Dippy Egg with Matcha Toast Soldiers

Before May slips away from us I want to share one of my favorite spring recipes with you. A drippy, dippy egg is one of the loveliest ways to start any weekend morning. Here, thick matchsticks of Homemade Matcha Honey Wheat Bread are dunked into perfectly cooked 4-minute eggs. Served with a mélange of aromatic cut herbs, this humble yet elegant meal celebrates spring’s freshest flavors.
Instead of regular store-bought toast, I make a Matcha Honey Wheat Bread that has a heartier flavor and texture than regular white bread. To enjoy it with Dippy Eggs, you’ll need to plan on making the bread ahead of time, ideally the day before.

When enjoying this light meal, I typically follow a double dipping process where a toast bread stick first takes a plunge into the eggy pool of liquid sunshine before getting lightly pressed into a mound of fresh herbs. Whichever herbs look the most vibrant and fresh at the market will work great here, just be less generous with adding stronger tasting herbs (like rosemary) so that the flavors stay light and bright. 
My other favorite herbs to use in this recipe are tarragon, thyme, and even basil. Cut the herbs finely with a super sharp knife so that they are easily picked up by the moistened bread sticks. A light sprinkle of smoked French sea salt makes a tasty finish.For those of you not feeling the making bread from scratch bit, you can simply slather store-bought, toasted bread with softened salted butter and then top it with a generous sifting of matcha green tea powder. Cut the bread slices into matchsticks (i.e. soldiers) and you’re all set to start dipping! 
Dippy Eggs with Matcha Toast Soldiers 

Ingredients:

Matcha Honey Wheat Bread (see recipe below)

eggs

chopped herbs (I used a mix of chopped dill, chives, and rosemary)

sea salt to taste (I used Maldon Smoked Sea Salt)

Equipment:

small pot

slotted spoon

egg holder

sharp knife

Directions:

1.)  In a small pot, bring water to a full boil (enough water to completely cover eggs). Cut the Matcha Sandwich Bread into long sticks, about 1″x 5″, to make Matcha Toast Soldiers.

2.)  Boil eggs for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the bread sticks.

3.)  Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the hot water, then carefully place them into the egg holders. Use a sharp knife to slice off the top of the eggs, then sprinkle the eggs with sea salt. Serve immediately with the Matcha Toast Soldiers and chopped herbs on the side.Matcha Honey Wheat Bread

Makes 1 large loaf.

Ingredients:

1 cup + 2 Tbsp lukewarm water

2 1/4 tsp SAF instant yeast

1 cup whole wheat flour

3 cups bread flour

2 Tbsp matcha, sifted

2 Tbsp flax meal

3 Tbsp honey

2 tsp salt

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 Tbsp melted butter or non-stick spray, for coating bowl and pan

Equipment:

large stand mixer with dough hook attachment

large bowl

plastic wrap

work surface

pullman loaf pan (13″ or 12 cup capacity)

serrated bread knife (if slicing)

cooking thermometer (optional)

bread slicer (optional)

Directions:

1.)  Make the Dough. Place the yeast, whole wheat and bread flours, matcha, flax meal, honey, salt, and butter in the mixing bowl of a large stand mixer. Turn the mixer on low-speed, then add the water. Increase the speed to low-medium, then continue to mix for 10 minutes.

2.)  First Rise. After 10 minutes you should get a soft and supple ball of dough. Place the dough in a bowl lightly greased with melted butter or nonstick spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then place it in a warm, draft free place to rise until doubled in volume.

3.)  Shape the Loaf. After doubling in volume, place the dough on a work surface, then give the dough a few light kneadings. Lightly pull/press the dough to make an evenly thick 8″ x 11″ rectangle (like a piece of paper). Fold the left and right sides over lengthwise to meet in the middle (the sides should overlap). Square off the edges, then pinch the seams closed. Tuck, pinch, and seal off the ends under the long loaf.

4.)  Second Rise. Place the cylinder-like loaf seam side down, into a pullman pan greased with melted butter or nonstick spray. Let the dough rest in the pan for about 5 minutes (covered with plastic wrap), then use your fingers to press the dough into the pan as evenly as possible–this will help to assure squared off edges on the loaf when it bakes. Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap, then place in a warm, draft free place until it rises to 1/2″ under the top edge of the pan.

5.)  Bake, Cool, and Slice! About a half hour before the loaf has finished rising, place an oven rack in the middle of your oven, then heat the oven to 450 degrees F. When the dough has risen (1/2″ under the rim), slide the greased top of the pullman loaf pan on. Bake the loaf for about 40 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown or registers an internal temperature of 190 degrees F on a cooking thermometer. Wait until the bread completely cools before slicing with a serrated knife.

Matcha Croissants

Trips to the gym, calorie counting, eating plenty of veggies…before the new year officially begins, I thought I’d give you a final hoorah, something to cap off the holidays with a bang. There has to be a good reason for making croissants, as they certainly aren’t your everyday kind of bread roll. I make these babies once in a blue moon, and celebrating the end of 2014 is a good enough reason for me. Making croissants requires time, patience, and a gentle touch. And, as any baker who has made croissants before knows, the frigid December air makes the process that much easier.

The first time I made croissants was in pastry school. I remember the day clearly as it was one of the main reasons I enrolled in classes. It’s a good thing I did too, because croissant making is really hard to learn from text, and even harder to explain. The process of creating a laminated dough can be thrilling for a baking enthusiast, but only if you feel like it’s something you can learn without getting overwhelmed.

There’s one simple addition that makes a croissant go from pale butter yellow to earthy leaf green, and that’s a good quality matcha powder. The matcha gets incorporated into the flour-based part of the croissant dough or dètrempe, not the beurrage, or butter block.

One full recipe of this dough makes 32 crispy, flakey mini matcha croissants. If you like variety, then divide the dough up to make both regular (16) and chocolate croissants (12), which are a bit larger than the plain kind. If you want to enjoy every croissant fresh out of the oven, you can easily freeze the croissants after shaping them. Simply freeze them after they are parked on the baking sheet. When they’ve hardened, place them in airtight bags in the freezer so that you can bake them up whenever you’re in need of a tea break.

The matcha actually makes the croissants taste more savory, so these are ideal for creating tea sandwiches like smoked salmon or turkey tarragon. My favorite way to enjoy these matcha croissants is plain and simple, with a dab of some sour raspberry jam and a cup of light, frothy matcha on the side. Serve them for New Year’s brunch as a delicate and decadent way to finish off the holiday season.

Matcha Croissants

Makes 32 plain or 16 plain & 12 chocolate.

Ingredients:

{Dough- Dètrempe}

1/2 cup water, warm for activating yeast

1 Tbsp active dry yeast

3 1/2 – 4 cups all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp matcha powder (I used Mizuba Matcha)

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tbsp salt

1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

bench flour

egg wash, one egg beaten with 1 tsp of water

{Butter- Beurrage}

12 oz butter, slightly colder than room temperature (stiff but not hard to the touch)

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

{Extras}

semi-sweet chocolate chips

Equipment:

small bowl

stand mixer with large bowl and dough and paddle attachments

plastic wrap

large plastic zip bag

large work surface

rolling-pin

pastry brush

sharp knife

18″ ruler

2 large baking sheets, fitted with parchment paper

Directions:

1.)  In a small bowl, combine yeast with warm water. Set this aside for a few moments to activate the yeast. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough attachment, add the proofed yeast mixture and 1 cup of milk. With the mixer on low, gradually add 3 1/2 cups of flour, matcha, sugar, and salt. Mix for 1-2 minutes until a soft dough is formed. If the dough looks too moist and is sticking to the bottom of the bowl, add 1 Tbsp of flour at a time until the dough doesn’t stick to the bottom of the bowl. You may need to add up to a total of 4 cups of flour. Set the mixer to high and mix the dough until it is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky. This should take about 4 minutes. The dough should be the consistency of soft butter.

2.)  Cover the dough with plastic wrap completely, then place it into a large plastic zip bag and seal tightly. Leave at room temperature to sit for 30 minutes to allow for the gluten to relax.

3.)  To make the butter block, clean the now used/empty mixing bowl, then attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer. Beat the butter and flour on high speed until you get a smooth consistency similar to the croissant dough you just made. Make sure there aren’t any lumps. If there are, smash them out with your fingers. Place this butter-flour mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap and cover completely.

