Crumbs

By Alexandra Lim

What are mornings?

Bleary-eyed, you pull on your clothes, gulp down something instant, and rush out the door for your first meeting. This is a typical scene of rushed weekday automation. To me, there is so much more to those first few hours. Baking and breakfast is, and has been for a long time, my meditation. I find no better way to celebrate the first whisper of light than with something simple and homemade, be it a slice of cake or some ace French toast. This books title is indeed a tribute to the building blocks of my mainstay morning routine, but more importantly, it commemorates the detail of everyday life.

Detail. Crumbs are what are left of a field, bits of a broken loaf, like the sacred moments we tend to brush aside. This book is an offering to those moments. Its true, not all of us have hours to labor over a single pastry just to savor with the following mornings sunlight, and not everyone is a morning person. Therefore, these recipes are designed not to take up much of your time at all but will let you step back and savor any of those in-between pockets of time, be it in the morning, afternoon, or after work. Why lust after the weekend when you can indulge in the forgotten fun of everyday?

Over the years, Ive found priceless solace in the honest measurements of flour, butter, and sugar, of which you can combine in precise ratios to make simple works of art. As a science student, I thrive on experimenting with little twists on classic recipes, intrigued by how each little component makes the big picture tick. I have modified many a recipe, most of which I either found online or from my mothers bookshelves dedicated to cooking. Here, you will find a treasured collection of both old favorites and the revised results of many of my creative kitchen experiments.

I hope this collection will ignite the same clarity of mind, experimental fun, and childlike wonder in you as it does in me. Every moment of every day is meant to be savored. I am so excited to share my mornings with you. Stop reacting, start creating.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Oct 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781482880977

Alexandra Lim

Alexandra Lim is currently an undergraduate student studying in London and dreams of pursuing pioneering scientific research in the near future. In her free time, you will find her nosing around for books in a library, tinkering about in the kitchen, at a café analyzing the components of an exotic dish, or going walking about in the lesser-known corners of London.

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 Alexandra Lim. All rights reserved.

ISBN

978-1-4828-8096-0 (sc)

978-1-4828-8097-7 (e)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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10/10/2016

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Dedication

To Momma

Contents

Pancakes

Pillow Pancakes

Apple Pie

Blackberry

Chocolate Chip

Chocolate orange

Lemon Yoghurt

Chocolate Tiramisu Pancakes

Oatmeal Pancakes

Whole Ricotta Pancakes

Soufflé pancakes

French Toast

Eggless French Toast

Bagel French Toast

French Toast Bowl

Strawberry Cheesecake French Toast

Cinnamon Cream Cheese French Toast

Quick Breads and Cakes

Best Banana Bread

Kaya Maple Loaf

Tahini Blueberry Muffins

Chocolate Truffle Maple Syrup Cake

Coconut and Banana Mini Cakes

Lemon Mini Cakes

Orange Miso Buttermilk Cake

Pineapple Condensed Milk Loaf Cake

Salted Espresso Honey Baked Doughnuts

Maple Syrup Baked Doughnuts

Bars and Tarts

My Favourite Fudgy Brownies

Cinnamon Roll Blondies

Lemon Yoghurt Bars

Double Chocolate Matcha Pecan Bars with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

No Bake Chocolate Tahini Oat Bars

Dark Chocolate Jam Tart with a Black Sesame Crust

Honey Avocado Tartlets

Pancakes

1. Pillow Pancakes

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These are, without a doubt, my favourite pancakes to make and to eat. As you might have guessed, they are thick, fluffy and soft. When my pancake-making days were in its infancy, I dared not challenge the standard pancake recipes I found online, which yield just as fluffy and moreish a stack, however I never could quite get them as thick and light as I would’ve liked. After playing around with different ratios of flour and leavening, I found what I needed. The secret lies in the use of baking powder and baking soda, buttermilk and melted butter (of course). These are tender, moist, and mildly sweet. I include 5 of my favourite variations for this recipe.

*List of Abbreviations

Tsp= teaspoon

Tbsp= tablespoon

Pillow Pancakes (serves 4-5, makes around 11-12 medium pancakes)

Ingredients

188g plain flour

3 tbsp white sugar

generous pinch of salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 egg

50g unsalted butter (slightly less than 4 tbsp)

1 tsp vanilla extract or the insides of half a plump vanilla bean (or a skinny meek one)

240ml milk/ buttermilk; use store-bought or make your own by mixing 230ml whole milk with 1 tbsp white vinegar, and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes before using).

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt and leavening agents). In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter in a microwave and set it aside, letting it cool. In another medium bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, vanilla and melted butter. Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and mix briefly with a wooden spoon or a normal dinner spoon. Continue to mix until everything is just combined, which means there will still be a few lumps, but no more streaks of flour. The batter will be thick and somewhat lumpy.

Preheat your pan on medium heat and ready some butter. You know the pan is hot enough when you flick