Fresh Bread Rolls in 30 minutes

So many times we would like a fresh dinner roll with our lunch or dinner but have not invested the previous 2 hours or so in making the dough, letting it rise twice and baking. So the solution is this very clever recipe from my favourite podcast "Dinner Sisters".

Ingredients

1 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water

1/3 cup Oil

2 Tablespoons of dried yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Egg

3 1/2 cusp of bread or "000" flour or plain flour

Method

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water, oil, yeast and sugar.

Allow the mixture to rest for 15 minutes

Add 2 cups of the flour, salt, egg into the yeast mixture using a dough hook to mix.

Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup at a time.

Shape dough into 12 balls and place in a 9x13 pan.

Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Bake for 10 minutes or until the tops are just golden.

It's as easier as that.

Mamma Marmalade

Star Anise Chicken

Another simply delicious Belinda Jeffery  recipe. Her cookbooks are such a delight to read and evoke the natural delights of her home in Northern New South Wales.  If you are touring around there be sure to stop in Uki  and explore the gorgeous range of beautiful artisan gifts at Handmade Uki  
I love the ease of preparing Belinda's thoughtful recipe and this method is a brilliant timesaver. Apart from making one flavoursome meal, the Braising Liquid can be re-used again and again - saving you so much effort on a busy day!  Be sure to check out the end of the post for How to SAVE the BRAISE. 

                                                                     Enjoy!   Colleen

Star Anise Chicken by Feed Your Inner Cook 

Preparation       10 minutes including stovetop time
Cooking            30 minutes
standing            20 minutes

Ingredients

8 to 10 chicken Marylands  (skin on)  or chicken chops  (leg/thigh partly boned portion)
depends on size of pieces and your pot.  (I like to use my big oval cast-iron casserole)

Braising Liquid  - can be re-used :  check end of post for How to Save the Braise
250 ml Kecap Manis  (sweet soy sauce)
1/3 rd cup Low Salt Soy Sauce
2/3 rd cup Soy Sauce
250 ml water
1/3 rd cup Brown Sugar
5 whole star anise
2 tablespoons Dry Sherry
2 cloves garlic - crushed
3 slices fresh ginger 
1 stick Cinnamon
Serving options:  Greens, mint, lime cheeks, rice.

Method
Preheat oven to 170 ℃
Use a large stovetop flameproof casserole dish with a lid.
Pour the Braising lngredients together and stir to dissolve the sugar over medium heat.
Increase heat and bring to the boil
Gently slip chicken pieces (skin side down) into liquid
Allow to return to boil then remove from heat.  Cover with lid and place in oven.
Cook in oven 30 minutes.
Remove casserole dish from oven, lid stays on and chicken remains in pot.
Leave to cool in the liquid for 20 minutes.
Remove chicken pieces and place on serving platter over some cooked beans, bokchoy or similar greens.  Add some slivers of cucumber if you like.
Ladle out some of the braising liquid into a small saucepan and boil over high heat until thickens into syrupy sauce.  Watch and stir so it does not burn!
Spoon or brush the thick sauce over the chicken pieces.
Serve with the above-mentioned greens, rice or Asian style salad.
Scatter with optional mint leaves and lime cheeks.

How to SAVE the BRAISE
when liquid has cooled, strain through a fine sieve then pour into a clean freezer-proof container with an airtight lid.  
When ready to re-use:
The fat will have solidified on top.  Scrape the fat off then boil .  It is ready to use again.
Please NOTE
Like master-stocks,  it must be re-boiled every four weeks if you are using it this way.
The flavours will start to lose their intensity, so just add a little more of what you think it needs during each use.  I find (because I remove some for the syrupy sauce each time) I can get about 3 uses out of the original braising stock.  
                                        Enjoy!   Colleen

Chocolate Chip and Maybe Macadamia Biscuits

Sometimes you just want to thank your "earlier" self for making your life easier - my freezer always contains a few rolls of this biscuit dough ready for instant baking when unexpected family or friends drop by.  Based on an Annabel Langbein  recipe, this recipe is my go-to quick mix biscuit base.  For a change, I might add chunks of macadamia for a nutty flavour indulgence.  Quick, easy and delicious - a great standby recipe!  Enjoy!   Colleen

Choc Chip Biscuits by Feed Your Inner Cook

Choc Chip Biscuits by Feed Your Inner Cook

Choc Chip Biscuits by Feed Your Inner Cook

Preparation   10 minutes plus 15 minutes chilling time (the dough ... and you!!)
Cooking         15 minutes
Makes             70 - 80 biscuits  - I bake about 20 on the day and store the remaining dough                           in long rolls in freezer - wrapped individually, bagged - include instructions!     
Ingredients
500 gram butter - softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla extract
1/2 cup condensed milk  
tiny pinch sea salt flakes
4 1/2 cups Plain Flour - sifted
4 teaspoons Baking Powder - sift in with the above flour
500 gram dark chocolate - chopped into rough chunks
Option - add a handful of roughly chopped macadamia nuts

Method
Prepare biscuit trays (I get about 12 small biscuits to a sheet) Chill the trays to help crisp up the biscuits later on.
Preheat oven 155 - 160℃ 
Cream the butter and sugar (use a stand mixer if you have one) until light and creamy.
Beat in the vanilla, condensed milk and salt flakes
Gently stir through the sifted flour and baking powder until just combined.
Stir in the chopped chocolate and if using, macadamia nuts.
Chill in a covered bowl for about 15 minutes to firm a bit.
Then remove the amount of dough you want to bake with today, leaving rest in fridge for now.
Roll into small walnut sized balls  and place on trays giving room to spread.
Press with the tines of a fork so they flatten a bit.  If you want really thin crispy biscuits flatten out a bit more.
Bake approx 12 - 15 minutes until lightly golden.
Allow to cool on trays.  Remove and store in airtight container.

To Freeze biscuit dough.
shape the dough into rolls about 4 cm across and about 20 or 30cm long.  I make a number of rolls so I only need bake about a dozen at a time so there is no overindulgence!
Wrap each roll very firmly in clingwrap, removing air and securing the ends.
Place the rolls into a freezer safe bag and be sure to include a brief cooking instructions note.
To defrost.
remove from freezer until dough begins to soften.  Leave in fridge to defrost if desired.
Whilst dough is still firm, either cut into rounds or pull off and roll into walnut sized balls as instructed above.  Cook as per above.
                                                            Enjoy!  Colleen

Coffee Walnut Muffins

These sweet muffins are lovely and fluffy due to the Buttermilk.   If caught short and you don't have any Buttermilk, simply stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a cup of milk.

Ingredients

2 cups self raising flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon instant coffee
1 Tablespoon boiling water
1 Organic/free range egg, lightly whisked
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 vegetable oil

Coffee Icing
1 Teaspoon instant coffee
2 Teaspoon boiling water
1 cup icing sugar mixture

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius

Pop paper cases into 12 hole muffin tin

Combine flour, sugar, walnut and chocolate chips in a large bowl.
In a medium bowl combine coffee and boiling water, stir until coffee dissolves.
Add egg, buttermilk and oil, whisk to combine.
Fold in the flour and stir until combined.
Spoon mixture into each papercase.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

 Cool

To make coffee icing, combine coffee and boiling water in a bowl.
Add icing mixture and stir to combine.
Drizzle over cooled muffins and top with a walnut half.

Best eaten on the day they are made, but they freeze very well.

Mamma Marmalade (Gi Gi)