Homemade Butter! No Kidding!

You wonder who would bother to make their own butter. Well, it tastes better if you ask me. Also it is annoying to buy the whole block if all you need is just a little to go with your homemade white muffin or homemade whole-grain muffin. Or maybe you want to see if I am kidding you.

By the way, if you make your own Crème fraiche, you will have that heavy cream sitting around. Here is another way to use it besides whipping it up with sugar.

Ingredients:

• Very cold heavy cream (about 36-40% butterfat)
• A small, clean and sterilized jar

Directions:

1. Pour the cold heavy cream into the sterilized jar to about half way full.
2. Shake it like a mad man for 20 minutes. This can be done very quickly in a food processor as well.
3. The milk fat will solidify into a lump and separate from the whey.
4. Drain out the whey and keep the butter frozen or refrigerated. 

Notes:

• It is much easier and faster to do this in a food processor but, hey, this special recipe is for our uncluttered, simple life members.
• By the way, you can do this trick to impress someone, I hope.
• You can add herbs and spices into the heavy cream and shake out a flavored butter. 
• You can keep the leftover whey for baking recipes that call for buttermilk.

My Whole-Grain English Muffins - Still No-knead.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup rye flour
• ¼ cup whole-wheat flour
• ¼ cup spelt flour
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• ½ cup warm milk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons/7 grams/0.25 oz active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon/4 grams baking soda
•  Coarse cornmeal

Directions:

1. Dissolve yeast and ½ teaspoon sugar in 1/3 cup warm water (100°F - 110°F) and wait for 15 minutes to proof the yeast. It should become bubbly.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butte. Add in yogurt, milk, honey, salt and the yeast mixture.
3. Add flours and baking soda to wet ingredients in step#2, and mix until well combined. Cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm spot for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until doubled in size. 
4. Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Lightly dust a lined baking sheet with cornmeal. 
5. Place a large skillet over medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon butter. 
6. Using a large ice cream scoop or 1/2 cup measuring cup, 
7. Drop about 1/2 cup batter into skillet to form round muffins about 4 inches in diameter. Cover with lid and cook 3 to 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. The second side may take shorter time, about 2 to 4 minutes.
8. Transfer muffins on prepared baking sheet and bake at 375°F degrees for 6 to 7 minutes.
9. Split the muffins with a fork and toast to serve.

Notes:

• More about muffin making!
• This is a very wet dough just as the other recipe. The consistency is more like a batter. Use a spoon or an ice cream scoop to drop the batter in hot pan. 
• Texture of this recipe will be more like a buttermilk biscuit.

A Modern English Muffin -- Easier, Faster, Simpler, No-knead and No-oven!

Hey, there, when you are tired of the sandwich bread, why not try my version of homemade English Muffin. The good thing about homemade is that you know and you control what's in it for you.

Remember, good flavor in food takes time and it is certainly very true in bread-making. Luckily, when I say it takes time, I don't mean that you have to hang over it with lots of attention. Just be patient and let the nature take its course to work its miracle. This recipe is basically mix, wait, shape and pan-fry, so it's perfect for busy people with one-pot! However, it is a difficult wet dough with high water to flour ratio to challenge your dough making IQ.

In order to develop the right texture and taste, you need a two-step sponge-dough bread-making process. I'll explain more about this another time, if you are interested.

Ingredients (yield 4 servings):

For sponge or starter (step.1):

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour or spelt flour
• 1/2 cup warm water or milk (about 110°F)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast or 1 1/4 teaspoons of instant yeast (about half a package of yeast) 
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar, optional

For the rest of dough (step.2):

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg white
• 1 1/2 cups bread flour (or Italian 00 flour or French T55 flour)
• 1/4 cup warm water or milk (about 110°F)
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder, optional
• 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil for cooking or use clarified butter (Homemade clarified butter and why)

Directions: 

Sponge

1. To make a sponge in step #1, dissolve the yeast, sugar in 1/4 cup of warm water and wait 15-20 minutes to see if it bubbles. This is to proof and test the yeast so we know it is activated and alive. 
2. Add 1/2 cup of flour, another 1/4 cup of water to the bubbly yeast water and stir with a spatula to make a thick, pudding-like mixture.
3. You can proceed to the rest of the steps. However, for better flavor and texture, cover the bowl and let the sponge sit on the counter for 2 hours at room temperature.  
4. Mix the rest of the dough ingredients into the bubbly sponge mixture. Mix it into a sticky ball.
5. Cover and put it at a draft-free, warm spot (ideally 70°F-80°F) for about 2 hours to double in size. It should be very bubbly after 2 hours. Use a rubber spatula to scrape everything down. It is an extremely sticky and wet dough. 
6. Put the dough in a greased plastic bag and knead it for 1 to 2 minutes to shape it into a ball. Transfer the dough to a greased cutting board and cut it into 4-6 portions with a greased knife or bench scraper.

7. Roll each portion with your palm in circular motions and form each portion into a seamless ball of dough. Curl the fingers to keep the dough under your palm like holding a computer mouse, and keep rolling the greased dough between the thumb and the other fingers, while moving your hand in circles, until the dough is smooth and seamless. 
8. Line a baking sheet and sprinkle coarse cornmeal generously.
9. Press the dough gently to flatten it and place each dough on the lined baking sheet. Coat each dough evenly with the cornmeal. 
10. Cover with a towel and let it rise 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours to double in size. This is the second proof and also final proof after shaping. 
11. Heat up oil in heavy bottom pan on medium heat and carefully transfer the dough to the pan without deflating it too much. Cook each side for about 6 to 8 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. (Or cook 5 minutes on each side and finish by baking them in 350°F preheated oven for 6 to 7 minutes.)

12. Let them cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing them open. 
13. Tear it open with a fork, toast it and enjoy your homemade, airy, bubbly muffins. 

Note: 

About Yeast:

One package of yeast is 0.25 ounce (7 grams) and is about 2 1/4 teaspoon.
Yeast is happiest at around 75°F to 80°F.
To activate the yeast, use 110°F warm water. It should feel like lukewarm bath water to the touch. If it is too cold, the yeast won't wake up. If it is too hot, the yeast will be killed. Dip your finger in the water and the finger should feel comfortable in it for as long as you please. If it feels hot to you, it is too hot for the yeast to survive.
If you use instant yeast, use 1 1/4 tsp instant yeast to replace 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast. The conversion ratio between active dry yeast vs instant dry yeast is around 4:3 to 5:4. That is, reduce the amount of instant yeast by 20% to 25% to replace active dry yeast and you can expect the dough to rise at about the same rate.
If you don't use the yeasts very often, keep them in air-tight bags or containers in the freezer. They can last for years (about one year for instant yeast).
The common types of yeast you can buy in most grocery stores are active dry yeast and instant yeast. Bread machine yeast is the same as instant yeast. Rapid Rise or Quick Rise yeast is instant yeast milled finer with additional enzymes to make the dough rise faster.
Active dry yeast is a living organism that is dried at higher temperature, which kills more of the exterior yeast cells and creates a thicker out layer for water to get through. It is dormant with a larger granular consistency and it requires an initial activation in warm water (about 110°F), whereas instant yeast is dried at more gentle temperatures and milled finer so it can be added directly to the dry ingredient and become activated as soon as it's in contact with liquid.
The upside of having a thick skin? Active dry yeast has the longest shelf life. They can last for years in sealed container in the freezer.

About Proofing Dough:

The longer you allow a bread dough to rise, the more flavor and chewy texture (because of gluten) the bread can develop. 
The warmer it is, the quicker the dough will rise.
In general the more yeast you use, the quicker it will rise. However, if you put too much yeast, the dough could rise too fast.
If you are rising and developing the dough slowly, say, from overnight up to days, you need to reduce the amount of yeast and keep it cool in the refrigerator. There is a peak time when the dough rise to a point where it has to be baked. If it passes the point, the bread will become too dry (too much CO2), have a heavy yeasty off-flavor (like a bad beer due to too much alcohol) and can even taste sour in a bad way (no, not like sourdough). In the worst case scenario, the bread simply collapses during baking because the over-stretched bubbles break down the gluten in the bread that can't support them. 

About Texture:

• I use bread/strong flour with high protein content to yield the structure and texture I like. If you cannot find bread/strong flour, feel free to use all-purpose (AP) flour. The whole wheat flour or spelt flour is there to add a touch of nutty flavor. If you like, replace up to half amount of flour with whole wheat flour. 
• Bread flour is 高筋麵粉 in Chinese, 強力粉 in Japanese.
• The dough has a high ratio of water to flour in order to have big bubbles or holes in the crumb (the inside of a bread). It is supposed to be tacky and sticky so don't be annoyed and keep adding flour. Keep a small bowl of oil when you handle the soft ball of dough. 
• You can also flour your hand and the working surface when working the dough but people tend to end up adding too much flour and ruin the ratio, yielding a tough dough and a bread crumb that is way too dense. Do the most mixing with spatula and shape at the last stage for 1 to 2 minutes.
• The texture should be light, with big bubbles all across while with a toothy bite, just like pizza crusts.

Huevos Rancheros.

This is a substantial and satisfying breakfast with intense flavors and balanced nutritions that can really give you a boost for the day.

Ingredients (yield 2 servings):

• 2 large eggs
• 2 corn tortillas
• 1/3 cup of cooked beans or 1/4 cup of drained canned beans
• 1/2 cup of diced tomatoes (or use from a can of diced tomatoes)
• 1/2 cup diced avocado
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon of chopped jalapeno pepper or canned chiles, such as Chipotle
• 1 tablespoon canola oil for cooking
• juice of 1 lime
• salt an black pepper to taste
• pinch of cayenne
• pinch of ground cumin

Directions:

1. Combine 1/4 cup diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro and half of lime juice in a food processor and pulse until blended but slightly chunky. Add cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper to season. This is the salsa.
2. Mix the beans and the rest of lime juice. Add 1 tablespoon of water and mash up the beans with fork or spoon. Season with salt and pepper. 
3. Heat up a saute pan with 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium heat and cook a sunny-side up fried egg.
4. Toast 2 corn tortillas lightly.
5. Spread the beans over the toasted tortillas. Top with eggs and tomato salsa made in step #1. Sprinkle diced tomatoes, avocados, more cilantros to serve.

