Introvert Me

You know, many people may not understand this, but there are many people like me in this world who needs to get our creative juice flowing in order to feel like we are whole and important to the people around us. It's what charges us. That time alone, creating something and then savouring the satisfaction of the ensuing outcome, whatever that may be. It's like an addiction, but in a good way.

Take baking, for instance. I'm not crazy about it. But there are times when I feel this strong urge to go in the kitchen and get something baked. Anything! Well... maybe social media has a lot to do with that urge. Imagine yourself scrolling on facebook and then tadaaaa! somebody made some picture perfect chocolate cake and you couldn't help it and yelled "nak jugaaakkkk!!" in your head. *aku le tu*

So, believe it or not, when my oven broke down (yes...whining-about-the-oven post again...maafkan hamba) a few days ago, I almost fell into depression. Gile ke hapa siap boleh dilanda kemurungan kan? But that's exactly what happened!

If you're a worrier like me (most introverts are), you'd totally understand when I say that just thinking about the process of getting the oven fixed is enough to pull me into the abyss of darkness. *haaa dramatic kan I?*.

First, have to find the warranty card and see if it's still under warranty, which means this act involves some aktiviti menyelongkar dan mencari, which I hate.

Then, have to make a phone call to the service center, which I also hate. I hate making phone calls, lagi pulak service center kat Malaya ni yang more often than not, some freaky machine will answer and you'd be lucky if you get directed to the right person, or even department. In most cases, you'd get passed around from one person to another and you have to repeat your story to every person you spoke to. You know the drill, I see you nodding.

After that, judging from my previous experience calling the service center of this particular oven brand that I'm using, you'll have to make an appointment to secure a technician, of which the soonest they can come will be next week (if you're lucky). In my case, it took 2-3 phone calls that did nothing until I wrote a complain on their FB page. Isn't it amazing what some rattling of reputation can do? Eventhough sekadar acah-acah-je-macam-la-aku-berani-benor?

And then there's the actually 'repair' time that God knows how long it'll take.

Jadinya bila dikira-kira, bajet2 dalam sebulan jugak lah kut takleh pakai oven. See? Mana tak depress??

It's like one of my options for de-stressing is gone. I know, it's temporary but still... it's *choking with tears* de...pressi...ng.... It's what I do for my me time. It's what I do to feel good about myself. To relax, chill and pat myself on the back at the sight of a richly glazed cinnamon rolls at the end of it all.

Haishh! Sudah lah drama Nin oi!

Now what?

Sewing, I guess. I need to get my hands to make something... so today, I went into my sewing room and started cutting some random fabric to make a skirt for my 4yo. I'm hoping sewing will be enough to keep me occupied till the oven is ready to serve its owner again.

Might just make a tutorial...

Until then... I wish you well.

Rosak program! Burnt and broken.

I've been down with a cold these past few days. Badan sengal-sengal, tekak sakit, kepala pening dan terasa berat and generally, was just feeling miserable. Asyik baring je macam takde tulang belakang. Tapi bila difikir-fikirkan balik, di situlah hikmahnya. Agaknya Allah nak suruh I berehat maka didatangkan demam2 manja gitu. Pegi klinik doc bagi ubat selsema yang mengantuk, so memang tidur je lah sepanjang 2-3 hari ni. Bila dah terlantar macam tu amat terasa nikmat berehat. Dan hikmahnya lagi, bila sakit I dapat berehat tanpa gangguan. En. Suami siap pesan anak-anak jangan kacau mama. Kalau masuk bilik masa I tengah rehat pun senyap-senyap je. Alhamdulillah... kalau tengah sehat memang payah nak dapat masa berehat yang disturbance-free.

Hari ni, walaupun belum 100% recovered, tapi gagahkan juga ke dapur memasak sebab kesian tengok hamba-hamba Allah dalam rumah ni makan tak menentu hahaha! Harap bibik, bibik tau goreng ikan, goreng ayam, goreng telur... semua yang goreng-goreng je lah! Makan lah dengan kicap. I'm pretty sure after 2 days, tekak pun dah takleh nak telan nasi dengan kicap je kan?

I tak taulah pasaipa depa takleh nak kreatif sikit order delivery food panda ke, mr. kabab ke... haish! Semua mama yang kena initiate. Makanya hari ni terisi lah sikit meja makan waktu tengahari tadi dengan lauk-pauk... 3 mata je pun! But still better than telur goreng dengan kicap kan? Kan?

Actually, this post is not about my being sick. Tapi tah cemana termelalut ke situ pulak.

This post is about my oven breaking down.

Petang tadi dengan semangat yang tinggi, I buat sausage rolls sebab tangan macam dah gatal nak menguli tepung. Not my first time making bread dough, but definitely my first time making sausage rolls. Perhhh! Syok rupanya menguli tepung buat panjang-panjang pastu lilit kat daging sosej tu, baru I tau. I find it so therapeutic. No wonder lah some people can't seem to get enough of baking buns and rolls. Ala-ala macam main play-doh. In fact, that was what my 4-year-old daughter said when she saw me gigih menguli tadi. Macam play-doh katanya, disusuli dengan "can I try?". Haaaa.... to this, I replied, "next time lah ye, mama nak cepat." Ye, mama nak cepat-cepat sebab mama tak sabar nak sumbat rolls masuk oven and see them turn into delectable, golden-brown, heavenly looking and mouthwatering rolls.

