Turkish bread

I had a nice baking weekend.

I visited my friend's place, and I had small bread making class there.

We made Melon pan. It was my Japanese friend's request.

 My friends and kids enjoyed fun baking.


And I made Turkish bread. It is also called Turkish ''pide''. I was wondering what is ''pide''.
Is it word for bread in Turkish? No, bread is ''ekmek''.
I found it out, ''pide'' means ''pizza'' !!!!! It sounds similar word. Now, it is connected.

Turkish pide is traditionally cooked in hot cray ovens. It makes crispy crust and chewy crumb.
But of  course, it is rarely to be in home kitchen. Use oven with high temperature, instead of the cray oven.

Turkish bread 

Final dough

100g mature 100% hydration sourdough starter

250g high grade flour

6g Salt

20g Olive oil

150cc water

Topping

Egg wash

Olive oil

White sesame seeds

Black sesame seeds

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the final dough ingredients. Knead it with dough hook for 8 minutes at low speed.Then kneed it for 3 minutes at high speed.

2. Put the dough into the lightly oiled container with cover. Let it proof for 6 - 8 hours until it becomes double size. . Fold it every 1 hour for 3 times.

3.  Prepare baking paper on the baking tray.
 Pour the dough on the floured counter. Shape it into rectangle gently. Transfer it on the baking tray.

4. Proof it for 40 minutes at warm place.

5. Preheat oven at 230℃.

6. Brush egg wash and olive oil on top.

Sprinkle white and black sesame on top. Poke it with your fingers.

7. Bake it at 220℃　for 18-20 minutes until it becomes golden brown.

8. Cool it down.

It is placed at Yeastspotting.

Coconuts Melon pan - part 3

Melon pan is a type of Japanese sweet buns, the plain buns covered with thin sweet cookie layer.
They resembles a rock melon, that is why it is called melon pan.

I got a request from my Japanese friend. She wants to make Melon pan.

In Japan, Melon pan is sold  at the bakery and supermarket.
And also it is available at the 24hours  open convenience stores anywhere and anytime in Japan. 

My friend misses it in Wellington, it is not available here.

This is 3rd time to write Melon pan recipe. There are lots of arranged flavor available in Japan.
I arranged it with coconuts. Add coconuts fine into cookie pastry. Nice coconuts aroma is coming out when it comes out from oven : )

Coconuts Melon pan

(makes 10)

Dough

400g High grade flour

8g Salt

20g Sugar

8g Dry yeast

260cc lukewarm water

40g Unsalted butter (soften)

Cookie crust

100g  Unsalted butter(soften)

80g Sugar

2 Egg (beaten)

160g Flour

100g Coconuts fine

1. In a mixing bowl,combine the dough ingredients except unsalted butter. Knead it with the dough hook for 8 minutes. Add soften unsalted butter and knead it another 5 minutes.

2. Transfer the dough into the oil coated container. Let it rise for 1 hour until it becomes double size.

3. Meanwhile, make the cookie crust.
Use a whipper, cream the butter until it becomes pale in a bowl. Add sugar and combine it. Add beaten eggs gradually, combine well. Add flour gradually, combine well with a spatula. Add coconuts fine, and combine well. Once it becomes doughy,  transfer it on the floured counter. Knead it with your hand briefly. Wrap it with plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge.

4. Transfer the dough on the floured counter, deflate briefly. divide it onto 10 pieces (about 70g each). Make it rough ball, and rest it for 20 minutes.

5. Take the cookie pastry out from the fridge. Divide it into 10 pieces (about 50g each). Make them ball shape.

6. Prepare the baking paper on the baking tray.
Shape the bread dough in to ball shape.
Using a rolling pin, roll cookie pastry into 12cm round shape. Drape it over the bread dough. Encase it, seal the bottom loosely. The bread will proof, make it loose wrapping. Place it on the baking tray.

7, Let it rise at the warm place for 40 minutes until it becomes bigger size.
 Preheat the oven at the 180℃.

8. Bake it at 180 ℃ for 18 - 20 minutes.

9. Cool them down on the wire rack.

It is placed at Yeastspotting. 

Pumpkin sourdough

Winter season vegetables are available at the farmers market in New Zealand. I go to farmers market to get fresh vegetables and fruits every Saturday.

Today, I made Sourdough with roasted pumpkins. It is  nice marble orange color.

I kneaded the dough by mixer, but I combined roasted pumpkin by my hand. It keeps chunky pumpkin texture and marble orange color. The crumb has moist texture.

I had a large crown pumpkin.  I used 1/8 of them. I could have added more pumpkin to make it nicer orange color. You can add more pumpkin optional.

