Coffee Bun

Some say "roti boy" some say "mexican bun", whatever it is, I must say it's delicious! I think everyone will hardly resist the coffee smell when it's about to come out from the oven. For me, it is.

The buns are super soft and I didn't feel I've eaten two of it in a short time. I hardly tell the difference of the commercial one with these buns. Yes, we can get this kind of bun easily everywhere but I just feel good to make it myself and it's as good as the commercial one! Try it out!

(Recipe for 10 little buns)

For the dough:

250g bread flour

38g caster sugar

3g salt

4g yeast

1/2 beaten egg

135g fresh milk

30g butter

For the filling:

100g butter (softened)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

35g brown sugar

For the topping:

50g butter

40g icing sugar

38g beaten eggs

1 teaspoon granulated coffee dissolve with 1 teaspoon water

pinch of cinnamon powder (optional)

50 plain flour

How I made it:

1. For the filling, using an electric mixer beat the butter and brown sugar until light and pale until the sugar totally dissolved. Add in the vanilla extract for the final beating. Place the mixture into the fridge until it harden. Divide the harden mixture into 10 portions and sit in the fridge until ready to use.
2. For the toppings, beat the softened butter with icing sugar until everything well combine. Gradually add in beaten eggs then the coffee mixture. Add in pinch of cinnamon powder with the flour and beat until everything well incorporate. Place the mixture into a piping bag and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
3. For the dough, knead all the ingredients together except butter. When the dough become a smooth dough add in butter and continue the the kneading process until the dough become smooth and elastic but not sticky. I used a standing kneading mixer to knead for approximately 30 minutes at speed 2.
4. Divide the dough into 10 little doughs and shape it into round ball shape. Let it rest for 15 minutes before add in the filling.
5. Roll out each doughs to a flat disc and add the butter filling. Seal it tightly. (make sure you seal it tightly otherwise it will split out during baking)
6. Place each doughs on a baking tray, make sure they sit a part from each other because they might stick to each other during the baking. Cover the doughs with cling film and proof for 50 - 60 minutes.
7. Before the doughs place into the oven, pipe out the filling in a spiral start from the top center of each buns. Bake for 12 minutes at 200'C preheated oven.

Enjoy!

blog love

It's always great receiving comments here on the blog.  Recently, some nice things have come from additional sources, so we figured we'd give a shout'back - mostly because we appreciate them, but a little because narcissism is a completely natural way to feel.  For me. 

Yesterday the people at Modwalls' design blog featured Project Rowhouse and said some really nice things.  You can check it out here.  

Also, a few weeks ago Urban Discoveries Living interviewed us about the renovation for a House Tour feature on their site.  UDL is a sweet little blog about Baltimore city livin';

Charles & Hudson liked our trim work;

and our friends at Rehab or Die always have nice things to say - and they do some good work!

Thanks!

Happy Ugadi with Bevu Bella (Neem Jaggery) and Mangai Pachadi(Mango Jam)

Happy Ugadi with Bevu Bella (Neem Jaggery) and Mangai Pachadi(Mango Jam)

It was long long ago. So long ago when the whole of south India was known as The Deccan or The Carnatik. Many families from the Tamizh speaking areas moved on foot in quest of their fortune to the Mysore Samasthanam –the erstwhile Mysore Kingdom. With its patronage the families were firmly rooted, and spread their branches far and wide, thus giving rise to a new clan which can be named as the Tamizh Kannadigas.

My siblings and me, were born in the seventh generation of one such family and grew up on the waters of the Cauvery and moulded in the Kannada soil. Though our family retains Tamizh and its culture, it has also imbibed the culture and traditions of the Kannadigas, and I am proud of our hybrid culture.

Today is UGADI – the Kannada New Year’s Day. We celebrate it with great festivity with the Mavu (mango) and Bevu (Neem garlands) thoranas, Bevu Bella (Neem and Jaggery preparation), Mavinakai Chitranna (mango rice), Obattu, and Mangai Pachadi (mango relish).

Bevu Bella

Tender neem leaves, neem flowers and jaggery are pounded in a pestle and made into tiny balls which are swallowed as the first thing in the morning on the Ugadi day. This is to remind us that life has to be taken easy, though it is a mixture of sweet and bitter experiences. The leaf should be dry, otherwise it will become watery - like mine, and cannot be rolled into balls!!

Neem cools down the system and helps in healing it. It also destroys worms.

Mangai Pachadi

INGREDIENTS:
Raw Mango – 1
Jaggery – 1 cup
Salt – ¼ tsp
Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
Cooking oil – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Red chillies – 2
Neem flowers ( dried or fresh ) – 1 tsp

METHOD:
1. Peel the mango and dice it into pieces. (Save the peel which can be used in chutneys or in mango rice).
2. Boil one cup of water in a pan and add the mango pieces.
3. Add salt and turmeric powder and cover with a lid.
4. Cook till the mango pieces are tender.
5. Add jaggery and cook till it becomes like jelly.
6. To seasons, heat oil and add mustard seeds.
7. When it splutters add the neem flowers.
8. Add the broken red chillies and add this seasoning to the mangai pachadi.

Savour the pachadi which is sweet , sour, salty, spicy and bitter- all at the same time. It can be relished with rice, dosas and chapattis.