I am very new at baking bread, although I adore the smell every time I walk pass a bakery that serves freshly baked bread, sometimes I am just too lazy to bake my own. But after a recent bread baking session with one of my mentors, I am a convert. Nothing beats freshly home baked bread. Especially when you egg wash everyone of them before throwing it into the oven for them to bake themselves, omg I can't even. Being one who always emphasises on aesthetic as one of the important element whenever it comes to things I make, or things I use (weakness of woman much? that explains why I make sure the cakes I do have an aesthetically pleasing outlook, albeit of course, the cake possessing the right taste and texture), I came to take a liking for the shape of butterhorn rolls/ croissants/ wassants, and boom, there I go.

I have also came to appreciate time I get to spend at home because I grew up with my grand folks and not spending as much time with them as compared to the past saddens me. They would always ask where I am when I am too busy with my events and assignments, and making simple things like bread and butter cakes for them easily puts a smile across their faces, and it lit up mine too:) My little baby cousin was raving about it and literally swallowed 2 of them when she returned from school, just in time when the bread was out of the oven. She is just 6, and a big fan of whatever I make, sweetest girl ever.

Also, I have came to the time when I finally have to say, I have stopped taking cake orders for www.thecakeissue.com. It puts me down that so many months of hand work has to come to a stop, but I constantly remind myself that better things are ahead, just like how my friends and family have been motivating me with. Be it good or bad, I believe I am going to stick to what I love, and I'll always embrace what's coming ahead. I can't stop thinking about how my internship training program with Maggie Austin in the coming months would be like, in a totally different country, different setting and 9649 miles away from home, it is going to be the longest I will be away from my comfy good ol' bed.

Yet, another adventure lies ahead.

That buttery hot crust, that soft and fluffy bread accompanied with steaming hot smoke when you pull apart. It's all gone within the same day it is baked.

Best Butterhorn Rolls
(Recipe partially adapted from www.lovelylittlekitchen.com. Makes a dozen)

Ingredients

1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoons warm water
1 cup warm full cream milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg beaten (separate into half - use the other half to egg wash)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour, divided
85g + 2 tablespoons butter, melted (will be used separately)

Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast into the warm water. Let the yeast sit and proof for about 3 minutes. Then pour in the milk and stir. Add the sugar and egg and mix. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour and salt, and mix.

Add the melted butter (warm, not hot) and mix, then add 1 1/2 more cups of flour mixing well between each one. Sometimes it works best to use clean hands for the final mixing. The dough should still be a bit sticky, but pulling away from the side of the bowl. If you need to add an additional 1/4 or 1/2 cup of flour, that is okay.

Pour the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap well and then place into a gallon size Zip-loc bag (do not remove all the air) and refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight.

Remove dough from plastic wrap and punch it down.

Roll the dough into a 12 inch circle on a well floured surface. Sprinkle additional flour over the top of the dough. Using a pizza slicer, cut the dough into four quarters, and then each quarter into three wedges.Starting at the wide end, roll them up. Place the rolls on a greased baking sheet.

Cover the rolls with a clean dishcloth and let them rise for one hour. Egg wash the top of the bread with the remaining half of the egg you have.

Preheat oven to 180 degree celsius. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.Remove to a cooling rack and brush with remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter.