October 8, 2020. Sunny. Fun Pouffy Balloon Popovers. I adore making these popovers. This is one of those easy-peasy recipes that is a joy to make with kids. Before the pandemic, my son and I made these pouffy baked delights during a play-date with his …
October 7, 2020. Sunny and cool. Golden Crusty Rolls. I miss eating golden crusty rolls that are ubiquitous in European restaurants. They are usually served on the side with your order. It’s just the thing to go with your meal and tastes fabulous with just …
October 5, 2020. Mostly cloudy and cool. Beautiful Butterfly Braid Bread.
Jump to RecipeWhile playing around with some dough this summer, I came up with this beautiful Butterfly Braid bread on a whim! I thought it would be fun to make something creative and just free form!
When I shared pictures of the experiment with my baking group on social media it was very well received. I was surprised by the interest and excitement; many of my baker friends were asking how I made this! I decided to recreate it and take pictures showing the steps to make the braids. This post is focused on how I created this butterfly braid bread.
I use a soft, slightly sweet dough, typically used for making Easter wreath bread. The secret to this Butterfly Braid Bread is a smooth and elastic dough that is easy to braid and handle.
Without further ado, let’s get baking!
For the dough, you need these items, listed in both US and metric measurements:
1 cup (240g) heavy cream, room temperature or lukewarm plus 1 Tbs for egg wash
2½ tsp (11g) active yeast
⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar
4 cups (580g) all purpose flour
½ tsp (3g) salt
3 large eggs plus 1 more for egg wash
2 tsp vanilla extract
I used a stand mixer to form the dough, and a large parchment lined baking pan to bake the bread.
Gather all the ingredients. Warm up heavy cream in microwave for 20 seconds. Check that temperature is between 80-90ºF (27 – 32ºC). Add sugar, yeast and stir. Set aside for 5 minutes.
When ready, pour the mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. With the mixer running at slow speed, gradually add the rest of the ingredients – flour, salt, eggs, and vanilla extract. Knead for 5 minutes until a soft dough is formed.
Remove dough and pat into a ball. Place into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let it rest for 1 to 1½ hours or until the dough has doubled in size. While waiting, line a large baking pan with parchment paper.
Tip the dough onto a clean working surface. Divide into 2 pieces. Set one piece back into the oiled bowl and cover to prevent from drying out. Roll out the dough into one long rope approximately 24 inches (60cm). Repeat with the other piece of dough.
Place one of the dough ropes into the prepared parchment lined pan and form the base of the butterfly braid. Begin by creating a rough square base in the shape of the butterfly. Create a loop on the upper left and then create another loop on the upper right. Move the rope down to the lower right, make a loop, and continue to bring the rope over to the left. Make a loop for the lower left before completing the square. You now have a base.
Continue to cover the upper left loop with the dough rope, and then string the rope back to the upper right side over and then under the corner, and bring the rope back down to the lower right corner. Complete the cycle by moving the rope back to the left lower corner. At this point, join together the second dough rope to continue your braiding. Repeat the up, across, down, across pattern until the rope runs out. Gently tuck the rope end into the bottom of the bread. Gently pinch the 4 corners to create the shape of butterfly wings. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Beat the egg with the remaining tablespoon of heavy cream to make an egg-wash. Generously brush the dough surface with the egg-wash.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Transfer to cooling rack and your beautiful bread is ready!
Just for fun: I was researching a bit about types of European Bread and found this article which I thought was informative. Never heard of some of these – Tijgerbrood, Ruisreikäleipä, etc. I was lucky enough to have eaten Hverabrauð when I was in Iceland 2 springs ago. It’s a short read => https://www.afar.com/magazine/10-european-breads-with-fascinating-stories
Dough recipe inspired by: https://platedcravings.com/easy-sweet-braided-easter-bread/
Do you love a colorful main course? Please check out my delicious easy veggies ratatouille here => How to Make Easy Colorful Veggies Ratatouille Casserole!
Do you love pretty looking bread? I do! See how I transformed a whole wheat loaf into a pretty pumpkin shaped bread here => How to make Whole Wheat Bread Pretty!
