Shortbread II

With the earlier batch consumed in record time, I decided to whip up more *to pacify the demands by DH and M*

My usual browsing brought me to an interesting title "Buckingham Palace Shortbread" - wow, the Queen's own shortbread that she has for tea, now that must be something special!

Walker's also ranks high on the list of brands for shortbread fans. Die-hard Walker-want-to-be bakers suggested using 3 parts flour, 2 parts butter and 1 part sugar.


And so here is my abridge shortbread version - would that make this version a Palace Walker now??? Ha ha *sorry for the bad pun*

Verdict by the shortbread experts....both shortbreads are nice, they are different in their own way. Not very helpful huh??? *Yeah I agree that their responses were just too diplomatic!!*

Personally, the earlier version was more buttery (the recipe uses more butter) and while this one has a light crumbly-crunch (is there such a word??) finish. I prefer this one better.

WY's Roasted Garlic Bread

My family are hardcore garlic fans.

So when I saw WildYeast’s bread I almost fell off my chair. I could only stare and ogle at her pictures with greatest admiration. It was truly beautiful and could only TRY to imagine how wonderful it must taste – all cheesy and garlicky (not to worry this roasted garlic paste is not as ‘potent or pungent’ as fresh garlic, so give it ago if the hours do not put you off or if you are stuck at home with nothing to do). :)

Looking at the recipe, it was fairly simple but what almost threw me off was the time involved in fermenting, resting and proofing….in total all amounting to 16 hours ++!! With my fingers and toes to aid me figure out the timing and sequence required, I was at a loss on how I could pull this one off gracefully.

Decided to put it at the back of my to-do list. But somehow I couldn’t get the image of the tempting bread out of my head. After much contemplation (I think it was more on a greedy wimp&fancy actually), I started the au levian so that there would be no turning back. Dang it *kicking myself for starting the fermentation too early* – Based on my less than coordinated timing, the 8 hours fermentation would end at midnight, which means I am suppose to continue working on the dough for another 8 hours after that?

I finally decided to continue working on the dough the next morning instead. You may recall me mentioning before that I only cook and bake in M’s kitchen which means I will just need to grit through this inconvenience. In the morning, the au levien doubled and seemed to have survived the long night and so I decided to proceed with stage 2 of the recipe.

But then….I also need coriander for the leaf imprints??? I was considering other leaf alternatives – what about basil or spring onion or Italian flat leaf parsley? Yes, I know the big supermarkets would probably sell them but didn’t want to go to all the distance and trouble. M suggested the wet market nearby and so I quickly made a dash out for the all important leaves!! As you can tell, I was rather determined to get the look right!! Ha ha

After much hanging around that day including a few DVD movies…here is the final verdict - hope you enjoy pictures, to account for the many deserving hours spent!! Lolz

The all important golden stuffing - roasted garlic paste and cheese. Roll the rested dough into a ball and set aside for a 4 hour proof. A cup of coffee is just not sufficient, you need a good long movie here!! ;)
If you are wondering about the 'spots' on my dough, I added about 1.5 tsp of parsley into the dough. The taste wasn't that obvious. In fact, I think I should have also mixed in other herbs too. Next time.

Prepping the *STAR* of the show.

As you can see the roasted garlic is more brown and soft compared to its fresh counterparts.

All powdered with flour, ready for the oven.

Viola, the baked bread - but wait, what's hiding under the heavy layer of flour foundation
Chip, scrape and dust….must say that I felt like a real archaeologist or palaeontologist, dusting off the extra flour for an exciting find.

Found it....prints of the coriander leaf!! Yeaa *jumps for joy*

The 'lump' with its printed glory.

A side profile - notice the creamy soft centre?

A closer focus at the golden mouth-watering centre.

All cut up, ready to be served.

A slice of heaven with only three words to fit its description Y-U-M!!

Side notes - More cheese please!!