Asian Hot Dog Soft Buns & Walnut Bread

This past week have been a little bit more relaxing so I had some extra time to bake! I love baking because it releases stress for me and I love to eat. So when I was in Malaysia, I used to love eating the different baked goods there and now that I'm in the states it is ridiculously hard to find a place that makes it just as good (at least in Michigan that is). Here's my own rendition on it , it took me several tries but I think I got it!

I actually use a breadmaker to help me with the dough process because I'm far too lazy to knead it on my own then let it rise and keep on repeating this process. So for those that do not own a breadmaker it just essentially follows this simple rule:

Knead the dough, Let it rise for 30 minutes, beat it down, let it rise again for 1 hour, beat it down, let it rise again for 30 minutes.

I love pictured recipes because it seriously helps me quite a bit so for those who likes this, please proceed!

Ingredients A
40g of bread flour
200g of milk (I like coconut milk because it smells better)

Ingredient B
400g of bread flour
140g of milk
70g sugar
6g salt
50g sweetcream butter (if there's no sweetcream, any other version works)
10g yeast

Toppings
1 tablespoon of condensed milk
1.5 tablespoon of mayo
a pinch of salt
(optional) chilli sauce
mixed vegetables
Hot Dogs (10-12)

Instructions:
1) There's this special method called the "Tang Zhong" so this is what I did. If you want to find out more, you can google it. So essentially you will be cooking the dough (Ingredient A) to approximately 65°C (150F).

Add all your ingredients in and have your fire at low 

I'm just using my laser thermometer to guide the temperature

Almost there!! 

Finally i'm there at 65°C, turn off the heat and you will see that the dough is sticky. 

Wrap it up and let it chill. 

2) We are now ready to just put everything in the breadmaker. So I have the Zojirushi breadmaker. I have done quite intensive research on which breadmakers to buy, I had a Panasonic, it didn't work the way I like it to be so I opted for this instead. 

3) First I put in my liquids from Ingredient B. So all the milk. 

5) Add in all the Ingredient A that was chilled. You can see that it is approximately 200g of TangZhong. 

6) Add in the bread flour. 

7) Add in the sugar, salt and butter. I did not melt the butter or soften it because my breadmaker actually preheats first so the butter will just be soft by the time it starts to knead. 

8) I set it to Basic Dough function, and for my machine it takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes, at this point you can go watch a movie, do homework, or whatever you like. 

9) When it is almost done I start prepping for what I need: Large GREASED pan, clean cloth with some wet papertowels. 

10) This is how it looks like after the 2 hours in the BM, very nice and poofy. 

11) I just put the dough out onto a board. I also usually have a little pile of breadflour on the side so I can use it while i'm kneading it and such.

12) Beat the dough down, LOOK AT THE SIZE DIFFERENCE!! 

13) I roll it into an elongated shape so I can cut little pieces. I always use a dry towel and a wet papertowel on top to cover. This is done to keep the dough moist and not dried out. Michigan is quite cold so this happens quick. If you live in malaysia and on the equator, it is so humid that this won't even happen. 

14) Cut a small piece, if you like to weigh every piece equally, sure. I just didn't care and judge it myself. 

15) Roll it out into a flat shape, honestly any shape that can cover this hotdog. 

 16) I just rolled the hotdog inside of my dough.

17) Cut the dough as such!

18) Make sure that the bottom dough is still intact and the hotdog is cut all the way through.

19) I just start pulling each section to opposite sides. 

20) It looks like this when you are done pulling them apart.

21) I let it sit on a pan with the wet papertowels covering it. For humid countries, by the time you are done with all the dough, your initial hotdog buns will start to rise a little more again. Michigan is so cold that it doesn't even change unless I let it rise in an oven.

22) I set my oven to 170F for 2 minutes just to let it heat up. I put my tray in there and let it rise for 60 minutes. Like I said before, if you live in a hot country, you can just leave it on your counter top to rise for 60 minutes.

23) Prepping the Toppings.  Mix the condense milk, mayo and salt together. 

24) I put 3/4 of it in a bag so I can pipe it out later.

25) The other quarter I add some hot sauce to it, you can add ketchup if you like instead of chilli.

26) Add your mix vegetables. I just bough frozen ones.

27) Mix well. Now prep just some melted butter and sugar for glazing.

28) This is what it looks like after rising for 60minutes, a lot fatter.

29) This is an optional step, if you like cheese on it, add it.

30) First I grease all my hot dog buns with the butter mixture. Then I add some cheese.

31) Add the vegetable topping.

32) I piped the mayo mixture on top of it now. It's ready to go into the oven.

33) Bake the bread at 180°C (355F) for 30minutes. Have an extra pan of water in the oven while you are making your bread, this keeps the oven environment moist and your bread as well! 
34) When it is done, it looks like this!

I always keep mine in ziploc bags so they stay fresh! 

Here's a little extra. I made half my batch with the hotdog and the other half with walnuts ! 

Here is just a mixture of raisins, crushed toasted walnuts, butter and sugar. 

I just added the mixture on top of the dough and baked it.

I hope that this has been helpful for some of you guys. If you have any questions, feel free to post them below I will try to answer them asap. 

