Hokkaido Milk Bread with Vanilla Condensed Milk

When I was writing the previous post on Cilantro Flatbread, I lamented how long it took to bake regular bread. But as I was typing the post, it crossed my mind that I should really exploit all the free time I finally have on hand to attempt the holy grail of baking (to me).  

While the thought was just lingering at the back of my mind, a newsletter from food52.com popped up in my email inbox with a recipe for Hokkaido Milk Bread. The name brought forward images of white fluffy pillows with a sweetness I could almost already taste. And I knew I had to make it. 

The recipe made reference to 'Christine's Recipes' but had some distinct differences, like the proportion of ingredients and the use of softened butter instead of melted butter. The adapted recipe seemed less fussy as well, recommending an overnight proofing in the fridge to split the work into two parts. Having lent my Kitchenaid to my sister-in-law for a bit, I had to knead the dough by hand and was therefore glad to continue the next day. 

The outcome was very rewarding, and probably a little more dense and chewy than the original recipe intended. It was really, really delicious. Since I split the dough into four separate mini-loaf tins, I had to exercise immense self-restraint to NOT bake (and immediately devour) every single bundle of dough. I even dug into the depths of my generosity and shared some with a couple of friends I met for tea today. And in the spirit of experimentation, I even have one tin in the freezer waiting to be tested in the oven in a couple of days' time. 

While these could have been eaten neat, I happily paired it with my other new found fetish - homemade condensed milk. Who would have thought it would be so simple (just three ingredients! although it does require two hours of slow simmering), and so much more delicious than the canned version? Tasting the condensed milk for the first time was like tasting homemade marshmallows for the first time - the processed and readily available version was the only version I grew up eating and already tasted pretty darn good to me, but the homemade version was so much more nuanced in its flavours and won my heart very quickly. It made perfect sense that anyone would fiddle around with a very troublesome and sticky egg white and sugar mixture than just make a quick run to the supermarket for their marshmallows. Given how simple it is to make condensed milk - no special equipment needed either! - it makes all the more sense to give up the canned stuff and stick to only homemade condensed milk in future.

I use the recipe from this gorgeous looking food blog, but used half a vanilla bean in place of the quarter teaspoon of vanilla extract. I'm not sure what the equivalent would have been (nothing on the internet seems to be able to authoritatively recommend a substitution ratio either), but I would use the same ratio if when I make it again in future. 

It has been a while since I felt this ripple of pride in something I've made. It has even gotten me excited about waking up earlier to have breakfast!  

Click here for the very detailed milk bread recipe.

Vanilla Condensed Milk

Makes 1.5 cups of condensed milk

Ingredients

3 cups full cream milk

1 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean 

Method

Mix milk to sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. 

Split the vanilla bean into two, lengthwise. Using the back of your knife, scrape the seeds from the pod and add to the saucepan. * 

Stir gently until the milk comes to a boil, then turn down the heat to low.

Simmer the mixture for two hours, or until the mixture has halved.  

Pour the milk through a sieve, into a sterilised glass container and let cool to room temperature. 

Keep in the fridge and try to keep your hands from it.

*You may also add the pod into the mixture if you like, but I usually throw mine into an existing bottle of rum stuffed with other empty vanilla pods for my personal bottle of ever-intensifying vanilla extract.

Ah Meng's Relatives

One of the most well-known national icon (at least to people from my generation and older) is unmistakeably a furry friend who was adopted by the Singapore Zoo at the age of 11 after being kept as a domestic pet. She slowly developed into Singapore's tourism icon, being featured in countless films and media articles. Her domestication in her early years honed her to become more approachable, and this led to the popular Breakfast with Ah Meng.

While she passed on early last year, her legacy lives on through the eateries named after her (Ah Meng Restaurant/Ah Meng Kopi), in the durian tree plated at her grave, through the bronze statue erected in her memory, and most certainly in her trainer's thoughts. Her trainer, who had looked after Ah Meng for the past 36 years before her death, was even given compassionate leave after her death.

Now that Ah Meng has passed on, the interactive breakfast programme lives on but has taken on a new (and more generic) name of 'Jungle Breakfast with Wildlife'. I'm sad to say that I did not even have a chance to meet Ah Meng, much less have breakfast with her. So when my partner suggested having breakfast with a bunch of Ah Meng's relatives, I immediately snapped up the offer.

