Rolling with Leeks

I'm smitten. Last week, I made some Green Tea Cheese Buns using the tangzhong method of bread making popularised by baker Yvonne Chen (check out the story here). The buns were delicious. Soft and tender and very, very tasty: buttery (there's quite a bit of butter that goes into the bread) and just slightly sweet.  Really yummy milk buns. And the best part? The roux (which is the "secret" component to the buns) keeps the bread fluffy and nice for a week or so. I

Ever since, I've been obsessed with making more bread using the tangzhong method. Crusty, artisanal bread is fantastic but every now and again, I like soft, pillowy bread. Kinda like how I like watching fluffy TV shows that don't require much thought but are entirely entertaining. Speaking of which, did you see the latest installment of Revenge? I swear that show is getting more soapy by the moment.

Back to bread. The milk buns are tasty enough on their own and don't need to be filled or eaten with anything, except perhaps more butter. But I decided to add a dimension to them by adding leeks and chillies into the dough, fully infusing the bread with the subtle oniony flavour of the leek. 

I cooked the leeks in butter first, just until they softened and released some of their flavour. I then mixed it into the dough right at the start, before the first knead. 

By the end, the leeks (sliced thin and soft) were barely visible in the dough which was coloured and enhanced with the addition of custard powder (my friend and fellow blogger Jane of the waywardoven.blogspot.com introduced me to both the tangzhong process as well as the possibility of using custard powder).

The buns did not disappoint. The taste of the leeks were distinct yet subtle (I used about 2 cups of sliced leek but may increase it by half the next time I make these, which I will!) and the chilli flakes added an unexpected kick every so often. Nice. 

Leek and Chilli Milk Buns

For the roux

2 tbsp bread flour
2 tbsp custard powder
60ml water
60ml milk

For the buns

350g bread flour (scant 3 cups)
2 tbsp milk powder
4 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp instant yeast
60ml warm water + 60ml warm milk (I increased the ratio of milk this time)
Tangzhong roux

30g butter, softened
2 cups sliced leeks, cooked in butter until soft and translucent
2 tbsp chilli flakes (more/less dpeending on the heat of the flakes or your tolerance for heat)

Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, milk powder and yeast together. Add the roux (reserve about 2 tbsp to glaze the buns before baking) and egg and mix together by hand until the dough starts to come together. Add the warm water/milk and mix until you get a rough dough. 

Cover with a tea towel/dish cloth and leave for 10 mins.

Gently knead in the softened butter, leeks and chilli flakes to the rested dough, making sure that the butter is well incorporated into the dough, about 3 mins. 

Cover and leave for another 10 mins. The dough should rise just a little in the time. The dough rise will increase after each subsequent knead.

After 10 mins, uncover the dough and gently knead it by gently stretching the ball of dough with the heel of your hand and then folding it back. Repeat this a few times (another 3 mins) and then let it rest for another 10 mins. Repeat this three more times.

The dough will be a little sticky; grease your hands with butter (or oil ) to avoid the dough sticking to your hands.

After the final knead, cover and let the dough rest till it doubles in size, about 60 mins.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Divide the dough into equal portions. This time, for the first time actually, I weighed each portion to make my buns identical in size. Each portion weighed 105gms. Roll each 105gm portion into a ball on a greased surface and place on a baking tray.  

Brush the tops with the reserved roux (if it has thickened some more, add a tbsp or two of water and dilute it over a very low heat for a minute). Top (if you like) with poppy/sesame seeds (or any seed/spice you wish) and bake for about 20 mins. 

Leek, Potato and Zucchini Hot Cakes

I love leeks. I only discovered the wonder of leeks about a year ago when I read a recipe for a leek and mushroom quiche in some recipe book. I regretfully failed to write down the source of the recipe and therefore cannot credit the source which led me to my now near obsession with the vegetable. My bad!

Since that first quiche, I realised that leeks are much more than an allium, certainly much more than a supporting ingredient. The leek more than deserves to be a star ingredient in quiches, pies, soups, curries ....

Leeks have given me so much satisfaction that I decided to single them out in Monday's Don't Call Me Chef: Singled Out column in The Star for which I made two dishes: a leek tart and a leek and potato soup (pictured below). I will add the link to the column and those recipes as soon as it is up tomorrow.

 Leeks are also great with pasta. Simply saute some garlic and leek in butter for about 10 mins and then toss your cooked pasta in in, add some parsley and, if you want it a little spicy, some dried chilli flakes and there you have it. Season with salt and pepper, of course. Italian-born cook Marcella Hazan adds some cream to her leeks for a richer dish but I am not a fan of creamy pasta (though I am a fan of Ms Hazan).

These Leek, Potato and Zucchini hot cakes are a delicious snack that can be eaten on its own or with a simple dip — sour cream and dill/chive would be my recommended dip. I was making this for myself and so I omitted the dip. God knows, I don't need the extra calories!

Ingredients

I medium potato
2 cups sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 egg (I fried the other half, shredded it and used it as a garnish)
2 tbsp dried red chilli flakes
salt and pepper

Bake the potato until it's tender enough to pierce through with a fork, about 40-45 mins, 180C.

Boil a saucepan of salted water and add the sliced leeks and cook till tender, about 5 mins. Drain and wrap in a tea towel; wring out any extra moisture. Set aside.

Drain the shredded zucchini of it's moisture. Wrap in a tea towel and wring it as well. Set aside.

Once the potato is cooked, peel it and roughly mash it. 

Mix all the ingredients together and season to taste. 

Heat about 2 tbsp oil in a skillet. When hot, gently drop about 21/20inch patties of the leek-zucchini mixture into the oil (medium heat), flatten with a spatula and let it cook till it is nicely browned on both sides. Remove and drain on paper towels. 

* You can also cook the patties it till they're just firm and only lightly brown and then pop it into the oven for about 7 mins to reduce the oiliness of the hot cakes.