flour and baking soda until combined
4. Spray oil onto the baking pan, add mixture and sprinkle walnuts on top
5. Bake 325'F 45-60 min

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Falls Afternoon tea party

Felt like baking once again.
This time I did not prepare much.
I did not have a menu; I did not plan for decoration; I did not remember I invited my friends over till the morning.
After I got up, I spent one hour in grocery store,
grabbed all the key ingredients for a tea party.

I realized people actually prefer to have more savory than sweet in the afternoon.
So I got puff pastry, filos, asparagus, Italian aged prosciutto, a baguette and fresh Cali strawberries.


All time cake
Something I always have at home are sugar, egg and flour
First thing I made, was to make the sponge cake batter,
pour half in one mold (6")
and then add 2 Tsp of cocoa powder to the other half to create another chocolate flavour sponge cake (6").
Bake!
When they are done, let cool
Use whip cream and strawberry to decorate

Asparagus filo pie
In the meanwhile, I cook 4 mini potatoes in microwave for 3 mins
Very easy, wash the potatoes, cover them and set your microwave timer.
Smashed them with 1/3 cup of cheese and 1/4 of 35% cream,
I like the skin so I just leave them inside
Oh! I secretly added 1 egg too
Give it a magical pinch of salt and pepper.

Next, butter down some filo on a pie mold (I used about 3Tsp of melted butter and 6 layers of filo)
spread your yummy smashed potato inside.
One last step, lay the beautiful asparagus on the potato bed
Bake 360'F until its golden.
Let cool for 30min before removing from the mold
tare prosciutto on top before serving

Turkey salad sandwich, in French style!
Next thing I did, was to cut up 1/2 a cup of cooked turkey breast with SCISSORS(Thanksgiving was only a few days ago, Why not using them!?)
save your time cleaning a knife and cutting board, wink wink!
To season them, use 1/2 Tsp of whole grain Dijon mustard, 1.5 Tsp of mayo
I just made a quick turkey salad
let the turkey salad, roman lettuce and tomato to dance inside the baguette
(You could use some butter on the bread, they are best friend forever!)

Raspberry cheesecake mini pastries
By this time, my two cakes and asparagus pie are done,
I took half a brick of cream cheese (125g) and mix with 2 Tsp of homemade raspberry jam
Some lemon juicy if you like
Cut the puff pastry into squares( about 3"X3"),
fill them with the brilliant cheese cake-like-filling
I made triangles with them
Use the fork to close all sides,
poke a few holes on top to allow the steam to escape
Brush egg wash on top, sprinkle a little sugar to make them pretty
360'F Bake until golden.

I was done within 3.5 hours.
All my friends had a great time!
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Cheese Sticks!

They are my experiment.
I was baking some French Baguette but I thought maybe I want cheese inside.
I have a big chunk of Canadian Havarti Cheese sleeping in my refrigerator and thought I should stuff some of this in my baguette before they go bad.
I follow the French Baguette recipe
Divide the dough into quarters instead of halves.
Roll chunks of yummy cheese inside. ( you can use chedder or other kind of aged cheese)
I did the 3 cuts on the top just like regular baguette too,
that can allow the steam to come out.
I also grill the bread in the oven for extra 1 min to give it a golden, more appetite look.

After they are baked, you will notice the bottom of the bread is very crispy because of the cheese oil.
This is very tasty as is.
I did not wait for it to cool and finished half a stick right the way.
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Chinese Steam Buns (Custard)

Have you try this at a Dimsum restaurant?
Since I was a kid, my family have always order this bun right after we are seated.
We do not see the Custard bun as dessert.
Beacuse when you are very full your stomach would not have space for this yummy sweet bun.
Now you can make it at home too.



Remember the left over Old bun dough from the Bokchoi Bun?
There should be 100g left in your refridgerator
Which is perfect to make another Bun dough for this recipe
Visit Bokchoi Bun recipe for review
However, I didn't use oil in this dough for a super smooth texture

The filling is what make it different.



Custard filling Recipe:
Milk 180g
Sugar 75g
Salt a pinch
Unsalted Butter 50g
Egg 2
Custard powder 15g
Corn starch 25g
Pastry flour 30g
Salted Egg yolk 1 (chopped) they are available in many Asian supermarket, if there isn't one near you, you can make them at home, Recipe link at recipeland.com

1- Add butter, salt, sugar and milk in a pot, bring it to small bubble, turn the heat off
2- In the mean while, mix egg, custard powder, corn starch and pastry flour with a piano whisk
3- Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture and whisk till all combined
4- Transfer everything back to the pot with the salted egg yolk, on a low heat, whisk untill the heat bring the mixture into a paste, let cool before using

In this bun recipe, divide your dough to 12 small piece, using the same method of wrapping the bun, you will stuff about 2 Tsp of filling into the bun.

