Quest for the Perfect Bread

My first attempt at baking bread was quite disastrous. But I can't blame it all on my own ineptitude. It was Jamie Oliver's fault. Really. I mean, I love his books and recipes. But seriously, why write 3 1/4 oz packet of yeast when you can write 3 packets of 1/4 oz yeast? It's already a chore trying to convert oz to grams and halving everything because his recipe was for a loaf of bread big enough to feed everyone present at the Last Supper (though they had unleavened bread, not yeasted bread, but that's besides the point).

So needless to say, I added more yeast than was necessary. My bread turned out erm, yeasty, to say the least. It was dull yellow, flat and yucky. I finally realised my mistake after taking it out of the oven and tasting it. I almost expected it to grow tiny yeasty legs and walk away. The whole thing ended up in the dustbin. Good thing flour is cheap. 

But it got me so worked up that I woke up the next morning at 6 am and made a new batch with the correct amount of yeast. I kept peering at the dough as it was proofing. Punching and kneading the dough was pretty fun too. Quite stress-releasing. 

At 8.30 am, I proudly sliced the bread and served it for breakfast. For a first attempt (the earlier attempt doesn't count!), it was rather good. The crumb was chewy and moist. I had brushed some butter on the crust   before baking and it looked and tasted so yummy.

Next: Wholemeal bread. I threw caution to the wind and used 100% wholemeal flour. Alas, the resulting bread was a little too dense and dry. OK, OK, I should have listened to all those advice against using fully wholemeal flour. 

My next attempt was again with plain flour, while the wholemeal idea got pushed to the back burner. I got a little more adventurous and decided to add slices of cheddar cheese in the bread. Oooh, I loved this one. It was soft and fluffy and the cheese was oozing out of the cracks. This round, I used a different recipe that called for melted butter and slightly more water/milk. It was also probably easier to get the soft fluffy texture since only white flour was used. So far, I had been using all purpose flour. I hadn't had the opportunity to source for bread flour, which would guarantee a higher rise because of the higher gluten content. (Besides, I had to finish up the all purpose flour in my storage before the evil weevils attack.)

Next experiment: Still using the soft and fluffy recipe, I made the next batch using 50% all purpose flour and 50% wholemeal flour, and added walnuts and cranberries (RT Pastry-inspired). Not bad, except it was rather dense still. 

So I looked around the Internet for a recipe that would guarantee soft and fluffy wholemeal bread. And found this little jewel of a recipe - the tangzhong method. You will need to add a spoon of flour to some milk, heat the mixture until it's pasty and then add the paste to the rest of the ingredients. I tried this method for my wholemeal bread, and viola! it wasn't so dense anymore. I was so happy to see holes in my bread. Don't you think this little bugger looks store bought?

The only problem with this method is that the dough is extremely sticky, making it difficult to knead with your bare hands. After struggling with the dough for 15 minutes, I gave up and used my mixer to fight it. The resulting texture was worth it. 

Anyway it got me thinking. If this tangzhong method can help me get such fluffy bread, the result would be even better with bread flour! So off I trudged to the store that I had wanted to visit since last year but had not gotten around to it because it was rather too far. But as it turned out, Bake with Yen at Taman Megah wasn't really that far - as long as you avoid the peak hours. I was a little underwhelmed though, because I had been imagining a megastore selling all things any baker could possibly want. But it wasn't. 

My regular store Guten Braun at Seapark might be smaller, but it was good enough for my needs. Anyway, long story short, I bought the bread flour. I added it to the wholemeal flour and using tangzhong method, I baked two different types of buns: one with pork bacon, and another plain with a sprinkling of organic oats so that it'll look pretty. I also brushed some egg wash on top of the crusts - which resulted in really dark, albeit shiny, looking crusts.

And were these buns soft and fluffy? They definitely rose more than double their original size. But these buns are for tomorrow's breakfast. So I won't be able to tell you how well they taste/ how fluffy they are. Till tomorrow.

------------

14 May 2013

Turned out to be nice and fluffy after all. Hm, what should I try next?

---------------

18 May 2013

So a friend sent me her recipe for oatmeal bread. Since she's a nutritionist, I expected the recipe to be healthy - and it was, which suited me just fine. In fact, I added a little more wholemeal flour than was called for (and reduced the exact amount from the bread flour). Instead of melted butter, the recipe called for vegetable oil. Besides oatmeal, I also added cranberries (instead of raisins) and cinnamon powder. Turned out pretty good. Surprisingly, the oats kind of blended into the dough. And the trick to making sure the bread turns out moist is to add a bowl of hot water in the oven when baking the bread.  

