Sunday, August 21, 2011

European Crusty Plain Bread-No Knead Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups bread flour (I like Harvest King bread flour)
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon fine table salt (or 3/4 tablespoon of kosher salt)
1 1/2 cups warm water

Method:
1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Slowly add water into the bowl and at the same time use your hand to mix them. Leave about 30cc of the water aside.
3. After mixing them all together, continue to add the rest of the water. Keep on mixing them until they are not watery.
4. Prepare a bowl and put the dough in there. Use a cling wrap to cover the top. Leave it inside the microwave for 12-16 hours.
5. After it's raised, you can see a lot of bubbles

6. Spread some flour on the kitchen counter. Use a spoon to get the dough out of the bowl and place it on the counter. Spread some flour on top of the dough.
7. Use a roller to get rid of the bubbles and make a big round shape. Then fold the right side to the centre and the left side to the centre.
8. Cover it with cling wrap and let it sit for another 15 mins.


9. Make the dough round. See the pic below. You press down the dough and then turn it around and press down again until it's a round shape.
10. Prepare a container and place the round shape dough in there. Cover it with a clean cloth for 1.5 hrs.


11. When there's 30 mins remaining, put the baking tray in the oven. Preheat the oven to 430F.
12. When it's preheated, take the baking tray out. Place the dough into the tray and cover with foil. (I don't have bread making containers, so this is my method. If you do, you can go ahead and use it.)
13. Bake 30 mins. Then remove the foil and continue to bake for another 10 mins or until they become dark brown colour.

14. Take them out and let it cool first.
15. Below I'll show how to cut these type of crusty bread. (This time I also made the whole wheat crusty bread. http://carolcooking.blogspot.com/2011/08/european-blueberry-and-walnut-bread-no.html)


Friday, August 12, 2011

European Blueberry and Walnut Bread-No Knead Bread


I am so glad that I know how to make this type of bread now. This is one of my favourite western breads. I love the texture of it. Outside it's crunchy and inside is soft with a bit of rum flavour. Because it's also a whole wheat bread with nuts, it's healthy for you.

Ingredients:
All purpose flour-330g (3cups)
Whole wheat flour-60g (1/2 cup)
Salt-1/4 teaspoon
Instant yeast -1/2 teaspoon
Water-300ml
Sugar-2 teaspoon
Dried Blueberry-6 teaspoon
Walnut-60 g


Method:
1. Cut walnut into small pieces.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, except the blueberry and walnut. 
3. Slowly add water into the bowl and at the same time use your hand to mix them. Leave about 30cc of the water aside.
4. After mixing them all together, continue to add the rest of the water. Keep on mixing them until they are not watery.
5. Add blueberry and walnut into the dough. Spread them evenly.
6. Prepare a bowl and put the dough in there. Use a cling wrap to cover the top. Leave it inside the microwave for 12-16 hours. (Don't let it rise for too long, otherwise it will become rum bread.)

7. After it's all raised, you can see a lot of bubbles and there will be a smell of rum. (I love this part.)
8. Spread some flour on the kitchen counter. Use a spoon to get the dough out of the bowl and place it on the counter.
9. Use a roller to make a big round shape. Then fold the right side to the centre and the left side to the centre.

10. Cover it with cling wrap and let it sit for another 15 mins.


11. Make the dough become round shape. Prepare two towels and spread the flour on top. Place the dough on a towel and spread some whole wheat flour on top. Cover with another towel (I only have one towel to cover the top, it's strongly recommend to use two. So later when you transfer the dough to the baking tray it will be much easier.  Or you can directly put the dough into the baking tray and cover it with 1 towel.)


12. Let it sit for another 1.5 hrs.

13. When there's 30 mins remaining, put the baking tray in the oven. Preheat the oven to 430F.
14. When it's preheated, take the baking tray out. Place the dough into the tray and cover with foil. (I don't have bread making containers, so this is my method. If you do, you can go ahead and use it.)
15. Bake 30 mins. Then remove the foil and continue to bake for another 10 mins or until they become dark brown colour.
16. Take them out and let it cool first. I like to eat warm bread, so after 10 mins, I started to cut them and eat them.  Love it!  Fresh warm bread with a bit of rum flavour.



17. Serve.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Stir Fry Snap Bean and Kimchi with Pork


Ingredients:
Snap Bean-150g
Pork-200g
Kimchi-50g
Onion-20g
Green Onion-3g
Grind Ginger-3g

Seasoning:
Rice Wine-15g
Chicken Stock Powder-1 tsp. (Or adjust to your preference)

Method:
1. Cut Pork into thin slices.
2. Snap the ends by hand and remove the strings.
3. Boil a pot of hot water and cook snap bean for 1min (or until they are soft). Take them out. Rinse with cold water.
4. Chop them into small chunks.
5. Chop kimchi and onions into small pieces.
6. Heat a pan, add 1 tsp. of e.v.o.o. Cook pork and continue to add green onion and ginger.
7. Quickly stir them around. Add Snap beans and seasonings.
8. Serve.