Bread and butter pudding

I had some leftover bread in the fridge and was contemplating chucking them.

Should I steam the bread? Or make some french toast?

How about some bread and butter pudding?

What better way to use up stale bread? :) Bread and butter pudding is the ultimate comfort food and would be a canny way for using up bread/buns/loafs that are almost past their best.

This sweet, rich and stodgy dessert goes great with custard or ice cream, and in this unforgivingly cold (and sometimes wet) weather, I think it pairs best with a cup of hot cocoa. For a little extra kick, you can soak the raisins in rum or add a shot of liquor to the egg mixture.

Bread and butter pudding makes a warm, comforting dessert, perfect for an after-dinner treat. It reheats well in the oven (covered with a foil so it doesn't dry out too much), so you can have the warmed leftovers for breakfast on a cold morning too! :)

What?

• 4 slices of bread
• Butter for greasing and buttering
• Raisins
• Ground nutmeg
• Ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 25 g sugar

How?

1. Cut the crusts off bread and slice it diagonally into triangles.
2. Spread the bread with butter and place a layer in a greased dish, butter side up. Sprinkle the layer of bread with raisins, nutmeg and cinnamon (to taste!),
3. Add another layer of buttered bread. Alternate with the raisins, nutmeg and cinnamon until all the bread have been used. 
4. Warm the milk to about 65 degC (do not boil).
5. Beat the egg with half of the sugar and stir it into the warm milk.
6. Strain the egg mixture over the bread, and sprinkle the top with raisins, nutmeg, cinnamon and the remaining sugar. 
7. Leave it to stand for 30 minutes.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degC for 30-40 minutes until the custard has set and the top slightly browned.

Cinnamon raisin muffins

It's finally the weekend - finally time all to myself, for myself, to reboot my brain and unwind. The work week has given me a literal headache. I wonder if every profession faces the same frustration of waiting to rush, and rushing to wait. This really gets on my nerves. I wish I have a time locket which can be used to store all the time "wasted" while waiting, and release them for good use when the sudden load of work arrives.

After a tiresome week, I just wanted a fuss-free, sweet treat. These cinnamon raisin muffins are for a lazy day, when you simply just want an oven-baked dessert with the least amount of effort. You can almost never go wrong pairing raisins with cinnamon!

These muffins don't have to be cooled completely before serving. Best when slathered with butter when warm!

What?

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk

How?

1. To plump the raisins, place them in a bowl and pour boiling water over. Leave for 5-10 minutes, drain well and set aside.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugars together.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, egg, vanilla and milk together until they are blended.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined and fold in the raisins.
5. Fill muffin cups with the batter up to 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated oven at 190 degC for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. 
6. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool. Best served warm with some butter and jam!

No-knead white bread

Touted as the easiest bread to bake, this no-knead bread is of artisan quality with minimal effort. It does take a long time to rise; I left it overnight. This seemingly unsophisticated plain bread quietly does the job on its own, rising ever so slowly that it's almost unnoticeable if you just sit there and watch it.

It's hard to take credit for the soft inside and crusty crust - it did it all on it's own.

This unassuming white bread is good for making savoury sandwiches or simply with butter and jam.

This recipe is much simpler compared to the cinnamon swirl raisin bread I made a week ago, and would be a good start to try making your own bread (without a bread making machine!) for the first time. Try it, it's therapeutic!

What?

• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 tsp yeast
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup warm water
• Olive oil to grease

How?

1. Stir flour, yeast and salt together.
2. Pour the warm water into the flour mixture and stir thoroughly. The dough will look rough at this point.
3. Lightly coat the entire surface of the rough with olive oil. Cover the bowl with a cling film and a towel on top. Leave it to rise for about 8 hours.
4. The dough will look risen, smoothen out and slightly bubbly after 8 hours. Turn it out onto a lightly oil countertop fold it over once or twice. Shape the dough into a rectangle shape and place it in a greased loaf pan. 
5. Cover the loaf pan with cling wrap and let it sit for another hour.
6. Before baking it in the oven, cover the top of the loaf with a piece of parchment paper. Bake the loaf in a preheated oven at 200 degC for 30 minutes. (You can slash the top of the dough with a sharp knife if you want to!)
7. Remove the bread from the oven and wrap it in a clean kitchen towel if you want to keep it warm for serving. Slice and serve!

Cinnamon swirl raisin bread

There has always been something therapeutic about baking, about making bread. Baking isn't all about the frivolous; research has shown that this activity can be a crucial therapy that helps thousands of people suffering from depression.

It is more than just indulging in the final product - there is something reassuring and soothing about the entire ritual.

Some people think it is in the kneading process. I like watching the dough rise and getting all poofy.

Try it on one of those "down" days, maybe this will make you feel better. :)

What?

• 1/2 cup milk, lukewarm 
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 7g easy bake yeast
• 1 egg
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 40 g butter, softened
• 1/2 cup raisins 
• 3 cups plain flour  

For the cinnamon filling:

• 1 tbsp milk
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

How?

1. Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Mix in the egg, brown sugar, caster sugar, salt, butter and raisins. 
2. Stir in the milk.
3. Add the flour gradually until a dough is formed. (It will be a little sticky!) Knead the dough on a floured surface for a few minutes.
4. Lightly grease a mixing bowl (I used olive oil) and turn the dough around in the bowl to coat the dough surface with oil.
5. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and allow the dough to rise until doubled - this takes about 1-1.5 hours.
6. Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 thick (and roughly the 9" length wise). This can be done on a lightly floured surface. (I used a cling film instead!)
7. Prepare the cinnamon filling by mixing together the caster sugar and cinnamon. Spread a tablespoon of milk onto the rolled out surface of the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon mixture on the top. 
8. Roll up the dough lengthwise tightly and pinch the bottom together.
9. Place the loaf into a greased loaf pan (pinched end facing down). Leave to rise, uncovered, for about 1 hour.
10. Bake in a preheated oven at 175 degC for 30 minutes, or until the loaf is lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped.
11. Leave the bread to cool before slicing. 

Pancakes

It has been a exasperating week.

This week was literally a cycle of testing, failing, testing, failing, testing and even more failing. The memoirs of my research journey is speckled with plentiful maddening defeats, sufficient to discourage and demoralise.

Many times a day I've had to abort task, go back to basics and try again, and then come to nothing at the end of the day.

And to amplify my frustration, the painful blistering on my fingers decided to pay me a unsolicited visit. Having diagnosed differently 4 times by the doctors for whatever these were, I gave up making another appointment (you'd probably only get one about 2 weeks later anyway...). My fingers are mottled with red swellings, making them tender, fat and ugly.

It is tiresome, isn't it? To be caught in this vicious cycle of self-pity?

In a bid to ameliorate the pain (mentally and physically...), I make myself some feel-good pancakes. One whole mountain of fluffy goodness for my own consumption.

Slapped with butter and drizzled with honey, I began shedding off the mountain layers from the top down. A happy tummy makes a happier mind.


What?

• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Butter, for greasing pan

How?

1. Whisk the egg until fluffy.
2. Mix in the milk.
3. Add the dry ingredients (plain flour, baking powder, sugar and salt) and mix well.
4. Heat up a frying pan and lightly grease it with some butter.
5. Pour some batter onto the pan and tip the pan to spread it out.
6. When bubbles start to appear on the surface, flip it over to cook the other side.
7. Repeat until all the batter is cooked.

Omelette muffins

Here's a quick and easy way to make omelettes - in a muffin tin! It's simple and ready-to-go, apt for packing in a lunch box.

As with any omelette recipe, you can add any ingredients you like! Here I have carrots, celery, broccoli and onions; you can add cheese, ham, bacon or sausage too!

The omelettes had a pretty little dome when I first took them out of the oven, but they collapsed after they cooled down a bit.

Dome or no dome, it was some fluffy egg-goodness!

What?

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Oil (just enough to brush the muffin tin)
• Carrots, broccoli, onion, celery (or any other ingredients desired) cubed
• Salt and pepper to taste

How?

1. Beat the eggs with milk, baking powder, salt and pepper. 
2. Oil the muffin tin.
3. Distribute the omelette ingredients into the muffin tins (about 2/3 full).
4. Pour in the egg mixture till it covers the ingredients.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degC for 20-25 minutes.
6. Cool for 3 minutes before removing the omelettes from the tin.
7. Serve warm.

Oats with bran and easy-peelers

It's starting to get chillier around here, a sign that summer's coming to an end. I was only beginning to enjoy the warmth and sunshine - I think we've had barely three weeks of that. 

Before it gets too cold, I'm gonna make more of these cold oatmeals for breakfast. They're really easy to make and satisfy as a delightful first meal of the day. Just mix oats and milk in a 1:1 ratio and leave it refrigerated over night. Instead of a full portion of milk, you can mix in some yoghurt. I sweeten it the next morning with honey and fruits. It's versatile really, you can add anything you want. 

Initially adding oranges to my oatmeal seemed a little odd. But the luscious oranges added zest to my breakfast and it was nothing less than yummy! I was trying to *save the best for last* by intentionally leaving out a few spoonfuls of the oranges.

It may be getting colder now, but that's alright I guess. I'm really looking forward to crisp copper autumn leaves. :)

Strawberry oats

Love happens in the most unexpected ways, when you least expect it.

Because now that we are so far apart, I miss you more than I ever did. I took your cleanliness for granted, sometimes I even taunt how strict you are with prohibiting me from occasional consumption in trains and buses (I often pop a gummy in my mouth, feeling smug about it even). I never noticed how fresh you smell, how bright and radiant you always are. With you I'm secure, cos' I know that as much as you can help it, you'd keep the streets safe for me to walk at night. Now that you aren't with me to help me out, I realised how much I'm missing your efficiency - all it takes is *at most* 3 working days, or I can always reach you immediately by phone. When I'm hungry, your are always there to feed me, 24/7. I love you for your generosity; you bring me for the good ol' local fare (my favourite black black cai tao kueh, chee cheong fun, lor mee fen, kueh chap no innards, mee gao, chilli crab, bbq stingray, satay etc.) as well as to the non-pretentious classy restaurants and hipster cafes. I miss your geekiness, your techy-savvy ways, and how you bring a plethora of international entertainment to me whenever I want them. Last but not least, I miss your silly language - silly but oh so endearing. And very distinct. ;)

And it's your birthday today. Though we aren't physically together, I'll be celebrating your 49th birthday over here. Distance means so little, when someone means so much.

A little red and white to signify the flag we fly :)

I am still gonna complain about how unbearably warm and humid you are, but it doesn't mean I love you any less. Can't wait till I see you again. xoxo