Bangkok trip and Artisan bread

Sawadee-ka! I am writing this post from Bangkok while drinking my morning coffee. Arrived here yesterday with my mum for a short trip. Our first stop after checking in was Aree Baker Centre (Ari BTS station, across the road from Villa Supermarket) which was on our way to the BTS station. Bought some cute cupcake cases and I heart U candles. All for Bht205! Contemplating whether to buy the pretty polka dot cake boxes back.

 Next stop is my favourite dessert place, After you (above Villa Supermarket, opp Ari BTS). Missed my Cheddar Cheese toast with vanilla ice-cream. Mum was impressed with the way coffee was served and she loved the toast. I was worried that she will complain about the cheese but she loved it.

After a nice relaxing massage at Napaspa (level 5, Siam Discovery Centre), we had dinner at another of my favourite restaurant, SomTam. There’s now an outlet at Siam Centre! Thanks to Mum for insisting to check out Food Republic, I saw the new place next to the exit. No more queuing and jostling with the crowd at Siam Square! We ordered Crispy Fried Fish, Fried Chicken and Green Mango Salad. Mum loved the fish so much that she insisted we ordered another! Finished the day with shopping at Boots Pharmacy and Siam Paragon Foodhall. We are off to Chinatown and Platinum today. Keep watch for next post.

 Alas, the recipe I am sharing today is not Thai food. You may want to check out my earlier post on Roast Chicken with Tom Yum herbs if my post on BKK has got you craving for Thai food. I am going to share with you a recipe for Artisan bread and the tip for making the bread soft and fluffy. I have been baking breads for 2-3 years but found that the western bread tend turn dry and hard the next day. I asked my friend, a chef on the reason and he asked me how many times I punch down the dough before shaping them. I replied once and he said I needed to do it about 2-3 times and he gave me the recipe for his yummy bread. I finally got a chance to bake the bread 2 Sundays ago on a rainy afternoon. I kept one loaf in an air-tight box for 3-4 days and I froze the rest.  I brought one frozen loaf to a barbeque last Sunday and toasted it lightly in the oven. Everyone loved it.

Artisan Bread (makes one big loaf and 2 smaller ones)

500g bread flour

500g plain flour

500ml warm water

1 tbsp instant yeast

1 tbsp sugar

1 1)      Dissolve the sugar and the yeast in the warm water. Leave it to bubble in a warm place for 5-10 mins. (if the yeast doesn’t bubble, please discard and use a new pack)

2 2)      Put the bread flour and plain flour into a mixing bowl and add in the yeast solution bit by bit till it forms a dough. You may use a dough hook or your hands. Knead the dough for about 10 mins till elastic.

3 3)      Cover the mixing bowl with a clean damp cloth and leave the dough to rise till double in size. It took me about half hour. (I switched on the oven to the lowest temp and left the mixing bowl on the open door)

4 4)      Punch down the dough to remove the air and let it rise again. Repeat the process.

5 5)      After the 3^rd rise, flour the tabletop and your hands before shaping the dough into your desired shape. I shaped them into round loaves and made some cuts with a serrated knife.

6 6)      Leave the bread to rise for 15 mins before baking at 180 deg C for about 25-30 minutes.

7 7)      The bread will sound hallow when you knock it if it’s baked.

The bread goes very well with the Pumpkin soup which I have shared previously.