Another good time......

           Had another girlfriends fun time yesterday afternoon....... My colleagues & I went out for a lunch treat for 2 colleagues who are leaving for another school. We met at the Singapore's latest shopping mall, Changi City Mall & ate at Manhattan Fish Market. I didn't realise the mall was being built until somebody asked me if  I had checked out the place. It's quite big & I think an expansion of the mall is underway..... need to confirm that. There are many food outlets, so that's good news for workers around the area. Anyway, we had a good time. The food was good & we had a good bargain too since we made use of the discount coupons specially issued for that particular outlet. Of course, we talked & laughed a lot. This time, we talked a lot about workplace politics......hey, what's new.....

          On Tuesday, I made Cinnamon Buns, my family's favourite. I started preparing the night before, so before lunch, the buns were ready for the boys to eat. Between the two boys, they finished 7 pieces within a few hours! I had to stop them from eating more or they would be too full to eat dinner.

          This time, I used the recipe that uses Tangzhong. If you are not aware of this method of preparing bread, you may refer to  Do What I Like for Florence's explanation. I doubled up the recipe to make 2 pans. 1 is just not enough for my family. In fact I have to make more soon for my siblings!

My family likes it with cream cheese frosting. Yummy!!

Cinnamon Buns 

(recipe by Florence of Do What I Like. Makes 1 8x8 inch baking pan.)


Tanzhong:
50g bread flour
250ml water

Method:

1. Mix flour in water to form a smooth mixture. (I used a hand whisk.) Cook over medium-low heat, stirring consistently with a wooden spoon, whisk or spatula to prevent burning and sticking. Continue stirring until the mixture becomes thick.
2. Once some 'lines' appear in the mixture for every stir  made with the spoon, remove from heat.
3. Transfer into a clean bowl. Cover with a cling wrap sticking onto the surface of tangzhong to prevent from drying up. Let cool. Chill in fridge for several hours. (I chill it overnight.) The tangzhong is ready to be used.

Note: When you are ready to use the tangzhong, just weigh the amount required & let it rest in room temperature for a while before adding to other ingredients. The tangzhong can be stored up to a few days as long as it doesn't turn grey. If so, discard and cook some more.)

Dough:
210g bread flour
50g cake flour
5g yeast (I used instant yeast.)
50g sugar
2 tbsp milk powder (I added.)
1 egg + water = 110g
75g Tangzhong
30g butter
½ tsp salt

Filling:

15g butter (softened)

30g brown sugar

100g mixed dried fruits or raisins (I didn't use.)

cinnamon powder (Preferably, use freshly ground powder instead of store-bought. It's really worth it! Refer here on how I prepare my cinnnamon powder.)

Method:

1. Combine flour, milk powder, yeast & sugar in a mixing bowl & mix to combine.
2. Add water & tangzhong & mix using a dough hook until combine for about 3 mins. (I'm using  Kenwood cake mixer, so I always use speed no 3 for mixing bread dough, as advised by the service centre.)
3. Add butter & keep mixing for another minute.
4. Add salt & mix for another 5 minutes.
5. Remove the dough and mould it into a round dough. Place it in a bowl and cover it with a cling wrap. Leave to prove for about 45-60 minutes.
6. Remove dough from bowl & punch it to remove air. Leave it to rest for about 10 minutes.
7. Then roll dough out to about 1/2 inch thick.
8. Place the rolled-out dough on a pan lined with silicone or grease paper. Then place it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. This way, it's easier to roll up and cut the dough. Remove from the freezer and the pan. Roll out the dough again into a rectangle of about  30 x 20cm (12 x 8 inches). 
9. Spread soft butter evenly on rolled-out dough. Sprinkle  cinnamon powder generously and evenly, followed by dark brown sugar.
10. Roll up the dough tightly and pinch the edge. Then cut the log into 9 equal parts & arrange them on a 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inch) pan lined with grease or silicone paper.
11. Leave the dough to rise for 30 to 45 minutes.
12. Bake at 180 deg C for about 35 minutes.