For SGD$25++, a simple buffet spread of a mix of local and western food was available. Those who favour fried bee hoon and chwee kueh would enjoy the breakfast as much as those who prefer the omelette and hash combination. While the coffee and tea ladies walked around to make sure our cups were always full, we had to trawl through a couple of drawers at the counters ourselves to find for ketchup - the one thing from my childhood I still cannot let go - giving you an idea of how casual breakfast is.

Of course, the stars of the breakfast were the Orang Utans, who eagerly climbed down the vines and sat obediently on the wooden platform. Trainers were by their sides to constantly feed them a variety of fruits to keep them occupied or they'd start becoming restless. I cannot remember how many kilograms of fruit we were told they would go through a day, but looking at the speed with which they popped whole plums into their mouths and spat out the seeds, I'm guessing it would be alot.

Visitors were invited to take photos with the Orang Utans. A professional photographer was at hand to snap pretty and sharp photographs, but we could pass to other staff there our own camera to snap pictures as well.

After breakfast, we went on to explore the rest of the zoo, and I must say that since I last visited in primary school, alot had changed. I enjoyed myself thoroughly and have to admit that the Singapore Zoo is unmistakeably one of the must-visit places in Singapore.

The Jungle Breakfast with Wildlife starts at 9am and is on a first-come-first-served basis. Reservations are encouraged (6360 8560), otherwise, it is best to go earlier to get a good seat with a good view of the Orang Utans.

What is breakfast to you?

What comes to mind at the sight of the word “BREAKFAST”? For some, this is a hot bowl of smooth rice congee, and a long fried you tiao (a long, savoury churro). For some, this might be kaya (coconut jam) toast and a cup of thick, strong coffee. In some other continent, this could be a simple freshly baked croissant with homemade pear jam.

I personally have images of fat fluffy pancakes almost drenched in maple syrup. A slice of bacon (pictured above) was a surprising bonus at Halia. While it worked, the combination never occured to me because they always belonged to separate breakfasts sets. Order "The Works" and you get bacon, beans, eggs, sausages and toast. Feeling like something sweet for breakfast instead? Get the pancake stack. There are few places that serve their pancakes as they should be - fat, fluffy and generous with the maple syrup. At Halia, they were all that with fruits and bacon: pure yum.

Side story- I was a little shocked when I was with a friend at a new cafe in town and the Banana Pancakes I ordered came as two 6-inch stacks of miniature pancakes the size of half my palm each. Even the bananas were tiny! Someone must have complained because the next time I went back, I saw waiters carrying plates of what looked like regular sized pancakes.


Back at Halia, while I had my mind set on the pancakes, my companion was drawn to a special breakfast combination right at the bottom of the menu - Truffle-scented Egg White Scramble with Sturgeon Caviar, Hokkaido Scallops and Foie Gras Torchon Pate on Brioche. It piqued my curiousity and after some deliberation, we took the plunge.

I was glad I was sharing it because every single component of the dish was rich. At first sight, the portion was not generous, but halfway through I was thankful for the foresight of the chef. It was decadently pleasant when shared though. Combined with light breeze, lush greenery all around (plenty of fresh oxygen), fat fluffy pancakes and a fun companion, that was possibly one of the most enjoyable breakfasts I'd ever had.

Practice makes perfect

In my previous post, I spoke of how my brother requested me to teach him how to make eggs benedict from scratch. I was only more than happy to, despite not having poached eggs before myself. It couldn't be all that difficult, could it?

The verdict is - it really isn't all that difficult at all. Sure, our first poached egg came out a little rough on the edges and perhaps a little overcooked. But our second poached egg, after adjusting the fire a little and being a little more gentle with our slotted spoon, emerged with perfect curves. Did I also mention that we also had to abandon our first failed attempt at hollandaise sauce because we had overcooked the whisked egg mixture? So I bought another block of butter and we started all over again. The sense of satisfaction seeing your egg yolks turn creamier and thicker as you drizzle in your melted butter while whisking at the same time, is indescribable.

Sure, we did take a couple of hours making an eggs benedict for each of us, and it wasn't even the authentic eggs ben since we conveniently substituted ham with sliced cheese sausage. But the moment you pierce your fork through your poached egg and witness all that glorious deep yellow liquid mix with the creamy and rich hollandaise sauce all over the sliced cheese sausage and your freshly baked bun, it all becomes worth it, and sausage or ham does not really matter anymore. Not a single second spent on creating that one dish would have been a waste.

Now, my brother will just have to find a lady who is content on having eggs benedict every morning for breakfast, for the rest of her life.