11/28/07

Freestyle Cinnamon buns

Midweek and I am out of bread again. I was in a rush this morning as my wife had to bring my mother-in-law for a medical review at a new clinic referred by her regular cardiologist. All his patients had to be transferred because he was suddenly struck down by leukemia. It's yet another depressing piece of news. From what I gathered, he is a kind, humble man, well loved by his patients and I pray that he makes a full recovery.

Since there was no preferment and no time, the only thing to bake was something simple to do. I decided to make up the recipe. Instead of sugar, I decided to use malt powder instead. I decided to make it a little richer by using a little more butter. After I shaped the main loaf which had currents, there was little time left as I did not want to miss the last episode of The Conqueror's Story, a dramatization of the founding of the Han dynasty. It was certainly a period of chaos and violence where it was not just a struggle for power for Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han dynasty. He was also struggling against his conscience, if the script-writers from Hong Kong are to be believed. In the quest for power, he had to make a lot of compromises. It did not help that his wife Lu Zhi, was even more ambitious that Hamlet's wife. She made it to the number one spot as the most violent woman in Chinese history. Like her son, I shudder each time I recalled what she did to Liu Bang's favorite concubine.

In my opinion, a good cinnamon bun is one that will kill you. It has to be loaded with butter. Since I want my family to eat more healthily, I probably should not make these buns too often.