Cinnamon rolls 玉桂卷

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups warm milk ( no hotter than 120F)
• 1 tablespoon active day yeast or
• 2 1/4 teaspoons quick rise yeast
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• 3 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 1 1/2 cups tightly packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 egg

Icing:

• 1 cup powder sugar, or a little more if needed
• 1 1/2 tablespoon water

Steps:

1. Put 1/4 cup of the warm milk in a small bowl. Add the yeast and sugar and whisk or stir to dissolve. Set the bowl aside for 8 - 10 minutes, until the mixture looks foamy. If the yeast isn't foamy after 15 minutes, start over with a new package.
2. Put the flour and salt in the large bowl and whisk to blend. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour the yeast mixture into the well. Then pour the remaining 1 cup warm milk and the melter butter into the well. Using the wooden spoon, stir together the flour mixture and the liquids until you get big, shaggy clumps of dough that start to stick together.
3. Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface. You can always add more later, so don't sprinkle too much. Dump the dough clumps out of the bowl onto your work surface. Dip your hands in flour and start kneading the dough. Keep kneading until the dough is smooth and springy and no longer sticky. It will take about 10 minutes. Lightly flour your hands and the surface if the dough starts sticking. It should feel tacky, like tape, but not sticky and gooey. The bench scraper is handy for scraping up any bits of dough stick to the table, and to help you move the dough around.
4. Wash out the large bowl and rub the inside with a think layer of vegetable oil or coat with pan spray. Shape the dough into a ball and put it in the bowl. Lightly rub or spray the top of the dough with a little oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Set the bowl aside and let the dough rise for 45 - 60 minutes, until it is twice as big.
5. While the bread dough finishes rising, put the brown sugar and cinnamon in the medium bowl and whisk together until well blended. Smash any brown sugar lumps to break them up. Set aside. Crack the egg into 1 of the small bowl and beat with the fork until blended. Set aside.
6. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons flour on the work surface. Turn the risen dough out of the bowl onto the floured surfaced and shape into a rough rectangle. Sprinkle another tablespoon of flour on top. Sprinkle from the edge closest to you, roll gently but firmly to the edge opposite you and then back again twice. Be careful not to roll the pin off the edge of the dough, or the dough will stick to the surface. Turn the dough a quarter turn and roll up and back again twice. When you turn the dough, it should move easily. If it doesn't gently lift area of stuck dough. loosening it with the small metal spatula, and sprinkle some more flour underneath. Repeat the rolling up and back and turning the dough until you have a 15 by 12 inch rectangle.
7. Brush any excess flour from the top and bottom of the dough with the large brush, and clean up any extra flour from around the dough with the bench scraper. Position the rectangle so you are facing a long side.
8. Using the small pastry brush, brush a thin coating of egg all over the top of dough. (you won't need all of it.) Use your finger to scrape the filling onto the dough and spread it evenly over the surface, leaving a 1 inch wide border uncovered along the long side opposite you.
9. Starting at the long side closest to you, roll up the dough into a long, keeping it fairly tight as you go. When you reach the opposite side, roll the dough on top of the uncovered border. Roll the log backward, so the seam is on top, and pinch all along the seam to seal it.
   
10. Lightly butter the cake pan or spray with pan spray. Using the serrated knife, cut the log crosswise into 10 rolls each about 1 1/2 inches wife. Use a gentle sawing motion when you cut so that you don't flatten the log. Arrange the rolls in the prepared cake pan, evenly spacing 8 rolls around edge of the pan and putting 2 rolls in the center
11. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and set in a warm place. Let the rolls rise for about 1 hour, or until they are nearly twice as big fill almost all of the open spaces in the pan.
12. After the rolls have risen for about 30 minutes, position an over rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350F. That way, the oven will be ready when you are ready to bake.
    
13. Bake the rolls for 30 - 35 minutes, until they are golden and the sugar is bubbling around the edges. Using the oven mitts, transfer the pan to the cooling rack. Let cool for 10 - 15 minutes.
14. Put 1 cup powdered sugar in the other small bowl. Add the water and whisk until well blended and completely smooth. The icing should be fairly thick, because it thins out when it hits the warm rolls. If it is thin and runny, add a little more sugar.
15. Using the spoon, drizzle the icing over the top of the warm rolls in any pattern you like. Eat them while they are warm!
    

白糖糕 White Sugar Cake

Found this on internet, it taste good.

材料 Ingredients:

粘米粉 Rice flour 100g
糖 white sugar 80g
水 water 200ml
酵母粉 dry yeast 1／2 teaspoon
發粉 baking power 1/4 teaspoon

做法 Steps:

1. 篩匀粘米粉sift the rice flour
   
2. 粘米粉,糖,水拌勻 Mix the rice flour, sugar and water.
3. 用細火煮,煮時要不停攪拌以免結硬塊,煮成稀糊狀，cook the mixture in low heat, stir constantly, until it becomes thicker, kind of like baby food.
4. 然後用篩過濾,待冷卻後加入酵母水(用1湯匙的水開匀)及發粉拌勻。 Put the mixture through a sieve, when it cools down, add the yeast (mixed with 1 tbsp water) and baking powder, stir well.
5. 發酵6-10小時,倒入蒸盤內(先掃油),用大火蒸25分鐘,待涼切塊即可 Let it rest at room temperature for 6 - 10 hours, grease the bottom of the pan, pour the mixture inside and use high heat to steam for 25 mins. serve cool or warm.
   

Perfect Puff

I got a new toy, it's called perfect puff, you can see the photo on the left hand side. I brought one box of pancake mix to test my latest toy. The bottom of the pan is not flat, managing to make seven of perfect ones is quite a challenge.

For the first experiment, found out that the bottom of the pan is not flat, managing to make seven of perfect ones is quite challenge, I have to move around the pan to let it cook more evenly on fire.

The second experiment, I put jelly filling inside. The way I got the best results is to put one tbsp inside each of the holes then when it starts bubbling put the filling and another tbsp pancake mix in, finally got some almost perfect ones.

The kids have more fun eating it, even if they are not perfect looking.

Mom's Chinese New Year Cake

材料 Ingredients：

• 糯米粉1包 Glutinous rice flour 1 bag
  
• 占米粉半包 Rice flour 1/2 bag
  
• 黃糖半包 Blown sugar 1/2 bag
  

做法 Steps：

1. 用2碗熱水來攪均粉。 Use 2 rice bowls of hot water to mix the flour.
2. 半碗水慢下，搓15分鐘左右，變成粉團 Add another 1/2 bowl of water slowly, until it can form a dough. then knead the dough for about 15 mins.
3. 再加2碗水成漿可慢慢流下。 Add another 2 bowls of water until the dough can slowly run.
4. 倒進盤中蒸熟大約半小時。 Spray the oil onto the mold, and steam for half an hour or until done.
   

**蒸的時間看模子大小決定。 Steam time depends on the size of the mold.

我的懶人蛋撻 Egg tart

This is also the boys' favorite, but we can't find it here, so I have to make it, still need to work on the appearance.


材料 Ingredients：

• pie crust x 1

• 蛋x3-3 eggs
  


• 糖70g-70g sugar
  


• 吉士粉1湯匙-1 tbsp custard powder
  


• 淡奶1∕2杯-1/2 cup evaporated milk
  


• 水1∕4杯-1/4 cup water
  

做法 Procedure：

1. 先將蛋和糖打勻 Mix eggs and sugar together.
   


2. 加入吉士粉打勻 Add custard powder and mix well.
   


3. 最後加淡奶和水打勻，去除表面泡沫。Add the evaporated milk and water and mix well; if there is foam, spoon it out.
   


4. Pie crust 解凍（約二十分鐘），用杯子切出形狀放入錫紙盤內。Let the pie crusts sit at room temp for 20 min, then use a cup as a cookie cutter to cut them and put them in foil cups.
   


5. 用叉子叉數次。Use a fork to poke holes in them.
   


6. 用350。F焗爐下層焗15分鐘。On the bottom rack of an oven, bake at 350 F for 15 min.
   


7. 熄火後再多焗15分鐘。Turn off the heat and let them sit inside the oven for another 15 min.
   

鬆軟蛋糕Our favorite cake

材料 Ingredients:

• Cake mix 1盒（18.25oz)
• Instant pudding mix 1 盒(3.9 oz)
• Sour cream 1 lb
• 蛋 3 隻 3 eggs
  
• 油1／2 杯 1/2 cup oil
• 水1／3 杯 1/3 cup water
  

做法 Procedure：

1. 將所有材料打均成為糊狀。 Combine all ingredients and mix well.
   
2. bundt cake 模模子塗油免黏。Spray or spread oil onto the cake mold so it does not stick.
   
3. 麵糊倒進模內。Spoon the batter into the mold.
   
4. 350F焗1小時。Bake at 350F for 1 hour.
   
5. 待冷後從模倒出。When it cools, take it out.
   
6. 可灑上糖粉作裝飾。Add powdered sugar to taste.
   

*如用朱古力cake mix便用朱古力pudding mix Use the same color cake mix as pudding mix.