Monday, May 28, 2007
Peter makes Lethal Cupcakes
Hahaha.. I just love Family Guy!
Have a good laugh. I wanna make killer cupcakes as well! (I mean the ones that SELL)
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Solving The 6 Biggest Mistakes Faced When Baking Bread
Solving The 6 Biggest Mistakes Faced When Baking Bread
Baking Mistake #1
The most common mistake by far would be when you forgot to add salt when you mould your dough. The outcome is that this results in a really bland bread, and affects the rising of the dough even – Causing your bread to lie flat on top.
My solution to you is for you to post “stick-ups” and notes on places like your kitchen wall, fridge, recipe book, next time so that you will never ever have to forget about adding salt to your dough again! Don’t sacrifice a good bake because of poor memory!
Baking Mistake #2
When people heat up their kettles and water to add yeast in, they often accidentally leave it overheated. This is a huge mistake! It will destroy the yeast and your bread will not rise. You can correct this by investing a little in a good old cooking thermometer. That will make your temperature measurements and life so much easier for you!
Baking Mistake #3
Another common mistake is when people allow the bread dough to over rise, which then leads to it having to fall.
This happens many a time when people forget about their dough. As everyone gets a little busy, worked up, and over-excited – Who doesn’t forget little things as such?
Yet so, don’t worry! Solution: If the bread is already on the pans when it over rises, just use a simple pair of kitchen scissors to cut off all the excess dough on the unbaked sides of the loaves. Next, you segregate and roll the dough into small little balls of dough. Be patient, allow them to rise from about 20 to 30 minutes on a cookie sheet (oiled), then bake them on 350F for about 15 to 25 minutes as the bread rolls.
Remember to allow the loaves of dough to rise for another 10 minutes extra before having it baked extremely flat on top.
Baking Mistake #4
Your bread gets burned. Yes, nothing can get any worse than bread black as charcoal! To avoid that, have yourself be sure that you follow all baking times and temperatures strictly like a work timetable/routine. Again, do not be shy to make the timer your best friend – it could and would save your bread from getting roasted!
Also, keep in mind that temperatures vary from different oven types (Gas to electric). Therefore, make sure the temperatures used are constant in whatever oven you’re baking with.
Baking Mistake #5
Don’t forget about air bubbles when you bake! “Pockets” they call it, creates large holes inside the bread after it’s done baking. This makes your bread very fluffy and gives it poor texture and taste. It loses the aroma and quality as well.
The best solution would be to pinch those “pockets” whenever you notice them occurring in your baking dough before having it baked. This will inflate any such bubbles and save your bread from deterioration.
Baking Mistake #6
Ok…...last but not least, what flour should you use? Should you add some sunflower seeds? Add rye with oregano, and honey?
I know every once in awhile everyone likes to get creative but be sure to know your ingredients well before you attempt to jumble them all up and have them mixed! Imagine baking a large amount of loaves for your family on a weekend only to have them look you in the eye in dismay and disappointment of weird tasting bread they have had to put up with. Be sure to experiment with small amounts of such dough/ingredients in advance before you attempt to bake it large and huge in quantity!
Now I’m sure you know what to do and what not-to-do! Know your ingredients well, keep the 6 deadly mistakes of bread baking in mind - and you’re on the way to becoming a great successful bread maker!
Have fun and share with your friends about your baking adventures today.
Cheers! :)
Paul
(This article has also been featured on EzineArticles!)
Baking Mistake #1
The most common mistake by far would be when you forgot to add salt when you mould your dough. The outcome is that this results in a really bland bread, and affects the rising of the dough even – Causing your bread to lie flat on top.
My solution to you is for you to post “stick-ups” and notes on places like your kitchen wall, fridge, recipe book, next time so that you will never ever have to forget about adding salt to your dough again! Don’t sacrifice a good bake because of poor memory!
Baking Mistake #2
When people heat up their kettles and water to add yeast in, they often accidentally leave it overheated. This is a huge mistake! It will destroy the yeast and your bread will not rise. You can correct this by investing a little in a good old cooking thermometer. That will make your temperature measurements and life so much easier for you!
Baking Mistake #3
Another common mistake is when people allow the bread dough to over rise, which then leads to it having to fall.
This happens many a time when people forget about their dough. As everyone gets a little busy, worked up, and over-excited – Who doesn’t forget little things as such?
