Apple Cranberry Tea Ring Recipes

Weather is so cold and snowing outside and the best way to warm up the house is doing some baking. But it is definitely not a good idea to make bread. Wrong move on my part and because of the cold making this loaf of bread took me over 6 hours from start to finished baking. It just refused to rise. I even stick it into the warm oven to help with the proofing. The end results, I would prefer it to rise a bit more and softer. Nevertheless, it tasted good. I think this tea ring will be great for Christmas breakfast or brunch.

Ingredients
Dough recipe adapted from Taste Of Home recipe book.

3/4 cup warm milk (70°F to 80°F)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons water (you might not need it)
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3-1/3 cups bread flour
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

FILLING:

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp of sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup of chopped fresh apple
1/2 cup dried cranberry
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Egg wash

1 egg -beaten

Glaze

1/2 cup confections’ sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice

1. Place all the dough ingredients except for the water into a mixer attached with the dough hook. Mix the dough until comes together. If it is too dry add in the extra water a tablespoon at a time.
2. Continue to knead until the dough is smooth. Place it in an oil bowl, cover it with a cling wrap and leave it in a warm place to rise double in size for about 1 to 2 hours (depend on the temperature of your environment)
3. For the filling, combined sugars, cut in the butter until crumbly. Stir in the dry cranberries, raisins and walnuts and set it aside.
4. When the dough is done, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a 20” x 10” rectangle, sprinkle with the sugar mixture and top it with the chopped apple within 1” of the edges.
5. Roll it up tightly like a jelly-roll, starting with a long side; seal ends. Place in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan; bring both ends together, seal it to form a ring.
6. With scissors, cut from outside edge two-thirds of the way toward center of ring at 1-in. intervals. Separate strips slightly; twist to allow filling to show. Cover and let rise until doubled, about an hour. Brush it with egg wash.
7. Bake in a preheated at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let it cool complete on a cooling rack. Mix the glaze and drizzle it all over the ring.

Note: To prevent overbrowning you can cover it with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.

I am submitting this bread to Yeastspotting

Brown Sugar Cake Recipes

This cake is made with dark brown sugar. So far I think this is the first butter cake I made using dark brown sugar and I was pretty satisfied with the outcome. The brown sugar gives the cake a rich, buttery, caramel like flavor, almost like butterscotch. The cake taste even better the next day.

Ingredients:

2 stick/226 gram/1 cup butter
1 ¾ cups dark brown sugar
2 ½ cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
4 eggs
½ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup dried cranberry

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degree F. Grease and line an 8” round baking pan or loaf pan.
2. Sift all the dry ingredients and set it aside. In another mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until light and creamy. Add in eggs, one at a time and beat well. Add in the vanilla.
3. Add in flour mixture in 3 batches and alternate it with milk. Mix well. Lastly fold in the walnuts and dried cranberry. Mix well. Pour into baking pan and bake for 45 minutes or until skewer inserted into the center of cake comes out clean.
4. Remove the cake from oven and let the cake cool completely on wire rack before cutting into it.

Steamed Fruit Cake Recipes

Christmas is still a long way to go and why am I a baking fruit cake? Oh well, I am trying out one or two recipes now and if I like it I will bake it for the coming Christmas. I will usually use my old fruit cake recipe but I am a bit bore with it so I want something different this year. Today I tried out the famous CMG Kek Kukus Buah Buahan or Steamed Fruit Cake . I aged this cake for a few days before cutting into it. This cake is really moist and full of caramel flavor but a bit too sweet for me. If not it will be perfect. So the next time I make this I will cut down on the amount of sugar. I have another half of the cake left and will try it out in a few weeks time and see if there is a different in taste.

Ingredients:

375 g mixed fruits (I used raisins, currants, cranberries, pineapple, papaya and apricots)
250 g butter
150 g brown sugar (I used light brown sugar)
3 large eggs
¼ cup almond flakes (I used walnuts)


Sieved together:

300 g  flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp of nutmeg (I omit this)

For the Caramel

150 g sugar

1. Line and greased a square or 9” round baking pan. Prepared the steamer. Sift all the dried ingredients and mix in the dried fruits and set it aside.
2. Cream brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time and beat well. Slow down the mixer and add in the flour and fruits. Mix well and turn off the mixer.
3. In a small saucepan and over medium heat melt the sugar until it turns golden brown. Turn on the mixer again to slow speed and slowly drizzle in the hot caramel into the cake mixture. Mix well.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan and cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil (to prevent water from dripping into the cake while steaming). Steamed over high heat for 4 hours (I steamed only for 3 hours). Remember to check the water level of your steamer every now and then and please add only hot water to the steamer.

Note: Please be careful when you drizzle in the caramel as it is very hot. If you are using dried apricots, pineapple and papaya you have to chopped it up first.