Turn the ruffles side down and stick it with a parchment paper
So you will have a nice round shape for this sweet bun
I hope you enjoy it =)


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Chinese Steam Buns! (BokChoi)

I tried to use another method to make the Chinese steam bun dough this time.
I found a pretty cool recipe at Carol's blog.
But another Carol who also loves cooking.
If you are interested in reading the original recipe,
you may read her blog at http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/carol-jay/
However, her blog is only available in Chinese.
Don't worry, I am going to share the recipe here from my cooking.

This dough is different than the earlier recipe I used for the Veggie Bun
This is more chewy and more of a North Eastern China style.
Try it to see if you like it!

The dough using the combination of two different kind of doughs to create a smooth fluffy texture

A) Old Bun Dough base Recipe:(makes about 200g)
All purpose flour 120g
Instant dry yeast 1/2 tsp
Sugar a pinch
Warm water 90g (original recipe used 80g, since it is very dry in Ontario I am using a little more)
Salt a pinch

1- Add yeast and sugar into the warm water, stir to dissolve, let it sit for 5min
2- Mix salt with flour, make a hole in the middle, using the back of the wooden spoon or a chopstick to stir in the yeast water
3- Knead for 5-6 min, then form the dough into a ball with smooth surface
4- Spray some water on the dough, cover in a container, let it raise in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours or over night

According to the site you can keep it in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days or in the freezer for longer, remember to defrost it 1 day ahead before using


B) The main Bun Dough:
Old Bun Dough base 100g
All purpose flour 300g
Instant yeast 1/2 tsp
Warm Milk 180g
Sugar 20g
Oil 30g
Salt a pinch

1- Warm the milk for 20 sec in the microwave, stir in yeast, sit for 5min
2- Mix flour, sugar and salt in a big bowl, make a hole in the middle and pour the yeast mixture and oil, stir until combined
3- Add the old bun dough base, knead for 7-8min
4- Roll into a big ball, spray some water and cover for 1.5 hour


C)Prepare the BokChoi stuffing:
Ground pork 1Lb (you can substitute with other kind of ground meat or 1.5 cups of scramble eggs for vegan)
BokChoi 2cups (uncooked)
Ginger 3slices (finely chopped)
Small carrot 1 (peeled and finely chopped)
Mushroom 4-5 (chopped, optional)
Corn starch 1Tsp
Soy sauce 3 Tsp
Salt 1tsp
Sugar 1Tsp
Oil 1Tsp
Rice wine 1Tsp (optional)
White pepper a pinch

1- After all the chopping, wash your Bokchoi a few times because they usually have a lot of sands, I suggest to cut them in halves to get the inside clean too
2- Put your clean Bokchoi in a microwaveable bowl (they are already drained, but still wet, we are taking the advantage of it to cook them in microwave), cover with a microwave lid or microwaveable plastic wrap, heat it up for 2min
3- Let it cool for 5min before handling the Bokchoi, chop them finely and squeeze all the liquid out, discard the liquid
4- Now mix all the ingredients with the Bokchoi, set it aside



Assemble the Bun!
1- Before you start making the yummy buns, you will need to cut 18 small squares of parchment paper, around 5cm X 5cm
2- Dust some flour on the surface where you are going to roll the dough, make sure your hand is always dusted with flour too
3- Punch off the air of the dough in its bowl, move it to the working surface, roll it to a long rope
4- Divide the dough into 18 small pieces, put them back into the bowl and cover with a wet towel before using
5- Take the dough out one at a time, roll into a ball and then roll it to a 8cm round shape
6- Now put about 1 Tsp of your stuffing in the middle of the dough, slowly gather the edge together by making small ruffles
7- Place the bun on a parchment paper, keep them on a plate cover with wet towel before steaming, which allow the bun to rise for another 30min while you are making other ones
8- Steam the buns for 12min on high heat, remember to give each of them some space because the steam does the magic and the buns will double their size after cooked
9- The trick to keep the buns nice and fluffy with a smooth surface: is to leave a small gap open after 8min on the steaming process. At 12min, turn off the heat and allow the buns to remain there for extra 3min, at this time the lid is still covered with a small gap to allow the extra steam to come out. This way the buns are slowly changing its temperature and will not shrink.


I have also found a video on youtube,
it shows you how easy you can close the bun


Hey everyone wants a bigger bun! Thanks for sharing the tip Carol :)
I hope you all enjoy the recipe.
Also, I would like to ask you what kind of bun will you want to try next month?
Leave a comment below and I will try my best to create a recipe for it.

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Raisin Bread

I am posting more bread recipes for you who has no bread machine.
Because I don't too, haha
And I also kind of enjoy the kneading process of bread making.
So here is a Raisin bread recipe.
From this last baking experience,
this dough is very moist,
I believe it will be easier to make and separate the dough into 2 different baking pans.

