Baked Chicken Buns

We have some family that came over from the U.K. and today, along with my Mom, went on a road trip to Canada. A whole day of driving and filling up on junk fast food isn't the way to go so we decided to make a hearty snack for them to munch on. Well, from the last update, all the buns were gone before they even crossed over to Virginia. Note to us: double the recipe for the next road trip.

Growing up, one of my favorite snacks were steamed buns called Siopao which is basically the cousin of the Chinese Dim Sum staple, Char Siu Bao. This one is the baked version of this delicious snack. The steamed buns are usually stuffed with a savory sweet pork braise but the request from mom was to make it with chicken so that's what we did. These buns turned out great and the best part is that the recipe for the stuffing can be as versatile as you want it to be. Omit some of the ingredients you don't want and substitute ones that you love.

Baked Chicken Buns

Click below for the Sesame Buns Recipe

Sesame Buns Recipe

Chicken filling Ingredients

1 lb chicken breast boiled and shredded
1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots parboiled
1/2 cup diced russet potato parboiled
1/4 cup raisins
3 cloves garlic minced
3 tbsp Oyster sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine or dry sherry
pepper to taste

Procedure
-sweat the garlic then add the chicken, peas and carrots, potatoes and raisins and saute for 5 minutes or until the chicken has a bit of color
-add the rice wine, soy sauce and Oyster sauce and pepper then saute for another 5 minutes then transfer to a tray to cool the mixture for stuffing

-following the instructions for the buns, once the dough has been kneaded and has rested for 10 minutes, divide the dough in to 12 equal pieces stuff them each with about 2 tbsp of the Chicken filling. Pinch the bottom of the dough to seal in the filling.
-once they are all stuffed, place them each in a cupcake liner and proof until the dough has doubled in size. about 45 minutes to 1 hour
-preheat oven to 375 then egg wash the tops of the buns and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.

                         


Enjoy!

Artisan Bread

According to artisanbakers.com, an Artisan Baker is a highly trained craftsperson compared to other experts such as jewelers, glass blowers and furniture makers, just to name a few. According to those lofty standards, Artisan Bakers we are not. Fortunately for the rest of us, the important aspect of Artisan bread is the small list of ingredients it has. Flour, salt, yeast and water. Made by hand. No conditioners or preservatives added. Well after reading a little more about it, my wife decided to just give it a go. When it comes to cooking and baking, you just have to roll up your sleeves and get down with it. There will always be something to learn about cooking and baking, even for experts. You can always adjust, substitute and improvise. Much like we did when we baked the bread inside a wok.....

Artisan Bread

Artisan Bread

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp instant yeast
1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
1 1/2 cup water

Procedure

-mix the dry ingredients
-add the water and mix until well incorporated. (do not knead)
-place in a covered but not air tight container and let rest in the fridge overnight

-dust a flat surface and your hands because the dough will be very sticky
-cut your desired size of dough and shape it into a round piece and place in an oiled bowl
-let proof for 45 minutes to an hour covered with cling wrap or cloth
-preheat oven to 450 with the Dutch oven inside (or in our case, a wok)
-wait for at least 30 minutes to get the Dutch oven very hot
-place the dough in the preheated Dutch oven or wok and bake covered for 30 minutes
-remove the cover then bake for another 10-15 minutes

-remove the bread and let cool on a rack or serve piping hot. up to you :)

Enjoy!

Ensaymada (Brioche with cheese)

Last of the dough marathon day is Ensaymada. Definitely on the opposite side of the healthy spectrum with but this pastry is as Filipino as Adobo and Pancit. Goldilocks, a famous Filipino bakery back home made them the size of saucers topped with a ridiculous amount of margarine, sugar and shredded cheese. Definitely something to enjoy once in a while. Same dough with a different procedure one last time for one fantastic dessert.

Ensaymada

Ensaymada

Ingredients

4 cups of flour (2 cups all purpose/ 2 cups bread flour) plus extra for dusting

1/2 cup of sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp rapid rise yeast

2 tbsp powdered milk

3/4 cup +  1 tablespoon fresh milk 

3 eggs

6 tbsp melted unsalted butter
1/4 cup melted butter for brushing

Topping
1 stick  butter (creamed)
sugar to sprinkle
shredded cheddar cheese

Procedure

combine all the dry ingredients in the mixer bowl (flour,sugar,salt,yeast,powdered milk)
-make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients (eggs, melted butter, fresh milk)
-with the dough hook attachment, knead the dough until smooth and elastic for about 10-15 minutes
-cover with cling wrap and rest for 15 minutes
-turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead for 1 minute
-cut the dough into 20 pieces
-roll the dough into rectangular shape then brush with melted butter
-roll into a long log and twirl into shape and pinch to secure the shape
-let it rise until double for about an hour covered with a damp cloth
-preheat oven to 350 and bake for 18-20 minutes until slightly brown
-let it cool then brush the creamed butter and sprinkle with sugar and grated cheese

Enjoy!