I would like to this opportunity to wish all my Muslim friends and readers “Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri” Hope you all have a joyous celebration with your family and friends back home. Most importantly, drive safely to your destination.

Cranberry Oatmeal Bars Recipes

I love eating oats and baking with oats. Beside my favorite Oatmeal Raisin Cranberry Cookies I thought I change it a bit today and made it into bars instead of individual cookies. I used cranberries in these bars but it could be made with almost any dried fruits. These little bars are great to snack on and pretty nutritious too.


Filling:

3/4 cup of strawberry jam – you can replace it with any type of fruity jam
1 cup of dried cranberry – you can replace it with any type of dried fruits

Ingredients for crust:

1 ½ cups flour
1 cup of roll oats
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon powder
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 stick/113 grm/1/2 cup melted butter

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degree F. Line and greased an 8” x 8” square baking pan.
2. For the filling mix together the jam and the dried fruits. Set aside.
3. For the crust, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Stir in the oats and walnuts. Add the melted butter, egg and vanilla and stir until incorporated.
4. Using your clean fingers, lightly press half of the crust mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the filling over the crust leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the pan. Cover the top with the remaining crust mixture and gently press to flatten it up.
5. Bake until light golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 1 hour. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.

Chocolate Chips, Cranberry and Macadamia Nut Cookies Recipes

Carlos loves these cookies. It has a great combination of sweetness from the cranberries and the saltiness from the macadamia nuts and the chocolate chips just added an extra richness to the cookies. They are perfectly crispy at the edges and slightly chewy in the center.

Ingredients:

3 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks/226 grm butter – room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped toasted salted macadamia nuts

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Sift flour, salt and baking powder into medium bowl. By using electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and brown sugar until combined and slightly fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time and then vanilla. Mix well.
3. Add in the shifted ingredients and mix just until blended. Using spatula, stir in cranberries, chocolate chips, and nuts.
4. For large cookies, drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, as for smaller cookies, drop dough by level tablespoonfuls onto sheets. Bake cookies for 20 minutes of until golden brown. Remove and cool the cookies before storing.

Note: You can replace the cranberries with raisins, chocolate chips with white chocolate chips and as for the nuts it can be any kind of nuts to your liking.

Fruity Braided Bread Recipes

I am into bread making nowadays as the weather is getting a bit warmer and it is just perfect to ferment the bread dough. There’s nothing like the joy of making a loaf of bread at home and to be able to savor a warm crusty loaf straight out from the oven.

Ingredients:

350 g flour
40g sugar
¼ tsp salt
7g yeast
170ml fresh milk
1 egg
45g butter
1 ½ cups of dried fruits (raisins, cranberry, dried cherry)

Glaze (lightly beaten together)

1 egg
1 tbsp fresh milk

Topping

Some almond flakes
1 tbsp of sugar

1. Combine sifted flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a mixing bowl. Mix well Beat egg in milk, add slowing add it into the flour until it form a soft dough. Mix in butter and continue to beat until the dough is smooth. If at this stage the dough is a bit wet add a tbsp of flour. Add in all the dried fruits and nuts and mix well.
2. Cover mixing bowl with a damp tea towel. Leave aside in a warm place in the kitchen for an hour or until double in size.
3. Remove dough from the mixing bowl onto a lightly floured tabletop. Knead lightly then divide into 3 equal portions. Roll each portion into a strip 30cm long. Lay them side by side then gather the ends of the strips together and weave into a braid. Bring both ends of the braid together and make into a loop. Put it on a greased baking tray and cover with cling film. Let it rise for another 40 minutes until doubled in size.
4. Brush lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with almond flakes and sugar. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degree F for 35-40 minutes or golden brown.

Hot Cross Buns (II) Recipes

On the first day of Lent and during the six weeks that follows up to Easter, many bakeries and Christian homes make Hot Cross Buns. This bread is generally served during the Good Friday. As usual I will make this for our Good Friday every year. This recipe makes 9 buns and I added some dried fruits to it. It is good eaten as it is or with some butter. To those who celebrate Easter, Happy Easter to all of you.

Ingredients:

285 grm flour
12 grm milk powder
7 grm yeast
1 tsp cinnamon powder
30 grm sugar
1 tsp of orange zest
½ tsp salt
70 ml of milk
1 egg
75 grm water roux (refer to the recipe below)
50 grm soft butter
1 cup of dried fruits – any kind

Egg wash:

1 egg + 3 tbsp water (beaten)

For the Water Roux:

250 ml water
50 grm flour

Icing for the Crosses:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice

1. Prepare the water roux , mix the flour and water together and cook it on medium heat until it reach the temperature of 150 degree F. Remove from heat and cover it loosely with a plastic wrap and let it cool completely before using
2. In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer with hook attachment, mix all the ingredients together except for the butter and dried fuits. Mix and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If the dough is too sticky add extra flour (1 tbsp) at a time to the dough.
3. Mix in the dry fruits and butter and continue to knead until smooth. Lightly oil the bowl, cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let the dough rest at a warm place until double in size. This will take 1 ½ to 2 hours.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degree F, greased and lines an 8” x 8” square baking pan.
5. On a lightly floured work surface, punch down the dough, shape the dough into a log and cut into 9 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and put it into the baking pan. Cover with a plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place until almost doubled in size.
6. Brush the top with some egg wash and bake until golden brown. Transfer to the cooling rack and let it cool completely.
7. For the glaze, mix the sugar and lemon juice together until well combined. Put the glaze in a piping bag and pipe thick cross on top of the buns.

Dates Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce Recipes

Who doesn’t enjoy a buttery sticky date pudding smothered in Butterscotch Sauce? This sticky date pudding is an Australian favorite. You can find it on the menu at cafes, bistros and fine dining establishments alike with many variations but the classic pudding with sauce is how I like it best. This pudding is best eaten warm especially after a meal. It can be made days ahead and freeze well. All you have to do is warm it up in the microwave oven before serving. Carlos devours one of it right after it was out of the oven. It was that good. I will definitely make this again especially when I have guest over.

Ingredients:

270 grms dates – seeded and chopped
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup boiling water
113 grm /1 stick butter
120 grm brown sugar
3 eggs
280 grms self rising flour

Sauce :

4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degree F. Greased a baking pan, line with parchment paper and greased well.
2. In a mixing bowl, combined the chopped dates, baking soda and boiling water. Mix well and set it aside for 20 minutes.
3. In a mixer beat sugar and butter until light and creamy. Add in eggs, one at a time and beat well. Add in the flour to the mixture and mix until combined.
4. Lastly add in the dates mixture. Mix well. Pour the batter in the baking pan and set pan in a larger baking pan. Add enough hot water to larger pan to reach halfway up sides of smaller pan and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 35to 40 minutes. Remove smaller pan from water bath and cool pudding a rack.

For Sauce:

Combined all the sauce ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolved and butter melted. Bring the mixture to slow easy boil. Remove from heat the sauce will thickens as it cools down.

Orange Cranberry Raisin Walnut Bread Recipes

Have you start your Christmas baking yet? I’ve already baked my fruitcakes and now it is sitting on my kitchen counter aging away. I will give it a dose of rum every now and then until I cut into it on Christmas day. Yea, I am a fruitcake fan but not the pre-packed kind that you get from the supermarket shelves. I just hate those fruitcakes. I only like the homemade kinds with loads of fruits in it. You can check out my fruitcakes recipe here

Before I can have some of my fruitcake, I baked this Orange Cranberry Raisin Walnut bread to get over my craving. This loaf with the flavor of cranberry, raisin and a hint of citrus fragrant tasted great when toasted and with a little spread of butter they are just perfect for breakfast.

Ingredients:

2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 tbsp milk powder
3 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 cup water, lukewarm
Zest of an orange
2 tsp active dry yeast
3 tbsp sugar
1tsp salt
½ roughly walnuts, toasted
1 cup cranberries
1 cup raisins

1. Sprinkle the yeast to the lukewarm water, stir well and leave it to froth for about 5 min.
2. Place the hook attachment to the mixer. In a mixing bowl, add in the flours, sugar, milk powder, salt and orange zest. Mix well. Slowly add in the yeast mixture. Knead until the dough pulled away from the bowl.
3. Add in the butter, cranberries, raisins and walnuts. Continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
4. Form the bread and place them on a baking sheet and cover again and let it rise again to double its size.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degree F. Bake the bread until golden brown and sound hollow when tapped with your fingers.

Note : The winner for the Xagave Giveway is comment No: 5


I will get in touch with you Zoe.

Homemade Granola Bars Delicious Recipes

Carlos and I just love Quaker Oats granola bars and I will pack one in his lunch bag everyday but they can be pretty expensive and not all granola bars you buy in stores are healthy. Some of them are loaded with fructose corn syrup. So I decided to make some myself and it work deliciously well as I get to put my own healthy ingredients in it.

Ingredients :

2 cups of oats
3/4 cup of slice almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened dry coconut
1/4 cup of sesame seeds
2 cups of chopped dried fruit (cranberries, blueberries, currants, cherries)
1/2 cup of honey
1 cup of unsalted crunchy peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

1) Butter a 9 by 9-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper or aluminium foil. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Spread the oats, almonds onto a sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in coconut and sesame and toast it for another 2 minutes.
3) In the meantime, combine the honey, peanut butter, vanilla and salt in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until everything combined.
4) Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and immediately add it into the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine.
5) Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish
6) Cool completely and cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Note : I like my granola bars toasty and after cutting it I lightly toast it in a 300 degree F oven for another 10 minutes. I also find that if you toast it again it will keep longer than a week. You can add crush peanuts, sun flower seeds, wheat germs and other dried fruits to your bars.