4.)  With your hands, mold the plastic covered butter into a rectangle that is 5″ by 6″, and about 1″ thick. Try to slap out any air from the butter block. Place in the fridge to chill until needed.

5.)  On a lightly floured work surface, roll the croissant dough to a rectangle 10″ by 16″. Brush off any excess flour from the dough’s surface with the pastry brush. Place the chilled butter block into the center of the rectangle, with the short side of the butter facing the long side of the dough.

6.)  Start to make brochure-like folds by first folding in the left side over the butter block. Again, brush off any excess flour with the pastry brush.
7.)  Now fold the right side of the dough over the center to create a brochure looking dough package. Again, brush off any excess flour.

8.)  Rotate the dough package 90 degrees to the right. Use the rolling-pin to lightly press the dough into a 10″ by 16″ rectangle again. Be gentle, patient, and kind to the dough. Press the rolling-pin down to make impressions rather than using a strong rolling motion. Try not to roll over the edges as that may cause the butter to leak out.

9.)  When you achieve an 10″ by 16″ rectangle again, fold the left and right sides in towards the center, to create a 3 layered brochure again. This is your first turn, hence you can place one finger impression in the dough (I placed in upper right). Now cover the dough with plastic wrap, then place this brochure-like rectangle into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Repeat this process 3 more times for a total of 4 turns, covering the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerating for 30 minutes in between each turn.
10.)  After 4 turns, make sure to chill the dough for 30 minutes again.

11.) Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Each piece gets rolled into a 7″ by 18″ rectangle. Work with one piece at a time, refrigerating the other pieces until you are ready for them. 12.) Roll one piece of the dough into a 7″ by 18″ rectangle, trimming off sides with a sharp knife to create clean edges. Mark the dough every 2 inches using a ruler and knife. Cut lines connecting the marks to create 8 full triangles (and two-half triangle scraps at each end).

13.)  For each triangle, score the center of the base about 3/4″ in to create an Eiffel Tower looking piece of dough.

14.)  Roll the base of the Eiffel Tower up towards the tip to create a finished croissant. Push the ends in to create a crescent shape. Make sure the tip is tucked under so that it doesn’t puff up during baking.

15.)  Place the finished croissants (8 to a pan) on a large, parchment lined baking sheet. Uncovered, let them proof for about 2 hours at room temperature. When ready, brush with egg wash, then bake in a pre-heated 350 degree F oven for 12-15 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Repeat steps 12-15 to make another set of plain matcha croissants.

16.)  To make chocolate croissants, roll a piece of dough out (from step 11), again into a into a 7″ by 18″ rectangle, trimming off sides with a sharp knife to create clean edges. On the top and bottom of the long sides of the dough, mark the dough every 3 inches using a ruler and knife. Cut lines connecting the marks to create 6 long rectangles.

17.)  Place some chocolate chips at the bottom of one rectangular dough piece. Roll it up in a sushi roll like fashion, sealing the top edge with a brush of egg wash.

18.)  Place the chocolate croissants (6 to a pan) seam side down on a large, parchment lined baking sheet. Use the palm of your hand to slightly smash the roll down so that it lays like a pillow. Uncovered, let them proof for about 2 hours at room temperature. When ready, brush with egg wash then bake in a pre-heated 350 degree F oven for 12-15 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Repeat steps 16-18 for another set of chocolate matcha croissants.

Tea Sandwich Bread

When I started blogging, I made it a point to cover some tea recipes that weren’t the most traditional. Many assumed that since I had a tea food blog, finger sandwich recipes would be in plenty. For the most part, I chose to hold off on tea sandwiches for a while, just until I could give you the perfect tea sandwich bread recipe to get things rolling.

This Tea Sandwich Loaf recipe is adapted from Nancy Silverton and Teri Gelber’s incredible cookbook, Nancy Silverton’s Sandwich Book. The bread made from this recipe yields the soft, tender, tight-crumbed bread that we’ve come to associate with a scrumptious tea sandwich. After all, a tea sandwich can only be as delicious as the bread is.

There are many wonderful things about making tea sandwich bread at home. First (and most obviously), nothing beats a golden loaf of bread baking in your oven. In the fall and wintertime, the ambient heat from the oven is especially cozy, while the scent of fresh bread instantly makes any place smell like home.