Dan seperti kebanyakan resam kehidupan, fantasi tak sama dengan realiti.... *kesat airmata dengan hujung lengan baju*

My oven has gone awry.

Tak pernah dibuat sebelum ni baking tak sekata macam ni. Tambah pulak I pakai convection mode, which should ensure even baking.

Tanjat gegurl bila tengok some of my babies turned out burnt, and some undercooked.

Still, it didn't click that there was something wrong with my oven. Maklum, oven baru pakai setahun, tu pun taklah sekerap mana pun I mem-baking.

Mula perasan ada yang tak kena bila I dah turned off all the knobs to zero but 20 minutes later, the oven was still hot and I could still hear the internal fan buzzing.

Camna nak off lagi dah ni? Semua dah off? 

Akhirnya, matikan je lah suis.

After all that, I terus naik atas cari balik warranty card, service center number yada yada yada.

Besok nak call service center. Nak tunggu diorang datang tu mahu makan seminggu dua gak tu, then tunggu repair plak. Entah berapa lama I would have to put off baking. Dah la mood tengah membuak-buak ni... spoil betul!

Yang paling frust, I wanted to make some orange rolls for my friends untuk usrah bulanan kami besok. Last month I bawa cinnamon rolls, they loved them. So this time ingat nak bawak orange rolls pulak, with extra glaze on top. Unfortunately, that is not to be.

Welp! There is a reason for every thing, I guess. Maybe I still need more rest hehehe...

Apa-apa pun, bila turun semula ke bawah, hari berbunga-bunga bila tengok anak-anak chowing down the sausage rolls like there's no tomorrow. More than half of the whole batch gone in less than half an hour!

That's victory in my book.

Life's gooooood....

Cinnamon rolls untuk sahabat

Salam dan selamat hari minggu uols...

It's been awhile since I baked anything. Rasanya sessi terakhir mem-baking was last week, buat bread pudding. And orange cake 3 hari sebelum tu. Okay lah, that wasn't too long ek? Tapi rasa macam lamaaa dah tak bake... gian nak bake lagi hahaha!

Kebetulan semalam sessi usrah bulanan geng2 "maresem" I so I had a very good reason to bake. Usrah pukul 10 pagi, pukul 8 pagi akak baru terhegeh-hegeh nak keluarkan bahan2 sambil berdoa mintak-mintaklah semua bahan cukup untuk buat cinnamon rolls ekekeke! Alhamdulillah, cukup pun. Dalam pada tu, cuak jugak dalam hati, sempat ke nak siap ni memandangkan meroti ni kena tunggu dough naik paling tidak sejam.

Apa-apa pun I redah je lah. Kalau lambat siap, lambatlah I pegi usrah. Venue usrah pun tak jauh, tak sampai 10 minit dari rumah so okay lah tu. Alang-alang dah niat dari semalam nak bagi kawan-kawan merasa cinnamon rolls I yang terulung (yes, my first time!) so I teruskan je lah.

I used my thermomix to prepare the dough sebab menguli dengan thermomix ni bukan saja cepat, tapi senang. Kau humban je semua bahan dalam balang dia, tekan function uli roti, pandai lah dia uli cukup dengan suhu yang ideal untuk adunan yang mengandungi yis. It took me all of 5-7 minutes, dah siap dough.

Disebabkan kesuntukan masa, untuk first rise, I cuma rehatkan dough 15 minit je heeee jangan marah. Then terus canai, letak brown sugar, serbuk kayu manis, gedebuk-gedebak tau-tau dah masuk tray. I rehatkan dough kali kedua ni selama 45 minit.

Dah naik elok, ready nak masuk oven.

I pakai convection oven. Alaahh oven yang ada kipas tu lah. Best oven ni sebab pemanasannya rata dan sekata jadi kek atau roti pun cantik je masaknya. Takde lah hitam sebelah macam oven I yang lama dulu huhuhu... whereby nak elakkan hitam sebelah ni I terpaksa pusingkan tray halfway through cooking time. Ketibas I tau nak mengalih tray dalam oven panas membahang tu! With convection over, tak perlu dah buat semua tu.

Sayugia diingatkan di sini (haaa BM akak...) bahawa kalau pakai convection oven, silalah turunkan suhu dan masa memasak ye. Kalau resepi kata 180ºC, kita cuma set 170-165ºC saja. Dan pendekkan juga waktu memasak. I almost burnt my rolls sebab I set timer 25minit ikut resepi lepas tu dengan keyakinan tinggi terus pegi mandi, bersiap-siap bagai. Nasib baik tergerak nak check at 20min, dah masak rupanya. Itu pun I rasa macam ter-overcook sikit.

