Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Sweet Dinner Rolls and a Giveaway (Now Closed)

Nowadays everyone trying to eat more healthy and like everyone else I am trying to cut down on sugar and consume it in moderations. I have heard about this great product called Xagave (pronounced Za-gah-vay) that is an organically grown premium blend of nectars derived from Agave Tequiliana (Blue Agave) and Agave Salmiana (White Agave) plants. It is an answer to all the blood sugar woes. Xagave offers a number of health benefits over regular processed sugar; including calorie savings, fiber and calcium content, and low glycemic index. A lot of people are reluctant to try sugar substitutes in their recipes because they are worried about loss of flavor and after taste but Xagave is different. It has a mild and perfectly sweet flavor making it great for all kinds of drinks, dressing, sauces and baking. I bake these sweet bread using Xagave and the bread turn out so soft and moist. You can hardly tell that there is no sugar in the recipes. Thanks to the representative of Xagave for giving me the sample of this wonderful product along with the cookbook.


Xagave would like to give away a bottle of Xagave and the Delicious Meets Nutritious cookbook to one lucky winner. The giveaway will end on December 6th 2009 at 6.00pm (Eastern Time). All you have to do is leave a comment with your email address here and I will randomly draw the winner . GOOD LUCK!!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Cooking Bread.com

1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons shortening
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup Xagave or honey
4 - 4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt

1 egg - for egg wash

1. Pour milk into a saucepan and bring to a scald. Set aside. Pour the Xagave or honey into a large bowl, add in the shortening and butter. Pour in the hot milk. Stir till all the shortening and butter is melted. Add in two cups of flour and mix till smooth. Allow to cool to a temperature of 110F
2. Add in the salt and yeast. Mix till smooth and allow to rest uncovered for 15 minutes. Add in another cup of flour and stir. Add some flour to a flat surface and pour out the mixture on top. Begin to knead and slowly add in more flour as you need. You may or may not need all the 4 1/2 cups of flour. You just don't want the dough to be to sticky. Knead for 10 minutes
3. Pour a little oil into a clean bowl. Place your kneaded dough into the bowl and turn over till all sides are very lightly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 1 hour or till double in bulk
4. At this stage you can shape your dough into any shape you like. Cover with plastic wrap for 1 hour or till double in size. Brush the tops with an egg wash to get that shiny coating. Sprinkle with some sesame seeds or poppy seeds.
5. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree F oven for 15-20 min (depend on the size of your buns) or until golden brown.

50 comments:

Tummywise said...

I'm looking for sugar substitutes as well. I love baking and unfortunately I love baking sweet stuff like cakes and rich desserts.

I would love to try out Xagave. Thanks!

ann low said...

Sounds perfect. I also always try to reduce sugar and I don't think Xagave is available here~~~

Elin Chia said...

Ohhh I have not heard of it over here in Malaysia....mmmm and nice buns, Gert. Are those poppy seeds on top of your rolls? :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for the opportunity to win the Xagave! I can't wait to try it.
Gail (malggl@comcast.net)

Zoe said...

cool idea. I never like food or cake too sweet. I always try to find way to cut down on sugar. Thanks for sharing.

email : trucvyzoe@gmail.com

Pei-Lin said...

Those buns look good and perfect with to be downed with bowls of hot soup on cold, cold winter days!!

Pei-Lin

Little Corner of Mine said...

Soft and fluffy buns! Xagave is interesting.

Jenn said...

I love agave nectar. Thanks for the giveaway! (jenndaww@gmail.com)

Sarah said...

Sounds like a wonderful giveaway! I love agave nectar.

thatedeguy said...

I've wanted to try agave for a while. I normally use honey with tea and such, but have heard that agave is better.

sayantani said...

wow great looking buns. sweets without calory....sounds perfect

Cas said...

Agave nectar. I havent heard of it. It would be something new to try.

Email: casophia@hotmail.co.uk

Sunshine said...

Bun looks yummy...would love to give xagave a try..thanks!

melissa_cheah@yahoo.com

Kristen said...

Would love to have sugar in my recipes if only i can get my hand on xagave. Haven't seen them.

Anonymous said...

This is a great subsitute for white sugar, especially when one is not getting any younger.

I would love to try this products. I wonder if it's available in Canada?

Jolene (jolene28@gmail.com)

mycookinghut said...

What a lovely roll!! I never knew about Xagave.. great to learn this product!

ABCD Diaries said...

Yummy...this sounds great!! Thanks!
christinbanda at yahoo dot com

Quinn said...

Gertrude,your dinner rolls looks awesome!!!

