Homemade mixed berries jam

I love eating fruit jam on toast. But most jams from the store are way too sweet. You taste the sugar more than the real fruit. It is very hard to find a jam that is less sweet in supermarkets here.

So, I decided to make my own at home.

My Simple Ingredients

• 1 packet of frozen mixed berries

• A handful of fresh mulberries from my garden

• 1 Local gula nisan (palm sugar) for sweetness

• Chia seeds to make the jam thick without adding too much sugar.

• White wine (optional)

• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

Even though it was a bit sour, I was happy with the outcome.

Tips I found online.

If your homemade jam is too sour, here are a few simple ways to fix it without adding cups of white sugar:

1. Add a tiny pinch of salt: A little salt helps cut down the sour taste and brings out the natural sweet flavor of the fruit.

2. Try honey or maple syrup: Mixing a little honey with gula nisan can help soften the sharp sourness of berries.

3. Let the chia seeds rest: Chia seeds take 15 to 20 minutes to soak up the juices and thicken the jam properly. Let the jam sit off the heat before putting it in a jar.

*update: After 2 days in the fridge, the jam tasted so good, not too sour anymore.

Moist Banana Chocolate Bread

Easy and moist Banana Chocolate cake.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (25g)
• ½ cup unsalted butter (113g)
• ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed (150g)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp instant coffee + 1 teaspoon hot water 
• 4 extra ripe bananas, mashed (about 440g)
• ½ cup Greek yogurt (120g)
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (227g)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate of choice (300g)

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 340°F and line an 8.5 x 4.5 or 9 x 4 loaf pan with parchment paper 
2. Add the cubed butter to a saucepan. Place of medium low heat, and cook and stir for ~5-8 minutes until the butter has browned. It will melt first, then become bubbly and foamy before you see brown specks on the bottom and smell a lovely caramel scent. Be sure not to overcook, as it can burn quickly after browning
3. Add the brown butter to a large bowl. Add the oil and brown sugar, and whisk for 1-2 minutes. If the mixture feels too hot, wait 5 minutes before proceeding
4. Add the eggs, vanilla, and coffee dissolved in water. Whisk for 1-2 minutes until the mixture becomes smooth and lighter in color.
5. Add the mashed bananas and Greek yogurt, and whisk until combined
6. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently whisk until the dry ingredients are combined and no lumps or streaks of flour remain
7. Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Optionally, you can sprinkle more chocolate chips on top.
9. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes.
10. Remove the banana bread from the oven and let it rest in the loaf until it has fully cooled. This can take a while, try not to rush!  Once cooled, remove from the pan, and serve.

No-Knead Ciabatta Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water 240 grams, (room temp, not too hot)

• 1 teaspoon instant yeast 3 grams

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour 300 grams, (properly measured)

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 6 grams

Instructions

1. Place the warm water and yeast in a large mixing bowl and mix together. Let the mixture sit for 8-10 minutes until there is some nice bubble action happening.

2. Once the yeast is active, add the flour and salt and stir everything together. I use a silicone spatula which made scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl easier. The dough will be wet and sticky and a little shaggy. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 1 hour. TIP: I placed mine in the oven with a bowl of hot water, but you can also leave it on the counter if it's warm enough in your house.

3. After an hour, wet your hands and fold and stretch the dough four times all the way around the dough. Pull up two corners, stretch lightly and fold over the top of the dough ball. Repeat this 2 more times. Cover the bowl again with the plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes. Repeat this step 2 more times for a total of 3 stretch and fold sessions and an hour and a half of additional resting time.

4. By now the dough should have doubled in size and be nice and bubbly. Carefully remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. TIP: lightly flour the top of the dough and your hands for easier transfer. Carefully stretch the edges of the dough ball out to make a rectangle about ¾" thick or so. Try not to squish the dough or all of that air you worked so hard to create inside will get out.

5. Using a scraper or a sharp knife, cut the rectangle into 5-6 even-sized squares. Place the squares on a piece of parchment paper, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow to rest one more time for 40 minutes.

6. While the dough is proofing a final time, preheat the oven and baking stone at 420°F. You can preheat the oven for the full 40 minutes to ensure your oven is nice and hot. About 15 minutes before the end of final proofing, boil 2 cups of water and place an oven-safe pan or bowl with the boiling water at the bottom of the oven and to the side so the steam has a chance to reach the bread.

