Kaiser Buns

Kaiser buns or rolls are indeed very nice bread rolls if you like European bread. I have always loved the shape of these bread and especially the dark golden hue on them. I was looking for recipes to make a burger bun for my pulled pork and I suddenly remembered these buns that I saw in the bakeries in Europe. I used to make the softest ever bread for my burgers but not for pulled pork because it has sauce on them and I need substantial harder bread definitely. These Kaiser buns have a good crispy crust and it does not fall apart and lose its shape once any sauce touches it. It gives bite and yet it is not heavy and is actually quite light. It is perfect for my pulled pork burger. I think I would bake these buns for my hamburgers too. I will just leave it whole and round without the knots.
These buns taste great and it is also easy to make. It is probably not the original recipe for Kaiser buns but hey, I don't care, I like it.

This recipe makes about 8 to 9 buns
Ingredients:

380g bread flour (3 cups)
120g whole wheat flour (1 cup) You can substitute it using wholemeal flour
1 tsp instant yeast
18g sugar (1 tbsp)
1 tsp salt
250 ml warm water (1 cup)
15 ml butter, melted
1 large egg, beaten
Another egg for egg wash
Sesame seeds for topping the buns

Method:

Put all the bread flour, whole wheat flour, salt, sugar and yeast in the mixer using the dough hook. Mix well.
Now put the beaten egg, butter and warm water and mix until all the dough come together. if it looks dry, add another tablespoon of water. Do not pour in too much, be patient and it should form into a dough.
Continue to mix at medium low speed until a smooth dough is formed.
You can now turn out the dough into a smooth work surface and knead it for about 2 to 3 minutes till it is very smooth.
If you don't have a mixer, you can do all this by hand as well.You just have to knead it for a good 10 to 12 minutes.

After kneading, form a ball and tug in the ends below and place it in a greased big bowl and cover it with a plastic food wrap and leave it in a warm place.to double the size. This should take between 1 to 2 hours depending on which part of the world you are. In my hot and humid country.it took just slightly more than an hour.
Once the dough has risen nice and big, knock out the air in it and bring it out of the bowl and cut the dough into 9 equal pieces in my place as one piece will weigh about 98g.
Cover the rest of the dough with a piece of kitchen towel when you are working each individual bun. For each individual bun, roll it into a long rope then tie it into a knot and one end tug under the bun and the other end pull it over the top and tog the end in securely.

Place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper or a silpat.
Again cover all the knotted buns with a towel or plastic food wrap loosely for 1 hour or so.
Before the hour is up, heat the oven to 220C. Get ready a roasting pan for putting it at the bottom of the oven.
For the egg wash, beat an egg in small bowl. (I do not mix with water for this egg wash)
Boil water for pouring it into the roasting pan for steaming the oven.
When you are happy with the size of the buns, brush the egg wash very gently all over the buns including the sides.
Sprinkle some sesames seeds on the buns if you like.
Put the baking sheet with the risen buns in the middle rack of the oven.
Pour the boiling hot water into the roasting pan.
Bake buns for 20 to 25 minutes depending how brown you want the buns to be.
It should be nice, crispy and deep golden brown.

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Pecan Pie with Chocolate

It is not Thanksgiving I know, but my pecan nuts have been sitting there for quite a while and I have been pushing it aside to make this pecan pie. I have been wanting to make this pie for the longest time. The cost of the pecans in Singapore is just too high. But recently I managed to find much cheaper pecans and I grabbed a big packet.

Today is the day to make this pie because I have sweet tart dough in the freezer. I love to eat tarts and pies but the thought of making the dough will stop me in its path. Now, I will make a batch of sweet tart dough and store it in the freezer and I can whip it out whenever I feel like making a tart or a pie.

I was imagining how sweet this pecan pie will be looking at the ingredients from the net and my cookbooks and I shudder at the thought of biting into ultra sweet fillings. So I chanced upon a website that adds chocolate to the pie. It sounds good but I would cut of  some of the sweetness, I thought. So here it is, my long awaiting attempt at Pecan Pie with Chocolate.

Sweet Tart Dough 

Ingredients

(You can Make this 1 day in advance because you need to chill and rest the dough for a minimum 4 hours or up to 2 days, before rolling and baking)

285g butter (softened)

180g icing sugar

100g ground almond

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

490g plain flour (sifted)

For making the sweet tart dough, put the softened butter in a mixer bowl, put on the paddle and mix till light and fluffy.

Add icing sugar, almonds, salt, vanilla extract and eggs and mix on low speed. Blend well after scraping the sides.

Add the sifted flour in a few additions, do not add all at once.

Switch off the machine as soon as dough comes together. Do not over mix.

Divide the dough into two or three portions. Roll each portion into a ball and wrap with food plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours preferably. You can store the rest in the freezer if you are not using it. This can be stored for up to a month.

 

Filling

 

Ingredients

 

3 large eggs (60g each)

240g corn syrup (3/4 cup)

80g brown sugar

20g fine sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

125g semi sweet chocolate (55% )

160g Pecans to arrange on top (1 1/2 cups or might need more)

 

Assembling the Pecan Pie (23 cm or 8 inch tart tray)

 

Get the sweet tart dough out of the freezer or fridge.

Turn on the oven to 180C

To make the tart, cut out a freezer bag or a big clean plastic bag, and put the dough in between to roll out. (no table to clean and you do not need to wash the rolling pin too, how good is that?)

Cut the dough according to size of the tart tray. (8 inch or 23 cm)

Press gently onto the tray and poke holes all over with a fork.

Put it back into the fridge for 20 minutes.

We do not need to precook the dough for this recipe.

In the mean time, we can make the filling.

Boil some water in a small saucepan,

In a medium metal bowl, melt the chocolate in a bain marie or double boil, making sure not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the boiling water. Stir the chocolate till it melts. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, crack the 3 eggs into it, add the corn syrup, brown sugar, fine sugar, vanilla extract, and pour in the melted chocolate.

Beat well with a whisk till all the sugar is dissolved and well mixed.

Take the tart tray out of the fridge, and pour in the egg mixture slowly.

Carefully arrange the pecan nuts onto the mixture. Don't worry, the nuts will definitely float on top.

Put the tart tray on a baking sheet so that if it spills, it will not dirty the oven and at the same time it is easier to transport the filled tart tray to the oven this way.

 

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Insert a toothpick to check for doneness.

Cool the pie  on a metal rfack for at least a couple of hours before serving.

The pie will look puffed up at first but it will subside as it cools.