Pumpkin sourdough

Prepare 

1/8 Pumpkin

Olive oil for drizzle

Preheat the oven at 200℃.

Cut pumpkin into dice. Spread the dice pumpkins on the baking tray. Drizzle  olive oil on it. 

Roast it for 20 minutes at 200℃.

Cool them down completely before adding them to the dough. 

Final dough 

350g High grade flour

10g Salt 

200g Water (lukewarm)

300g Mature 100% hydration sourdough starter

Dice roasted pumpkin above

1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour and salt, sourdough starter, water. Knead them with dough hook for 8 minutes.

 Transfer the dough on the floured counter. Spread it, put pumpkin on it.

 Wrap the pumpkins with the dough, and knead it with your hands gently until pumpkins are evenly incorporated into the dough. Try not to mash the pumpkin. The dough might get stickier. Add flour if you need.

Check the dough development, you sill see '' windowpane'' .

2. Put the dough lightly oil coated bowl with cover. Let it proof at the room temperature, fold it 100 minutes, fold it 60 minutes. Leave it 6 - 8 hours until it becomes double size.

3. Pour the dough onto the floured counter, deflate briefly. Shape it into oval shape. Set it into the basket with bottom-side up.

4. Cover the basket, let it rise for 1 - 1.5 hour at 25℃.

5. Preheat oven at 250℃ with a baking tray.

6. Take baking tray out, and sprinkle flour on it. TAKE CARE handling with the HOT baking tray!!!
Turn the dough over the tray.
Score the dough with a lame or a sharp knife.

7. Bake it at 250℃ with steam  for 15 minutes, and 180℃ without steam for 15 minutes. Turn off the oven, leave it for another 8 minutes with door ajar.

8. Cool it down on the wire rack.

It is placed at Yeastspotting.

Quinua Sourdough

Quinoa is known as a grain that is used in many South American dishes, is high in protein and is gluten-free. Plus, it contains lots of amino acid. It is suitable for healthy diet. 

I often cook rice with quinua. I tried make sourdough bread with quinua. It taste nutty flavor and　strong springy texture. It is nice to have taste with olive oil. 

I have white and black quinua. 

Quinua Sourdough

Prepare

Quinua 100g 

Water 200cc

Rinse the quinua well under cold water and drain. Put the quinua and water into a small sauce pan. Cover and bring to boil. Once it starts to boil, turn the heat down to a simmer. Set the lid ajar to prevent boiling over. Simmer 8 - 10 minutes until water evaporates. Turn the heat off, leave the sauce pan on it for 5 minutes for steaming.

Cool the quinua down completely before using for bread dough.

Final dough 

Sourdough starter 200g  (Flour 100g Water 100cc)

High grade flour 350g 

Wholemeal flour 50g 

Salt 10g 

Water 230

Cooked Quinua 

1. Combine final dough ingredients in a mixing bowl. Knead it with dough hook for 8 minutes.
Add cooked quinua, knead them until it is combined well.

Check the dough development, see below '' windowpane test ''

2. Put the dough into a oil coated bowl with cover.  Let it proof it at the room temperature, fold it 100 minutes, 60 minutes. Leave it 6 - 8 hours until it gets double size at the room temperature.

3. Pour the dough on the floured counter, deflate briefly. Shape it oval shape. Set it in the basket with bottom-side up.

4. Cover the basket, let it rise for 1 hour at 25 degrees.

5. Preheat the oven with baking tray at 250 degrees.
Take out baking tray, sprinkle flour on it. Please be care full handle with the HOT baking tray.
Turn the dough over on the baking tray.

6. Bake it at 250 degrees with steam for 15 minutes, and 180 degrees without steam for 15 minutes. Turn the switch off, leave it another 8 minutes with ajar.

It is placed at Yeastspotting.

Creamy corn loaf

In April, finally I got a new Kitchen Aid stand mixer from US. It was my birthday present for myself. My partner asked me, ''Why not buying it here, in New Zealand? ''
I wanted bigger size mixing bowl. It is only available in US. I bought 6Qt size mixer!

I completely forgot about something.  I need to use a voltage transformer to use US stand mixer in New Zealand. I bought it from US, now, I can use my new Kitchen Aid mixer at home!!!
It is the first baking with my new baby. 

I made corn loaf with pound cake tin.
I looked up ''corn loaf'' or ''corn bread '' recipe on Internet. I found American style ''corn bread'' recipe. It is made from cornmeal, flour and baking soda.
For me, in Japan, ''corn bread'' is yeast proofed bread with corn kernel like below.

 I updated the recipe before, here.

I arranged my recipe. I add heavy cream and butter to make it creamy and fluffy. Preferment dry yeast and flour first, it makes strong gluten development. 

I used a 21cm pound cake tin. The loaf is not too big, not too small, it is good size for 2 people.

Creamy corn loaf

Preferment

100g High grade flour

70cc Water (lukewarm)

50cc Heavy cream (room temperature)

3g Dry yeast

Final dough

200g High grade flour

6g Salt

15g Honey

Water 120cc (lukewarm)

24g Unsalted butter (room temperature and soft)

100g Corn  

1.  Combine all preferment ingredients in a container, leave it 1 - 2 hours until it get proofed. 

2. In a mixing bowl, combine preferment polish and final dough ingredients except unsalted butter. Knead it with dough hook for 8 minutes. 

 Add unsalted butter, keep kneading for 5 minutes or until butter is combined well. 

Check the dough gluten development. See below '' windowpane test''. 

3. Transfer the dough on the floured counter. Spread the dough, put corn onto it, knead it briefly till corn are just evenly incorporated into the dough.

Don't knead too much or use mixing machine, otherwise corn kernel might be mashed. 

If  the dough gets sticky, add extra flour on it.

4. Put the dough into a bowl with cover, place it warm place (35℃) till it becomes double size (about 2 - 3 hours).
It is winter time in New Zealand, here. I warm the dough bowl with steaming like below. 

5. Pour the dough on the floured counter, deflate briefly. Divide it into half portion using a scale. 
Make rough ball and put cover and rest it for 20 minutes. 

6. Pat the piece of the dough with your palm. Roll it out with a rolling pin, make it oval. 
Fold 1/3 each side. 

 Rotate it 90°.

Roll it down loosely.

Seal it tightly with your finger tips. Place it with sealing bottom.
Make another dough into the same shape. 

7. Put the dough into the loaf tin. 
Place it at warm place (35-40℃) for 1 hour until it get double size. 

8. Reheat oven at 200℃.
Apply egg wash on the top. 
Bake it  at 190℃ for 15 minutes, 170℃ for 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the loaf  another 5 minutes with the door ajar. 

9. Cool it down on the wire rack. 

It is placed at Yeastspotting. 

Homemade Miso

Do you know what exactly Miso paste is?

Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning, fermented soy beans with salt and Aspergillus oryzae (kind of yeast, made from fermented rice, used as ferment starter).
That is basic ingredients, but there are more recipe how to make Miso depends on region in Japan.

Aspergillus oryzae, we call it Koji in Japan. Koji is used to ferment soy beans to make Miso and soy sauce. And also it is used to ferment rice to make Sake and rice vinegar.
Shochu (Japanese distilled beverage) is also made from Koji and rice or barley or sweet potato.

I first made homemade miso paste last year. I ferment miso for 6 months, then start to use for cooking. Once I start to use, I make another batch of miso paste for next stock.
It is 3rd time today.

It could be ferment longer like 1 year. It develops cultured and rich flavor.

I roughly report how I made Miso paste. 

Ingredients
Soy beans 1kg
Koji 1kg
Salt 450g

I got soy beans from Asian super market. It is difficult to get Koji overseas. You need to buy it online from Japan. I got Koji from Urban Hippie,  making miso in Nelson, New Zealand.

Day 1.
Rinse soy beans, get dirt off. Soak it for overnight. It have to be covered with lots of water. Beans are soaked and get bigger.

Day 2.
1. Cook soaked soy beans with pressure cooker for 20 minutes or use stove, cook for 4 hours until it gets soft enough. Press a bean with your thumb and little finger, if it easy to crash, it is soft enough.
Unfortunately, I don't have pressure cooker. I cooked with a pot for long hours.

2. Strain the beans, but DO NOT through away boiled water.
Cool down beans until it gets body temperature (35℃)

3. Meanwhile mix salt and Koji together in a large bowl. It need to be blended well.

4. When beans get cool down enough, mash it. I used food processor to mash it. I added strained beans juice (process 2) to make the paste smooth.

5. Combine beans paste and koji and salt mixture in a large bowl. I got 9L bucket using for only Miso. I could not find big enough bowl at the kitchen.
Combine well.

6. Make miso balls. It makes easy to pack the paste in a jar without air in.

7. Pack the miso ball in a jar and press. Try not to air in.  I use a 9L bucket as a miso jar.

8. Cover the surface, avoid to be touched air. Put heavy weight on the top.
Cover the jar  with cloth and put date memo. You will not forget when you made miso.

Storage it at room temperature, not too warm, not too cool. It takes 6 - 12 months to ferment it and develop cultured. You need to stir it every 3 months to ferment it evenly.