So, after many attempts at the panda bread I finally have an OK recipe that tastes yummy =] So thought I would share with you ^^ (p.s. idea inspired by a Japanese cooking site )
This panda bread is sweet and the taste & texture reminds me of Chinese man tou- [饅頭]
Here is what you need:
300g plain flour
1egg,
20g butter,
1 cup of milk
3 large tablespoons of sugar
5g dried yeast
Drinking chocolate or cocoa powder (darker),
Pandan paste ( or green food colouring)
place the following into a bowl and mix with a dough hook. [Gradually adding in the milk]
You should end up with a sticky-ish dough
Split the dough
knead the colours into the 2 doughs ( i did this by hand)
you should end up with 3 dough pieces
* preheat your oven to a low heat *
keep each one in cling film until you are ready to build the panda. You can leave them for a while but I don’t. Then build the panda, something like this:-
and leave the oven (switched off) for about 40 minutes, then cook at 180C for 30 minutes.
You should end up with a nicely risen loaf. The results may vary, I tried it many times and every time I got a different ‘panda face’ So it’s quite exciting really!!
This one has long ears! ^
^ the first one I made that didn’t taste as good but looked the best.
This one looks ok! and tasted yummy.
serve with condensed milk ^_^
I eat the green parts then leave the panda to the last. . .( ‘Pandan’ flavour is really nice if you have never tried it! it gives the bread a really nice smell. )
You can use this method to make whatever you like really, doesn’t have to be a panda. =]