Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Special Puto Recipe

Puto is a steamed rice muffin which is popular as snack or dessert in the Philippines. In its traditional form, puto is of a plain white color. Adding certain common Filipino ingredients like coconut milk, ube and pandan (made from pandan leaves) slightly changes the flavor and completely changes the color of the finished product.
Some other variations of steamed rice muffin (Puto) are Puto Bumbong, Puto Calasiao, Puto Lanson, Puto Mamon, Puto Manapla, Puto Maya, Puto-Pao, Puto Seko, Puto ube and a lot more.
Making and selling puto and kutsinta are hit business opportunities because (1) they are ridiculously easy to make; (2) they require very little capital; (3) you can mark them up to as high as 300 percent but (4) they will still be affordable to the masses.

Special Puto Recipe
Materials:
Steamer
Mixing bowl
Strainer
Muffin pan
Measuring cups and spoons
Wooden spoon or wire whisk
Puto Ingredients:
2 cups rice flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon anise seeds (optional)
1 cup grated coconut (or coconut flakes)
Getting started:
1. Sift the rice flour, salt, baking powder and white sugar together.
2. In a bowl, add the coconut milk to the sifted ingredients and blend until the mixture is smooth.
3. Add anise seeds or whatever flavoring you wish (i.e. vanilla, pandan, etc.) Mix and blend thoroughly.
4. Carefully pour the mixture into the muffin pans (greased with butter beforehand), making sure you leave 1/3 space at the top. This is to give the puto space to expand upon cooking.
5. Steam for about 30 minutes.
6. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of each puto—the toothpick must come out clean.
7. Top with grated coconuts.

Bibingkang Malagkit

Bibingkang Malagkit
Ingredients:
2 cups malagkit (glutinous rice)
2-1/4 cups coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon anise
3/4 cup coco cream
1/2 cup sugar
Procedure on How to make Bibingkang Malagkit
1. Boil coconut milk and malagkit with salt.
2. Boil until quite dry.
3. Lower heat and add brown sugar.
4. Place in banana leaf-lined baking pan.
5. Pour on top the coco cream and sugar.
6. Bake until a golden crust is formed.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Gluten-Free Dessert Recipe: Marking's Bibingka

Note: This is an article from: The Kitchn inspiring cooks, nourishing homes

Bibingka is a sweet, chewy Filipino dessert made with rice flour and coconut. If you like mochi, you'll like this, and even if you've never had anything of the sort, we're pretty certain you'll fall for it, too. It has a rich, buttery, coconut flavor with the addictive textural combination of a crackly crust and eggy, chewy center. (We now believe the song "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" was written with bibingka in mind.)
Marking says bibingka is traditionally served at any and all gatherings, from family mahjong night to baby showers. He loved bibingka as a kid, always grabbing his favorite crusty-chewy edge pieces. As an adult, Marking has developed and refined his own recipe, and it's now so acclaimed that his mom, sister, and friends all use it. He took the texture and flavor he remembered from childhood and then made it his own, playing with the proportions, and adding new ingredients like cinnamon and brown sugar and tools like parchment paper (though he wants to experiment with baking it on traditional banana leaves at some point, too).
This one-bowl recipe yields 48 pieces of bibingka, making it the perfect, easy dessert for potlucks, parties, and big gatherings. The best time to eat bibingka is when it's still a little warm. As it cools, the consistency becomes harder, though it's still delicious. Marking suggests reheating in the microwave or toaster oven and serving it with vanilla ice cream.
Bibingka
(Adapted from Mark Marking)
Makes 48 pieces
1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
6 eggs
2 (12-ounce) jars macapuno coconut strings in heavy syrup*
1 (16-ounce) box mochiko sweet rice flour*
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup wheat germ (or finely chopped almonds for a gluten-free recipe)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 13" x 18" x 1" baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, beat coconut milk, condensed milk, and melted butter until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined. Do the same with both jars of macapuno strings. Gradually beat in mochiko flour (do not pour all at once or it will get clumpy). Follow that with the brown sugar and wheat germ. Once you achieve an even consistency, add vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Pour batter into lined cookie sheet. Bake until lightly browned, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle cinnamon evenly over the cake. Continue to bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, between 2-15 minutes longer.
Remove from pan and let cool on the parchment paper. Once cooled down, cut into to 2-inch squares. A long ruler and pizza cutter work nicely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.
*Available at Filipino and many Asian markets.

How to make Gluten-Free Bread

Note: This content is a copy of an article Gluten-Free Breakfast Bread Recipe:

This high protein gluten-free bread recipe is also dairy, soy and bean free. It makes very good morning toast and French toast.
This recipe was adapted from a recipe which appears in Gluten-Free Baking with The Culinary Institute of America by Richard J. Coppedge Jr., C.M.B., called "Egg Bread."
Note: To the reviewers that had disastrous results with this recipe -- I am updating the recipe with some comments under the ingredient list. I have had good results with this recipe and have always used my own high protein flour blend when making it.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups dairy free / soy free gluten-free flour blend (recipe below)
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast
  • 2 teaspoons guar gum OR xanthan gum
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1/3 cup light olive oil
  • 1 3/4 cups club soda or sparkling mineral water
  • NOTE: Yeast breads made with high protein flours absorb liquids more easily than breads made with gluten-free white rice flour, tapioca starch and potato starch. I carefully formulated the recipe for High Protein GF Flour Blend for this bread recipe. It's unusual in that it contains egg white protein powder, amaranth flour and sorghum flour along with more usual gluten-free flour blends -- white rice flour, brown rice flour and tapioca starch.
  • I don't recommend substituting rice / starch gluten-free flour blends when making this recipe. They do not contain enough protein. For example, it would be like using traditional cake flour in a recipe for French bread which requires bread flour which is higher in protein than cake flour.
  • Bread recipes are the most exacting of gluten-free recipes. One substitute here and one there can completely change how the batter absorbs liquids, how it rises and ultimately how long and at what temperature it bakes.
  • With this recipe, I am beginning a new policy of not making any substitution recommendations in my bread recipes in hopes of avoiding the frustration that several readers have experienced with this recipe. I don't want anyone to waste money on gluten-free ingredients for recipes that they ultimately won't work in. If you don't like the ingredients listed on a bread recipe, or if they seem too out-of-the-ordinary or costly, please pass on the recipe rather than substituting other gluten-free ingredients.

Preparation:

  1. Grease a bread loaf pan with butter.(I used an 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan)
  2. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Use a large whisk to thoroughly blend.
  3. Lightly whisk egg yokes. Add olive oil to yolks and add to dry ingredients.
  4. Slowly add carbonated water to the bowl and mix until blended.
  5. Using an electric hand or stand mixer, beat bread batter on high for 4 minutes. Scrape batter down with a spatula and cover bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Place in a warm location to rise for approximately 45 minutes.
  6. Preheat oven to 325°
  7. Stir down the batter and pour into prepared loaf pan. Dip a flexible spatula in water and use it to press the batter evenly into pan and smooth the top of the loaf.
  8. Set the loaf pan, uncovered in a warm, draft-free location to rise.
  9. When batter is about 1 inch below the top rim of the bread pan place it in preheated oven.
  10. Bake bread for 50 minutes or until internal temperature reads 200° on an instant read thermometer.
  11. Remove bread from loaf pan and cool on a rack before slicing.


Recipe for High Protein GF Flour Blend - Free of Casein and Soy

Reminder: Always make sure your work surfaces, utensils, pans and tools are free of gluten. Always read product labels. Manufacturers can change product formulations without notice. When in doubt, do not buy or use a product before contacting the manufacturer for verification that the product is free of gluten.