Here’s a fun way to eat rolls: crescent shaped and stuffed with cream cheese, either plain or spicy! => How to make Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls: Spicy and Plain!
October 3, 2020. Sunny and cool. Grilled Chicken Satay. I have to confess I had reservations about sharing this grilled Chicken Satay recipe. Why? Well, you have to understand I grew up in Malaysia where at the mere mention of my hometown the natural rejoinder …
October 1, 2020. Sunny and cool. Mochi Mooncakes with Creamy Custard. Today I had so much fun putting together these Mochi Mooncakes with Creamy Custard. I always wondered how difficult it would be to create such an iconic Asian traditional celebration cake. I like this …
Autumn just arrived and I started to look through all the recipes I’ve collected and made over the years. This colorful Veggies Ratatouille Casserole was just waiting to be made again – it is a family favorite!
After watching the movie Ratatouille for the first time way back when my daughter was still in elementary school, she was all fired up to try this dish. Remy, the leading mouse in the movie, is a top class French chef who has a penchant to put together mouthwateringly delicious dishes. He was quite the quirky and lovable character. She begged and asked in the nicest way possible and so how could I say no?
I did a bit of research and found a recipe by Julia Child that calls for slicing the vegetables thinly and then laying them neatly in a baking dish. It makes a beautiful dish to serve at the table. After making this the first time it has been tweaked and adjusted with each bake since.
I like that ratatouille is so flavorful and beautiful to serve and eat. Even though it looks difficult, it is NOT so. A kitchen slicer mandoline is your friend for this recipe. The base has 5 veggies: eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, colorful peppers and tomato paste. Add in some garlic and some seasoning and that’s it! Let’s cook!
1 can tomato paste, 6 oz.
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, minced
3-4 Tbs olive oil for sauce and drizzling
½ cup water
2 small, or 1 large eggplant, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow squash, sliced
3 peppers – 1 each red, orange and green pepper, sliced
6 fresh basil leaves or fresh herbs of your choice
1 tsp dried parsley, thyme, basil or your favorite herb
salt and pepper to taste
You will also need a small sauce pan to cook the sauce, a mandoline or a very sharp kitchen knife, and a large casserole dish for this dish.
Gather all the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease casserole dish with olive oil. Heat the small sauce pan on low.
Start by preparing the onions and garlic. Heat the pan to medium and drizzle with about 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté the onions till translucent, 1-2 minutes. Add in the chopped garlic, and stir for another minute. When fragrant, remove pan from heat and set aside.
Add tomato paste, water, and 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the sauté-ed onion and garlic in the pan. Stir to combine until you have a nice thick sauce. Add salt and ground pepper to taste. When ready, pour this sauce evenly across the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Set aside.
Wash and pat dry the vegetables. Thinly slice the vegetable with the kitchen mandoline or a very sharp kitchen knife, about ¼” thick. Then, lightly salt eggplant slices to remove moisture. Drizzle all veggies lightly with olive oil.
Start arranging the sliced vegetables from the far edge of the casserole dish, working inwards in a spiral manner. Alternating the veggies will give them a beautiful pattern and color. I love this part of the making this dish – I get to play with my food!
When done arranging, drizzle with remaining olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and sprinkle on the dried herbs.
Next, bake in preheated oven for 40 – 45 minutes, or until the veggies are soft and roasted. Finally, remove from heat and enjoy. Bon Appetit!
Here are a few more pictures of variations I’ve made using slightly different patterns and casserole dishes. Have fun making your own design!
I was curious to see which are the top casseroles popular in the US.
Apparently, Green Bean Casserole, Tater Tot Casserole, and Million Dollar Chicken Casserole rank as America’s most popular and most-saved comfort food dishes.
Here is another opinion about the top casseroles enjoyed in the US =>TasteAtlas
With the weather cooling down in most of the Northern hemisphere, try this Japanese meat and potatoes stew for a delicious dinner =>Japanese Nikujaga: The Best Meat And Potatoes Comfort Dish
Do you like your bread with a bit of heat? Check out how I made this delicious Spicy Spiral Cheese Bread from scratch => Spicy Spiral Cheese Bread
Have you ever tried cooking a dish in a foil packet? This technique is called “en papillote” in French. See how I whip out delicious dinner that requires short hands-on prep and let the foil and oven do the rest =>Quick Sausage En Papillote: Awesome Recipe from Jacques Pepin
Have you ever tasted a crescent roll stuffed with cream cheese? I was experimenting with new filling and came up with a plain and spicy version. See how I made them from scratch here => How to make Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls: Spicy and Plain!