Yet so, don’t worry! Solution: If the bread is already on the pans when it over rises, just use a simple pair of kitchen scissors to cut off all the excess dough on the unbaked sides of the loaves. Next, you segregate and roll the dough into small little balls of dough. Be patient, allow them to rise from about 20 to 30 minutes on a cookie sheet (oiled), then bake them on 350F for about 15 to 25 minutes as the bread rolls.
Remember to allow the loaves of dough to rise for another 10 minutes extra before having it baked extremely flat on top.
Baking Mistake #4
Your bread gets burned. Yes, nothing can get any worse than bread black as charcoal! To avoid that, have yourself be sure that you follow all baking times and temperatures strictly like a work timetable/routine. Again, do not be shy to make the timer your best friend – it could and would save your bread from getting roasted!
Also, keep in mind that temperatures vary from different oven types (Gas to electric). Therefore, make sure the temperatures used are constant in whatever oven you’re baking with.
Baking Mistake #5
Don’t forget about air bubbles when you bake! “Pockets” they call it, creates large holes inside the bread after it’s done baking. This makes your bread very fluffy and gives it poor texture and taste. It loses the aroma and quality as well.
The best solution would be to pinch those “pockets” whenever you notice them occurring in your baking dough before having it baked. This will inflate any such bubbles and save your bread from deterioration.
Baking Mistake #6
Ok…...last but not least, what flour should you use? Should you add some sunflower seeds? Add rye with oregano, and honey?
I know every once in awhile everyone likes to get creative but be sure to know your ingredients well before you attempt to jumble them all up and have them mixed! Imagine baking a large amount of loaves for your family on a weekend only to have them look you in the eye in dismay and disappointment of weird tasting bread they have had to put up with. Be sure to experiment with small amounts of such dough/ingredients in advance before you attempt to bake it large and huge in quantity!
Now I’m sure you know what to do and what not-to-do! Know your ingredients well, keep the 6 deadly mistakes of bread baking in mind - and you’re on the way to becoming a great successful bread maker!
Have fun and share with your friends about your baking adventures today.
Cheers! :)
Paul
(This article has also been featured on EzineArticles!)
Friday, May 25, 2007
I'm featured on EzineArticles!
I did an article on preparing 3D Birthday Cakes for kids and guessed what?
They gave me the status of an "Expert Author" over at Ezine Articles for that! Wow, I am feeling so honoured now!
Anyhow..here's a short preview of it for your reading pleasure :)
* 3 Secrets to Creating The Best Birthday Cakes for your Kids!
[Food-and-Drink] Don't you like being able to create stuff on your own? Be creative and try out something new today! If you don't know how to bake, can't or won't bake for some other reason or another - well let me share with you on how to make a birthday cake for your kid in a totally new perspective! Not all birthday cakes...
Paul Chen
(Quick! Click the avatar to read the rest of it!)
I will write more articles soon. I'ld post them up on this blog as well. Just..be patient!
Soon, I would mention about healthier baking options - ways to eat healthier food outside of home, how to choose the right bread / what contents /ingredients to look out for / how to create a better diet with the right choices of bread when you shop at supermarkets out there....
It's going to potentially rich and valuable content that I've personally been following like rituals in my past dieting plans, routines and such to achieve my current physical attributes - So be sure to come back and learn out how I did so!
It's a pleasure sharing. It would be nice to hear from your stories, your recipes, your comments as well. So be nice, drop a comment, or an email, or a message at MyBlogLog or something.
p.s. Add me on your Feeds/RSS!
Cheers
Paul
They gave me the status of an "Expert Author" over at Ezine Articles for that! Wow, I am feeling so honoured now!
Anyhow..here's a short preview of it for your reading pleasure :)
* 3 Secrets to Creating The Best Birthday Cakes for your Kids!
[Food-and-Drink] Don't you like being able to create stuff on your own? Be creative and try out something new today! If you don't know how to bake, can't or won't bake for some other reason or another - well let me share with you on how to make a birthday cake for your kid in a totally new perspective! Not all birthday cakes...
Paul Chen
(Quick! Click the avatar to read the rest of it!)
I will write more articles soon. I'ld post them up on this blog as well. Just..be patient!
Soon, I would mention about healthier baking options - ways to eat healthier food outside of home, how to choose the right bread / what contents /ingredients to look out for / how to create a better diet with the right choices of bread when you shop at supermarkets out there....
It's going to potentially rich and valuable content that I've personally been following like rituals in my past dieting plans, routines and such to achieve my current physical attributes - So be sure to come back and learn out how I did so!