Ni ha ghopenye selepas keluar dari oven....

Untuk glaze, instead of using milk and water, I pakai jus oren yang fresh. Jus dari sebiji oren dah cukup untuk secawan gula icing. I buat sikit je glaze sebab tak mau manis sangat. Maklum, yang nak makan tu nanti semua mokcik-mokcik belaka, kena jaga sugar intake memasing kan? But, if you like it extra sweet, simbahlah sebanyak mana glaze korang suka ye?

Senang je buat glaze, gula icing secawan dicampur dengan orange juice. Kacau lah sampai tahap kepekatan yang korang uol suka. I buat cair/nipis je but honestly, kalau buat pekat sikit lagi best. Nanti bila dia sejuk, glaze tu macam berkerak-kerak kat atas rolls tu... yums!

Ini lah hasilnya my cinnamon rolls yang siap dalam masa 1 jam 40 minit.

Nampak sedap kan? Memang sedap! The orange glaze definitely adds the extra oomph. Lain kali kalau ada potluck, this would be my first choice to make.

Bagi yang membaca posting ni semata-mata kerana nak resepi, terima kasih lah kerana sudi membaca mukadimah yang panjang ni sebelum sampai ke resepi. Anda sesungguhnya seorang yang penyabar. I lebiu.

Silakan hadam resepi di bawah:

Resepi asal I ambil di sini. Di bawah ni resepi yang telah di alih bahasa dan di ubah suai mengikut apa yang I buat semalam.

Bahan-bahan

Doh
• 2 1/2 - 3 cawan tepung gandum
• 3 sudu besar gula halus
• 1 sudu teh garam
• 1 bungkus yis mauripan (11g)
• 1/2 cawan air
• 1/4 cawan susu
• 3 sudu besar mentega (lembut, bukan cair)
• 1 biji telur gred A, dipukul sedikit sahaja
Inti
• 3 sudu besar mentega (lembut, bukan cair)
• 4 - 5 sudu besar serbuk kayu manis (sesuaikan ikut selera)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cawan gula perang (soft brown sugar)
Aising/Glaze
• 1 cawan gula aising
• Just dari sebiji oren navel/sunkist

Cara:

Doh
1. *Satukan susu, air dan mentega dan panaskan sedikit sahaja sehingga suam.
2. *Masukkan gula dan yis. Biarkan seketika sehingga yis berbuih.
3. Dalam mangkuk mixer, masukkan adunan yis tadi bersama telur. Kacau sedikit sehingga rata.
4. **Gunakan "dough hook", masukkan 2 setengah cawan tepung dahulu dan uli beberapa minit. Masukkan lebihan tepung sedikit demi sedikit sambil perhatikan konsistensi adunan. Adunan mesti tidak terlalu kering, sedikit melekit.
5. Rehatkan adunan di dalam mangkuk yang dilengser sedikit minyak dan ditutup selama 15 minit.
6. Taburkan sedikit tepung di atas ruang mencanai dan rolling pin agar doh tidak melekat. Canai doh menjadi segiempat tepat selebar lebih kurang 15inci dan setebal lebih-kurang dari 1cm. Kalau nak roll tu bergulung-gulung banyak lapis, canai nipis lagi doh tersebut. Doh akan jadi lebih panjang, tapi kekalkan lebar 15inci.
7. Sapu mentega di atas permukaan doh yang telah dicanai menggunakan pastry brush (or jari, whatever works for you).
8. Taburkan gula perang dan serbuk kayu manis. Ratakan pelan-pelan dengan spatula.
9. Mulakan menggulung dari atas, gulung ke arah anda. Gulung agak-agak padat ye, jangan longgar sangat.
10. Potong gulungan tadi kepada 12 bahagian menggunakan benang atau dental floss. Boleh je pakai pisau atau dough cutter tapi nanti doh tu penyek sikit lah dan kemungkinan isinya akan terkeluar. Hati-hati ye.
11. Susun atas talam berukuran 9x13 inci. Pastikan talam dilengser sedikit mentega dulu.
12. Rehatkan selama 45min hingga sejam.
13. 15 minit sebelum bakar, panaskan dulu oven pada suhu 180ºC dan bakar selama 25 minit. Untuk oven yang ada kipas (convection oven), turunkan suhu kepada 170ºC dan bakar 18-20 minit sahaja.

Apabila sejuk/suam, bolehlah di hias dengan glaze oren.

Nota:

*Boleh abaikan step ni kalau anda yakin yis yang akan digunakan itu masih "hidup". Campur je semua sekali, terus uli.

**Kalau uli dengan stand atau hand mixer, sila uli dalam jangkamasa 7-10 minit. Dengan thermomix, 3-5 minit je cukup =)

Sebagai penutup, kita saksikan penjamah-penjamah cinnamon rolls ye...

Matching pulak tudung I dengan kek.

Kasi chan la mokcik-mokcik pun nak bergumbira.

Ishh... betul ke usrah ni?? Hahaha.

Tu bukan anak I ye... pinjam anak kawan heeee!

Lots of love, Nin