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Hello!
I write to you today, from my little backyard studio, looking over at my home that’s had its roof taken off. That bit, at least, was purposeful; the old tiles have reached the end of their useful life and a new roof must go on. But as is usual with older houses, things are not proving straightforward! Sunken rafters unexpectedly need replacing. A defunct rooftop air conditioning unit has flooded two rooms and left dirty rivers running down the walls as well as an electrical-in-water emergency situation. And then, this morning, one of the carpenters fell straight through the kitchen ceiling after tripping on something up top.
Thankfully the carpenter is ok, if a little bewildered and bruised. The same cannot be said for the kitchen; it will be patched up but I am likely to be cleaning roof dust and old bits of insulation out of the shelves and the dishes for weeks! If you’ve ever done work on an old house (while trying to live your regular life inside said house) you’ll know that all of this is just how things go. But it does eat up time, making urgent calls to the electricians or carpenters, cleaning up allllll the dust (even when no one falls into your kitchen!) and staying on top of all the decision making.
All of which to say, you very nearly did not get this issue’s fabulous chocolate bun recipe when I was left without power halfway through making my last test batch! Thankfully I’ve been able to rectify that and pull together one more batch, and I am both relieved (for me) and very excited (for you).
I’ve been working on these milk bread/chocolate dough hybrid Easter buns for at least a couple of years, but I really wanted them right before I shared with you, and I can report they are now more than ‘right’, they are in fact very special. In a conventional oven they are lovely, but in the steam oven they become even better, with a thin and just-chewy crust and not a hint of dryness anywhere. The insides are tender and fluffy, not too sweet and with plenty of deep chocolate flavor. And they keep well for days.
I hope to see lots of pictures of your own batches of Easter buns in the coming couple of weeks, and even more I hope that you love these as much as I do.
Happy steam oven cooking, see you here again just before Easter weekend, with more good cooking and (hopefully) a house with a shiny new roof on it. 😉
Emily x
New to Cook
Chocolate Milk Bread Hot Cross Buns
These are non-traditional hot cross buns, given they aren’t heavily spiced or fruited. But they ARE a standout Easter favorite that I’ve been making and tweaking for a good while now; so much so that it would not be Easter in my house without a few batches.
My chocolate buns are made with a milk bread dough that has cocoa and some of the flour cooked with liquid before mixing (if you’ve made my Japanese milk bread recipe, it’s the same method as that). This makes for an extremely tender and higher-moisture bread, and then we go even further by enriching it with butter, eggs and milk. Oh, and chocolate. Of course. The end result is a pillowy soft bun, deeply chocolatey and with the unmistakable yeastiness and stretch of perfect bread.
The recipe is straightforward and a really enjoyable baking project, so even if you aren’t a regular baker I hope you’ll try these.
From The Archives:
Easter is upon us in a couple more weeks, so here are some of the best steam oven things to help you make it special and full of great food.
First up, a piece I wrote for Insiders a couple of years back (and have revised more recently) with some general good ideas for Easter cooking.
Then, this glorious combi steam baked fish, with fennel and tomatoes. If a fish dish can be pretty, this one definitely qualifies. It’s full of color and flavor, and aromatic thanks to the fennel.
And finally, lemon pots! These deceptively simple little make-ahead desserts are such a welcome break from all the chocolate themed Easter treats, and I think of them as sunshine in a jar. If you’ve never tried them, put the recipe on your radar for your next dinner with friends.
The Season Flip
Perhaps more than a season flip today, this is an ‘Easter flip’, giving those of you who don’t celebrate Easter something else to cook apart from the chocolate or fish-themed dishes currently flooding the internet!
Southern Hemisphere
Savoury Mince
Perhaps more than a season flip today, this is an ‘Easter flip’, giving those of you who don’t celebrate Easter something else to cook apart from the chocolate or fish-themed dishes currently flooding the internet!
Northern Hemisphere
Spanish Sheet Pan Chicken
If you’re just beginning to exit the wintery depths in the Northern hemisphere, this sunshiny sheet pan dinner will transport you to warmer times. Bright and punchy thanks to olives and tomatoes, but hearty with potatoes and tender chicken, it’s a great all-in-one meal for a weeknight.
Ask Me Anything (AMA)
**Take a look at my heavily-updated steam oven sourdough post in response to a recent Insiders question! It goes into detail about Dutch oven sourdough vs steam oven sourdough, which I know will interest quite a few of you.**
This is your best opportunity to ask me anything you like about steam oven cooking.
I’ll continue to answer some AMA questions via email, but I have started to respond to more of them as articles on the Steam & Bake website. This makes the answers easier to search and refer back to if the same questions come up again. Whenever a new article is published in response to an AMA question, I’ll let you know here in our Insiders journals.
If you have a question, big or small, please email it to [email protected]. Be sure to include INSIDERS AMA in the subject line so I can easily collect and review all submissions.