Special Pan De Sal

This is a different version from one we already posted. The earlier recipe we have is the absolute basic recipe for Pan De Sal. It's what you get from the street vendors selling them for breakfast and merienda in the afternoon. This one is a slightly more decadent version that produces a more soft and airy roll. We used the same dough as the Spanish Bread with a slightly different procedure.

Special Pan De Sal

Ingredients:

4 cups of flour (2 cups all purpose/ 2 cups bread flour) plus extra for dusting

1/2 cup of sugar

2 tsp salt

1 packet of yeast (2 tsp rapid rise yeast)

2 tbsp powdered milk (optional)

3/4 cup fresh milk (warm)

3 eggs

6 tbsp softened unsalted butter (cut into cubes)

bread crumbs for dusting

Procedure

-combine all the dry ingredients in the mixer bowl (flour,sugar,salt,yeast,powdered milk)
-make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients (eggs, fresh milk)
-with the dough hook attachment, knead the dough until smooth and elastic (about 10-15 min)
-add the softened butter until well incorporated for about 10 min.
-cover with damp cloth/ cling wrap and rest for 15 minutes
-turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for a minute
-cut the dough into 4 equal parts, shape in to logs and cut each log to 5 pieces
-lightly roll on to bread crumbs
-cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled about 45 minutes to an hour
-preheat oven to 375 and bake for 18 minutes

Enjoy!

Spanish Bread

My wife was experimenting in the kitchen today to add some items for our catering menu and some traditional pastries from the Philippines came about. You have to get the originals down before you start changing things up. Sometimes chefs make the mistake of changing so much of the ingredients that all that's left is the name of the product taking away it's soul. Subtle changes to traditional dishes sometimes is enough. Maybe i'm partial to Filipino dishes I see out there that have been more or less ripped from it's roots. In any case, give this recipe a try and brew a cup of coffee right around the time the oven timer goes ding. We guarantee your baking efforts will be nicely rewarded. :)

Spanish Bread

Spanish Bread

4 cups of flour (2 cups all purpose/ 2 cups bread flour) plus extra for dusting

1/2 cup of sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp rapid rise yeast

2 tbsp powdered milk

3/4 cup + 1tbsp fresh milk

3 eggs

6 tbsp melted unsalted butter

bread crumbs for dusting

Filling

1 stick softened butter

2/3 cup bread crumbs

3/4 cup sugar

mix until well combined

Procedure

-combine all the dry ingredients in the mixer bowl (flour,sugar,salt,yeast,powdered milk)
-make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients (eggs, melted butter, fresh milk)
-with the dough hook attachment, knead the dough until smooth and elastic for about 10-15 minutes
-cover with cling wrap and rest for 15 minutes
-turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead for 1 minute

-cut the dough in to 4 equal parts, make a log and cut each log into 6 pieces

-flatten the dough,spread some filling then roll them up and pinch to seal

-lightly roll onto bread crumbs

-cover with damp cloth and let rise until doubled for about an hour

-preheat oven to 350 and bake for 18 to 20 minutes until slightly browned

-serve hot and enjoy!

Spanish Bread

Pan de Coco (Coconut Roll)

Afternoon snacking is a sport in the Philippines. Well, not really but it might as well be. Thanks to the Spaniards for introducing Merienda to us which translates to picnic in Spanish to snack in Tagalog. Bakeries in the Philippines would have people riding bikes carrying all kinds of baked goods kept warm in Styrofoam boxes. They would honk their little horns yelling out what's on the menu for the day. One of the old time favorite is Pan de Coco. Goes great with a cup of coffee for the old folks and a Coke for the kids.

Pan de Coco

Pan de Coco

Bun Recipe (sans the sesame seeds)

Coconut stuffing

2 1/2 cups sweetended coconut flakes

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch stirred in to 1/4 cup water

Procedure

-In a saucepan, put the sugar, water and condensed milk  and bring to a boil

-Add the coconut flakes and vanilla and mix well

-once it's mixed, slowly pour the cornstarch slurry slowly and once the mixture has thickened, remove from the fire, set aside and let cool.

