Banana Chocolate Sourdough Bites

I like riped Bananas, having black spots. I eat just a banana, make some baking stuff with banana.
Today, I tried make Banana Bread. My one is not banana Cake. See my ingredients, not much butter and sugar.
Yes, it is bread made from Sour dough.
This bread is sweet, because of Banana and Chocolate. It doesn't need lots of sugar.
I made it small bites, for having with tea or coffee.

POINT
You don't need put much water, because banana contains water.
When you knead the dough, at first it is quite stiff, but it is gonna be elastic later.
The final dough doesn't proof as much as other kinds of bread.

Banana Chocolate Sourdough Bites
200g High grade flour
100g Plain flour
30g Sugar
3g Salt
45cc Water
20g Butter (melted)
50g Sourdough starter
120g  Banana (mushed)
50g Chocolate chips



1. In a large bowl, mix final dough flours and sugar, salt. Add sourdough starter and water, mushed banana,  butter. Mix with your finger combine the ingredients till water and flour combined well.

Place the dough onto the floured counter, then knead it for 10 minutes till it becomes smooth and elastic.

2. Spread the dough, put chocolate chips on it, knead it briefly till chocolate chips are just evenly incorporated into the dough.

3. Put the dough into a container with cover, place it warm place (35℃) till it becomes 1.5 size (about 8 - 12hours). I set overnight.

4. Pour the dough onto floured counter, then deflate it, knead briefly. Make it rough ball, then cover with wet tea towel, set it for 20 minutes.

5. Spread the dough with a roll pin, cut into 2cm x 4cm.

6. Place it into warm place with spray water, rise it for 1 hour.

7. Preheat the oven at 200℃


8. Spray water, bake them at 200C for 15 - 20minutes, till becomes well brown.

Apple filling buns

Which one is apple?
Hehe...you can find it easily, but they look so lovely, don't you think so?

Sour dough with tea leaf crust and apple filling inside.
The core of apple is stick pretzel, and leaf is a biscuit.

At first, make sourdough, and make apple preserve with raisin. OK, get ready, proof the final dough!!

Apple filling buns (make 7)
Sourdough
50g High grade flour
50g Water
1 teaspoon of sourdough starter

Apple preserve
2 apples (peel and cut into dice)
30g raisins
2 tablespoon of Sugar
1 tablespoon of Lemon juice

Final dough
250g High grade flour
50g Plain flour
1 bag of tea leaves
5g salt
2 table spoon of Sugar
195cc Water
20g oil
Sourdough polish

Decoration
Pretzel (stick type)
Biscuits (or something like leaf)
Any type of jam

Prepare
In a small container, combine flour, water and sourdough starter and stir 16-20 hours to ripen at room temperature.


In a small sauce pan, heat apple, raisin, sugar and lemon juice with low heat, and stir  constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Stir in apple and simmer until apples are transparent.

1. In a large bowl, mix final dough flours and sugar, salt, tea leaves. Add sourdough starter and water, oil. Mix with your finger combine the ingredients till water and flour combined well.
Place the dough onto the floured counter, then knead it for 10 minutes till it becomes smooth and elastic.

2. Put the dough into a container with cover, place it warm place (35℃) till it becomes double size (about 8 - 12hours). I set overnight.

3. Pour the dough onto floured counter, then deflate it, knead briefly. Divide into 7 pieces(70g each). Shape them into balls.
Set the dough with cover for 20 minutes.

4. Punch the dough, make a round shape with a roll pin. Put the apple filling on the dough. Seal the dough tightly, try not to put air in.

5. Place them into the warm place(40℃) for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven at 200 ℃。


6. Bake them at 190℃ for 15 minutes, until golden brown.

7. Decorate leaves. Use any type of jam as glue. Cool them on a wired lack.
Poke cores on the centre of buns.

Castella (Japanese Sponge Cake)

This recipe is really simple to make.

I got some fresh eggs from my friend. She has 4 chickens at home, so she can get 4 eggs everyday!!
Mmmmm.... what shall I make with eggs...

OK, I decided to make Castella!

Castella is a popular Japanese sponge cake made of sugar, flour, eggs, and starch syrup, but I used honey instead of syrup. Honey makes better taste.
This cake brought from Portugal to Japan by missionaries in the 16th century. That time we, Japanese didn't use to have milk and butter. I think Castella is the first cake in Japan!

It is simple ingredients, but it is not just a sponge cake. Sweet, fluffy, but moist...Color is so nice. Brown outside, Golden inside. \
The main ingredients are eggs and sugar and flour, so I can taste fresh eggs!!

POINT
Use fresh eggs,  that makes different taste.
Use high grade flour and sift it. That makes it elasticity.
Sugar makes it caramelize Brown and Golden. You can smell it from the oven!
Honey makes it moist sponge, and extra flavor.
Let it mature after bake, 3 days later is the best time to serve if you can WAIT!!

Castella (20cm x 20cm square)

5 Eggs

150g Sugar

150g High grade flour (sifted)
30g Honey
30g Milk

1. Put baking paper on the 20cm x 20cm square tin.  Reheat the oven at 170C.
Combine honey and milk in a small bowl, heat it up at medium power for 1 minutes. Mix well.

2. In a large bowl, beat eggs with sugar. Then whip them with a electronic mixer at high speed for 6 minutes or till whiten. Add mixture of honey and milk, combine well.

3. Add 1/2 of sifted flour, mix with spatula gently well.  Add left all of flour, and mix as well.
4. Pour it into the cake tin,  smooth the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
Drop the cake tin from 5cm high to let air out 3 or 4 times.

5. Bake it at 170C, once the top gets brown, cover with tin foil, heat down at 150C, then bake it another 50 minutes.
Poke the middle of the cake with thin stick, check it baked or not.

6. Wrap it up with plastic wrap as soon as finish to bake. Let it mature at least 1 day. (I think 3 day is the best)
7. Cut it half and cut the edge off, then make it slice, go for it!!!