Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Apparently I didn’t get the memo that it’s meme time. I’ve recently been tagged not once, not twice, but thrice. At first I thought I’d let it slip by because I’ve responded to similar memes in the past, but when I looked in my archives for when that was, I also discovered that I need to organize my archives better because I never actually found what I was looking for. Nevermind that though, since I’ve been tagged by Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar, Mrs Presley of Good Eats ‘N Sweet Treats and Bron of Bron Marshall Classic and Creative Cuisine, I came to the conclusion that I must seem awfully secretive if all three of these ladies want to know more about me. Well, you must give the people what they want, (even if it’s actually very boring) and so if that means revealing some secrets, then that’s what I’ll do. Two of the memes called for disclosing 7 things about me, the other only asked for 5 so I’m splitting the difference with 6.

1. I have a fondness for trying the unknown. This led me to a love of desserts with red bean although I had never made any for myself until recently when I attempted red bean buns. They turned out decently, but not the same as my favourite Chinese Bakery. Next up I want to try making sesame balls, but that requires deep frying so I don’t know how soon it will happen.
2. I wish the whole world could live in jogging pants.
3. I look at the clock every day at 11:05. Sometimes I catch it in both the AM and PM, sometimes only once a day, but at least once.
4. I wear running shoes all through winter, (even if there’s a foot or two of snow) but having cold and wet feet makes me want to cry.
5. I’m pretty good at reciting the alphabet backwards.
6. Alright, here’s a big one to end things off, I’ve been keeping this quiet but if you must know: I started Chef Training in January.

Sweet Bun Dough (Adapted from Happy Home Baking)

143g milk

35g egg
25g caster sugar
5g salt
250g bread flour
4g instant yeast
38g butter (unsalted)

Place milk, egg, followed by caster sugar, salt, bread flour and yeast into the bowl of your stand mixer. Use the dough hook and knead for 8 mins before adding the butter. Continue to let the mixer do the kneading or take it out and continue by hand if you feel so inclined, about another 10 minutes until dough is smooth.

Place the dough in a clean, oiled bowl and let it proof at room temperature, covered with cling wrap. Let proof for 60mins or until almost doubled in size.

Remove dough and punch down. Divide dough into 9 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball. Flatten the balls, place about 1 T of sweet red bean paste in the middle (I bought mine, but if you want to make your own, here’s a recipe for it) and close the dough around the past. Place them seem side down and let the buns proof for the second time, about an hour, covered lightly with cling wrap.

Bake on a baking sheet in pre-heated oven for 25-30mins or until golden on top.

Technorati Tags:

Red Bean + Sweet Buns + Bread + Baking