Milk Bread

Okay, now let me start off this post by saying that I absolutely adore bread. Especially the warm and soft texture that embodies a freshly baked bread that comes straight from the oven. Perfection! :) Now...let's have a moment of silence to whoever decided to throw together some yeast, flour, salt, and sugar in the past..............................................THANK YOU!!!!

Now if bread wasn't as high in calories as it is, I could be consuming loaf after loaf. Yup, that's how much I love my bread! But my favorite bread is definitely those you find in Asian bakeries...someone please open a Paris Baguette where I live...pretty please? If you haven't tried an Asian bread please head out to the nearest one ASAP! Or...if the closest one happens to be too far away, let me take a moment to describe "the Asian bread" to you. It's soft. It's fluffy. It's tender. It's definitely more sweeter than the average white bread you find in the bakery aisle in your local grocery store. You can sort of imagine the sweetness factor of a King's Hawaiian Bread to "the Asian bread." But of course, the Hawaiian Bread lacks the tender aspect, the lovely crust, the softness, and...well you get the point. "The Asian bread" usually has a nice simple syrup or honey coating on the crust to give an extra semi-sweet bite before you dive into the bread itself. Of course, my description isn't up to par with this type of bread...but hey, I tried.



Anyways, let me get to the point. Yesterday, I finally decided to try out this lovely milk bread. I've always bookmarked it for some time but I haven't actually gotten around to making it. The recipe calls for the use of the Tangzhong method which is known to keep the bread incredibly soft and moist up to several days (I actually can't verify this since my family gobbled up the whole loaf before there was any left). The method involves cooking flour and water with a one to three ratio and keeping it in the fridge for several hours before adding it to the bread mixture. The secret lies in bringing the Tangzhong to 65C. And...it takes an incredibly long time to knead if you're doing so by hand. It took me an hour (and my arm is semi-swollen). But! It's all worth it cause this was amazinggg! :)



The difference between this and "the Asian bread" is that this uses no chemicals to keep the bread soft. It's the 65C that helps the bread retain its softness for several days.



I wasn't originally planning on doing a post for the recipe since I was somewhat skeptical. I was just hoping to get some good bread and that was all. But...it's too good not to share so here it is! :) Oh yea...and because of this reason I don't have step by step photos this time. And, I apologize in advance for the photo quality! I was too excited to try this out that I couldn't concentrate on taking the photos :( Now...time to go hunting for a bread machine?



Milk Bread
From Christine's Recipes
Ingredients:
Tangzhong (湯種 The amount is enough to make two loafs):
50gm/ 1/3 cup bread flour
250ml/ 1cup water (could be replaced by milk, or 50/50 water and milk)

Bread:
350gm/ 2½ cups bread flour
55gm/3tbsp+2tsp caster sugar
5gm/1tsp salt
56gm egg (equals to 1 large egg)
7gm/1tbsp+1tsp milk powder (to increase fragrance, optional)
125ml/ ½cup milk
120gm tangzhong (use half of the tangzhong you make from above)
5 to 6gm/2 tsp instant yeast
30gm/3tbsp butter (cut into small pieces, softened at room temperature)



Directions:
Tangzhong:
1. Mix flour in water well without any lumps. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring consistently with a wooden spoon, whisk or spatula to prevent burning and sticking while you cook along the way.
2. The mixture becomes thicker and thicker. Once you notice some “lines” appear in the mixture for every stir you make with the spoon. It’s done. You get the tangzhong. (Some people might like to use a thermometer to check the temperature. After a few trials, I found this simple method works every time.) Remove from heat.
3. Transfer into a clean bowl. Cover with a cling wrap sticking onto the surface of tangzhong to prevent from drying up. Let cool. Chill in fridge for several hours. (I chill it overnight.) Then the tangzhong is ready to be used. (Note: When you are ready to use the tangzhong, just measure out the amount you need and let it rest in room temperature for a while before adding into other ingredients. The tangzhong can be stored up to a few days as long as it doesn't turn grey. If so, you need to discard and cook some more.)

Method (To make one loaf):
1. Add all ingredients (except butter) into a breadmaker, first the wet ingredients (milk, cream, egg, tangzhong), then followed by the dry ingredients (salt, sugar, milk powder, bread flour, yeast). (Note: I used to make a small well in the bread flour, then add the yeast into it.) Select the “dough” mode (refer to the menu of your breadmaker to select the kneading dough programme).
2. When all ingredients come together, pour in the melted butter, continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. The time of kneading in the breadmaker is about 30 minutes. Then let the dough complete the 1st round of proofing, about 40 minutes, best temperature for proofing is 28C, humidity 75%, until double in size.
3. Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface. Deflate and divide into 3 equal portions (see picture 1). Cover with cling wrap, let rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.
4. Roll out each portion of the dough with a rolling pin into an oval shape (See picture 2). Fold 1/3 from top edge to the middle and press (see picture 3). Then fold 1/3 from bottom to the middle and press (see picture 4). Turn seal downward. Roll flat and stretch to about 30cm in length (see picture 5). With seal upward, roll into a cylinder (see picture 6). With seal facing down (see picture 7), place in the loaf tins to have the 2nd round of proofing (see picture 8), until double in size. The best temperature for 2nd round proofing is 38C, humidity 85%.
5. Brush whisked egg on surface. Bake in a pre-heated 180C (356F) oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until turns brown. (I baked it for 25~30 minutes since I felt that 35 minutes was too long). Remove from the oven and transfer onto a wire rack. Let cool completely. (I brushed it with melted honey in the end).
* Step-by-step pictures are available on her site: Christine's Recipes