Cloudy with a chance of.....marshmallows?

I apologise for the cheesy title but if you are as guilty as I am of spending hours scrolling through Tiktok everyday, then I am sure you have come across this bread that I made today which has become famous across Tiktok recently because of its dreamy aesthetics. If you haven't guessed it already, today I tried to bake the Tiktok famous Cloud Bread!

The lockdown got the best of me the past few days and I did not end up taking on one of the 15 baking projects. I was feeling low today so I decided to make something pretty and aesthetic but low-effort to make myself feel better and cloud bread seemed like the perfect option. I have been seeing this bread on Tiktok for a while now and I am a sucker for these cute trends. I tried to bake it once but failed miserably. That's why I decided to give it another try today and see if I could get it right this time.

So, what is Cloud Bread? It is a three-ingredient bread made from egg whites, sugar and cornstarch. It is supposed to be fluffy and light and melt in your mouth when you bite into it, like cotton candy. Hence, the name 'cloud' bread. The fluffy and light texture comes from the perfect meringue made from egg whites and sugar. To make it look even prettier, you can add food colouring and turn it into any colour you like, even make a rainbow bread.

The last time I made it, I did not beat the egg whites enough and used flour instead of cornstarch and hence it turned out to be quite rubbery and dense. So this is how I made it this time:

Ingredients:

• 3 large egg whites

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 tbsp cornstarch or cornflour

• food coloring optional

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius. In a clean and dry medium sized bowl, whip the egg whites on medium high with an electric mixer until frothy.

Note: Make sure the bowl used is completely clean and dry as any oily residue will make it harder for the egg whites to whip up properly.

2. Add the sugar gradually, about 1 tablespoon at a time, and whip on high until small peaks start to form.

Note: Adding in the sugar slowly results in a fluffier meringue than when it is added all together.

3.Sift in the cornstarch or cornflour and add food colouring ( I used 1 drop of peach gel food coloring) and whip on high for another 4-5minutes, until stiff glossy peaks form. Cornstarch helps to soak up extra liquid from the meringue so it is not runny and also makes the meringue shiny.

4. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and transfer the meringue onto it. Shape it anyway you like.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top of the bread is golden and it is cooked through.

This time, my cloud bread turned out to be fluffy and light pink, like a marshmallow or cotton candy. It tasted a little bit like eggs, which was expected since the main ingredient is egg whites but the sweetness of the bread definitely helped to mask that a little. If you want, you can also add in flavouring such as vanilla or strawberry extract. Cloud bread is best devoured right out of the oven when it is piping hot and fluffy, as with time it tends to deflate and lose its cloud-like texture.

Is it worth the hype? To be quite honest, it is definitely more about looks than taste in my opinion. Without the colours or the fluff, it is just your average bread- with a more spongy texture. But, it definitely did make me happy and was the highlight of my day so I get the appeal of it. As long as it spreads happiness, I do not see any harm in giving it a try. In difficult times like these, it sure helps to find joy in the little things that we do or eat, such as this Tiktok famous cloud bread. Hope you guys liked reading this post. I will be trying out another one of the baking projects later this week and post about it. I hope you guys will stay tuned. Till then, byeeee!

P.S. I don't know why I have this strong urge to say " X.O.X.O, Gossip Girl!" every time I end a post LOL!