this and that

My foreigner card's expiration date is coming up, so last Friday, we went to get it renewed before we left for Kyoto.

We appreciated that we didn't need to wait in the long queue that was was snaking around out in front of the building, but what a mess it was inside!

No signage as to what needed to be done (probably more so because of the pandemic)...thankfully though we were in and out rather "quickly" (30 minutes give or take)...

These days whenever we go to Kyoto, we always pick up some doughnuts from Kamo Donuts.

They are kitty corner to where MIL lives, so we just run across the street and get our fix.

Since I was cleaning all day with SIL, I totally forgot to wear a mask when I went to get these (though I probably should have worn one with all that dust)...luckily the guy working there let me just cover my mouth with my hand and point at the showcase.

Another thing we eat whenever we are in Kansai is 551...

Since BIL had bought pizza for our lunch on Monday, Satoshi picked up an assortment of items from 551 for our lunch on Tuesday.

I was impressed that Satoshi remembered that MIL loved these anpan from Kokoroniamai Anpanya and picked some up for her.

We placed some on MIL's altar and we also enjoyed some too.

SIL said she has always wanted to try these but was never willing to line up for them, I'm glad she got to try them.

I thought I was pretty good at purging, but my SIL has proved that she is the queen of purging, so I brought back a few dishes from MIL's stash as they may not be there the next time we go to Kyoto for MIL's 49 day service in April...

Itami Airport got a face lift just as we moved to Tokyo in 2018, it was our first time seeing all the changes and we loved how spacious (and new) everything looked.

Tokyo's numbers seem to have plateaued in the 300 case range. 

When we went to Kyoto/Kansai by plane, I was shocked that it was a full flight.

Even if we all wore masks during the funeral and cremation, we did have meals with family (which was totally out of my pandemic comfort zone), so hopefully we all will be okay.

Have a safe weekend.

anpan & gardenias

It has been many years since I've baked bread.

I have this type of yeast, which was a freebie in a foodie magazine.

I have had it in my freezer and it is WAY past the expiry date!

Since yesterday was quite warm, I decided to try baking with the yeast.

On the 1st proof, it rose...whew!

I weighed and divided it into 7 pieces.

After the 2nd proof, I filled them with an (sweet bean paste).

It was my first time using this yeast as well as trying a pain de campagne (country bread) recipe.

After baking, some oozed.

I tasted one, the texture seems to be good and there was a nice crust.

Breakfast tomorrow : anpan!

I wanted to show you this gardenia bush that I found on the side of the road nearby.

Love the fragrance of gardenia (the Japanese call it "kuchinashi").

It is gardenia season here and I have seen some homes with them in their yards.

Are the gardenia blooming where you are?

things I'm liking (and disliking)

It has been awhile since I've done a liking/disliking post...

Let me start with the disliking...Mahou Negra, a dark beer from Mexico, tasted like darkened fizzy water...meh.

By the way, "mahou" means magic in Japanese...boy this beer needs some...

I am not sure if I like the cream cheese anpan at Starbucks or not.

Maybe they could nix the peanuts on top and put a little more sweet bean paste inside?

Moving on to liking...Heichinrou's charsiu-man (cha-sue mahn).

Heichinrou's main restaurant is in Yokohama and they have other restaurants around Japan.

These aren't as sweet as the ones I've had at Ou-Lou, they are also a little bigger and there are nice chunks of meat in there. I found these at Hankyu's food floor...913 yen (about US$9.13) for 3.

Grob Ofen, a little German sweet shop nearby, has many delicious treats. For example, the Thuringia Brot. Brot means bread in German, but this is more like a shortbread cookie.

Apparently this is a traditional sweet in Thuringia, an area in Germany. This is not too sweet and filled with hazelnuts and raisins...179 yen (about US$1.79)

Another is their Nussknacker (Nutcracker), a shortbread cookie covered with dark chocolate, hazelnuts and orange peel.

The nuts and orange peel are "stuck" onto the cookie with a hardened caramel (loved the taste just don't break your teeth on these!) 189 yen (about US$1.89)

Spring onions are in season here, I've put it next to an onion you normally find throughout the year. Spring onions are tender, white, sweet and great for roasting.

Tulips on my lanai have started to bloom. Love how when the sunlight hits them they look like light bulbs all lit up.

Ferdinand's florentine & choco-rentine. Usually a florentine is toasted nuts, candied fruit baked together with honey and sugar then topped with chocolate but this is made with bread.

Ferdinand's florentine is made with their danish type bread, caramelized sugar to keep it together and topped with sliced almonds.

The choco-rentine is made with their chocolate chiffon bread, the caramelized sugar and sliced almonds. This tastes like a brownie.

So that is my list, what are you liking/disliking?

abientot

Recently I tried Abientot's coconut cream anpan 210 yen (about US$2.10).