Shu Uemura Skin:FIT Water Foundation

Today I want to share with some of you guys about what I have been using recently as a foundation. This foundation is quite interesting, definitely one of a kind. I purchased this bilayer foundation when I was traveling in Malaysia but this does not mean you cannot buy it in the United States.

So what skin type is this foundation appropriate for? 
I would say it is more suitable for those with a combo-oily skin type. It is more drying on your face therefore if you already have dry skin, it may not give you the ideal result.

I personally have more oily skin during the summer and dry skin during the winter so my skincare and makeup routine alters.

How do you use this foundation if it has two different layers?
Shu Uemura provides a sponge that they created specifically for this product. Quite impressive if you would say. Anyways, I first shake it so it forms sort of an emulsion.Then using the sponge (absorbent side) to pick up the product, put it on your skin. Using the spongey side to smudge it in.

How long did it take before you got it to look good?
I do have to admit however that it took quite a bit of time to learn how to use this product properly. My very first experience with it caused me to have a very cakey look and it was quite bad. After that first time I basically got it down.

IT TAKES SOME TIME
Wanting a natural flawless look requires time. If you are in a hurry, this is not exactly your go-to foundation. If you want a matte-finish but a liquid base foundation this is it!

NOT SWEAT PROOF
Just like any other foundation, this is not sweat-proof. I wear it only when I am attending formal events that requires me to put my face on. I don't like it when I take pictures, my face looks glossy, shiny, oily and such. I like the matte look. If you want a more natural look with some "shine" I actually use blush before I use this foundation.

How to get the inner glow/pink look?
First you apply blush to your cheeks, I mean you can be quite drastic with it. Give it a minute or so for the blush to fully soak in. Then apply the foundation to your face. Make sure you blend it well throughout your face. DON'T FORGET YOUR NECK! This gives it a nice glow from underneath.

OVERALL RATING 
Easiness : 2/5 Quite hard to learn in comparison to others
Finish look: 5/5 Since I like the matte look)
Quality: 4/5 I'm still not too sure what's the point of water being the base here since it gets evaporated
Price: 2/5 Quite expensive ~USD 42

My Skincare Routine

Two years ago I had very bad acne but now it has clear up. Many of my friends asked me what had I done differently. So here's me answering some questions . Perhaps I can post pictures when I'm a little bit more comfortable with the Internet.

1) What was the biggest change ? 

I started exercising and that caused me to sweat a lot ! I don't mean full on swearing for hours , I mean by walking a mile or so a day and sweat a little . 

2) Did you take any medications or apply any? 

No, I squeezed a lemon and mix it with a full cup of water, but after four months of improvement I calm that down a little. I would drink my water with lemon slices instead of a full lemon. I believe this works because lemon works as a detoxifier and cleared my face 

3) Why did you not take a whole lemon after just four months? 

Lemon is extremely acidic which can hurt your body (I believe) there's enough stomach acid in a body. I want my body to produce and balance the hormones to clear my face itself rather than using things. 

4) What about skincare ? 

I am very into skincare. I guess this is the Asian side of me that believes skincare works. 

5) What do you use? 

Facewash : Dermologica Ultracalming Cleanser

Scrubs : Origins Modern Friction and  Skinfood Brown Sugar Mask

Toner/Skin Softener : Dermalogica Ultracalming Toner

Emulsion : Laneige Bright Renew Emulsion 

Moisturizer: this differs by season 

(Summer) : Dermalogica Active Moist 

(Winter) : Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Balance or Laneige Brighten Renew Original Cream 

Serum : this depends on what I am targeting 

Now I am using Clinique Pore Refining Serum and Laneige Brighten Renew Serum

6) Do you use any facial sheet masks ? 

Yes , the black pearl mask from my beauty diary collection 

7) Do the sheet masks work ? 

It is interesting because it makes me feel good but I don't actually believe it works. It almost gives me time to sit and relax having this nice thing on my face. So to answer the question, I'm not sure. But it allows me to relax so I like that, therefore I use it. 

8) Have you heard of overnight masks ? 

Yes , I call it the lazy way to skincare. I actually invest in a lot of these because I don't have that much time for sheet masks. 

9) What kind do you use? 

-Origins Drink Up Intensive 

-Laneige Overnight Water Sleeping Pack

-Kiehl's Ultra Hydrating Overnight Masque 

10) Why so many masks? 

My skin gets extremely dry in the winter , therefore I need heavy hydration during those time. I don't use it as much in the summer . Instead I try to tackle my blackheads in the summer because i use charcoal clay mask for that and it is very drying . 

11) what's a charcoal clay mask? 

So origins makes this charcoal mask to help remove blackheads or clear pores. It is quite drying to the face but it works well. So I tend to use their Drink Up intensive mask right after to keep hydration . I have actually made it myself as well, all you need is 1 tsp of activated charcoal and 1 tsp bentonite clay , mix with a few teaspoon of water until you get your desired texture . 

12) Where did you learn about skincare ? 

Ever since young my mother taught me about it and growing up in a culture that relies heavily on it. I believe in the Korean 10-step routine but I don't have the finances for all 10. I actually make my own soaps as well for my body and through that I learned quite a lot about the ingredients that go into soapmaking which I use charcoal and clays heavily . 

Disclaimer: These are my real opinion and there were no company sponsorship to advertise any of their products.