BM milk loaf

Ever since I received a preloved Zojirushi bread machine, I have been baking homemade bread regularly. The bread machine is very compact and as it doesn't take up too much space I have left it permanently at the corner of the kitchen counter. With it so visibly in sight, I am constantly reminded to bake a loaf of bread every other day.

I have lost count of the number of times I have baked this milk loaf. As long as there is fresh milk in the fridge, this is the bread to make. The recipe is from a bread machine cookbook by a Japanese author (荻山和也╳cuoca用麵包機烘焙專業級麵包) and I will be trying out a few other recipes soon.

This milk loaf recipe uses the most basic ingredients: bread flour, milk, sugar, butter, salt and yeast. It has a very high liquid to flour ratio, at 80%. That is, for 500g of flour, it will need 400g of milk. The usual liquid to flour ratio for most handmade bread ranges from 60% to 70%. The dough is quite wet and at first I thought it may not even come together to form a dough. After the kneading cycle which is about 20mins for my bread machine, the ingredients came together and a slack and sticky dough was formed. Nevertheless, it survived the next three cycles of rising with two auto stir down (or the common term 'punch down' by the kneading blade) in between. The dough became smooth and rose well before the machine went into the baking cycle.

After 3.30 hours, I was rewarded with a beautiful and tall loaf of bread. The crust was thin and evenly browned.

The texture of this bread is very soft and fluffy. The bread stays soft for 2 days (kept in air tight container) but I am not sure whether it would remain soft for 3 days as my family finishes the loaf within 2 days. The texture is slightly different from bread loaf made with tangzhong method. This one using straight dough method doesn't have the slight chewy texture as compared to the tangzhong method.

I have also tried using the bread machine's "dough function" to just knead and proof the dough but used the oven to bake the bread. With the exact same amount of ingredients, the dough was able to fill up my pullman tin. With only 20 mins of kneading by the bread maker, the dough was not able to reach the window pane stage. However, to my delight, the texture of the finished pullman loaf was just as good!

The bread tastes good with just the right sweetness. It can be eaten plain on its own especially when freshly baked. Besides the bread machine wholemeal loaf, this is another regular everyday bread which we won't get tired of having it for breakfast everyday!




Bread Machine Milk Loaf

Ingredients:
(makes 450g/1 lb loaf)

200g milk (I used full cream fresh milk)
250g bread flour (I used Prima brand unbleached bread flour)
20g caster sugar
20g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
3g salt
3g instant yeast

Method:

• Place milk, bread flour, sugar, salt, butter in the pan of the bread machine (according to the sequence as stated in the instruction manual of your bread machine). Make an indentation on the flour with your finger and add in the instant yeast. Select the Basic or Regular function of the bread machine. Select Light crust function and press start.  (Note: due to our hot weather, I use cold milk from the fridge.)
• When the cycle completes, lift the pan out of the machine and carefully shake the loaf out of the pan. Leave the loaf to cool for at least an hour before cutting and remove the blade/paddle, if necessary. Store in airtight container.

Recipe source: 荻山和也╳cuoca用麵包機烘焙專業級麵包

BM wholemeal bread

I was given a preloved but almost brand new bread machine a few months ago. It came just in time, as my own bread machine refused to work right after the newcomer arrived, 一山不能容二虎 (literal translation: there can't be two tigers in one territory) ;)

This Zojirushi bread machine is very compact in size, much smaller than my China brand bread machine. It doesn't take up much space and doesn't stick out like a sore thumb on the kitchen counter, in fact it is slightly smaller than my rice cooker!

As compared to my old machine, the programming function of this newcomer is not as 'flexible'. Unlike my old machine, I can't stop and re-start the machine to let it run the kneading cycle for another round. This is due to the fact that after the machine is turned on, it has this 20 minutes 'rest' cycle before it starts the kneading cycle. If I were to re-start the machine, the dough would have to be left sitting (which means left to rise) for 20 minutes. I have learned a technique to over come this limitation, but I will elaborate more in a separate post.

In terms of the quality of the finished bread, both machines gave satisfactory results. I would think it is more using the right recipe to suit your bread machine than its functions or quality.

However, having said that, I choose to think that this Japanese brand should have a longer life span hopefully the belt that makes the kneading blade spin would not damage that easily. It is 5 times more expensive than my previous bread machines (which had a life span of around 3 years each), so I would expect this one to last for at least another 10 years ;)

One plus point of this Zojirushi machine is that the kneading blade will not stick to the bread loaf. Just give the pan a few shakes and the loaf will be released from the blade and slide out with ease, leaving the blade in the pan.