Notes:

• Canned Chipotles are soaked jalapenos soaked in adobo sauce, which is a spicy, vinegary tomato sauce. It can add a lot of flavors with a Mexican passport. You can puree the whole can in the blender and use a few spoonfuls to spice up salsas, marinades, and soups. 
• The capsaicin in chile peppers can boost metabolism.

Creamy Black Sesame Seed Hot Cereal! Three Ways!

It's a traditional Chinese hot cereal (or porridge) made of rice and roasted black sesame seeds, that can be spotted on a dim sum (點心) menu. If you need something warm in the morning other than coffee, this is a great choice especially if you use whole grains. Prepare it the night before and put in the refrigerator. Heat up in the microwave in the morning, dump it into the thermo and off you go.

Ingredients (yield one servings): 
Option 1:

• 1/4 to 1/3 cups of ground black sesame seeds
• 3/4 cups of water 
• 2 teaspoons of uncooked short grain white rice
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey or sugar
• pinch of salt

Option 2:

• 1/4 to 1/3 cups of ground black sesame seeds
• 1/2 cups of water 
• 30 grams (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup, loosely unpacked) of steamed short grain white rice
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey or sugar
• pinch of salt

Option 3:

• 25 grams of roasted black sesame seeds
• 3/4 cups of water 
• 8 grams of rice flour (about 1 plus teaspoons)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey or sugar
• pinch of salt

Directions:
I use option#1 but I list the proportions in option#2 and #3, depending on what you can find in your pantry or neighborhood markets.

Option 1:

1. Rinse the raw rice and place that with water in a small sauce pan. Cook it for 20 min. When it's done, let it sit for 30 - 60 min and it will thicken up further.
2. Combine ground black sesame seed meal and rice porridge. Transfer the mixture to blender or food processor. Pulse 10 second for three to four rounds. It should be pretty smooth.
3. Place the mixture and salt in a small sauce pan on medium-low heat. Bring to a gentle simmer. Stir the honey or sugar in until dissolved. Let it cool for 10 min. You can also process this last stage cook in the microwave. Cook on high (1200W) for 1-2 minutes. Check the doneness. Repeat to cook at 30 second intervals if necessary.
4. Serve or keep refrigerated until ready to serve. 

Option 2:

1. Mix the cooked rice with water and cook for 20 min. Let it sit for 20-30 min to cool down and thicken up.
2. Combine ground black sesame seed meal and rice porridge. Transfer the mixture to blender or food processor. Pulse 10 second for three to four rounds. It should be pretty smooth.
3. Place the mixture and salt in a small sauce pan on medium-low heat. Bring to a gentle simmer. Stir the honey or sugar in until dissolved. Let it cool for 10 min. You can also process this last stage cook in the microwave. Cook on high (1200W) for 1-2 minutes. Check the doneness. Repeat to cook at 30 second intervals if necessary.
4. Serve or keep refrigerated until ready to serve. 

Option 3:

1. If you use whole black sesame seeds, grind them in coffee grinder for the best result. Or add the water and pulse in a blender. You can use ground black sesame seed meal as above and make it even easier.
2. Mix the rice flour with black sesame seed water mixture evenly. 
3. Place the mixture and salt in a small sauce pan on medium-low heat. Bring to a gentle simmer. Stir the honey or sugar in until dissolved. Let it cool for 10 min. You can also process this last stage cook in the microwave. Cook on high (1200W) for 2 minutes. Check the doneness. Repeat to cook at 1 minute intervals if necessary.
4. Serve or keep refrigerated until ready to serve. 

Note:

• If you use whole white sesame seeds, toasted it at 325F for 10 min. Put in blender with water and pulse until smooth. Pass through fine mesh strainer to remove bigger pieces before mixing with rice. 
• As a variation for option#3, you can just mix up everything and cook in a small saucepan for 20 min. Add sugar and salt. That's it. 
• If you are a member of our one-knife-one-pot club, use the ground black sesame seed powder and you don't have to blend-pulse it. It tastes just as good with the rice porridge. 
• Use whole grains to replace refined rice. I use brown rice, steel cut oatmeal, and other whole grains to replace white rice, topped off with chia seeds, cooked quinoa, amaranth or millet. Will provide my recipe later. 
• To cook quinoa, use one part quinoa and 2 parts of water. Cook 20 minutes, let it sit for 10 minutes covered in steam. Then fluff with fork. 
• Grains like quinoa, amaranth, millet, buckwheat, teff, bulgar, spelt, kamut or khorasan, sorghum have low GI, low or no glutton, higher level of protein and nutrients, and are more environment-friendly. In general they are easier to grow in tougher climate and soil conditions than rice or wheat, so they are better for you and your planet. I really have to tell you more about them later. 
• Instant package usually contains too much sugar and starchy thickening agent. As you can see here, it's not hard at all to make it at home.