The outside was a soft brioche glazed with sugar and coconut, inside was custard cream, sweet bean paste and coconut.

It sort of reminded me of coconut macaroons, rich...delicious!

anpan

Recently I've been eating anpan for my afternoon snack. I've tried making it myself, but since the weather isn't warm enough to start baking bread, I've been buying my anpan.

What I usually do is buy two different kinds, cut them in half eating one of each half then saving the other halves for the next day's afternoon snack.

From Bigot (pronounced bee-go), I tried the yuzu (citron) anpan 105 yen (about US$1.05) and sakura (cherry blossom) anpan 126 yen (about US$1.26).

The yuzu had bits of citron mixed in with the sweet white bean paste. The bread was sweet like brioche but a bit dry.

The sakura had a nice sweet and salty cherry blossom flavored bean paste and the bread was also sweet like brioche and like the yuzu anpan, the bread was a bit dry.

From Anri, I tried their chestnut anpan 126 yen (about US$1.26) and pumpkin anpan 126 yen (about US$1.26).

The chestnut anpan was filled with lots of chestnut paste. The bread was sweet and very soft.

The pumpkin anpan was filled with lots of pumpkin paste. The bread was also very soft and sweet.

The thing I liked about these anpan was that there was a lot of filling and it didn't seem like they used the sweet bean paste.

And from Kokoroniamai Anpanya, their matcha (green tea) anpan 105 yen (about US$1.05) and kurumi (walnut) anpan 105 yen (about US$1.05).

The matcha anpan was filled with a green tea cream mixed with a little sweet bean paste. The bread was also very soft and sweet.

I was disappointed with the walnut...it was just a walnut roll, I thought there would at least be sweet bean paste inside but there wasn't anything in the center.

All the ones with fillings were delicious. The walnut was good as a roll but like I said disappointing as an anpan.

What have you been eating for your afternoon snack?

sweets

Spring also brings a variety of sweets too. During this season, you can find strawberry flavored items as well as sakura (cherry blossom) flavored items....I have been leaning more towards the sakura flavored ones.

Sakura chiffon cake 420 yen (about US$4.20) from Starbucks, this had more of an American (bold) cherry flavor rather than the delicate cherry flavor that you find in Japanese confections...an expensive disappointment.

Not a sweet, but this tiny bagel was from Comme Chinois, I loved this size. I bought a chocolate bagel and a multi-grain.

From Mochi Cream, the raspberry millefeuille...custard, raspberry coulis and crunch from wafers...this one was my favorite.

Also from Mochi Cream, the caramel pudding. Liquidy bitter caramel and sweet custard...delicious. (doesn't it looks like lips puckering?)

Sakura mochi...this is the Kanto (East Japan) style. A thin crepe-like outside wraps some sweet bean paste. The whole thing is then wrapped with a sakura leaf (cherry leaf) that has been soaked in salt water.

From Ferdinand, their sakura mochi anpan, a whole sakura mochi Kansai (West Japan) style is tucked inside a steamed bun. Kansai style sakura mochi is sweet bean paste and a bumpy gelatinous outside made from Domyoji-ko.

Domyoji-ko is steamed mochi rice which is then dried. I think it looks like coarse sugar when it is dried and I think it is then re-constituted when it is used to make sakura mochi. Sakura mochi has a salty and sweet flavor---salty from the sakura (cherry blossoms and leaves) which are soaked in a salt water mixture, sweet from the sweet bean paste.

Chikujian's sakura daifuku. White sweet bean paste flavored with seasoned sakura leaves, wrapped with a soft mochi (rice cake)...again the sweet and salty combination is out of this world.

world bread day 2007

In grade school, I was always doing my homework so that I could get it out of the way and go out to play. In college, I was the one who would take a two hour final exam in one hour, turning it in and usually freaking out the others in my class. You might be wondering what the heck this has got to do with World Bread Baking Day? Well, the weather was so warm in September so I took advantage of it and made my entry way ahead of time.

Zorra of Kochtopf is again hosting World Bread Day 2007, which is today. I participated last year and made sweet potato bread and chocolate bread.

This year I made yomogi anpan. I used the same recipe that I used to make regular anpan with the addition of yomogi (mugwort), some green tea, sesame seeds and the an (sweet bean paste).

To make your own, follow the recipe I used here for anpan. I reconstituted a tablespoon of yomogi in warm water and then whizzed it in the food processor. I also added 1/2 tablespoon of green tea powder. I added both of this to the dough before letting it rise the 1st time. You can't tell too much from these photos but the anpan is a light green. The reason I added the green tea powder was to help bring out some of that color.

