thebakinghermit

[thebakinghermit]

Week 158: Caramelised onions and cheese foccacia ..................................................................................... Somewhere in the middle of the week, I got this sudden craving for some foccacia. And since I have been baking most of my bread sans commercial yeast, I decided to give sourdough foccacia a try. But it's so hard to find sourdough foccacia recipe online, in metric sale. So finally I decided to just go with the baker's formula of 75% hydration unbleached bread flour, 2% salt and 4% olive oil. . I was pleasantly surprised by the rise I got using plain bread flour. The dough was then covered with caramelised onions, grated parmesan and lots of olive oil. These were so delicious I gobbled 2 slices almost right out of the oven. . On the side story, while carrying the dough bowl in one hand, and attempting to switch off the lights holding my phone in the other, I dropped my phone splat on the cold marble floor, and the LCD screen cracked into hundreds of pieces! Darn. This turned out it be a super expensive foccacia loaf (even more expensive than the Bread Street Kitchen version, which I thought was daylight robbery! 😂). ..................................................................................... #icapturefood #instafood #thekitchn #inmykitchen #feedfeed #sortedfood #sgfood #sharefood #foodforfoodies #foodwinewomen #sgfoodie #foodphotography #foodspotting #foodstyling #undiscoveredbaker #buzzfeedfood #buzzfeast #f52grams #beautifulcuisines #chefsofinstagram #only_beautiful_food #huffpostfood #kitchenevangelist #thebakinghermit #sourdough #naturallyleavened #artisanbread #bakedfromscratch #foccacia

[thebakinghermit]

Week 157: Rye sourdough loaf ..................................................................................... After a nice streak of sourdough loaves, I appeared to have hit a wall. I have been struggling with an 80% hydration loaf (and still am). While the crumbs were satisfactory, and the crust weren't bad, the shape was totally off. So off that I couldn't even bring myself to photograph them. . Apparently using whole grain flour in sourdough "cuts" the delicate gluten strand. Last weekend, after making a small tweak to my formula by sifting out the large whole grains, I finally got an okay-ish looking loaf. . My loaf still spreaded like a splat just before I put it into the oven, making scoring and handling a total pain. Anyone with advices would be much appreciated. ..................................................................................... #icapturefood #instafood #thekitchn #inmykitchen #feedfeed #sortedfood #sgfood #sharefood #foodforfoodies #foodwinewomen #sgfoodie #foodphotography #foodspotting #foodstyling #undiscoveredbaker #buzzfeedfood #buzzfeast #f52grams #beautifulcuisines #chefsofinstagram #only_beautiful_food #huffpostfood #kitchenevangelist #thebakinghermit #sourdough #naturallyleavened #artisanbread #bakedfromscratch #justwaterflourandsalt

[thebakinghermit]

Week 156: Le cœur fondant ..................................................................................... What's better than a decadent, dark chocolate dessert for Valentine's Day? Trick question. There's nothing better, really. But, to break with tradition, and a close personal second favourite, I decided to make something without chocolate. . This petit gâteau is an amalgamation of a few of my favourite non-chocolate components. The only thing I needed to find was a melty berry component. Many thanks to @theboxerchef for sharing a coulis recipe that worked beautifully. . So, here's wishing everyone a super sweet Valentine's Day, and may you have abundance of sweetness for the rest of the year. . (Guess what flavour are these? 🤓) ..................................................................................... #icapturefood #instafood #thekitchn #inmykitchen #feedfeed #sortedfood #sgfood #sharefood #foodforfoodies #foodwinewomen #sgfoodie #foodphotography #foodspotting #foodstyling #undiscoveredbaker #buzzfeedfood #buzzfeast #f52grams #beautifulcuisines #chefsofinstagram #only_beautiful_food #huffpostfood #kitchenevangelist #thebakinghermit #patisserie #petitgateau #pastry_inspiration #sgpastries #bakersofsgp #amorini

[thebakinghermit]