It's a pleasure sharing. It would be nice to hear from your stories, your recipes, your comments as well. So be nice, drop a comment, or an email, or a message at MyBlogLog or something.
p.s. Add me on your Feeds/RSS!
Cheers
Paul
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Share Your Favourite Strawberry Shortcake Recipes!
OOH I JUST LOVE STRAWBERRY SHORT-CAKES! Here's a great recipe I browsed through whilst surfing in search for the ultimate bake.
From the courtesy of Allrecipes.com
INGREDIENTS
* 3 pints fresh strawberries
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 4 teaspoons baking powder
* 2 tablespoons white sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/3 cup shortening
* 1 egg
* 2/3 cup milk
* 2 cups whipped heavy cream
DIRECTIONS
1. Slice the strawberries and toss them with 1/2 cup of white sugar. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease and flour one 8 inch round cake pan.
3. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons white sugar and the salt. With a pastry blender cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add the beaten egg and milk. Stir until just combined.
4. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool partially in pan on wire rack.
5. Slice partially cooled cake in half, making two layers. Place half of the strawberries on one layer and top with the other layer. Top with remaining strawberries and cover with the whipped cream.
---------------------
p.s. If you have any better strawberry shortcake recipes/or comments on how to make this one better, do leave a comment behind!
Cheers
Paul
From the courtesy of Allrecipes.com
INGREDIENTS
* 3 pints fresh strawberries
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 4 teaspoons baking powder
* 2 tablespoons white sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/3 cup shortening
* 1 egg
* 2/3 cup milk
* 2 cups whipped heavy cream
DIRECTIONS
1. Slice the strawberries and toss them with 1/2 cup of white sugar. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease and flour one 8 inch round cake pan.
3. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons white sugar and the salt. With a pastry blender cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add the beaten egg and milk. Stir until just combined.
4. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool partially in pan on wire rack.
5. Slice partially cooled cake in half, making two layers. Place half of the strawberries on one layer and top with the other layer. Top with remaining strawberries and cover with the whipped cream.
---------------------
p.s. If you have any better strawberry shortcake recipes/or comments on how to make this one better, do leave a comment behind!
Cheers
Paul
Buy yourself a Wall Toast Calendar!
I Love Toast! Wall Calendar
Hahah. I just love stuff from Cafepress.com >> They make really unique gifts. I just thought that perhaps I should be saving up more money so I can myself something really cool like that Toast calendar hanging on my wall!
Cheers
Chewy Junior v.s Donuts? Today's baking take-away
Have you guys ever tried the Chewy Junior Pastry from Tanjong Pagar?
Heh. It has this really unique feel towards it. It's veryyy smooth, it's actually a toasted marshmallow mixed with some sort of flour with edible toppings. I tried the apple one - it looked quite attractive and appealing to my eyes however they failed to impress!
I feel so strongly that the guys from Chewy Junior basically tried to re-conceptualize and steal Vinco Donuts' idea by making a similar product with a totally different texture. However, donuts still reign I guess. They're round and pack more punch when you munch over them as they leave your taste buds begging for more!
..Til then, I will keep you updated on crazy bakes and such. I will attempt my own recipes and share it with you soon.
Real soon!
Heh. It has this really unique feel towards it. It's veryyy smooth, it's actually a toasted marshmallow mixed with some sort of flour with edible toppings. I tried the apple one - it looked quite attractive and appealing to my eyes however they failed to impress!
I feel so strongly that the guys from Chewy Junior basically tried to re-conceptualize and steal Vinco Donuts' idea by making a similar product with a totally different texture. However, donuts still reign I guess. They're round and pack more punch when you munch over them as they leave your taste buds begging for more!
..Til then, I will keep you updated on crazy bakes and such. I will attempt my own recipes and share it with you soon.
Real soon!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
How do I make tasty Banana Muffins?
Ever felt like your bananas were going to spoil and rot and you have to bear the guilt of wasting them by throwing them away into the bin?
Well, make something good out of it - make a muffin! I really love banana muffins. I saw this video on youtube and thought that it was really cool. Decadent bananas can be made into excellent muffins. So try it out!
Cheers! :D
Paul
Well, make something good out of it - make a muffin! I really love banana muffins. I saw this video on youtube and thought that it was really cool. Decadent bananas can be made into excellent muffins. So try it out!
Cheers! :D
Paul
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