Hot out of the oven these yomogi anpan had a subdued sweetness. I think the yomogi and green tea had a lot to do with this. Anpan makes a nice treat and freezes well too. Just pop them into a toaster oven to warm them up, the outside will get crispy while the inside gets fluffy.

Check back on Zorra's site to see what others from around the world made. Thanks Zorra for hosting this great event!

anpan

This morning, Satoshi and I were sitting in a bakery that was attached to a large local supermarket. 

As we had our coffee and pastries for a little mid-morning snack, I noticed a sign that was advertising anpan. Anpan is a bun with sweet bean paste inside. 

You can usually find it two ways--with koshian (a smooth sweet bean paste) or tsubushian (a sweet bean paste but a little chunky) inside.

I asked Satoshi if he eats anpan. He said, "yeah, but it isn't really my favorite." So, I ask him, "if I make anpan, what kind of an should I put inside, koshian or tsubushian?" He said, "tsubushian."

So, while he finished his coffee, I went grocery shopping. This tsubushian is made from 100% Hokkaido adzuki beans. 

It is already cooked with sugar, so to some, it may be really sweet. If you have dietary restrictions, you may want to cook the beans yourself and add the amount of sugar that is right for you.

I followed my trusty bread recipe that is noted on the yeast box, and waited for the bread to be ready to fill.

The 330g container of an is perfect for 12 anpan. Fresh out of the oven the insides are quite hot, so be careful! Still, it was the perfect mid-afternoon snack with some hooji-cha (roasted green tea).

Here is the recipe if you'd like to try making this yourself.

For the buns: makes 12
3 cups (300g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons (6g) instant dry yeast
4.5 tablespoons (40g) sugar
30g egg (half an egg)
.75 cups water (175 cc)
1 teaspoon (5g) salt
3.5 tablespoons (45g) butter

For the an:
330g an (your choice, smooth or chunky), precooked and seasoned

sesame seeds (optional)

1. Put the first 4 ingredients in a bowl, add the water
2. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 15 minutes
3. Sprinkle the salt and knead some more.
4. Add the butter a little at a time, folding over to create layers. Knead another 15 minutes.
5. Let rest for 50-60 minutes.
6. At end of 50-60 minutes, poke with your finger into the middle, if the dough stays down, it is ready
7. Turn out onto a floured board, press out air, cut into 40g-50g pieces (about 12)
8. Roll into balls, place under a towel for 10 minutes
9. While waiting the 10 minutes, ready your an in 1 tablespoon scoops onto a plate.
10. Flatten a ball of dough in the palm of your hands, making it as thin as you can without tearing it. Add a ball of an to the center of the dough, then gather the sides and pinching all sides to the middle. When all is sealed, roll gently between your palms to make it round and put the sealed side onto your baking sheet.
11. Repeat step #10 until all dough and an is used up.
12. Leave under a towel for another 40 minutes.
13. Preheat your oven to 400F (200C) and coat each anpan with an egg wash.
14. Sprinkle each anpan with sesame seeds in the middle.
15. Bake for 8-13 minutes.
16. Enjoy!

NOTES: I ran into a slight problem because I forgot to add the egg to my dry ingredients. I added it after I had gotten to step #4, which was REALLY messy. At step #5 I let the dough rest for 60 minutes. And at step #15 I baked these for 13 minutes. This was my first time making anpan and even with the little obstacles, it still came out great (if I do say so myself!).

umeda

Today, after my lesson, I met Satoshi in Umeda. Umeda is about 20 minutes by train from our place, Ishibashi. After waiting about an hour for a table, we had lunch at a buffet. It was supposed to be an Okinawan type buffet, but I was a bit disappointed with the kinds of foods that were served. Satoshi on the other hand, ate 3 servings.

After lunch, we went to a little shop called, Kokoroniamai Anpanya. This shop sells all kinds of anpan. Anpan are sweet bean paste covered with a sweet bread type dough, then baked. This shop had some unique anpan.

One was the kinakomochi anpan a whole kinako (powdered soy bean) mochi (rice cake) enveloped in the sweet bread dough.

Another one was the sakusaku anpan. Sakusaku is the onomatoepoetic sound for crispiness. The inside is the sweet bean paste, but the outside was a flaky crust. This one reminded me of the pie crust manju that we have in Hawaii.

Some of you have asked me how crowded Osaka is...here are some photos of a "mild" crowd, I've been in worse crowds.

After our late lunch and anpan shopping, we walked around Umeda a bit then got on the train to go to the end of our line--Takarazuka. They have a park where dogs can have their owners pay admission, so that they (the dogs) can run around. They call this park a "dog run park" (pretty obvious, yeah?) We were amazed at how big this poodle was!

Kokoroniamai Anpanya
9-24 Kakuda-cho (located in the Shinumedashokudogai)
Kita-ku, Osaka
Phone: 06-6312-9790