7. Once the dough has rested for 40 minutes, carefully transfer the parchment paper with the dough squares onto the baking stone. You can also have the paper and dough on a baking sheet and place the baking sheet right on top of the baking stone. Bake for 20 minutes and then remove the rolls and place them on a cooling rack.

Notes:

• Ciabatta dough is a high-hydration dough. This helps develop those classic holes in the bread. Don't panic if your dough is sticky and wet in the beginning.
• Keep your hands wet when handling the sticky dough during the folding process. This prevents excessive sticking and keeps the dough moist.
• Parchment paper helps prevent the dough from sticking during baking. You can place the parchment paper right on the baking stone to prevent sticking.
• Adding a bowl or pan of boiling water is a key step in the baking process. This creates steam in the oven to keep the ciabatta rolls chewy but crispy on the outside. It also helps create a beautiful brown color.
•  Ensure you allow the ciabatta rolls to cool completely on a wire rack. This will help maintain the texture and avoid a gummy center.
• If you live in a dry climate, you may need to add a little more water in step 2 to ensure the dough is wet, sticky, and shaggy-looking. Add 1 tablespoon at a time until you are satisfied with the texture.

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Crispy Donuts with Glaze

Crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside donuts.

Inspired by the crisp milk donuts in Ximending, Taiwan.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, warmed to 43°C
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant  dry yeast
• 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour (sieved), plus more as needed
• 1–2 tbs vegetable oil to coat the resting dough. And more for frying.

Donut Glaze

• 2 cups (240g) powdered/icing sugar, sifted/sieved
• 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon sugar together in a bowl. Loosely cover and allow to sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy and frothy on top.
2. Add the remaining sugar, the eggs, butter, vanilla, nutmeg, salt, and 2 cups (about 250g) flour. Add remaining flour and beat/combine until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If needed, add more flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
3. Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the bowl, knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5-7 full minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise.
4. Let Dough Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1.5–2 hours or until double in size.
5. Shape Doughnuts: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Remove dough from the bowl and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is 1/2 inch thick and shape into donuts.
6. Loosely cover and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes as you heat the oil. They will rise a bit as they rest.  You can also shape the dough at night and ready for frying in the morning for breakfast.
7. Deep fry the donuts in hot oil, and serve with sifted sugar or glaze.

Make the glaze: Whisk all the glaze ingredients together. Dip each warm doughnut (don’t wait for them to cool!) into the glaze, making sure to coat both sides. Place back onto prepared rack, as excess glaze drips down. After about 20 minutes, the glaze will set.

For keep: Wrap the dough in a container and place it in a fridge (not freezer) for up to 3 days if you cannot finish it within the same day.

1st try: 30 Jan 2025
I am too lazy to make the glaze, so just icing sugar it is.

Bread Pudding

Ingredients

• 6 slices a-day-old bread (french bread works best)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup raisins/nuts (optional)
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread
2. Sprinkle with raisins/nuts
3. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes

Bread Pudding Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
2 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup granulated white sugar (or light brown sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon flour ( or 1 egg)
dash of salt

Directions:
Mix everything together and bring to a boil for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside for 5 minutes, then pour on warm bread pudding.

1st attempt Oct 2012
I only make half portions of it.
French bread (bought from Tom's)
It turns out great; and the portion is just enough for our supper plus breakfast the next morning.

 

 Fresh from the oven.

Pancakes

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
2 - 3 tablespoons butter, melted

1st trail 15 feb 2010 Eugene tak minat sgt, maybe dia prefer roti canai, the asian way of having breakfast ;)

Poori

Ingredients:
400gm flour
1 egg
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup of water
curry paste
salt
water
 
9th Nov 2008

Garlic Bread

Bahan-bahan ( 15 keping )

roti france
2 ulas bawang putih
2 sudu besar mentega
parsley kering secukupnya

Cara-cara

1. Kupas kulit bawang dan bersihkan. Balut dengan aluminium foil. Bakar dalam oven pada suhu 180 degree selama 15 minit. Atau boleh juga bakar guna oven toaster.
2. Bila dah siap bakar, masih lagi dalam aluminium foil, ketuk-ketuk dengan hulu pisau atau lesung sehingga hancur. Masukkan pula ke dalam butter.
3. Kemudian cairkan butter dengan microwave.
   
4. Sapukan roti dengan garlic butter . Lepas tu taburkan daun parsley. Bakar dalam oven selama 10-15 minit pada suhu 150C