February 13, 2008

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.



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23 comments:

Bron said...

Thanks heaps for taking this on Brilynn - and what fab news about the chef training! Hope you enjoy it and look forward to seeing you in your "whites"!

K and S said...

whoo hoo! chef training. can't wait to hear all about it :)

Elle said...

Probably won't make the red bean buns, but very much looking forward to your success, which is assured, as a chef. Do blog about it if you can. I know you are a natural for it. VERY exciting!

Manggy said...

Good luck on your future chefing!! :)
Thanks for this recipe! And thanks for posting it in weights... I have begun to really loathe using measuring cups :p

Annemarie said...

Chef training...! I *knew* there was some nugget of gold like that buried in there. Thanks Brilyn, and massive wishes of good luck!

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

Chef training -- how exciting!! Hope you'll post about that from time to time and let us know how it's going.

Chibog in Chief said...

big kisses from kitchen and my warmest message of love, happy valentine's day!!

btw, you are a great baker i love those brioche they look soo golden and yummy.thanks for this recipe i have to try this one time

Kajal@aapplemint said...

those are nice things to know about you . I still have to try red bean . And congrats on your training , i'd love to get some professional training too but i know thats never going to happen.

Madam Chow said...

Congratulations on the chef training! And I wear running shoes all year long, if I can get away with it, as well as sweat pants. All the fashionistas would probably faint dead away, but I want to be comfortable when I cook and live my life. CHEF TRAINING! You go, girl!

Deborah said...

Chef training - how exciting!!! I always like learning more about my blogging friends!

Anonymous said...

Congrats and good luck!

Anonymous said...

Happy Valentine's Day! :-)

Cookie baker Lynn said...

Chef training? That's awesome! Now you'll have to get out of running shoes and into Dansko's. Your feet will love you for it.

Emily said...

Chef training?!

I wish we could wear jogging pants, too. I'm wearing some right now. ;)

Gabi said...

Hey Brilynn, Congrats on taking chef's training- it seems a natural!
xoxo

test it comm said...

Chef training sounds like great fun. Good luck! The sweet buns look great. I have been on my todo list for a while.

Susan @ SGCC said...

Congrats on the chef training! That's great news. I can't wait to hear about all your adventures!

Anonymous said...

Brilynn,

Wow - what a great secret! Congrats!!

Anonymous said...

Good luck to you...you are sure to do very well. :)

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

Sneaky. Save the best till last and think we'd have stopped reading. That's very fun and wonderful news. Hope you can tell us some about it. Wishing you so much success.

Patricia Scarpin said...

Send some of those buns my way, Bri, please! :)

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Follow your dreams Bri :D I will look forward to hearing more about your training. You are a natural :D

aforkfulofspaghetti said...

Thanks for all those incredibly helpful tips!