eHomemakers Malaysia

Bread week was one of the weeks I looked forward to when I was at the Pastry Academy. The sweet aroma of freshly-baked bread that fills the air never failed to tantalize my palate any time of the day.        Making this baguette was very exciting because we had to get the ingredients ready a day ahead - the bigga - and that was the first time I learned and used bigga. Perhaps this explains why this baguette is much lighter compared to the previous recipe. It has the irregular holes with a crispy crust. You should be able to break chunks off easily with your hands.  Bigga: 1 day ahead 250g flour 150g water 2g yeast     Mix all three ingredients in a bowl. Cover with cling wrap tightly. Leave overnight. Dough: 500g bread flour 15g salt 2g yeast 350g water 5g improver       First, mix the flour with water. This is what is called 'autolyse'. Leave it in bowl tightly wrapped for 20 minutes. Then, dump e...

        Hello and Happy Ramadhan. The excitement of Eid has begun as Ramadhan reaches its final week. The colours of Eid can be seen everywhere...from the malls, mosques, clothes, bazaar and of course the food.         On the first few days of Eid, tables are always laden with food. I always head for the cookie jars first, carefully trying to select the tastiest ones. Many times, I was deceived by the colourful and fancy appearance of the cookies. I remember those days when cookies were simpler and require less ingredients.         Still, they were delicious. I myself, never fail to make and sell cookies each year. I would always try to create new recipes and new looks to get not only delicious but strikingly attractive cookies. Ironically, I myself would fill our cookie jars with simple and traditional cookies, sometimes with a different twist.      ...

I recently had a class on 6 types of pudding. One of the puddings that my students loved was the bread pudding.            Regardless of its simplicity in ingredients and appearance, it is to me one of the best warm desserts that goes perfectly well with a cup of steaming hot coffee. Preparing this old-fashioned dessert means your leftover bread slices will not go to waste.         In fact, if you find it hard to finish a loaf of bread before it's expiry date, freeze it until you are ready to make this scrumptious bread pudding.  Ingredients and Preparation Bread pudding  : 1 loaf of bread (or any bread of the same weight. If you're using baguettes, slice thinly) Butter to spread on bread 125g butter (cold and cut into small cubes) 2 tbsp flour 500ml fresh milk 1 cup sugar 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp of brown/muscovado sugar Raisins (if desired)  ...

I think the media is largely to blame because of this! Women look at the various magazine covers and wish to look like the cover girls they see. "Oh! I wish I was that slim", "Oh! I wish I had her abs", and so on.        What they don't realize is the work that goes into that magazine cover. Most mag covers are air-brushed so the model looks 'perfect'. And many times, to look as 'fit' as they do, the models have to do all kinds of 'tricks' to look so 'perfect'.        And these tricks can sometimes be dangerously unhealthy and should never be adopted long term to have that perfect bikini body! Even bikini models have an off and on season. Even they don't adopt those crazy plans all year round! Imagine cutting out fruit totally for weeks or even months!        That can't be healthy! Loading up on proteins and cutting out carbs is also unhealthy for long term! These are some of the 'tricks' the...

Hello to all ehomemakers readers. For this post I would like to share about several interesting webs regarding sewing projects.       These are the useful lists for anyone who has a keen passion in sewing. The tutorial and tips given by these great homemakers are really useful and could be our inspirations to enhance our own sewing projects.         Besides sewing classes, I regularly refer to these blogs and website for extra and up-to-date information. Sewing is all about creativity. The more you sew, the more creative you will become.       One of my favourite websites is Craftpassion.com. The owner, Mdm Joanne, is such a creative person and full of unexpected ideas. My advice to any beginner is to follow her web and facebook as you will learn a lot from her and also to practice what the projects she recommends as this will enhance yo...

       Pudding has always been a great cold dessert that is easy to prepare and very economical to the household budget.        The best time to eat this chilled, smooth and rich custard-like mixture is during breaking fast. The silky smoothness that slides down you throat will satisfy your sweet tooth immediately.        This marble pudding recipe can also be used to make puddings of other flavours - chocolate, vanilla, orange, peach etc. The most important thing is not to boil the jelly strips too long so as not to reduce the water too much.         The ingredients you need are a  packet of jelly strips,  a  liter of water, a  liter of fresh milk, a  can of evaporated milk, 2  cups of sugar, a  cup of custard powder, a tablespoon of  cocoa powder mix with a tablespoon of hot water, 30 grams of melted butter,  few drops of vanil...

       Sewing is my passion. I found my real hobby just after my marriage. My mother was a sewing and crocheting artist. She used to teach crocheting and sewing clothes.        Watching her amazing works, I developed similar interests ever since. Years passed by. In 2008, I went to further my studies in USM, Penang and set up a small kiosk that catered specifically to the students.        It was named ‘Balqis House’. I spent my mornings studying and in the evening I baked bread and other homemade food to sell. I put a lot of effort to nurture my business. After I got married in 2009, I regained my passion in needle crafting and I began to develop an interest in sharing my passion and skills with other women.               I worked for 2 years after I graduated but I realized then that my job was not fulfilling enough for me. I fina...