I don't know whether you'll be able to send that to Australia because we have a rather strict custom system here but since you did not specifically say it's within USA readers only (I am very happy because many many giveaways always state that down!!!! I'm blogging from Australia for God's sake!), I'm gonna leave my email down here too because it's free and I am as cheap as that:

Bakingquinn@gmail.com

Thanking you in advance!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Please include me in your draw.

Thank you.

A

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

Please include me in your draw too, because I want to bake some hearty bread for my family. Thanks ya.

Cat Cat said...

Hmmm, never heard of this product...

Count me in... My email is seetlooi@yahoo.com

jeanmarie. said...

I have heard good things about agave nectar. I would love to try it!

Email: jmpaske@comcast.net

Cheryl said...

I am a diabetic so I have to be careful with sugar substitutes, but the other day I was watching Dr. Oz and he was talking about Agave. He said it is very good to use in diabetic cooking as it doesn't raise Blood Glucose like sugar and most substitutes. Well, I asked my care physician and she said yes, go ahead and try it and see how it works for me. My problem is finding the stuff. But I would truly appreciate this cookbook.

Family First said...

Sure hope delivery covers your home country, Malaysia!

ap_wee said...

Sounds interesting! Would love to have a bottle to try!

Email: ap_wee@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

I just bought a Healthy Cupcake recipe books and saw one of the ingredient called Blue AGave. I was wondering what is that and where can i find it. Now i know what is it and thanks for your posting.

my email add: kfjess04@yahoo.com

Par said...

hehehe.... I was hoping for the dinner roll give away. :D

Jo said...

I don't think I've seen this before. In any case your rolls look really scrumptious - so soft and fluffy. And it'll taste great with some cold butter! Yum.

<3tracy said...

I always hear about agave nectar but have never tried it. Would love to get the chance!

magneticheartblog@gmail.com

Unknown said...

I would love to try one ...thanks for sharing

tammy.do@gmail.com

Food For Tots said...

The dinner rolls look so soft and fluffy. Haven't heard about this product before but it sounds really interesting to me. ;)

Lisa X said...

I've been seeing lots of posts about Xagave lately, so I wonder if it'll take off like Agave...
I actually like the taste of agave more than honey; when eaten straight, agave leaves a cleaner and smoother after taste that is light and not at all sticky. Is Xagave the same?

Raji said...

Hi,

I frequently read ur blog and find it interesting. Today, this agave nectar has made me curious to leave u a comment. Sounds healthy, would love to try it.

Cooking CatZ said...

Great giveaway! It will be a new experiment with agave nectar :P
By the way, I really enjoy your blog, your pictures are pretty nice! And what about your buns, they look so fluffy mmmhhhh
Van

Anonymous said...

Love all the sesame and poppy seeds. The buns look so soft and puff :)

Anonymous said...

I never heard of agave....would like to try....
wisky39@yahoo.com

Cheah said...

These buns look delicious and they're nutritous too.

May said...

hi, i m a malaysian who is in the US , stumbled on your blog and have been following it for sometime now. this agave nectar has now made me really curious ...

would love to try it

Recipeswap said...

Dinner rolls looks soft and fluffy.
I think Xagave is catching on,so many others bloggers too are blogging abt it!

oneordinaryday said...

These look divine. Glad you shared the recipe.

Ray NYC said...

Me!! Me!! Me......!!! I want it!!

hhanni said...

I'd love to try anything that substitutes sugar. coming from a family of diabetics, sugar intake is major concern to me. so please include me in your draw. i live in malaysia, btw. love your blog. u're a very skilled cook, everything u make looks great!

my email: hhannni@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

My best friend swears by agave (since she can't have sugar) I'd love to try it.

Nycole
knycks1@aol.com

stormy said...

Those rolls looks so good. I have been wanting to try sugar alternatives that are more natural...not chemically altered.

Thanks.

guru said...

My father is a diabetic and loves sweets. I would love to win this for him.

TrucMi said...

I am all for sugar substitutes.

Trucmi@gmail.com

Elaine said...

My mother keeps telling me to try agave-based substitutes in my baking, but to be honest: it never really sounded good until I read this post. Maybe I'll give it a go after all!

Sarah R said...

An affordable agave product is IMPOSSIBLE to find here! It would be neat to see how it works in bread!

reid.bee@gmail.com

Jennmcn said...

I would love to try this. I am always trying to cut down on the amount of sugar in our diets.

Health Freak Mommy said...

I hope I'm not too late. I'd really LOVE to have a bottle of Xagave as I'm a real health freak. I like eating sweet breads and cookies but don't like using refined sugar as I know sugar is our immune system's enemy. With this wonderful product, my kids, hubby and I can savely enjoy our homemade breads, cakes, cookies and other food without any guilt!