Week 155: Chocolate chiffon ..................................................................................... Sometimes I get the strange urge to make and decorate a cake. And last weekend was one of those times. It was only yesterday when I realised I had almost forgotten the tradition I have been keeping for the past 2 years! Baking a cake and send a nice picture to my KitchenAid sponsor, Vincent, to wish him a happy birthday! . This is a chocolate chiffon cake, sandwiching a generous layer of whipped coffee mascarpone, and covered and decorated entirely with whipped cream frosting. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised that the piped roses were able to hold their shape quite nicely! . So here's a picture perfect chocolate cake to wish my friend, "joyeux anniversaire"! ..................................................................................... #icapturefood #instafood #thekitchn #inmykitchen #feedfeed #sortedfood #sgfood #sharefood #foodforfoodies #foodwinewomen #sgfoodie #foodphotography #foodspotting #foodstyling #foodgasm #buzzfeedfood #buzzfeast #f52grams #beautifulcuisines #chefsofinstagram #whati8today #huffpostfood #kitchenevangelist #thebakinghermit #coffee #chiffon #patisserie #chocolate #bonanniversaire #roses

[thebakinghermit]

Week 154: Paris-Brest ..................................................................................... The best thing about the #lunarnewyear long weekend was that I finally got to bake these individual Paris-Brest. I am never confident with choux and was thankful to have @theboxerchef and his expertise over for a baking session. We decided to follow the recipe in Pierre Hermé's Pastries book. . We were initially a little suspicious of the strange baking method suggested in the book. But the choux puffed up very nicely indeed! . And while we had some issue with the mousseline, as the syrup was not boiled to the required temperature, it all worked out nicely on the second try. The texture of the mousseline was light and luxurious at the same time, unlike anything I've tried before. ..................................................................................... #icapturefood #instafood #thekitchn #inmykitchen #feedfeed #sortedfood #sgfood #sharefood #foodforfoodies #foodwinewomen #sgfoodie #foodphotography #foodspotting #foodstyling #foodgasm #buzzfeedfood #buzzfeast #f52grams #beautifulcuisines #chefsofinstagram #whati8today #huffpostfood #kitchenevangelist #thebakinghermit #pierreherme #parisbrest #patisserie #chouxpastry #praline

[thebakinghermit]

Week 154: Chocolat framboise petit gâteau ..................................................................................... It is #lunarnewyear and half the people are down with cough and cold, including yours truly. Except, this year I didn't gnaw on a single slice of barbecue pork or a pineapple tart. How unfair! . Anyway, I had a strange craving for something with chocolate and raspberries. And my @silikomartprofessional Parfum mold has been sitting in its packaging for far too long. . So I made this petit gâteau with a raspberry cremeux center, @philippe_conticini chocolate mousse, a layer of chocolate joconde set atop a pâté friable base. . Special note on the chocolate mousse. This recipe uses egg whites instead of yolks, and I welcome the idea seeing the stacks of egg whites in my freezer. It turned out to be surprisingly luxurious and sets very nicely! Looks like I've found a perfect alternative to the classic chocolate mousse. Merci chef @philippe_conticini ! ..................................................................................... #icapturefood #instafood #thekitchn #inmykitchen #feedfeed #sortedfood #sgfood #sharefood #foodforfoodies #foodwinewomen #sgfoodie #foodphotography #foodspotting #foodstyling #foodporn #foodgasm #buzzfeedfood #buzzfeast #f52grams #beautifulcuisines #chefsofinstagram #whati8today #huffpostfood #kitchenevangelist #thebakinghermit #philippeconticini #petitgateau #chocolat #framboise

[thebakinghermit]

Week 153: Chocolate brownie and passion fruit mousse ..................................................................................... When people are tired from work, they drink. When I am tired from work, I crave for a good dessert. But since my weekend is super short, I had to make do with what is in the freezer. . I had leftover passion fruit mousse from a few weeks ago. And it took less than an hour to whip up a delicious brownie and a new batch of my trusted pâté sucrée beurrée from Pierre Hermé. So there is it, rich chocolate brownie, enrobed in tangy passion fruit mousse, covered in dark chocolate glaze, set atop a pâté sucrée beurrée disc. . Funny story, I hitched a ride with my colleague after our work trip on Friday, and as I was too lazy to go to the grocers, I asked if his wife could spare an egg for my brownie. And she spared me two! I found out that evening how difficult it is to transport raw eggs without proper packaging. ..................................................................................... #icapturefood #instafood #thekitchn #inmykitchen #feedfeed #sortedfood #sgfood #sharefood #foodforfoodies #foodwinewomen #sgfoodie #foodphotography #foodspotting #foodstyling #foodporn #foodgasm #buzzfeedfood #buzzfeast #f52grams #beautifulcuisines #chefsofinstagram #whati8today #huffpostfood #kitchenevangelist #thebakinghermit #pierrehermé #petitgateau #chocolate #passionfruit #pastry_inspiration

