Apple Cinnamon Buns and Black Sesame Buns

 Breads I made today - I need more practice

Somehow my breads never turn out very pretty..

I started out wanting to bake Apple Custard Buns.. but I forgot that the milk in our fridge has gone bad and no milk means no custard..

So I decided to make Apple Cinnamon Buns.. to use up the apples I had in my kitchen.. and Black Sesame Buns.. to give the bottle of Black Sesame Paste I bought a try.

This is the first time I've tried baking bread over a few different timeslots. I usually bake my breads in one go - meaning I'd knead the bread in the morning and the time I get fresh bread, it'd be tea-time.. This time, I kneaded the bread yesterday, shaped the dough this morning.. and did the final proofing and baking at night.

Although it is a lot more convenient to use the fridge to help "delay" the proofing process, I find the entire bread-making process end up taking a much longer time.. because you need to wait for the dough to "warm-up" after taking it out of the fridge.. and then proof it as per usual. But if timed properly, it is really a lot more convenient and means I can have fresh bread for breakfast if I planned well ahead.

These buns are not too difficult to make. I used the recipe for a standard sweet dough to make the buns.

For the apple cinnamon filling, I cooked some Granny Smith apples with a bit of butter, sugar and cinnamon and a little bit of cornflour.

For the black sesame filling, I used this Black Sesame Paste I bought from Hong Kong (I later realised it is available also in Singapore, I found them at Isetan).

The Apple Cinnamon Buns I really like.. I ate mine warm - the apples were good - tangy, sweet and gooey. The Black Sesame ones.. hmph.. I find the paste a little too dry. It's probably better to put the paste into the dough itself.. and maybe fill up the buns with some milk jam. Hm.. I think I'd do that next time. Oh, but before that, I will have to try making the Apple Custard Buns..

Apple Cinnamon Buns - not pretty but still yummy, at least to me..

 Black Sesame Buns - I like the sesame seeds on top.. 

but the paste is a little too dry to use as a filling..