Writing (Part 2)

Some years back, when I was still trying to get my stories published in a book, I attended a writers' conference at MPH. It was a fun and eye-opening experience. One thing that struck me was the fact that authors (local authors at least) realized that fiction writing in Malaysia is not at all a lucrative business. You must survive on passion alone. What actually sells are books on FengShui (Lilian Too and the likes), finance (how to get rich quick) and cooking (Malaysians love to eat). And even then, don't expect to be able to live on your royalties alone.

A publisher I met there suggested I get my book self-published. All I had to do was to fork out RM5000! I declined. Perhaps I was too cheap - and perhaps I wanted to prove to myself that I can convince a publisher to publish my book - the normal way (ie without having to fork out money in advance).

I suppose I looked a bit disheartened after the event was over. On my way out I was accosted by a stranger. He looked mild-mannered, unasuming enough, but he blocked my way and stuck out his hand to shake mine. He introduced himself, said he was a pastor. Back then I was still a pre-believer (hah! interesting word). So I was surprised when this strange small-ish man came over and told me something that was so unexpected. He told me, without preamble, that I was a sensitive person inside. (Sensitive, me? I thought) He could see that I will be a good writer, and he urged me not to ever give up.

With that he left as suddenly as he'd appeared. I was bewildered. What the--?! And yet, he did give me something to think about. It was somewhat inspiring.

Fast forward many years later: just a few weeks back, his words came back to me. Don't ever give up being a writer. It struck a chord, especially at this moment when I am writing less and less (if at all). Sure, I write at work - but it seems these days that I just purge out everything I read. And I don't consider writing e-mails and structuring agendas for doctors' meetings writing.

Looking back, I realized that the words from the pastor must have been a prompting from God. So was He trying to tell me something? And is He telling me again now, not to give up?

But what is it that He's telling me to write? Another book? If yes, the next question is: on what?

Writing

It's been what - close to a year since I last blogged? I think it's a curse - that when you become a professional full time writer, you sort of lose your will to write for fun. That includes writing this blog and anything remotely fiction.
I miss writing fiction. I miss the adventure and the characters that grew under your fingers, as you write, even without you realizing it. I miss the romance (not necessary the Hollywood kind, mind you) and the mystery of fiction writing. Somehow when I write (or wrote) fiction, I feel like I am the reader too, and the story simply takes flight and soon, I will be wondering myself how this story will end. Cliched as it may sound, sometimes, the story just takes on life of its own.
I want to write fiction again. I miss it so so much! I like having the liberty to write whatever, whenever, and not having to be medically accurate. And especially not having to comply by your editor's or client's or business manager's wishes.
But to do that I may have to give up my day job.
Am I brave enough to do that?

A Taste of Taiwan

Fancy some frog eggs?

Ice cream, mint leaves and peanuts wrapped in crepe. Yum...

A street in Jiu Fen

The fruits here are huge - and taste delicious!

Q: Can Christianity and Science be equally yoked?

This is a review of the T3 seminar held in CBC SP, 16th January 2010

Dr Ron Choong is like a mini celebrity where intellectual thoughts and Christianity are concerned. So it’s not surprising when those of us who went for his T3 (Thinking Things Through) seminars recently came out a little wobbly – but wholly enlightened. The three topics “Science & Christianity”, “What Do Christians Really Believe?” and “Understanding Genesis 1-11: Who Wrote What, When, Where and Why?” were dissected and presented in a clear and sometimes tongue-in-cheek manner.

Among the questions that were tossed about during the 6-hour seminar include:




• Where did Noah keep the Dinosaurs?
• How did Jonah survive in the belly of a big fish?
• Should we take everything in the Bible literally, or are some stories mythological, rather than historical?
• Do babies have to repent before they can go to heaven?
• What happens to those who have never heard the gospel?
• What is the difference between volitional sin and being sinful by status?
• If we believe that we were created by God, can we still believe in evolution?
• Is the notion of Christian creation Trinitarian rather than monotheistic?

So did we leave feeling smarter? Maybe. Did we leave with more questions than answers? Yes. Does it really matter in the end? Nope.

