White Loaf Bread

In recent years I'm starting to lose faith in cook books. I'd rather believe in the recipes from the internet, especially those with reviews. Many reviews means that it is a tried and tested recipe by actual people out there. So for my 2nd attempt for my bread machine I looked to the internet and found this recipe. This recipe is rather interesting as it defies conventional method of making bread using a bread machine. Instead of putting the yeast on top of the flour, away from the liquid, you mix the yeast with the liquids 1st, just like how you make bread by hand.

Flavour wise, I like this better than my last loaf. It uses less yeast, so the yeasty smell was less apparent. Hubby commented that it was more dense than the last one, but I don't feel it. But we both love the crust on this one. I think it will taste even better with some wholemeal flour added to it.

I wanted the bread to be ready for breakfast, but I wasn't sure if I can set the timing for this recipe due to it's unconventional method. Is it OK to let the yeast and liquid ferment for a few hours? I don't know. So I set the bread machine on just before I go to bed, and woke up at around 4am to take the bread out of the machine when it was done. By morning we woke up to the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread!

I forgot to take a picture of the whole loaf but it does look a little darker than the last loaf. I was a little too busy making tuna sandwiches for the kiddo's breakfast! I only remember after I made the sandwiches...

I think I need to buy a better serrated knife. Mine's too short and not sharp enough.. Enough talk. Here is the recipe.

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 tablespoons white sugar
7 grams instant yeast
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt

1. Place the water, sugar and yeast in the pan of the bread machine. Let the yeast dissolve and foam for 10 minutes. 
2. Add the oil, flour and salt to the yeast. 
3. Select Basic or White Bread setting, and press Start.

Quick and Easy Waffles

Had a sudden craving for waffles one weekend afternoon, so I searched the website for a quick waffle recipe and found THIS. The verdict? Not bad! Not bad at all! Well, its a quick recipe, so naturally it needs baking powder instead of using the slow rising effect of yeast. Honestly I prefer the yeast version but this is great if you need a quick waffle fix.

2 eggs
2 tablespoon white sugar

1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat waffle iron. 
2. Mix milk, oil and vanilla extract together. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. 
3. Beat eggs and sugar separately in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. 
4. Fold in the sifted flour alternately with the milk mixture until smooth. 
5. Butter the preheated waffle iron. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron and spread it out. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot.

I tried one with honey and then one with Nutella. Everything taste awesome with Nutella! But with honey you can taste the flavor of the waffle better. So get creative!

My 1st Breadmaker Bread - White Bread

Hubby said he wanted to buy something expensive and nice for me on Mother's Day and asked me what I want. My answer? A breadmaker.



I know, I know.. it's a little cliche. The little woman, asking for a bread making machine for Mother's Day. Feminist all over the world would roll their eyes and groan. But I've been wanting to get a breadmaker for so long! Every weekend I look for sale on breadmakers at electronic stores. I don't want to get one that is too expensive because I'm afraid that I would lose interest after awhile and waste money. So even as I get the opportunity to get one for free I chose the one on sale.

The machine comes with an instruction booklet and some recipes. But the promoter said that being a German brand, the bread in the recipes are more tough, like most European bread. So the staff actually experimented it himself and wrote down some of his own recipes, more suitable for the Asian palette. I thought that was SO SWEET and thoughtful! Talk about customer delight! So, the recipe that I'm sharing today, my VERY FIRST breadmaker bread, is by the Severin staff.

It's nothing fancy, but I thought I start with the basics 1st.

350ml Water
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon sugar
75 grams butter (melted)
100g wholemeal flour
400g bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoon yeast

1. Place everything except for the flour and yeast into the baking pan. 
2. Sift the flours together and add into the pan. 
3. Make a little well on top of the flour and pour in the yeast. 
4. Close the cover, choose program 2 (white bread/french bread) and start the machine.

It took about 4 hours and it's so fun to watch the bread being made while I just carrying on with my daily activities!



The last hour is the best as the baking process starts and the house smells so nice! It also signify that the bread would be done soon, so it was quite exciting! Finally it's done!



I was quite worried as it felt quite dense as I try to lift it up.



But it turned out quite well! The taste was really good!



To be totally honest, the store bought wholemeal bread is still better and we will still continue to eat that. But now I have an additional option and I can't wait to try more interesting bread the next time!

Georges By the Bay

I've heard about some restaurants sprouting up at some ulu parts of Punggol. A quick search and The Punggol Settlement came up. So we decided to bring the kids there for dinner. I was surprised at how packed the place was on a weekend! It reminded me of the East Coast Park seafood restaurant area. The place is a 2 storey building where the ground floor are all big chinese seafood restaurants, full of big groups of families waiting for their turn to get seated down for dinner.

Not exactly what I was looking for! I pictured a peaceful dining experience, a bistro style restaurant where I can spend some quiet time with my family. So we quickly went upstairs and found a perfect spot right at the corner. Georges By The Bay is located right at the corner unit of the 2nd floor, so there's plenty of Al Fresco dining area facing the sea. Unfortunately most of the best open air seats were located at the smoking section. The kids were with us, so we sat as near to the open area as we can without needing to suffer the gas poisoning.

The kids shared a fish and chips, which was pretty good. Crispy, flaky, not bad. Hubby and I ordered their signature Georges Burger and we were not disappointed! The beef patty was thick, char-grilled and very tender. Even though it was thick, it was perfectly cooked and soooo juicy. Topped with cheese and bacon, this burger awesome enough. But what surprised us more was the burger buns. It was firm enough to hold the juicy burgers together, lightly toasted so there's a slight crisp around the edges, and the sesame seeds give a nice nutty fragrance. A cherry on top of the sundae!

I guess we weren't expecting to find such a good burger in a little place like this! We had a really nice time. Our seat was facing the sea, the air was nice and cooling after the rain. The kids loved their koi fish ponds and we even got to go to the nearby playground for some fun after dinner. Yes it's more like a sports bar, but the food is good, the environment is pleasant and we all had a good time. When you have 2 kids in tow, it's more than what you can ask for!

GEORGES BY THE BAY
3 Punggol Point Road
#02-12 The Punggol Settlement
S828694
+65 702 6186
https://www.facebook.com/GeorgesB