[thebakinghermit]

Week 153: Rye and cheddar sourdough loaf ..................................................................................... After many, many attempts at my rye sourdough loaf recipe, I have finally step it up with some upgrade. This loaf has the highest hydration and lowest inoculation (thanks to @theboxerchef for teaching me that term) I have attempted so far. And the inclusion of cheddar cheese cubes, leftover from all that crazy Christmas baking. . I was quite worried when #pangzhi took longer than usual to get his grove back. But thankfully he did. And I was also worried about folding the cheese cubes into the loaf. My previous attempts to add "fillings" to my dough did not turn out well. But this one seemed relatively well-distributed so I might be doing more of such loaves in the future. . On a side note, I never knew there are so many factors in baking a good sourdough loaf, and this has more than ignite my curiosity in achieving a perfect loaf. Much appreciation to @kerrytanml for starting me on my first "decent" loaf and to @theboxerchef for sharing this learning journey with me. "No road is too long with good company and good bread." 🥖 ..................................................................................... #icapturefood #instafood #thekitchn #inmykitchen #feedfeed #sortedfood #sgfood #sharefood #foodforfoodies #foodwinewomen #sgfoodie #foodphotography #foodspotting #foodstyling #foodporn #foodgasm #buzzfeedfood #buzzfeast #f52grams #beautifulcuisines #chefsofinstagram #whati8today #huffpostfood #naturallyleavened #sourdough #realbread #artisanbread #kitchenevangelist #thebakinghermit

[thebakinghermit]

Week 151: Cheesecake Mosaïc ..................................................................................... My last bake for the year (yes, this is also for the Christmas Eve potluck). This is one of the most complex cheesecake in my repertoire, and the most complex flavour too, with 2 separate layers (baked and non-bake) of pistachio cheesecakes embedded with macerated sour cherries. . This year has been rather eventful, to say the least. Met a lot of new people - at work, at home. Made some new friends, that makes me wonder how life would be without them. Reconnected with some old friends and wonder how amazing that despite the years, the chemistry stays exactly the same. And sadly, loss some friends that made me think if I should have tried harder, or, if there is anything I could have done differently. . But life goes on. Despite a lot of downs in 2016 (and not just for me!), at least the year managed to end on a high note. I managed to spend the last 2 weeks with some of the most important people in my life and it is difficult to explain how much that meant to me. 2017 is not going to be easy, but, I believe, with each new challenge, we discover new strengths within us. And the people around us, with their support and encouragement, they make the discovery journey all that more fun and enjoyable. . Cheers to 2017, and all the challenges it dares to throw at us! ..................................................................................... #homebaker #hobbybaker #sgbakes #bakersofsgp #instafood #insta_sg #foodstagram #foodphotography #foodporn #foodstyling #whatibakedtoday #inmykitchen #onthetable #only_beautiful_food #lovestobake #frommyoven #thebakinghermit #buzzfeast #thebakefeed #hautecuisines #thefeedfeed #kitchenevangelist #cheesecake #pierrehermé #dinnerparty #pistachio

[thebakinghermit]

Week 151: Quiche Lorraine ..................................................................................... You can't really go wrong with the classics, and nothing says classics like the quiche Lorraine. I always said I will not bake for the next potluck, but somehow I always do. And sometimes, more than one, or two, items! . Since I figured I'll be in over my head with our Christmas Eve dinner this year, I decided to stick with stuff I am confident in. Hence, this quiche and another brioche couronne (not properly photographed, unfortunately). . Despite the hectic schedule, I was surprised I managed to serve up the dishes last weekend, with a few hours to spare too! Must have been the spirit of Christmas. ..................................................................................... #homebaker #hobbybaker #sgbakes #bakersofsgp #instafood #insta_sg #foodstagram #foodphotography #foodporn #foodstyling #whatibakedtoday #inmykitchen #onthetable #only_beautiful_food #lovestobake #frommyoven #thebakinghermit #buzzfeast #thebakefeed #hautecuisines #thefeedfeed #kitchenevangelist #frenchkitchen #quichelorraine #dinnerparty

[thebakinghermit]

Week 150: Rye sourdough loaf ..................................................................................... After last week's "success", I was really looking forward to another attempt, with just a slight increase in hydration (from 66% to 75%). I had a bit of a scare though, as, even after the third feeding, #pangzhi remained dormant. It wasn't until I was about to head out for dinner that it decided to bubble-up, screwing up my usual sourdough schedule. Harrumph! 😑 . Fortunately, I took a day off work to spend some time with an old, old friend, whom I have not seen for the last 20 (!?!) years. So in between our chit-chat and reruns of #gbbo, I was running in and out of the kitchen, checking on my sourdough loaf. . Thankfully the effort was well worthwhile. I mean, look at the holes on this one! 🤓 Also thanks to @thefoodpoet for being such a patient hand model and for bearing with my sourdough obsession. ..................................................................................... #homebaker #hobbybaker #sgbakes #bakersofsgp #instafood #insta_sg #foodstagram #foodphotography #foodporn #foodstyling #whatibakedtoday #inmykitchen #onthetable #only_beautiful_food #lovestobake #frommyoven #thebakinghermit #buzzfeast #thebakefeed #hautecuisines #thefeedfeed #bakedfromscratch #sourdough #artisanbread #naturallyleavened #justwaterflourandsalt

[thebakinghermit]

Week 150: Black forest cake ..................................................................................... I remember my first encounter with snow fondly (the real stuff too, not from snow machines like how they do it in the tropics). Winter was creeping into the quiet town of Oxford, and one night, it started snowing. As I was staying at the top floor of the dormitory, with a roof window, I was the first amongst my friends to know. 5 minutes later, after a flurry of calls, we were all outside with woolly jackets over our PJs, throwing snow balls at one another. . Cold aside, winter in Oxford is gorgeous. The gardens, and the dreaming spires all covered in powdery white. I missed those days. . And so I was hoping to capture a bit of those winter memories with this Christmas bake for a friends-get-together last weekend. The pine forest chocolate collar idea came to me as I was watching reruns of #GBBO (thank you, @janebbakes 😅). And the fluffy whipped cream covering the top of the cake, doesn't that just remind you of waking up on a quiet, snowy morning, looking out the window and admiring how beautiful the world can be? ..................................................................................... #hobbybaker #homebaker #delicious #f52grams #sgbakes #sgpastries #bakersofsgp #insta_sg #foodphotography #foodstyling #whatibakedtoday #undiscoveredbaker #only_beautiful_food #lovestobake #frommyoven #thebakinghermit #buzzfeast #thebakefeed #thefeedfeed #pastry_inspiration #patisserie #dessertmasters #pastrylife #pastrychef #kitchenevangelist #whitechristmas #christmasmemories #oxford #blackforestcake

[thebakinghermit]

Week 149: Dark chocolate peppermint macarons ..................................................................................... This bottle of peppermint extract has been sitting in my refrigerator for a while and now that it's finally the season for peppermint flavours - I am going crazy with it! . This is a variation of my favourite Pierre Hermé macaron infiniment chocolat, where I made half the regular chocolate shells and half my rendition of Christmassy peppermint shells. And for the ganache filling, I replaced the salted chocolate chips with a generous dose of peppermint extract. . I was initially debating whether to go with white or dark chocolate for these, but finally gave in to the lure of the darkside. I guess dark chocolate has a stronger flavour and it took quite a fair amount of peppermint extract to bring out the flavour. But, I am quite happy with the resulting flavour. I guess some of my friends will be receiving sweet peppermint treats very soon. ..................................................................................... #hobbybaker #homebaker #delicious #f52grams #sgbakes #sgpastries #bakersofsgp #insta_sg #foodphotography #foodstyling #whatibakedtoday #undiscoveredbaker #only_beautiful_food #lovestobake #frommyoven #thebakinghermit #buzzfeast #thebakefeed #thefeedfeed #pastry_inspiration #patisserie #dessertmasters #pastrylife #pastrychef #kitchenevangelist #macaron #pierrehermé #peppermint

[thebakinghermit]

Week 149: Petit gâteau de Noël blanc ..................................................................................... #Christmas is in the air! Time to bust out those dusty molds and bake up something special. And I really want to bake up something particularly special to christen this new set of mold. . Ever since I read about @dominiqueansel 's December cronut - white chocolate peppermint and cherry, I couldn't quite get it out of my mind. That is usually how baking inspirations happen for me - when I read about a flavour combination that I couldn't get out of my mind. . For the past few days I have been researching the different recipes and flavour combinations and finally found one that works (at least according to my friends). Will be sharing the components in my subsequent posts, but for now, let me present to you, "Petit gâteau de Noël blanc." ..................................................................................... #hobbybaker #homebaker #delicious #f52grams #sgbakes #sgpastries #bakersofsgp #insta_sg #foodphotography #foodstyling #whatibakedtoday #undiscoveredbaker #only_beautiful_food #lovestobake #frommyoven #thebakinghermit #buzzfeast #thebakefeed #thefeedfeed #pastry_inspiration #patisserie #dessertmasters #pastrylife #pastrychef #kitchenevangelist #petitgateau #christmasflavors #pillow #peppermint

[thebakinghermit]

Week 149: Rye sourdough loaf ..................................................................................... You have no idea how challenging it is to take this shot, alone at home! 😂 . On the bright side, this is definitely my best sourdough loaf to date! Light and crunchy crust, soft and airy crumb with just a slight tinge of "sour". Still a long way to go, but at least I am headed in the correct direction. . For the first time I did the entire bulk and final proof process in room temperature (~25C) and I believe that really made a difference. ..................................................................................... #homebaker #hobbybaker #sgbakes #bakersofsgp #instafood #insta_sg #foodstagram #foodphotography #foodporn #foodstyling #whatibakedtoday #inmykitchen #onthetable #only_beautiful_food #lovestobake #frommyoven #thebakinghermit #buzzfeast #thebakefeed #hautecuisines #thefeedfeed #bakedfromscratch #sourdough #artisanbread #naturallyleavened #justwaterflourandsalt #pangzhi

[thebakinghermit]

Week 148: Passion fruit and dark chocolate petit gâteau ..................................................................................... I have always been curious about the chocolate and passion fruit pairing. The Mogador macaron from #PierreHermé is a little too tart for me. So for my attempt, I decided to tone down the passion fruit for a bit. . To prepare the passion fruit purée, I scrapped the seeds out of 6 fruits, bring them to a boil, blend it then strain them through a fine strainer. I managed to get about 200g of purée out of the 6 fruits. . For the base, I used my tried and tested brownie recipe from @davidlebovitz And for a texture variation, a layer of #HervéThis' unconventional chocolate mousse. These are then covered by a layer of passion fruit mousse followed by a shiny white chocolate mirror glaze. And sadly, a failed attempt at spider web glaze lol. ..................................................................................... #hobbybaker #homebaker #delicious #f52grams #sgbakes #sgpastries #bakersofsgp #instafood #insta_sg #foodphotography #foodstyling #whatibakedtoday #inmykitchen #only_beautiful_food #lovestobake #frommyoven #thebakinghermit #buzzfeast #thebakefeed #hautecuisines #thefeedfeed #pastry_inspiration #patisserie #dessertmasters #pastrylife #pastrychef #kitchenevangelist #entremet

[thebakinghermit]

Week 147: Parmesan sablé ..................................................................................... Our favourite things during our childhood tend to carry a special weight all through our adult life. And I think that's exactly what my grandmother's "cheese straws" meant to me. That is one of my favourite and most memorable cookies during the Lunar New Year (yes, even more than the pineapple tarts!), and it's always such a treat. . It's rather unfortunate that I could not find my grandmother's original recipe for these, and so, have not had the chance to taste them for the longest time. Until my recent trip to Tokyo and chanced upon these delicious Parmesan sable from Pierre Hermé! . While I still don't have the recipe, I am now motivated to try out recipes and see if I could achieve something similar. These were very cheesy and nicely flavoured but still lacks the texture of a good sable. Time for more testing. . ..................................................................................... #hobbybaker #homebaker #delicious #f52grams #sgbakes #sgpastries #bakersofsgp #instafood #insta_sg #foodphotography #foodstyling #whatibakedtoday #inmykitchen #only_beautiful_food #lovestobake #frommyoven #thebakinghermit #buzzfeast #thebakefeed #hautecuisines #thefeedfeed #pastry_inspiration #patisserie #dessertmasters #pastrylife #pastrychef #kitchenevangelist #pierrehermé #parmesan #sablé