Banana, dates & sultanas Bread And Almond Croissants

早上10点多的聚会为我有点困难。
早不早，迟不迟的。
吃早餐我嫌太迟了， 吃午餐嘛，我又觉得太早了。
难怪老外称它brunch (a portmanteau of breakfast & lunch)。
今天和我的白皮女友相聚；她对吃方面有点麻烦。
很讲究健康，很多东西都不吃。
肉类和海鲜也选择性的吃。
单独煮法的鸡蛋也不要；加入别的主食烹调或烘焙的鸡蛋 ～ok
软软粘粘的糕点免谈，寿司也不喜欢。
香肠，火腿和被根都不吃。
我绞尽脑汁，结果做了两样还见得人的“产品”迎接她。
嘻嘻哈哈的我们又过了个早上。
她其实也知道自己麻烦的，所以自备了两个南瓜scone和香蕉。
结果我们两个人吃了一大堆，有点恐怖。
剩下的等孩子放学当午茶。
她也给我带来一个草莓图样的盘子；
即开即用，很开心。
值得一提的是这个洋式香蕉面包，没有加入油；
但是效果并不干燥。
吃的时候，热一热再放上牛油，是我的最爱。
坐在咖啡馆享用的话，一片就是$4澳元。
还是坐在家里比较经济。
因为我是无业游民，可省则省。

Banana, Dates & Sultana Bread:

Ingredients: （Recipe refers Taste.com)

• 1 cup (150g) Self Raising Flour
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 40g sultanas, 25g dates (chopped)
• 50g dark brown sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup (125ml) low fat milk (add 1tsp lemon juice and stay for few mins before use)
• 1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 large ripe banana)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line the base and sides of a 2.5" x 9" loaf pan with non-stick baking paper).
2. Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl. Stir in sugar and sultanas and chopped dates
3. Combine egg, milk and bananas in a large jug. Whisk with a fork, until well combined. 
4. Stir egg mixture into dry ingredients, mix until well combined.
5. Pour mixture into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
6. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve lightly buttered, or toasted.

Almond Croissants:

Croissant Recipe：adapted from Bourke Street Bakery cookbook

Ingredients：makes 18 croissants

Croissant pre-ferment：

• 100g bread flour (chill)
• 55 ml milk (chill)
• 5g soft brown sugar (chill)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (chill)
• 5g fresh yeast  (1g instant yeast)
• 20g unsalted butter, soften

Final dough：

• 392g bread flour (chill)
• 550ml milk (chill)
• 60g soft brown sugar (chill)
• 15g salt (chill)
• 35g fresh yeast (8g instant yeast)
• 500g unsalted butter, for laminating the dough (chill)

Egg wash：

• 1 egg，100ml milk，a pinch of salt (put all in a bowl and whisk with a fork until well combined. Set aside until needed).

Method：

1. To make the pre-ferment, mix all ingredients together in a bowl until it becomes a ball. Knead it for about 10 minutes until becomes elastic and smooth. If using electric mixer, using dough hook and mix on low speed for 3 minutes.
2. Put the pre-ferment in a bowl covered with plastic bag and leave at room temperature for 2 hours to ferment. After, store the pre-ferment in the fridge overnight (this can be kept for few days in the fridge).
3. To mix the final dough, divide the pre-ferment into 8-10 small pieces, mix it together with all other ingredients, except butter, in a mixing bowl until a dough ball is formed.
4. Transfer the dough ball to a bench and knead for 10 - 15 minutes (by hand) until the dough become smooth and elastic, and doesn't tear when streched gently. If using electric mixer, using dough hook, mix on low speed for 3 -4 minutes, followed by high speed for another 2 minutes.
5. Put the dough in a bowl covered with plastic bag or cling wrap and refridgerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
6. Before starting the dough laminating (i.e. incorporating butter into the dough) remove the butter from the fridge. Pound the butter with rolling pin between two sheets of baking paper into 20cm flat square (about 1cm thick).
7. Take the croissant dough out of the fridge, using a ligthly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rectangle about 20 x 40 cm. Place the butter in the centre of the dough and fold th dough over the top. Seal the edges of the dough together to ensure the butter is completely enclosed in the dough.
8. Gently and carefully roll the dough out into a rectangle, about 20 x 90 cm. Fold the rectangle from one long end by 1/3, so the dough is now 20 x 60cm. Folf the other one long end over the top so that the dough is now 20 x 30cm.
9. Wrap the dough in a plastic bag and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
10. Take the dough out of the fridge and rotate the dough 90 degree so that the dough will be rolled in opposite direction from previous fold. Repeat this folding and resting process twice more.
11. Once the dough has been rolled n folded 3 times and had a final rest in fridge for 20 mins, it is ready to be pinned and shaped into croissants or used to make pan au raisin, pan au chocolate, danishes or praline twists.
12. Take the laminated dough out of the fridge and roll it out into a rectangle about 25 x 100cm with 5 -8 mm thick.
13. Cut the dough into 18 triangles with 9-cm base and 21-cm height. Stack triangle sheets on baking sheet/papers and chill for 10 minutes.
14. Take the chilled triangles out of the fridge and shape into croissants. Gently stretch it out slightly. Strating from the base and roll up towards the tip, pressing the tip of triangle to make the triangle longer. Pull away two corners at the base and roll it towards the tip to secure.
15. Place croissants on the tray. Cover loosely with a damp tea-towel. Set aside in a warm room (25-27C)  for 1-2hrs, or until almost doubled in size. Spray the tea towel  with water occasionally if it becomes dry.
16. Preheat the oven to 240C. Remove tea-towel, brush the top of wach croissant lightly with egg wash and place in the oven. Reduce oven temp to 190C and bake for about 15 mins, or until a deep golden colour. Cool slightly on tray before serving.

Almond Filling:

• 150g softened butter, 50g icing sugar
• 3tbsp plain flour, 2 cups almond meal
• 1tsp almond essence
• Some almond sliced 

Method:

1. Place butter, sugar, flour, almond meal and essence in a food processor. Whiz to combine. 
2. Split  ready baked croissants in half. Place bases on a baking tray and spread with almond paste, reserving 1/4 of the mixture. 
3. Replace croissant tops, spread with remaining paste, scatter with almonds slices and bake at preheated oven 170C for 10 minutes. 
4. Remove and cool slightly. 
5. Dust with icing sugar to serve.