August 2021 Kitchen Corner

Red Dragon Fruit Bread with Cream Cheese

Dragon fruit is a tropical fruit native to Mexico, South and Central America. Settlers had brought it to Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philip-pines where it then remained one of the most popular fruits in the people’s diet. Dragon fruit has a light sweet and sour taste, slightly crunchy texture, and an epic appearance.

Yield: 5 breads (90g/bread)

Ingredients

Bread dough:

250 g all-purpose flour

150 g red dragon fruit, mashed

1 teaspoon of passionfruit juice/lemon juice

10 g sugar

½ and ¼ teaspoon instant yeast

¼ teaspoon salt

20 g unsalted butter, softened

Cream cheese filling:

150 g cream cheese

10 g unsalted butter

1 egg yolk

10 g corn starch

50 ml milk

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Bread spray:

200 ml water + 5 ml lemon juice

BREAD:

1. Peel, dice, and mash the red dragon fruits with passionfruit juice. Let them absorb for 5- 10 minutes.

2. In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar and yeast and stir well. Then, add salt and mix.

3. Add the dragon fruit mixer into the bowl and stir until there are no lumps and dry flour. Add the softened (not melted) butter and mix until the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer sticking on your fingers.

4. Divide the dough into five buns (around 85-90 g each bun). Shape buns into circle balls.

5. Cut the bun open to insert a fair amount cream cheese filling in. Then, close the dough back to prevent cream cheese from leaking.

*Avoid letting cream cheese sticking onto the bun’s opening*

6. On a baking tray, place a tin foil paper and then a waxing paper. Place the buns on, making sure they are apart from each other.

7. Let the buns sit in the oven at 30-35oC for 2 hours. If you see the buns’ crusts are dry,

spray the bread spray (water + lemon juice mixture) on top of them.

8. Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven, pre-heat the oven at 200oC.

9. 15 minutes later, spray the bread spray to cover the outer layers of your buns. Bake the buns for 3-4 minutes, then apply another spray. Lower the temperature to 165oC, cover the top of the buns with a tin foil paper. Bake for another 9-10 minutes. Turn of the heat, leave the buns in the oven for another 5 minutes before taking them out.



References

https://www.herbazest.com/herbs/dragon-fruit

http://marylanddragonfruitgardens.blogspot.com/2017/06/surprising-benefits-of-dragon-fruit-you.html

https://tuoitre.vn/xep-hang-dai-cho-mua-banh-my-thanh-long-giai-cuu-nong-san-viet-20200216141631961.htm

https://casadilibra.com/cach-lam-banh-mi-thanh-long/

Submitted by: Bao Dinh, Acadia Nutrition Co-op Student