Once the dough has rested, divide it in to 18-20 pieces

roll each piece to a ball then flatten it

put 1 tbsp of filling in the center then gather the sides to cover the filling and pinch to seal the dough

let the dough rise for another 45 minutes to an hour and preheat the oven to 350

brush the tops with egg wash and bake for 25 minutes until golden brown

serve warm with a cup of coffee :)

Sesame Buns

The best part about making your own bread is that you know exactly what goes in it. You don't want plastics in there that they use to make yoga mats then make your own bread. There isn't always time, but it's important to really sit down and ask ourselves what we are really putting in our body. Better yet, what are we really feeding our kids? You want to substitute whole wheat flour? Do it. Make it your choice to eat healthier. We're trying to minimize the ingredients that we can't pronounce in the foods that we eat. It's as simple as that. Plus healthier and cheaper together really is an unbeatable combination.

Sesame Buns

Sesame Buns

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cup bread flour

4 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp rapid rise yeast

1 tbsp powder milk

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla flavor

1 tbsp sesame seeds

eggwash

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp water

Procedure

preheat oven to 350 F

-mix all the dry ingredients (flour,sugar,salt, powder milk,rapid rise yeast)

-add oil, eggs,vanilla flavor and water

-knead for 7-10 minutes using the dough hook attachment

*if the dough is too wet, dust with more flour

-let dough rest for 10 minutes

-turn the dough in to a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (approximately 5 minutes)

-divide to 9 pieces for large buns or 18 for slider buns; add sesame seeds on top

-let the dough rise for 1 hour

-bake for 15 minutes

-remove from the oven and egg wash then cook for another 5 minutes

Enjoy!

Mini Bibingka

Bibingka is a type of rice cake traditionally served by Filipinos during the holidays. They're usually the size of saucers and quartered and served hot as a dessert. You have to ask yourself, something so good shouldn't have to be waited on for a whole year right? well they're quite easy to make. Give the recipe a try. We're sure you'll love it.

Mini Bibingka

ingredients

Mini Bibingka

2 cups rice flour
1/2 cup glutinous rice
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup melted butter, cooled
4 oz cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla

Toppings (mixed together)
2 tbsp melted butter
3 tbsp sugar
1 oz cream cheese

Procedure
Preheat oven to 375 F
Mix and incorporate all the dry ingredients then add the coconut milk,vanilla, eggs and butter and whisk until well smooth.

Spray the muffin pan or brush with butter or oil then fill them halfway with the batter. Add the a bit of cream cheese then add batter until the 3/4 full.

Bake for 20 minutes then brush the tops with the topping mixture

Return to oven and broil for about 1 minute or until the tops are golden brown

Serve hot and enjoy!

Mimi's Whole Wheat Pan De Sal

Pan De Sal or salt bread was introduced to the Philippines by the Portuguese in the 16th century and it stuck. Filipinos stuffed these tasty little rolls with whatever they can. Scrambled eggs with garlic, onion and tomatoes, Pancit, Hot dogs with mayo, Sardines, Peanut butter, stuffed with nothing but dipped in coffee and to my daughter who will probably grow up with her mom baking them for her to stuff with Nutella until she has her own rug rats.

Not very many things are more pleasant than freshly baked Pan De Sal for breakfast... or lunch... or dinner in our household.

Mimi's Whole Wheat Pan De Sal

breakfast of champs. Pan De Sal and Nutella

ingredients

Pan De Sal

3 cups flour (1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups bread flour)

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp instant yeast

1 tbsp unsalted butter (melted but not hot) or vegetable oil

1 cup water (with whole wheat flour, you might need to add a little more water. adjust accordingly)

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Mixer: incorporate all the dry ingredients then add the water and butter and with the dough hook attachment, kneed for about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough hook does not catch the dough due to size of mixing bowl, you may also knead by hand for 7 to 10 minutes.

Rest the dough for 10 minutes

Cut the dough in to two equal portions, shape in to logs and cut each log in to 6 pieces

Lightly roll on to breadcrumbs

Let rise until doubled then bake in a preheated oven at 375 for 20 minutes.

1 hour or more to double

Enjoy!

 Cheese Pimento

Scrambled Egg Filipino Style