When you want a work of bread art, all you need is patience! The art of baking incredibly soft, spongy bread made using a ''milk roux'' starter, which are allows bread to stay fresh for longer without needing to use artificial preservatives. I love the smell of fresh baked bread and this bread is so awesome and uses all natural ingredients is what I fall in love with being in the kitchen and you will not buy from the bakery again. 

Ingredients:

(A)
• 120g, 1/2 cup whole milk
• 25g, 2 tbsp bread flour

Making Roux. Begin making the roux by heating the milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the milk is hot enough, Add bread flour into it and quickly stir until thicken and smooth paste forms. You will make about 120g milk roux or a little more. 

(B)
• 120g milk-roux
• 70g, 7 tbsp cold milk
• 1 whole egg
• 20g, 2 tbsp sugar
• 12g, 2 tbsp milk powder
• 240g, 11/2 cup bread flour
• 45g, 5 tbsp cake flour
• 5g, 1 tsp dried active yeast
• 25g, soften butter
• a pinch of sea salt or 1/4 tsp normal salt

(C)
• 1 whole egg
• 1 tbsp cold milk

Whisk the whole egg and milk together to create a glaze that is shiny and golden brown in colour and brush some golden syrup on hot buns to give the crust a super shine.

Bread dough method:

1) In a large bowl, Add the milk-roux, cold milk, whisked egg, sugar, milk powder, bread flour, cake flour and yeast. mix well.

2) Kneading the dough by hand, about 10 minutes. Adding soften butter and sprinkle a pinch of sea salt. Push the dough up and down, beat until no longer stick to your hands or the work surface.

3) Place smooth dough in a lightly greased, large mixing bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in upper or second or lower rack of refrigerator overnight. Allow to cold rise or you can rise in the warm place, about 35°C for 1 hour until triple in sized. (Don't let the temperature reaches 45°C, It will killing the yeast).

4) When risen. Punch down the dough and transfer the whole dough to a floured work surface. Use a kitchen scale for calculate the ''whole dough'' and divide the weight by the number of pieces you want. 

5) Forming it into a ball. pressing it down and roll into a long shape or whatever you like. 

6) Place the dough onto a baking tray and rise again for 1 hour in the warm place until double in sized. Ideal rise temperatures are between 35°C. If it's a winter day, the common problem is that dough won't rise. Using a warm oven by turn your oven on and off or with boiled water on the underneath to help your dough rise perfectly.

7) Just before your bread go in the oven, lightly brush egg wash on breads. Bake in preheated oven 150°C for 25 minutes. Everyone's oven is different, you have to adjusting the temperature and baking time.

8) Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm, leftovers can keep in the zip-lock bag and eating them straight the next day. no need re-heat, the cool bread is still very soft, spongy and yummy! 

Helpful Tips:
1) It's recommended to use an oven thermometer.
2) Store a bread in an airtight bag or airtight container and keep fresh for 2 days or kept in a freezer for 1 month. To reheating and serve, After defrost the bread, It can be wrapped in aluminum foil in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. 
3) Yeast is best stored in the lower rack of refrigerator, as the fungud in it will be killed at high temperatures. Before using yeast check the production date and storage life of your yeast. Refrigerate it as soon as possible after each use. The main cause of bread falling to rise is bad yeast.

Recipe Source: Josephine's Recipes 

Creative Food Ideas | Fun Food For Kids | Fruit Platters Decorating | Vegetable and Fruit Carving Free Lessons © Original works The Art of ItalyPaul Carving

Hot Cross Buns for Easter | Homemade Raisin Bread Recipe

Today I'm going to share one of my secret recipe of making super soft, fluffy and moist hot cross buns. Since I had lots of work done for these dough, hand kneading, shaping and scoring the dough and bring to my husband's freshly baked that always put a smile on his face at breakfast and afternoon tea. A hot cross bun is a sweet buns made with spices and cinnamon, raisins, marked with a cross on the top, and traditionally eaten on Good Friday and Easter.

Ingredients

For the fillings:
(A) 
● 1 cup flame raisins
(soaked and drained)
● 1 tbsp honey

For the dough:
(B)
● 21/2 cup bread flour
● 3 tbsps sugar 
● 1 tsp ground cinnamon
● a pinch of sea salt
● 1/2 tsp five spices

● 1 cup cold milk
● 1 whole egg
● 1 tsp dried yeast

(C)
● 25g salted butter

For the Cross:
(D)
● 3 tbsps plain flour 
● 1/2 tbsp sugar
● 31/2 tbsp water

For brushing the tops:
(E)
● 2 tbsp golden syrup
● 1 tbsp water
or 
● 1 whole egg + 3 tbsp milk for egg wash

Method

DAY 1
1) First, Soak raisins in hot water for at least 15 minutes and drain, then adding honey and mix well.