Another less obvious benefit to making tea sandwich bread yourself is that it’s much more versatile than than your standard grocery market loaf. Since it isn’t pre-sliced and has squared edges, you are free to experiment with all kinds of shapes and sizes–a serrated knife or cookie cutter and you are on your way to making some gorgeous tea time delicacies. Thick, thin, rolled, or cubed–the possibilities are endless!

Personally, I love to cut off the crust on this loaf and then slice it thin, lengthwise. By cutting the loaf this way, you’ll be able to make the most of your fillings, where each nibble will have a better (and more equal) filling-to-bread ratio. This is especially great since afternoon tea is such a carb-heavy meal.

In my family, I’m a crustless kind of gal, while my mom loves the crisp, golden edges on a fresh loaf. The crust on this bread is like the crust on a rustic French bread. You can’t go wrong with a dab of European butter or jam. Above all, the trick here is to not slice (or eat) the bread until it has cooled completely…take my word for it, you might want to make two loaves just in case!

Looking for an elegant tea to enjoy with a slice of this delicious bread? My suggestion is a decadent vanilla bean Darjeeling blend called I’ll Take You There…a tea blended by the co-author of Nancy Silverton’s Sandwich Book, my friend Teri Gelber!

Tea Sandwich Bread

Makes 1 large loaf.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups lukewarm water

2 1/4 tsp SAF instant yeast

3 3/4 cups + 1 Tbsp bread flour

1 Tbsp powdered nonfat milk

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp sugar

2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 Tbsp melted butter or non-stick spray, for coating bowl and pan

Equipment:

large stand mixer with dough hook attachment

large bowl

plastic wrap

work surface

pullman loaf pan (13″ or 12 cup capacity)

serrated bread knife (if slicing)

cooking thermometer (optional)

bread slicer (optional)

Directions:

1.)  Make the Dough. Place the yeast, bread flour, powdered milk, and sugar in the mixing bowl of a large stand mixer. Turn the mixer on low-speed, then add the water. Increase the speed to medium, then mix for 2 minutes. After two minutes, turn off the mixer and then add the salt. Turn the mixer on low again to incorporate the salt, then increase the mixer to medium speed once again. Add the softened butter, 1 Tbsp at a time, then continue to mix the dough for about 10 minutes. When you add the butter, the dough will make a slapping sound against the side of the mixing bowl like when you make a brioche dough.

2.)  First Rise. After 10 minutes you should get a soft and supple ball of dough. Place the dough in a bowl lightly greased with melted butter or nonstick spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then place in a warm, draft free place to rise until doubled in volume.

3.)  Shape the Loaf. After doubling in volume, place the dough on a work surface, then give the dough a few light kneadings. Lightly pull/press the dough to make an evenly thick 8″ x 11″ rectangle (like a piece of paper). Fold the left and right sides over lengthwise to meet in the middle (the sides should overlap). Square off the edges, then pinch the seam closed. Tuck, pinch, and seal off the ends under the long loaf.

4.)  Second Rise. Place the cylinder-like loaf seam side down, into a pullman pan greased with melted butter or nonstick spray. Let the dough rest in the pan for about 5 minutes (covered with plastic wrap), then use your fingers to press the dough into the pan as evenly as possible–this will help to assure squared off edges on the loaf when it bakes. Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap, then place in a warm, draft free place until it rises to 1/2″ under the top edge of the pan.

5.)  Bake, Cool, and Slice! About a half hour before the loaf has finished rising, place an oven rack in the lower 1/3 portion of your oven, then heat the oven to 475 degrees F. When the dough has risen (1/2″ under the rim), slide the greased top of the pullman loaf pan on. Bake the loaf for about 45 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown or registers an internal temperature of 190 degrees F on a cooking thermometer. Wait until the bread completely cools before slicing with a serrated knife.

Adapted from Tea Sandwich Loaf recipe in Nancy Silverton’s Sandwich Book by Nancy Silverton and Teri Gelber.

Mini Burger Buns

It’s very common to make tea sandwiches with sliced bread, the type sliced from a Pain Di Mie loaf.  Especially for afternoon tea events, it’s fun to play around with the kinds of bread you make sandwiches with.  Different sizes, shapes, and textures make for a festive presentation.  These shiny golden few-bite buns are sure to make any tea sandwich that much more enticing!

