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
