It’s yet another Saturday! There are so many events on today in the Klang Valley. MTV World Stage (not going because I’m not a fan of Justin Bieber, enough said), Bon Odori, Clinique Beach Party and TEDxKL. Yet I’m staying at home with a mild food poisoning from unknown source. I suspect it’s from the Lok Lok stall the other night. Hrmph. It’s ok though because I have these feline friends for company.
These two loves to join me in bed. And the other one just hides in my wardrobe (strange one, that cat). I guess I’ll have to wash my sheets again….
Usually during Weekends, I like to bake a loaf of bread as we put a lot of emphasis on our brunches. I’ve experimented with different add-on ingredients including cheddar, olives, onion, mustard, zucchini, and even chili (the one you see in the photo is the chili bread). And all you need to do is to have a basic recipe which I’ll post in a minute.
Many people seems to be intimidated by the idea of making bread at home but it really is very easy! If you have a stand mixer, then there’s really no excuse for you to NOT make it. I unfortunately do not own one, so I just knead by bare bands. I find it quite therapeutic, actually. In fact the whole cooking process is quite relaxing for me. I guess it’s the fact that you just focus on the task at hand. Not sure how many people feel the same way though.
This was the nutritious brunch I’ve prepared last Sunday. It’s meat free, grease free and almost guilt free except for the cheese. My daily dose of calcium, of course. And remember, vitamins! Not only it’s pretty to look at, it’s delicious too!
Wholemeal Loaf
2 teaspoons (7g) dried yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
100ml warm water (about 40 degree celsius)
1 cup of bread flour plus 1 cup of wholemeal flour
Combine yeast, sugar, and the warm water (should be around our body temperature) in small bowl, cover; stand in warm place about 20 minutes or until mixture is frothy.
Combine flour and salt in large bowl; stir in yeast mixture, mix using a spatula to form a soft dough. Knead dough on floured surface about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in large bowl and cover with towel; stand in warm place about 1 hour or until dough doubles in size. Knead it for the second time just for a minute, and let it rise again for another half an hour.
The timing here is based on Malaysian climate, in colder weather it will take longer to rise so factor that in.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 210 degree Celsius.
When the dough is ready, lay it gently on a baking tray lined with baking paper (oil it if you want, doesn’t make much of a difference to me) and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let it cool completely.
Now you can put together an impressive brunch!
You need:
2 slices of Toasted Bread
Smashed Avocados with feta
1 Avocado
2 tablespoon lemon, juiced
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Pinch salt & pepper
1/4 cup good Feta Cheese, crumbed
Mix everything together and smashed with a fork! Then spread the lovely mixture on the toasted bread. Resist the urge to take a bite before everything lands on the plate. I did, so I made another toast.
Cheesy Grilled Tomato
1 tomato, sliced in half
Salt and Pepper to taste
Handful of Grated Mozarella and Parmesan
Sprinkle salt and pepper on the tomato and carefully sprinkle the grated cheese on top, pile on as much as you can. And then grill in in 200 degree Celsius oven until cheese melted and golden brown. Easy peasy!
Poached Egg
I’ve achieved this unique look by poaching egg using the clingwrap method. It doesn’t always present like a flower but I think the yolk this time might have sat slightly higher for the white to close around it. I like accidental surprises!
Lay a piece of cling film over a ramekin or tea cup and push it down into the recess with your fingers. Grease it a little with olive oil
Crack an egg into it then twist up the surplus clingfilm to make a knot so you have a little pouch.
Bring a pan half full with water to simmering point and lower the pouch containing the egg into it.
Simmer until the white is firm but the yolk still runny. Lift out and plunge into a bowl of cold water to prevent further cooking. Unwrap carefully – the film may stick slightly to the egg – and serve.
Parsley Leaves, to garnish
Truffle oil, for that extra decadence. Just drizzle a little on the egg. Yum.
And now, the obligatory egg yolk shot.
Playing with your food encourages great eating experience. Seriously. I urge you to start making your own bread from now on. Only negative is, they don’t last as long as the commercial bread so do consume within 2-3 days.
Kelly Siew Cooks 
Yummy! I love brunches also, in fact most of my breakfasts turn into brunches, hehe! This looks great! 🙂
I’m never awake early enough for breakfast that’s why they are all brunches. Hehe
Me too, exactly the same! 🙂
That’s one gorgeous looking poached egg. May try your method one of these days. I also just made bread the other day, as u say its not difficult .. its just the wait for the dough to rise!
Thanks! Yeap as long as you plan your timing right bread making should be no trouble at all! 🙂
Yum!! I love the combination of avocado and feta! and the smell of fresh baked bread! The clingwrap method for poaching eggs is genius babe! I’ve not tried this method and would just do that next weekend! hehe Thanks for sharing!
Btw, I’ve awarded you The Versatile Blog & Sunshine award! (: Go have a look : http://foodmadewithlove.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/a-post-of-awards-and-many-thanks/
The cling wrap method is a cheat version but I like doing it coz it’s fun! I also don’t need as much water when I poached the eggs.
Thanks for the award! 😀
hehe awesome! I tried the traditional way but didn’t go too well! hehe so this would be a fun and hopefully successful method! hehe
I’ve never made my own bread before but the recipe looks so simple that I may actually give it a go :). Love the smell of fresh bread!
Yes you should! And when you add a hideous amount of butter it then becomes brioche! 😛
this is pretty inspiring! i know i don’t have the discipline to make my own bread, so i sincerely admire anyone for doing so! 😀
You don’t need discipline for bread making hehe. Just a little time. 🙂
WOW is there anything you don'[t make at home Kelly? 😀 I’ve been meaning to make my own bread at home for quite some type now…because it shoulnd’t be that difficult right…
But i still haven’t gotten around to it and I’m a bit worried about the weather in Melbourne being too cold do you have any hints or tips? ~
If you are worried about the cold weather, you could always heat the oven up for a few minutes and turn it off. Then put the dough into the oven, covered. Alternatively, a heated room is fine too.
I haven’t tried making noodles/pasta at home yet but I’ve got a pasta machine so I shall attempt it one day when I’m motivated too. And I’m pretty bad with pastry. Hehe.
By the way, this is the same recipe for pizza dough, now you can make your own pizza!
Avocado and Feta are one of those perfect marriages. Tastebuds fell in love straight away.
Oh.. my… god…. I MUST make fresh bread this weekend!!!
Hope you are feeling better, food poisoning is the worst 😦
Slowly recovering. Also got hit by a bit of a sore throat over the weekend so it was a double whammy. Looking forward to see your version of bread!
where can we buy buy feta cheese? i am from mindanao what do you suggest as substitute for feta cheese?
You can just go without. Unless you have Goat’s cheese there? Brie or Camembert would be good too.
what a fabulous breakie!! and check out that perfect poached egg… =D
Thanks! This method guarantees perfect poached egg everytime. 🙂
I’m glad you posted your wholemeal bread recipe, it looks gourmet yet the ingredients is simple, but where can I buy wholemeal bread flour in Klang Valley? I have yet to see it. Thanks!
Any supermarket should have it. I got mine from village grocer. Just look in the baking section. 🙂