I made these style of Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls for the first time in May. My favorite author Yangsze Cho (Have you read or listened to her books?!) posted to Facebook pictures and a link to a video on how to make a tuna filled …
I wanted to eat something with a bit of heat and decided to make this Spicy Spiral Cheese Bread the other day. The weather has cooled considerably with the rain from the hurricanes in the Gulf Coast. Autumn weather is definitely in the air! Whenever …
I created this beautiful no-flour Potatoes Onions Layer pie for Pi / π Day (March 14, 2020) this year! I was experimenting with my fun kitchen mandoline and ended up with this simple and delicious savory pie.
Do you like the taste of baked potatoes with a bit of salt, olive oil or perhaps a pat of butter? The amazing texture of cooked potatoes meeting salt and oil goodness is one of the best combos out there. How would a pie taste if potato slices were both a crust and filling? Why not add a bit of caramelized onions to give it a lovely sweet taste? That’s how I came up with this pie!
The 2 main ingredients are from the pantry – potatoes and onions. The rest is seasoning and liquid to help cook the potatoes. Join me as I put this easy-to-make flour-less pie together!
Roughly in the order used:
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp fennel seeds, optional
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
2 large baking potatoes with skin on, thinly sliced
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup shredded cheese, mozzarella or parmesan
1/2 cup veggie broth (or chicken broth if not vegetarian)
2 stalks of green onion chopped
To prep and cook the ingredients you will need a 10 inch pie or quiche pan (preferably one with a removable bottom), a medium sauté pan, and a very sharp kitchen knife or a mandoline slicer.
Let’s start by gathering all the ingredients. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray the pie or quiche pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Prepare the onion and potatoes. Wash and pat dry. Cut into thin slices using a very sharp knife or mandoline.
Heat up olive oil in pan. Add fennel seeds to toast lightly (if using).
Then, mix in the thinly sliced onions and gently stir to soften, about 3-5 mins. Next, add red pepper flakes, if using. Set aside.
Starting from the outer edge of pan, arrange potatoes to overlap around the entire pan twice.
Sprinkle lightly with paprika and salt. Add black pepper to taste. Then, add softened onions and spread evenly. Add shredded cheese and top with remaining sliced potatoes in the same overlap pattern. Sprinkle with a bit more paprika, salt and pepper to taste.
Next, put prepared pie dish onto a cookie sheet or roasting pan to catch any spillage. Very carefully, pour broth evenly over the prepared pie. Cover with foil and pop into the hot oven for about 50 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and cooked. The foil steams the potato slices in the broth.
When the potatoes are soft, remove the foil, add chopped green onions to the top, and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes.
When the potatoes are lightly browned on top, remove from oven and place on trivet. Wait 10 minutes so the potatoes soak up the broth and seasoning. Transfer the pie from the pan or serve directly.
Admire, slice and enjoy!
I was researching potatoes and found this useful guide on different types and uses. Check it out => https://leafyplace.com/types-of-potatoes/
Do you love cakes? And oranges? Check out this beautiful retro cake I made using 4 types of citrus => Unique Retro Upside Down Four Citrus Cake
Have you ever eaten Lucky Long Life Noodles? I made this dish for my husband’s birthday from scratch. Read about it here => Have you ever tried Lucky Long Life Noodles?
Have you ever cooked a dish in a packet of parchment or aluminum foil? This method is called “en papilotte”. See how I quickly put together a hearty and delicious meal with 15 min hands-on prep (and gotta love the clean up!) here => Quick Sausage En Papillote: Awesome Recipe from Jacques Pepin
September 24, 2020. Breakfast time. Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole. I was looking for ideas on what to make for a hearty breakfast that doesn’t involve bacon or sausages, and that uses sweet potatoes (hubby’s favorite) and lots of colorful veggies (daughter’s requirement). I searched online …
