Saltie Cooks with Lam Linda

When did you launch your Instagram?

I started my Instagram in July 2012 with no expectations. I enjoyed following professional bakers and patissiers for inspiration. I posted regularly and, little by little, people started to interact and follow my creative journey. It gave me the confidence to consider my passion as my new career. I also met incredible people who became friends for life.

Paris is the home of patisserie. Has living in Paris inspired your love for all things sweet?

I love Yann Couvreur's work and especially his 'Paris Brest'. But also Jeffrey Cagnes, who used to be chef pâtissier at Stohrer (a legendary patisserie near Sentier), and Mori Yoshida, who creates French pastries revisited with Japanese sauce.

What’s your favourite cake filling?

My favourite cake filling is definitely the 'whipped ganache'.

What is it that you love about the recipe you’re sharing with us?

I love the matcha leopard buns because they’re simple to bake, but also very technical. They have a great aesthetic, and also a great taste - everyone from 7 to 77 year old loves it!

I cook with the same approach as pastry. The visual appeal is as important as the taste. I take my time to compose the dish. But what I love about cuisine compared to pastry is that you can improvise more easily and forget about the scales!

Now onto the recipe...

Matcha Leopard Brioche

Ingredients:

25g of cornstarch
100ml milk
150ml coconut milk
100g butter
2 eggs
100g sugar
18g fresh baker's yeast
450g of flour
5g of salt

For the dark green dough:

10g of powder matcha green tea
10ml milk

For the light green dough:

5g powdered matcha green tea
5ml milk

For the icing:

200g of white chocolate
30g of grilled buckwheat

Steps:

1. Mix the cornstarch and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Keep in the fridge for an hour.

2. Add the flour, salt, sugar, eggs and yeast. Nnead, until the dough is soft and elastic. Cut the dough in 2 and reserve half, it will be the light dough.

3. Cut the other half into 2 pieces. In one, add 7g of matcha mixed with milk and fold in while kneading to obtain a dark green dough. In the other, add 3g of matcha mixed with milk and stir in to obtain a lighter green paste. Leave the dough in the fridge overnight.

4. The next day, divide each piece of dough into seven equal pieces. Take a piece of light brown dough and form a thin sausage, flatten it, then roll it up on itself. Take a piece of dark brown dough, form a sausage of about fifteen cm, then flatten it. Place the light brown dough on top and roll the dark brown dough on top. Take a piece of light dough, form a sausage, just a little larger than the dark brown, then flatten it. Place the dark brown sausage on top and close the light dough on top. And so on until the pieces of dough are exhausted. Roll each sausage to stretch and make it about double the length of a loaf pan.

5. Cut them in 2 then place them in the mold lined with baking paper. Leave to rest for 1h30 / 2h at room temperature. The dough must double in volume.