Double Starch

Hahaha....made sweet potato bread just the other day...turned out pretty good.  I called it double starched bread....just because it contained two forms of starch.

Usually the bread dough gets really sticky when making sweet potato based bread.  This is due to the high moisture in sweet potato. So, I normally bake my sweet potatoes before mashing them.

I made two loaves of bread using two medium size sweet potatoes.  Quantity wise---probably 11/2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes is rather on the heavier side.  Most recipe asked for 1 cup only.  But I really want to max out the flavor of sweet potatoes in the bread.  For this reason, this particular bread was very sticky.  Thank god for Kitchen Aid mixer...hahaha!!!  Machinery makes a messy job containable.  Though, I personally like to play with bread dough.  I kind of like the feeling of kneading soft dough.  Hahaha!!!

Anyway, I used about 6 cups of flour for this recipe, 1 tablespoon of yeast, 1/3 cups of butter (though I sometimes substitute with vegetable oil), 2 tablespoon of honey (also can be substituted with sugar), 1 tablespoon of salt, and about 11/2 to 13/4 cups of liquid.  The key to this bread is the moisture since the sweet potatoes may contain more moisture sometimes, then adjustments must be made.  Of course, if substitution of oil instead or water or honey with sugar took place then the water level needed to be adjusted as well.

Anyway, after getting my sticky dough kneaded into a smooth dough, I took it out of the mixer and plopped it into an oil bowl.  When the dough rose to wise its size, punched down and divide it into two.  Shaped them into logs and leave them in the 9" loaf pans for second rise.  Once they are ready, baked in preheated over at 400 C for 15 min and then at 350 C for 25 min.

Here is the result.....

Super Delicious Monster Buns

The kids and I had a chance to make something interesting just the other day.  A good project to have, might I add.  Anyway, they love eating chinese steam buns.  Actually, the ones without anything inside.  So, one of my friend had recommended sweet potatoes steam buns, so, I decided to give it a try.

The process is quite easy.  First, the main ingredient---sweet potatoes.  I decided to bake them instead of steaming or boiling them to reduce the water content.  In addition, baking may increase the concentration of the taste.  After the potatoes are cooked, it was time for smashing.  At this point, the kids try to help, but it is always easier to do it myself since it is quite critical to get it smash while still hot.

Then, mix the smashed potatoes into the floor with yeast, sugar and water (also any juice left over from the potatoes).  Once the dough is formed, knead a few times until smooth and let rise.  When the dough has risen twice its size, punch down and divide it into small portions.

This is where the fun begins for the kids.  I let their creativity run wild here....

Then let it rise for 10 to 15 minutes before steaming which usually takes about 10 to 12 minutes.

Fuchan | WritersCafe.org

Fuchan | WritersCafe.org

Christmas and New Year!

I welcomed the new year with a cold....

Since Christmas, I had been busy with cleaning and cooking, getting ready for Shogatsu (New Year Celebration).  Of course, before that, I got a little busy with Christmas celebration.  Although, we don't really make that a big celebration, we still managed to bake a cake and roast ducks. :p

The preparation for the cake was rather tedious...since I decided to make Mont Blanc.  A chestnut cream cake which I absolutely love while staying in Kobe, Japan.  I had been craving for this cake for a while no.  Where I am at now, there is no way for me to even buy Mont Blanc.  That is what I get for staying in a small town....hahaha!!!

Anyway, I finally made my husband to look up the recipe for maron cream so that I can make it myself.  I attempted making it before Christmas, just so, I can experiment with it a little.  The cream didn't turn out the way I like, or I should say it didn't turn out the way it was sold in cake shops in Kobe.  Hahaha.....

But for the second try, which was the one I made for Christmas, it actually turned out quite well.  I wouldn't go as far as saying that it was like the ones I had in Kobe, but it was close enough to satisfy my cravings for a while....hehehe!!!

With maron cream at hand, I baked genoise (sponge cake), whipped up some cream and sweetened a few chestnuts, and I was ready to dress my cake.

Here is the end result: