This is an Asian inspired recipe for a cottony, soft and fluffy sandwich bread. The bread has lots of “freckles”…chia seeds! This bread is great for sandwich or just as a toast.

As I promised last week, here is the recipe for the chia milk sandwich bread. This bread is truly light, cottony and stays fresh for a few days mainly because of the water roux technique and is widely used in Asian bakery. Apparently this “cooked” dough is able to retain more moist…I am not sure about the scientific explanation for it, but when comes to baking buns/sandwich bread I sure add the water roux (tangzhong) in my dough.

This recipe is pretty similar to your usual sandwich bread, only one extra step…and for me it is well worth it since the texture of the bread is much softer and lighter…

In this recipe I was able to bake 2 Pullman loaves, therefore all the stirring, mixing and kneading was done with the help of the Kitchen Aid mixer…please feel free to adapt according to your needs.

Oh! Since the texture of this bread is so soft and tender, it is great with peanut butter and jelly, egg salad…light stuff…if you know what I mean…

Ingredients:

Water roux or Tangzhong

• 40 g bread flour
• 200 ml water

Dough

• 4 tsp chia seed in 250 ml water
• 650 g bread flour
• 10 g yeast
• 7 g salt
• 45 g sugar
• 100 ml cream
• 20 g dry milk
• 40 g butter

Method:

Water roux

In a small pan, mix all the ingredients of water roux, place in a low heat and stir constantly until the temperature reach 65C (150F), or if you do not have a thermometer, cook until ripples form. Set aside to cool by covering with a plastic film.

Dough

Soak the chia seed in the water for at least 30 minutes.

In the mixer, add all the water roux, and all the other ingredients, except for the butter.

Turn the machine and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, until a ball forms.

Increase the speed to “2” and let it mix for 10 minutes. The dough will be very sticky, and less sticky as the gluten forms.
Add the butter and mix for 20 minutes more. Take a small portion of the dough (like a golf ball) and stretch gently until a very thin and transparent membrane (windowpane).

If the dough tears mix for another 5 minutes until you achieve the windowpane test. The windowpane test, demonstrated that the gluten is very well developed and it will create a very light crumb. The dough should be very elastic.

Remove the dough from the mixer and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let dough proof until the dough tripled to its original size.

Knock back the dough and split into 2 portions (600 g each) and let it rest for 5 minutes on the counter. I end up with 1272 g of dough, and made 2 small buns with the 72 g of dough.

Divide each ball into 4 little balls. Flatten the ball and shape like a Swiss roll, flat again and roll it again like a Swiss roll. Repeat the same procedure with the remaining dough.

Place the Swiss rolls into the Pullman pan (23 x 10 x 10 cm or 9 x 4 x 4 in) and let it rise until almost 90% to reach the rim of the pan.
Cover the pan and bake in a preheated oven of 350F for approximately 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and flip the bread into a wire rack to cool.

Slice the bread after is cool.

Store the bread in an airtight container.

If you enjoy this Asian inspired bread recipe, you might want to try Pumpkin Dinner Roll or Chinese Steamed Bun.

Did you know that chia seeds are from the mint family? And yes, they are the same seed used in the terracotta figurines. Chia seeds are a great source of omega-3 fat and fibers. This seeds are native of Mexico and Guatemala.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Today I am sharing a simple recipe for orange cream scones. These scones are delicious and rich and loaded with cranberries. Great for breakfast or for your afternoon tea.

I must admit that this is my first time making scones…I always liked the flavor of scones, but not really the texture…maybe because every time I purchased scones, they were “old” or who knows how they “beat them up”…therefore I never could really understand what was the big deal with scones. Even my husband did not get very excited when I told him that I was planning to bake scone, he was like…”Why? They are so heavy and flavorless…”, well, I was able to prove him wrong with this recipe…after searching for literally dozens of recipes and reading the “what to do”and “what not to do”, I decided to merge a few versions into this recipe…and I must admit, it is so simple and easy to come up with a light, fluffy, moist scone with a thin layer of crispness…

I based this recipe from mainly this two sites…cookbook 365 and Splendid Table.

You can be very creative and you can “color” it the way you like by adding whatever fresh or dry fruit of your preference or other ingredients such as candy ginger, chocolate. You can use buttermilk instead of cream. You can make it savory by adding cheese, bacon, chives, olives…and spice it up with curry, oregano, you name it…so let your imagination float and color your scones the way you want.

By the way, these scones will be great for Easter brunch…

Ingredient:

• 250 g all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp fresh orange zest
• 50 g granulated sugar
• 60 g cold unsalted butter, cut into approximately 12-mm cubes
• 200 ml heavy cream
• 1 large egg, cold
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 60 g cranberry
• Enough heavy cream to brush scones
• Crystal sugar for sprinkling

Method:

Cut the butter and place in the freezer while you are measuring the other ingredients.

Measure the cream and add the egg and vanilla extract, keep in the refrigerator until needed.

In a food processor bowl, place the flour, sugar, baking powder, orange zest and salt. Pulse for a few times.

Add the butter pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal and no pieces of butter are larger than a pea.

Pour the cream mixture into the flour mixture, and pulse until a dough forms.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place in a lightly flour surface. Add the cranberry and gently kneading it onto itself for a few times. Do not over mix or knead…gently fold the dough.

Pat the dough into circle of 2 cm thick. Cut the circle first into half, then into quarters until you reach 8 slices. Place the scone gently in a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Let it rest for approximately 1 hour.

When ready to bake, brush the top of the scones with heavy cream and sprinkle the top with crystal sugar.

Bake for approximately 15 to 18 minutes, until the scones are slightly golden. Rotate the pan halfway through baking.

Allow the scones to sit in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool

Serve warm. Store the “leftover” scones in the freezer for later enjoyment.

To warm the frozen scones, place the scones in a 350F preheated oven for about 5 minutes.

If you enjoy this simple recipe for Orange Cream Scone you might want to check on Bacon, Cheese Green Onion Scone recipe.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

This is a super fun recipe to make when entertaining. It is an Asian inspired pull-apart bread where each piece is loaded with cheese and green onion.

I was amazed by the shape of this bread when I saw it here and wanted to make something similar, but of course with a twist…an Asian twist. This bread is great for party…not only has a very interesting look as well as easy to serve…you just need to twist and pull apart. Apparently the original recipe was based on kalács which according to Wikipedia is a Hungarian sweet bread similar to brioche.

The shape of the bread might be frightening at first, but in reality it is quite simple and fun to put together. You will need to split the dough into two equal parts and then shaping, filling, playing with scissors and twisting will take a part in the process.

I really can see myself coming up with all kind of fillings to use with this bread, an alternative for pull-apart bread such as cinnamon rolls, cheese and garlic, sun dried tomatoes and herbs, olive spread and the list goes on and on…

If you are into baking bread I hope you have a chance to try this, and of course, feel free to incorporate whatever your bud taste desire…make it sweet or savory…anyway, for this recipe I used my Zojirushi bread maker.

Ingredients:

Bread

Water roux

• 75 ml of water
• 15 g of bread flour

Dough

• 280 g bread flour
• 1½ tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons dry milk
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1½ teaspoon dry yeast
• 1 large egg and complete to 110 ml with water
• 25 g butter

Filling

• 2 teaspoons Aioli Garlic mustard (Trader Joe’s) or any mustard
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup freshly grated Gruyère Cheese, or any cheese of your preference

• Egg wash
• 1 egg yolk lightly beaten with ½ tablespoon water
• Sunflower seeds for garnish

Method:

Bread

Water roux

Mix flour and water in a small saucepan. Cook over low to medium heat, stirring constantly until it reaches 65oC/149oF. The mix will turn to a paste and you can see the bottom of the pan.
Remove from heat, cover with a saran wrap film over the paste and leave until lukewarm.

Dough

Add the water roux and all the dough ingredients to the bread machine bucket according to the manufacture’s guideline.

I let the dough cycle run for 2 times, making sure that the dough reaches a thin membrane. The dough will be slightly sticky.

Let is rise for approximately 2 hours in a cover container or until it double its initial volume.

Filling

Mix all the ingredient in a small bowl, set aside.

Assembly

Punch down the dough and divide into two equal parts. Using a rolling pin, flat each dough and roll into an approximately into a 12 inch disc.

Place the first disc on to a baking tray lined with a silicone liner of parchment paper. Spread the filling onto the disc, leaving approximately ½ inch free of filling around the disc. Gently layer the second disc on top of the filling. Place a small round cap of approximately 1 ½ inch in diameter in the middle of the disc as a guide, press gently. Using the back of a knife or spatula trace the disc into four, cut with the scissors until the center cap. Then cut each quarter into two and finally each eighth into 3 equal sections.

Twist each section three times and press the gently against the silicone mat. Remove the cap. Cover the dough with plastic film until double its original size.

When almost ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F and wash the top with the egg wash and place the sunflower seeds in the center where the cap was.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until slightly golden brown on the top. Remove from the oven and let it cool on a wired rack.

Serve warm.

For more bread recipes, please check my Recipe Box.

 Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Who does not like freshly baked French baguette! Especially that it is so easy…no-kneading needed for this recipe…

A friend of mine turned me onto this recipe, which was adapted from Food Wishes. No need to mention that I have made this bread many times and even once baked to take to work upon request, I kind of felt so embarrassed because this recipe is literally very simple. What can be easier than a no-knead bread? Oh! I got many request to share the recipe…so here it is…

Okay, let me take back…the only time consuming is when you place the baguettes in the oven as they need to be misted with water every 5 minutes…other than that, it is no fuss…and it sure looks like that they came from a professional bakery.

Ingredients:

• ½ teaspoon yeast
• 300 g water
• 375 g bread flour
• ¾ teaspoon salt

Method:

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients and let it rise overnight or until double at room temperature. The dough will be sticky, but will come out from the wall.

Next day, when ready to bake, gently remove the dough from the bowl over a floured surface and split the dough into approximately 3 portions.

Fold the dough over itself and roll as you push out until elongated in the form of baguette. Repeat with the other dough.

Place the baguettes on a cookie sheet on a floured parchment paper. Dust the top of the baguette with flour and gently cover the baguettes with a plastic film.

Leave to rest for approximately 1 to 1 ½ hour or until almost double from its original size.

Preheat oven to 550F (or as high as your oven will permit). Place a pan with water on the bottom rack of the oven.

Use a sharp scissor cut the bread making diagonal marks of approximately 45 degree, make sure to tuck in the tips.

When ready to place the baguettes in the oven spray the baguettes generously with water. Let it bake for 5 minutes and repeat the water spray. Another 5 minutes in the oven and spray again with water and turn the pan around so the baguettes bake evenly. Let it bake for another 5 minutes or until the crust turns brown.

When the baguettes are done, remove from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes or so…now you can start enjoying the bread.

If you enjoy this simple and easy no-knead French baguette recipe, you might want to check on the Sourdough No-Knead Bread recipes.

Did you know that all no-knead bread requires a very high hydration? This way gluten strands can form throughout the wet dough producing the uneven holes where the carbon dioxides (CO2) generated by the yeast are trapped.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful day!

This is an Asian inspired recipe for pumpkin sandwich bread loaded with chia seed. This bread is great for sandwich, French toast or simply toast.

Yes, I had made numerous variation of bread and rolls using chia seeds and the same with pumpkin, but this is the first one where I mixed pumpkin and chia seeds all in one dough…the pumpkin give its nice deep yellow color and it packed with the goodness of chia seeds.

The recipe is pretty simple, similar to the other bread recipes that I have been using…

I use the water roux or tangzhong method to accomplish the Asian bread texture, and adjusted the liquid content since the seed were soaked in water before being used in the dough. The texture of these sandwich bread are awesome, light, springy and cottony…not to mention that stay soft for many many days.

When baking sandwich bread, I love using my Pullman loaf pan, the sandwich loaf comes out perfectly square…just slice it to your thickness preference…

Oh! I will be on vacation as this post goes live…so please forgive me if I cannot make my weekly visit to you, I will be literally trying to do “nothing”, which seems kind close to impossible due to my personality…nevertheless, I will just try to relax and enjoy the environment…

Ingredients:

Water Roux or Tangzhong

• 40 g bread flour
• 200 g water

Main dough

• 8 teaspoons chia seed
• 1 cup water
• 300 g pumpkin puree
• 800 g bread flour
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons dry milk
• 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons dry yeast
• 50 g butter

Method:

Water roux or Tangzhong

In a small pan, mix all the ingredients of water roux, place in a low heat and stir constantly until the temperature reach 650C (150F), or if you do not have a thermometer, cook until ripples form. Set aside to cool by covering with a plastic film.

Dough

Soak the chia seed in the water for at least 15 minutes.

In the mixer bucket, add the water roux, and all the other ingredients, except for the butter.
Turn the mixer on the stir mode and increase to speed 2 until forms soft dough. The dough will be very sticky initially, and less sticky as the gluten forms.

Add the butter in and let it knead until the butter incorporates to the dough. Make sure that the dough is soft and elastic. I used speed 2 for approximately 30 minutes.

Remove the dough and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let dough proof in a warm place until the dough tripled to its original size.

Knock back the dough and split into approximately 8 little balls and let it rest for 5 minutes on the counter.

Flatten the ball making sure that the air is removed and fold into thirds, then roll it like a Swiss roll.

Place the Swiss rolls into the Pullman (4 each) pan and let it rise until almost 90% to reach the rim of the pan. Cover the pan and bake in a preheated oven of 350F for approximately 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and flip the bread into a wire rack to cool. Slice according to your like.

Store the bread in an airtight container.

I hope you enjoy this Asian Inspired bread recipe with chia seeds, for more, please check Chia Seed Dinner Roll recipe.

Did you know that chia seeds not only contain omega-3 fatty acid but it is a good source of fiber and minerals?
In case you are wondering…yes, these are the same seeds that were very popular as “chia pets”, which sprouted chia seeds were used to produce the terracotta figures.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

This light and fluffy buns made with pumpkin puree are great at anytime, especially during fall season. This is an Asian inspired recipe using tangzhong method, therefore the buns stay fresh and moist for days.

Yes, I kind of feel guilty not posting anything with pumpkin…not that I have not made anything with it…I actually made lots and lots of bread using pumpkin. I even made my first soufflé with butternut squash, which I will share with you some other time.

These pumpkin dinner rolls or if you wish you can make into a pull-apart loaf are very pretty and tasty. I again used the water roux method or tangzhong as known by many bakers…the recipe is very simple and the texture of these are so light, fluffy and very cottony.

I rely on my little Zojirushi bread machine to do all the kneading and them baked the rolls on a 8 inch round pan and the pull-apart bread was baked in mini loaf pans.

Ingredients:

Water Roux or Tangzhong

• 15 g bread flour
• 75 g water

Main dough

• 130 g pumpkin puree
• 300 g bread flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoons dry milk
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon dry yeast
• 2 tablespoon butter

Garnish for:

Dinner Rolls:

• Pumpkin seeds for garnish

Pull-Apart:

• 1 ½ tablespoons butter (melted)
• Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Egg Wash ( 1 egg + 1 tablespoon milk)

Method:

Water roux

In a small pan, mix all the ingredients of water roux, place in a low heat and stir constantly until the temperature reach 65oC (150F), or if you do not have a thermometer, cook until ripples form. Set aside to cool by covering with a plastic film.

Dough

In the bread machine bucket, add the water roux, and all the other ingredients, except for the butter.

Turn the machine to knead mode until it forms soft dough, slightly sticky. Add more water of flour as needed since the content of water will vary between different pumpkin puree. Add the butter and let it knead until the butter incorporates to the dough.

Remove the dough and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let both dough proof until the dough double to its original size.

For the Dinner Rolls

Knock back the dough and split into 20 to 22 little balls.

Place the little balls into the round pan, cover and let it rise until double of its original size.

Gently brush with egg wash. Garnish with pumpkin seeds.

Bake in a preheated oven of 350F for approximately 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let the bread cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or store the bread in an airtight container.

For the Pull-Apart

Knock back the dough and split into 3 balls. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes (covered).

With a roller pin, open the dough into approximately 9 x 7 inch rectangle.

Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, generously.

Cut into four strips and again into smaller squares or rectangles.

Pile them together and place into a mini loaf pan. Proceed the same way with the remaining 2 portion.

Cover and let it rise until double of its original size.

Gently brush with egg wash.

Bake in a preheated oven of 350F for approximately 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let the bread cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or store the bread in an airtight container.

If you enjoy this simple pumpkin dinner rolls you might want to check on the Pumpkin Chia Seed Sandwich Bread or Sesame Swirl Pumpkin Bread recipes.

Oh! I almost forgot…I will be out of town for a meeting in Chicago (so cold!) and will be back with new recipes after Thanksgiving…

Did you know that pumpkin is loaded of dietary fiber and anti-oxidants such as beta carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in the body? Moreover, pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of dietary fiber as well as mono unsaturated fat, which are good for the heart.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

This is a pretty classic and traditional recipe for French toast…so what’s special? Well, I used the yolk custard bread…which is soft, fluffy and rich. Great for breakfast or brunch!

When living in Brazil, we would use a kind of bread similar to baguette to make “rabanada”, and I got very intrigued after moving to US and discovered the similarity between “rabanada” and French toast, mainly because the shape was totally different, round versus square. Moreover, we would dust the “rabanada” with cinnamon and sugar and it was mostly served during Christmastime for breakfast.

I do not make often French toast, after being in a baking frenzy mood lately I decided to use the Egg Yolk Custard Bread to make this simple and easy French toast, especially that I have a whole loaf of bread and I am already itching to bake more. This is a very simple recipe…although I still have to see a “difficult” recipe for French toast…yes, it came out very creamy, rich and it is such a treat for breakfast.

Ingredients:

• 2 thick slices of yolk custard bread (brioche, baguette, challah or white bread)
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon butter

• Fresh blueberries
• Whipped cream or maple syrup
• Or whatever you want on your French toast

Method:

In a deep pie plate whisk together cinnamon, egg, nutmeg, milk, sugar, vanilla extract and heavy cream.

Dip the bread in the egg mixture by coating both sides.

In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Fry the bread slices until golden brown, then flip to cook the other side.

Serve with fresh whipped cream, blueberries and/or syrup.

If you enjoy this simple recipe for French toast you might want to try Waffle Iron Churros recipes.

Did you know that in France and some other countries, French toast is called “pain perdu”? Pain perdu means “lost bread”, by dipping the bread in an egg mixture it is a way to recover the stale bread.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!