These slightly sweet buns are made from the same dough as my Baked Char Siu Bao.  The dough has a tangzhong in it, also known as a water roux, which is added for extra softness.  With a light egg wash and some sesame seeds, these round dough balls bake up to look like perfect little hamburger or slider buns.

These go particularly well with robust, full-flavored fillings, like my BLTea Sandwiches, which are made with salty, smokey thick-cut bacon.  Depending on what you plan on filling them with, play around with the scatterings that go atop the buns.  Black sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or even wheat germ would give these mini buns a unique look and taste.

A light toasting over a hot pan lightly coated with some oil or butter makes these mini buns exceptionally delicious.  A few seconds in the microwave brings out their soft and chewy texture–a good time to fill them with some fruit jam and cream.

Whether you use these Mini Burger Buns for tea sandwiches, as appetizers, or as snacks, they’ll make the most gorgeous bites you’ve ever seen.  A toothpick through the center will allow you to fill them with a maximum amount of filling, and also allow for you to effortlessly and neatly arrange them on your serving platters.

Mini Burger Buns

Makes 20- 2″ buns.

Ingredients:

{Bun Dough}

3 cups bread flour

3 Tbsp Bird’s Custard Powder

1 Tbsp nonfat dry milk

1 Tbsp instant yeast (I use SAF instant)

1/4 cup white sugar

2 Tbsp butter at room temp

3 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup water

bench flour

oil for proofing bowl

{Topping}

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp of water

{Water Roux}

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp bread flour

Equipment:

stand mixer with dough hook attachment or bread machine

scale

pastry brush

2 half baking sheets fitted with parchment paper

Directions:

1.)  Make the Water Roux.  Place a 1/2 cup of cold water into a small saucepan and add the 2 Tbsp of bread flour.  Mix well until the mixture resembles homogenized milk, then turn on stove top to medium heat.  Cook the roux until it thickens up and has the consistency of a thick yogurt, making sure to keep the mixture a pure white color by not overcooking.  The mixture should not exceed 150 degrees F.  Place the mixture into a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap, making contact with the top surface of the roux (to prevent a skin from forming).  You should end up with about 1/3 cup of roux, ready to use when it has cooled back down to room temperature.

2.)  Make the Dough.  Using the bowl of a stand mixer, place all the wet dough ingredients (including the roux) into the mixing bowl.  Place the bowl in the stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and start to mix on low speed.  Add the yeast, sugar, milk powder, and custard powder first.  Then add the bread flour gradually, a cup at a time, scraping down the insides of the mixing bowl periodically.  Increase the speed to low-medium and continue to mix until the shaggy mass becomes a soft and supple ball of dough.  This will take about 5 minutes.  If necessary, gradually add a teaspoon of water at a time until the dough comes together.  Transfer the ball of dough to an oiled bowl to proof, lightly coating all sides of the dough with some of the same oil.  Cover the bowl lightly with plastic wrap.  Let the dough proof in a warm, draft free place for 30-40 minutes or until the mass has doubled in volume.

3.)  Portion Out the Dough.  After the dough has doubled in volume, punch it down and transfer it to a work surface lightly dusted with bench flour.  Give the dough a few light kneadings, then use the scale to portion out dough out into 20 equal pieces (by weight).

4.)  Make the Buns.  Roll each of the pieces into a ball shape.   Making an “o” sign with your left thumb and index finger.  Using your right index finger, push a dough ball upwards from the underside of your “o” shaped fingers.  Continue to push upwards until you get a taut ball surface with a smooth top.  Lightly roll the base of the dough balls on a flat worksurface to smooth out the bottoms.  Place the ball on a baking sheet fitted with parchment.  Repeat this process for all 20 balls.  When done with all 20 dough balls, cover the 2 baking sheets loosely with plastic wrap (10 buns on each half sheet pan).  Let the buns rise for 30-40 minutes, or long enough for them to have doubled in puffiness.  Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

5.)  Finish and Bake.  After the second rising, brush the tops of the buns with egg wash, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake in oven for about 12-15 minutes, or until buns turn a light golden brown.