Here's sharing with you a bread machine Wholemeal Bread recipe which I took from Carol 自在生活. I have been using this exact recipe ever since I got hold of the new machine. I probably made at least 10 loaves. Why? The reasons are:

1. It uses the most basic ingredients, water, flour, sugar, salt, butter and yeast. No eggs, no milk, yoghurt or other ingredients are needed to enhance the texture or flavour.
2. The bread is made using a straight dough method, no tangzhong or water roux is required to yield a soft texture.
3. Most bread recipes would call for adding the butter only after the dough has been kneaded to a smooth dough, however, it is not necessary to do so for this recipe, the butter is added together with the rest of the recipes.
4. The finished loaf has a nice thin crust, with a light and fluffy texture that stays soft for 2 days when stored in an airtight container.
5. Since it is a straightforward recipe, I usually set the machine to run in the late afternoon just before I start preparing dinner. The loaf will be ready in about 3.5hrs, upon cooling for an hour, I would either slice it or store it as a whole loaf. The timing works really well for me as we could have almost fresh loaf of bread the next morning.

The texture of the bread speaks for itself...

The dough rose high and mighty, almost hitting the lid. The resulting loaf is light and airy, similar to those made with kneading by hand or a kitchen mixer. I tend to forget about the machine when it is running, but I will certainly know when the loaf is almost ready as I could smell the wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread coming from the kitchen. It feels really great when it is time to retrieve the loaf from the machine, without much effort, I could have a nicely baked homemade loaf :D

The recipe has never failed me and it is now our everyday bread.




Bread Machine Wholemeal Bread

Ingredients:
(makes 450g/1 lb loaf)

180ml water
30g wholemeal flour
250g bread flour
14g caster sugar
2.5 g (about 1/2 teaspoon) salt
28g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2.5g (about 3/4 teaspoon) instant yeast

Method:

* Place water, wholemeal flour, bread flour, sugar, salt and butter in the pan of the bread machine (according to the sequence as stated in the instruction manual of your bread machine). Make an indentation on the flour with your finger and add in the instant yeast. Select the Basic or Regular function of the bread machine. Select Light crust function and press start. When the cycle completes, lift the pan out of the machine and carefully shake the loaf out of the pan. Leave the loaf to cool for at least an hour before cutting and remove the blade/paddle, if necessary. Store in airtight container.

Recipe source: Carol 自在生活

easy does it

Bread making used to be a tedious task when I first started making homemade bread by hand. Kneading bread dough can be very therapeutic, but too often I ended up with very sore arms and shoulder the next day.

Baking bread at home became much easier after I bought my first bread machine. I left the kneading entirely to the machine, no more aching! The machine was so heavily utilised that it went kaput after two years. It was back to kneading dough by hand for a long period before I got another bread maker.

Life couldn't get any simpler when I received my latest kitchen helper, a Bosch kitchen machine. With this new machine, the dough takes a much shorter time to knead as compared to my bread maker.

This wholemeal honey and yoghurt bread loaf was made using the straight dough method, simple and straight forward without having to proof the dough overnight or to prepare any tangzhong or water roux. The recipe is a combination of a few bread recipes...by substituting or replacing ingredients to suit my aim of making a loaf of homemade loaf bread so simple and easy that anyone can give it a go. Shaping was relatively fuss-free too,  just roll out the whole piece of dough and then roll it up to form a log, no special skills or technique involved.

The bread turned out to be very soft, light and airy. Besides kneading the dough to the right stage, I believe both the honey and yoghurt contributes to the tender texture as well. The bread remained soft even on the 3rd day!

There is no doubt that bread making takes time, yet it is not time consuming. Yes, it takes time for the dough to rise and proof, but the actual process of preparing the dough should not take more than half an hour of your time. Easy does it. Go slow and steady, coupled with a little patience and you will be rewarded with a loaf of freshly baked healthy homemade bread, way superior than any commercial store bought ones ;)



Wholemeal Honey and Yoghurt Bread

Ingredients:
(makes one loaf using a 7.5"x4"x4" loaf pan)

270g bread flour
30g wholemeal flour
40g caster sugar
2g (1/4 teaspoon) salt
4g (1 teaspoon) instant yeast
70g non fat plain natural yoghurt, room temperature
30g honey
120g fresh milk, room temperature
20g unsalted butter

some rolled oats

Method:

(Note: The bread dough is made with Bosch MUM5PRO HomeProfessional Kitchen Machine MUM57830, read my review here.)

Place bread flour, wholemeal four, caster sugar, salt, instant yeast, yoghurt, honey and milk (except the butter) into the mixing bowl. Attach the kneading hook and set the MUM 5 to speed 1 to mix the ingredients for about 1 minute. Turn to speed 3 and let the machine knead for about 5 minutes.

