Monday, July 28, 2014

soft hippo bread rolls | panasonic bread maker

I have only started making bread at the beginning of this year and I still have so much to learn.

One of my friends, Victoria, is a great baker and I always salivate over her bakes. One day, she made these really cute buns in the shape of hippos.
I LOVE HIPPOS!

They were so cute, I knew that I was going to make them (one day).

Well, since I had been tasked with making bread with the Panasonic bread maker as part of the competition for the Best Cooking Blog category (vote for me!)in the Singapore Blog Awards this year, I thought this would be a good time to stretch my skills and make something that I had never tried before!
This was my first attempt at making shaped buns, and I still have a long way to go before I can make ones that are as pretty as Victoria's. But I sure had fun making them!

Here's how I made these bread rolls!

I started by placing all the ingredients except the yeast into the bread pan of the bread maker.
Since this very clever bread maker comes with a yeast dispenser, the yeast gets added into the dough after all the ingredients have been mixed.
This means that the yeast will not get killed by the salt and the dough would have a chance to rise well!
I selected Menu "9" for bread rolls then pressed the START button.
And an hour later, the dough was ready to be shaped! I love opening the lid to see this waiting for me!
I transferred the dough onto a floured work surface.
And divided the dough into portions of about 55g.
I covered them with a moist tea towel and let them rest for 10-15 minutes.

Then I divided each ball into 4 parts:
1. 35g for the lower part of the face
2. 15g for the upper part of the face
3. 2.5g x 2 for the ears
I flatted the biggest part into an oval shape with my rolling pin, and did the same with the 15g dough.
I joined them together and pinched so that they adhere to each other.
I rolled the 2 smaller bits into round shapes and made a small slit in each of them. Then I pinched the cut ends together to make two ears.
These were pressed onto the hippo's head.
I added sesame seeds for the eyes and regular chocolate chips for the nose.
I forgot to use the back of my knife to make a small slit for a mouth. Oh well.

I placed the hippo rolls on a baking tray and covered them with a most towel. They were left to rest for about 40-45 minutes.
Before baking, I brushed them with an egg wash.
And once baked, I transferred them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
They were so cute.

I almost couldn't bear to eat them.
Almost.

:P

The Panasonic bread maker has helped to make life so much easier for me. All I have to do these days is to place ingredients in the machine and press a button before shaping the dough and baking them!
I really look forward to baking bread these days.

The bread maker is available for sale at: 
Best Denki Ngee Ann, Junction 8, Katong, Court Mega Store, Harvey Norman, Isetan, CK Tangs and Takashimaya.
The retail price is at $329 and above store mentions are subject to stock availability.

Panasonic Singapore 
Official Website
Official Facebook Page


RECIPE
Soft Hippo Bread Rolls (Makes 10)
Adapted from Victoria Bakes

Ingredients:
For the bread:
300g bread flour
20g caster sugar
5g salt
6g active dry yeast
110g milk
90g water
40g butter

For decoration:
Black sesame seeds
Chocolate chips (regular sized)

For the egg wash:
10g egg
20g milk

Method:
1. Place all the ingredients into the bread pan of the bread machine (except the yeast).
2. Add the yeast to the yeast dispenser. If your machine does not have a yeast dispenser, place the yeast on the opposite end to the salt.
3. Select Menu "9" for bread dough. Press the start button.
4. Divide dough into 55g portions. Cover with cling wrap and rest for 10-15 minutess 
5. Divide each portion into 4 parts (35g, 15g, 2.5g x2).
5. Flatten and shape each part to make the hippo (please refer to the photos above for shaping instructions). Use sesame seeds for the eyes, chocolate chips to make the nostrils and use the back of a knife to gently make a slit for the mouth.
6. Place on baking tray (covered with a moist tea towel) and rest for 40-50 minutes.
7. Brush egg wash on the rolls.
8. Bake at 180°C for 10-12 minutes.
9. Transfer to a cooling to cool completely.
Note: Buns can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Microwave to soften before eating.



4 comments:

  1. thumbs and toes up for ya goddess!!!!

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    Replies
    1. Finally I made one of your bakes. Mission accomplished!! :P

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  2. Diana, that was a good attempt! Bet those cuties were good to eat :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I enjoyed biting off the ears, then the head.. a bit blood thirsty, no? :P

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