For the believer, no explanation is necessary. But to the skeptic, no amount is sufficient. This is not to say we advocate blind faith as Christians. It is important for us to read through the Bible and ponder its messages, ask challenging questions and (try to) responsibly interpret its meanings.

In a nutshell, the T3 seminar was eye-opening and engaging as it challenges our perception of the Bible and Christianity. Personally, I think having lots of questions about the Bible and Christian beliefs will not make us waver in our faith. In fact we will only strengthen it.

Answer:
As for the answer to the question about science and Christian beliefs, I have always had a sneaking suspicion that they should not be so stringently separated. Science can be used to explain the world that God has created.

Dr Ron Choong provided a good answer: Science should not be seen as a specific problem for theology to tackle, but as a source of general insight to enrich theological understanding. So to ignore contributions of science neglects a potentially helpful theological resource. In fact, the Bible is a product of human sciences.
So yes, science is compatible with the Bible.

Are you willing to look stupid for God?

Many a times, I have heard people declining to play a character in a play, or declining to do some public presentation etc, because they are afraid they will look stupid. I am also guilty of that of course. I would not want to give a public speech without lengthy preparation, because I may stutter, say all the wrong things and in short, appear foolish. The only time I am willing to look stupid would be when I’m acting (especially for children, who are more forgiving).

But the point I am trying to make is that there is a passage in the Bible that made me think: Are we willing to look stupid for God? In 2 Samuel 6, King David broke out into a dance in praise of God, dressed only in his undergarment (ephod). His wife Michal saw him and scolded him for making a fool of himself in front of everyone, exposing himself indecently to the slave girls. But David argued that he was willing to look like a fool to show his joy to the Lord.
Guess what happened to Michal? She remained childless throughout her life as a result of her unjustified criticism.

So we should let hair loose once a while when praising God. Dance a little during worship. Jump like a kid if you wish to. Cheer like a hooligan even. Just be honest and open up. God won’t mind – I think He’ll be pleased.

To veil or not to veil

I was on a curiosity trip recently trying to figure out whether to use a veil during my wedding or not. It seems like a redundant measure. So I googled it.

And found one shockingly interesting reason (out of many) why veils were used to cover a bride's face.

"... one purpose of the wedding veil was to conceal the bride from demons. Family and friends were aware that the veiled figure standing next to the groom was the bride, but fortunately the goblins were apparently fooled. The superstition was so strong that families even supplied bridesmaids as decoys. These maids would not wear veils but would be dressed attractively and prepared to sacrifice their souls if required. Superstitious nonsense maybe, but the tradition continues to this day."

Erm, who still wants to be a bridesmaid?

Superstitions aside, I guess a veil is an enhancement to the bride's attire - even though it'll only be used for a few minutes before it is lifted and flipped out of the way. Hm, it doesn't seem to be very cost-effective. Perhaps I should just use those white nettings used to wrap vegetables in supermarkets. Heh. And instead of a bouquet, a brocolli may do the trick!

;P

The man on the sidewalk

It was close to 10pm; it was dark and damp. We had just finished our dinner and had stopped earlier at a bakery for some bread and egg tarts. It was a blissful night.

Then we stumbled upon the man. A pile of clothes lying on the sidewalk. A sleeping old man. My first instinct was to walk the other way, to ignore him. To avoid him. To be safe.

But my partner beside me started shuffling through our plastic bags. He took out an egg tart and walked quietly to the sleeping man, and gingerly placed the tart next to the crook of his thin arm.

Then we silently walked away.

We went back to our car and I bit my lip, remembering how I had wanted to walk the other way, pretending I have not noticed him. Not caring. I felt quite ashamed of myself. And in awe at the compassion and kindness my friend had shown to a stranger.

As we drove past the homeless man, we saw that he had awoken and was devouring the egg tart, wiping the crumbs from his wrinkled lips.

I looked at the remainder of my bread and tarts. They were to be my breakfast tomorrow. What would he have for breakfast? I wished I had given the homeless man more when I had the chance.

Alas, there was only so much we could do... wasn't there?

Birds of a Feather

Chickity China the Chinese chicken...

Aren't they adorable?

Pop quiz: Why do flamingos stand on one leg?

Polly wants a cracker!

KK 09

It was my third time in Kota Kinabalu. As usual the scenery was breathtaking. I didn't get to do much sight-seeing though because was there for only 20 hours.

The sun was up at 6am. I managed to scramble from my bed to catch the morning sky just in time. Amazing how the pink clouds are mirrored on the ocean.


The road in front of the hotel was still deserted when I went for a stroll at 8am. Alas, the seafront was cordoned off. :(

~~~~~

A (not quite) funny incident happened as I was waiting for the lift at my hotel. There I was, happily pressing the button to go down. As I waited, three more guys appeared at the lobby to take the lift as well.

Ding! The door to one opened. In barged the three guys and little ole me had to continue to press the Down button to hold the door open so that I could inch in after them. But lo! The button stubbornly refused to budge. And before I knew it, the lift door slammed shut at my face. The three dudes had done nothing but blinked stupidly at me. Two words slipped out of my lips as I stared incredulously at the closed door: "What the-?!"

So much for gentlemanly men.

Henna tattoo

Recently, Community Baptist Church raised funds for the Touch Dialysis Centre. I got henna tattoo done on my hand for RM10. Purrtey...

It lasted 3 days.

Scares

I had two scares within the last week.

1.
The first one was when I went back to Penang for a company event. My colleagues and I had stayed in a hotel by the sea. A day after the event I got a call. It seemed that one of the rooms we were staying in had been occupied by someone who was now quarantined for H1N1.

My mind went into a melodramatic overdrive. As I was telling my mother that I may have been exposed to the virus, and therefore, so has the rest of the family, I imagined lying in the hospital with high fever and at the verge of death. I had phantom tickles in my throat the whole day.

But thank God, two days later I found out that the person who had been quarantined had come out negative for H1N1. Phew...

2.
The second one was when I was driving alone along a road near Seksyen 16. Traffic was at a stallstill so I had time to glance around and observe. As I was looking through my rearview mirror, I noticed two guys on a motorcycle stopping abruptly next to a car a few cars behind mine. They were garbed in oversized coveralls. Then, in split second, the guy at the back stood, crashed the window of the car, reached in, and grabbed out a big black bag. Then they zoomed off.

It was shocking. I thought of pushing my passenger side door open and letting the motorcycle ram into it as they rode past me. But it happened too fast and all I could do was lean over to look at the bike's number plate. Alas, the robbers were smart enough to have bent the plate to partially obscure the numbers.

I glanced around, my hands shaking from the shock. Nobody had reacted. The victim's car moved along without stopping so there was nothing I could do but make sure my own bag was well hidden, my door was locked and my baseball bat-like steering lock was within reach. I also prayed for my own safety and the victim's - whoever she was.

I will buy you a garden...

Recently I discovered not one but two gardens smacked in the hustle and bustle of the city. One is at the rooftop of 1 Utama, aptly called the Secret Garden. And the other is the Lake Gardens' Butterfly Park. Needless to say, I went trigger happy.

A crappy project

That sums up the project that came plopped on my desk. It's not just an ordinary project, it's a crappy one. Oh, I'm not being mean. It really is about crap. It's about constipated crap, watery crap, diarrhea-ric crap...

If you've just eaten and are adverse to gross stuff, read no further.

Anyway, the whole editorial department went into a frenzy trying to find pictures of well, crap, for this assignment. Tried googling it. Had to crack our brains thinking up all different variations of the word: poo, stools, feces, shit, dung. Even tried defecate, diarrhea, etc.

In the end, we thought it might just be easier if we grabbed someone's child and wait for him to defecate to take photos of his erm, by-product. As for the different types (constipate vs watery), we'll have to depend on Photoshop for that. How very interesting.

Like I said, it was a crappy project.

Petals on a gerbera

Just an excuse to blog

I haven't been blogging a while. I guess when you are a full-time writer, the last thing you would want to do during your free time is to write. But I think the main reason is because I don't have a computer at home anymore (my PC dieded on me, sniff) and I don't have time when at work.

I am waiting for a new laptop. Yes, waiting for it to fall on my lap (pun unintended). We shall wait and see.

And speaking of new techie gadgets, I just got myself a digital camera. It's my very first! Imagine, I had been using those old-fashioned cameras - with films! People used to laugh at me. This new cammie is a pretty standard one, not those cool DSLRs that give you giant biceps after carrying them for a full hour. Still, I like it because it's dark red and has large enough buttons for my chubby fingers.

I would love to take artsy-fartsy pictures showing the most ordinary stuff in different light or angle. And gorgeous breathtaking sceneries or sunsets that make you stop in the middle of the street and get knocked down by oncoming traffic. The trick is to bring my camera everywhere I go to be able to catch the sights when I see them.

But for now I will have to be contended to just snap photos of people in ninja gears or bright orange undies worn outside and stuffed with a mobile phone...

25 things you don't need to know about me...

This appeared in FB recently, but since it took me ages to finish writing it, I thought I shouldn't just let it rot in FB. So I'm letting it rot in here as well. ;P And I have made a few minor changes.

25 things you don't need to know about me...

1. I appear quiet when with strangers but once you get to know me, I can be very chatty.

2. I set my clocks and watches 10 min faster because I like to be early or at least on time. I feel stressed if I am late. I feel superior when I am early, muahaha.

3. I love to sing - but dislike karaoke because English songs tend to feature ladies in bikinis strolling down the beach.

4. I love Pride and Prejudice, the novel and the series. Not the one starring Keira Knightley but the BBC version with Colin Firth as Darcy. I like the wet t-shirt part. ;P

5. My favourite authors are all dead.

6. I'm not a fan of chicklits. I feel like I lose a few IQ points after reading a few pages. Not like I have much to begin with already.

7. I don't watch TV these days, though I used to be a couch potato.

8. I used to watch and love a few obscure TV shows: WonderFalls, Tru Calling etc. I wish they had lasted more than a season or two.

9. I can't stand cigarette smoke.

10. I dreamt of living in a little cottage with a lovely garden and a brooke running nearby. (Yes, very English. I think I was influenced by Enid Blyton and Anne of Green Gables.)

11. I love windy days. Especially when I am standing by the beach.

12. I like it when the leaves fall off trees during a windy day and it feels like autumn.

13. I used to have a dog named Wendy, which is hardly a name for a dog, but the previous owner named her that, so... (Later in life I met another dog named Wend-di but that is another story.)

14. I am allergic to paracetamol. I'll sneeze and cough non-stop with my eyes getting all watery.

15. I sneeze when I am exposed to a sudden change in temperature.

16. I sneeze when I pluck my eyebrows. (Go figure.)

17. I don't like bossy people.

18. I am obsessive about brushing my teeth after meals.

19. I used to wear braces.

20. I can read upside down words or their mirror images easily.

21. I used to be a huge fan of computer role-playing games, like Neverwinter Nights, Planescape Torment, Baldur's Gate and Star Wars:KOTOR.

22. I am semi-addicted to Gmail and Facebook.

23. I have several nicknames, some of them unprintable.

24. I like bittersweet chocolates.

25. I love God.

A title is supposed to be short and sweet, and to the point, not a blinkin' essay in its own right, but some people don't seem to understand that.

Enough said.

Sit not with mockers

There's one (or more) in every office. The sourfaced pessimist with bitterness dripping from his every word. The one who feels like he has scored when he makes you feel like you have made the biggest mistake in taking up this job. You can picture him snickering and rubbing his hands in glee when he sees your confidence falter and your little bubble burst - or shrink a wee bit smaller.

But then there are also those little rays of positivity who nudge you on with encouragement. The ones who believe in you. And the one who moves you forward with wise words:

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. - Psalms 1:1-2

And for those lovely people I am thankful.

Complaining about not complaining

Sometimes people tend to think the worst of things.

I found that sometimes they tend to interpret the things I say and turn it into something vile. It's annoying.

Like for example:

It's been raining. I am trudging along a soggy patch in a field. I bump into a friend. "It's so muddy," I said. Trust me I am just stating a fact. A neutral fact. Nothing more.

And what I get is an admonishment for complaining. It's like an uncalled for slap in the face.

The question is, was I complaining?

If I was, I would not be just commenting, "It's muddy". I may have added a harsh word or two and glared at the mud with such intensity it would turn solid again.


Example number two:

A friend is commenting on girls who wear heels. Why do they prefer to wear heels instead of flats?

I suggest simply, because they're short.

You're so bad, he says.

What is so bad about that? Just because I am tall and I am saying others are short, am I making fun of them? What is wrong with being short? What if I prefer to be short? Better centre of gravity. And you can wear high heels without towering over guys. ;P

Does saying certain word immediately mean you are complaining or being unkind?

Don't be so fast in jumping to conclusion.

Be positive mar...