2) Add the dough ingredients (B) and 1/4 cup honey raisins to a re-sealed plastic bag. Pulls away from the side of the bag. Proofing the sticky and lumpy dough, cold-rise overnight in the fridge.

DAY 2
3) Transfer the dough to a bread maker. Place butter. Select ''leaven dough''. Setting and press ''start'', kneading until the dough is smooth, then select ''ferment'' until the machine beeping noise, about 30 minutes.

4) Dust the flour over the work surface. Divide the dough into 16 pieces, about 48g each. Combine the remaining raisins (A) to the dough as a fillings, turn over shape your dough into a round balls and place them on a prepared tray.

5) Put a cup of hot water to have a nice balance, warm and moist environment in the oven and let it rise again for a further 1 hour. Ideal rise temperatures are between 35°C. If it's a winter day, the common problem is that dough won't rise. Using a warm oven by turn your oven on and off or with boiled water on the underneath to help your dough rise perfectly. Remember take water out of the oven. Preheat the oven to 150°C. Bake for 25 minutes. Everyone's oven is different, you have to adjusting the temperature and baking time.

6) See (E) Brush after middle baking and brush again after baking.

7) For the cross. Combine plain flour with sugar and water into a bowl and stir until thick paste. Spoon the mix into a piping bag and cut a small hole. Using the mix in piping bag, make a cross in the centre of each bun after middle baking.

8) Remove from the oven, Cool the hot cross buns on a wire rack. Serve warm and best with butter.

Helpful Tips:
1) Wrap the bread in a re-sealed bag and locked it and stored in the freezer for up to 1 month. 
2) Keep the bread fresh and moist for 2 days. put them in a food plastic bag and locked it or store it in an airtight container and reheat and serve. (heat it up and it will taste freshly baked again).
3) If you don't own a bread maker, it can be made by hand until the dough smooth and rise in the warm place for 1 hour. 

Recipe Source: Josephine's Recipes 

How To Make Soft Milk Bread Rolls - Josephine Recipes

Incredibly soft, spongy and moist bread made using a 65°c water roux starter allows bread to stay fresh for longer without needing to use artificial preservatives. I love the smell of fresh baked bread and this bread is so awesome and uses all natural ingredients is what I fall in love with being in the kitchen and you will not buy from the bakery again.

Makes 10

(55g each)

Ingredients

(A)
• 25g bread flour
• 113g whole milk or water

Milk / Water-roux method:
1) In a saucepan, Add bread flour and whole milk or water, mix well. bring to a boil over low to medium heat, Whisking until thickened and completely smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn. You will make about 100g water-roux. Set aside to cool until ready to use or cover and refrigerate overnight.

(B)
• 65g cold milk
• 1 whisked egg
• 100g water-roux
• 20g, 2 tbsp sugar
• 18g, 2 tbsp milk powder
• 270g bread flour
• 5g, 1 tsp dried yeast
• 25g, soften butter
• a pinch of sea salt or 1/4 tsp normal salt

(C)
• Whisk 1 egg yolk for brushing the crust
• or melted butter to give the crust a super shine

Bread dough method:
1) In a large bowl, Add cold milk, whisked egg, water roux, sugar, milk powder, bread flour and yeast. mix well.

2) Kneading the dough by hand, about 10 minutes. Adding soften butter and sprinkle a pinch of sea salt. Push the dough up and down, beat until no longer stick to your hands or the work surface.

3) Place smooth dough in a lightly greased, large mixing bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in upper or second rack of refrigerator overnight. Allow to cold rise. (or you can rise in the room temperature for 1 hour until triple in sized).

4) When risen. Transfer the whole dough to a floured work surface. Use a kitchen scale for calculate the ''whole dough'' and divide the weight by the number of pieces you want.

5) Forming it into a ball. pressing it down and roll into a long shape. cut into 3 lines. it will take the new number of its position in the row, place 1 under 2 and 3, repeats until dough is braided.

6) Place the dough onto a baking tray and rise again for 30 minutes or 1 hour in the warm place until double in sized. Ideal rise temperatures are between 35°C. If it's a winter day, the common problem is that dough won't rise. Using a warm oven by turn your oven on and off or with boiled water on the underneath to help your dough rise perfectly.

7) Brushing the crust with whisked egg yolk and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top. Bake in preheated oven 150°C, Bake for 15 minutes and 180°C for 3-5 minutes. Everyone's oven is different, you have to adjusting the temperature and baking time.

8) Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Helpful Tips:
1) It's recommended to use an oven thermometer.
2) Store a bread in an airtight bag or airtight container and keep fresh for 2 days or kept in a freezer for 1 month. To reheating and serve, After defrost the bread, It can be wrapped in aluminum foil in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. 
3) Yeast is best stored in the refrigerator, as the fungud in it will be killed at high temperatures. Before using yeast check the production date and storage life of your yeast. Refrigerate it as soon as possible after each use. The main cause of bread falling to rise is bad yeast.

Recipe Source: Josephine's Recipes