Recipe:
Instant dry yeast 2tsp
Warm water 100g

All purpose flour 380g
Sugar 45g
Salt a pinch
Water 100ml
Egg 1
Milk powder 1tsp

Melted butter 20g
Raisin 80g (soak in water for 10min, drain)

1- Add dry yeast to the warm water, stir and let it sit for 5min
2- Mix flour, sugar, salt, mix powder in a large bowl, make a hole in the center and add water, egg and yeast mixture, stir with the back of a wooden spoon
3- When they are all combined, use your hand to form the dough into a ball, brush a large bowl with the butter, place the dough inside and cover up with plastic wrap, let it rise for 1 hour
4- Punch all the air out, make it into 2 ball, reshape, cover up and let it rise for 15min
5- Next, roll out the dough on a floured surface, add raisin and roll up into a loaf, put in the bread baking pan and let rise for 30min
6- Brush egg wash on the dough (optional) Bake 360'F for 20min
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French Baguette

Oh the bread make your house smell so good
The crust on the outside and the softness from the inside
Picture the garlic spread on a toasted baguette, YUMMY!

So lets make it without a bread machine
Recipe:
Instant dry yeast 5g
Warm water 180ml ( I used tap water)
Sugar 1pinch
Bread Flour 300g
Oil 1Tsp
Salt 6g
Corn starch 1Tsp + Water 210ml

1- Add dry yeast and sugar to the warm water, stir and let it sit for 5min
2- Bread flour in a large bowl, make a hole in the middle and stir in the yeast mixture with the back of a wooden spoon or a wooden chopstick
3- Use your hand and knead the dough till you get a smooth surface, around 5min
4- Grase a large bowl with oil, place the dough inside, cover up with plastic wrap, sit in a warm place for 2 hours
5- Sprinkle flour on the working surface, punch all the air out off the dough, cut it in halves, roll into a ball, and flatten it to 0.5cm thick, roll it up again to form a long baguette shape
6- Place the 2 baguette on a baking sheet, sprinkle some water, let it rise for 1 hour
7- Before baking, make 3 smooth cut on the bread, brush corn starch mixture on the bread, repeat brushing the bread every 5min, bake 360'f for 15min
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Mickey Mouse Cheese Scone

They are not from Disneyland!
They are from Carolicious Bakery ^^
I got the Mickey cookie cutter from Tokyo's Disneyland..
I have always love the bakery in the park,
so this time, I decided to make a million of them from my kitchen!
They have tons of cheese in it,
even my brother and his friends love them
(normally, they don't eat my bake goods!)
I am very happy of the result, baking more and more next week =)
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Panda Loaf

This is my very first loaf of bread,
I made it without bread machine,
the texture and taste were both right,
just that the panda face is not, hehe..
I should try again whenever I finish my loaf =)
No-bread machine recipe will be posted soon



This recipe was original found here
You can see a successful panda loaf picture on the site
It also walk you throught step by step, very clear
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Chinese Mini Buns (Ham & Corn, Curry Potato)

This is really a battle with buns..
Since my mom always buy this kind of buns in bakery,
I thought maybe I can make that with my favour stuffing




Recipe:
Dough:
Dry yeast 8g
Warm water 180ml
Bread flour 400g
Egg 1
Sugar 60g
Salt 1/2 tsp
Egg wash

1-Add dry yeast and sugar to the water, sit for 5min, stir
2-Make a hole in the middle of the flour, add yeast and a beaten egg
3-Neat until it form a dough
4-Hold on to one end of the dough, lift it high and swing it (repeat this step for about 5 times)
5-Round the dough into a ball, oil a big bowl, cover up with plastic wrap and rest the dough for 1 hr
6-Punch the dough and allow the air comes out
7-Divide the dough into 16 small pieces, make them to little balls, cover up with plastic wrap for 15 min
8-Stuff each dough with about 1.5 Tsp of your choice of cooked filling, close the dough from the edge, the closing side down, cover up and rest for another 40min
9-Brush egg wash lightly on the buns, Bake 350'F 15min

Ham & Corn stuffing: (for 8 mini buns)
Frozen corn 1/2cup
Ham 3 slice (cut in small squares)
Butter 1tsp
Salt & Pepper (you want a stronger taste because it is a stuffing)

1-Add butter to the pan, medium heat
2-When the butter melt, add corn, cook for 2min
3-Add ham, salt and pepper, cook for another 1min

Curry Potato stuffing: (for 8 mini buns)
Yukon gold potato 1 (diced, about 1cm)
Onion 1/2 (chopped finely)
Curry powder 1/2tsp
Chili (optional)
Salt & Pepper
Veg oil 1Tsp
Water 1/3cup

1-Add oil and sautee the onion, once it soften up, add potato, cook for 3min
2-Season with curry powder, chili, salt and pepper, stir and make sure all the potato is coated
3-On low heat, add water, cook untill the potato drys again


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