Add in the butter and continue to knead at speed 3 for another 18~20 minutes. To test whether the dough is ready, pull and stretch a portion of the dough. It should be elastic, and can be stretched into a thin membrane without tearing/breaking apart easily.

Remove dough from mixing bowl. Dust hand with some flour and shape the dough into a smooth round. Place the dough back in the mixing bowl and cover the bowl with cling wrap or a damp cloth and let proof in room temperature (around 28 to 30 degrees C) for about 1 hour, or until double in bulk.

Remove dough from the bowl. Dust work surface with some flour and give the dough a few light kneading to press out the gas. Smooth into round, cover with cling wrap or damp cloth and leave it to rest for about 10mins.

Flatten the dough into a disc and roll out into a rectangular shape about 7" by 12". Roll up the dough along the shorter end like a swiss roll to form a log (with a length of about 7" or the length of the loaf pan you are using). Pinch and seal the seams tightly. Place dough seam side down in a well greased loaf pan. Cover with cling wrap or damp cloth and leave dough to proof for the second time for about 40mins to 1 hour, or until double in size. Brush the top with water and sprinkle rolled oats all over.

Bake in pre-heated oven at 190 degrees C for 30 minutes or until the surface turns golden brown. Remove from oven, unmold and transfer to rack to let cool. Once cool, store immediately in an airtight container and best consumed within 2 to 3 days.

Fuss Free Wholemeal Loaf

This is a relatively simple, straight forward wholemeal loaf which I baked a couple of weeks back. There is no need to prepare water roux or tangzhong since the recipe is taken from a bread machine cookbook. This is something I could make on a whim...whenever I feel like having a slice of freshly baked homemade bread or whenever I miss the cozy feeling from breathing in the wonderful aroma of bread baking in the oven.

As usual, I left the bread maker to knead the dough put left the dough to proof in room temperature. A quick roll out and roll up of the dough, and in in no time, it was sitting inside the loaf pan ready to bloom. The raw dough rose beautifully, and it ballooned even further once it got into the hot oven...a phenomenon known as 'oven spring'.

The finished loaf looks pretty much like a crusty country loaf isn't it?

It is actually a soft sandwich loaf! This is a classical case of what you see is not what you get ;) The bread is pleasantly light and fluffy, something I didn't expect from a loaf made using the straight dough method and not to mention with wholemeal flour! I believe the secret ingredient is none other than yoghurt! Do give it a try if you have a bread machine at home or a standing mixer to do the kneading. If you choose to knead by hand, be prepared to wrestle with a wet and sticky mess, even though I have not done it by hand, I am sure the efforts will pay off.




Wholemeal Yoghurt Bread Loaf

Ingredients
(makes one loaf using a 9" loaf pan)

260g bread flour
115g wholemeal flour
15g unsalted butter
30g caster sugar
6g salt
100ml natural plain yoghurt
150ml water
5g instant yeast

some rolled oats (optional)

Method:

to knead dough by bread machine:
* Place water, yoghurt, sugar, salt, butter, bread flour and wholemeal flour flour in the pan of the bread machine (according to the sequence as stated in the instruction manual of your bread machine). Make an indentation on the flour and add in the instant yeast. Select the Dough function of the bread machine and press start. Let the machine knead the dough for about 10 mins. Stop the machine. Select the Dough function and start the machine again. Allow the machine to continue kneading until the kneading cycle stops after 20mins. Total kneading time is 30mins. (Note: Leave the lid open through out the kneading cycle to prevent over heating.) Remove dough from the bread pan.

* Dust dough with flour, shape into a smooth round dough. Place dough in a lightly greased mixing bowl, cover with cling wrap or a damp cloth and let proof in room temperature (around 28 to 30 degC) for about 45min to 1 hour, or until double in bulk.

* Remove the dough from the bowl and give a few light kneading to press out the gas in the dough. Dust the dough with some flour if it feels sticky. Smooth into round and leave it to rest for about 10mins.

* Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape about 9" by 15". Roll up the dough along the shorter end like a swiss roll to form a log (with a length of about 9" or the length of the baking pan you are using). Pinch and seal the seams tightly. Place in a greased 9" loaf pan. Cover with damp cloth or cling wrap and leave dough to proof for the second time for about 40mins, or until double in size. Brush the top with water and sprinkle rolled oats all over, this is optional.

* Bake in pre-heated oven at 190 deg C for 25 ~30 mins or until golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to wire track to let cool. Once cool, store immediately in an airtight container.

Recipe source: adapted from 幸福面包机

又闻面包香

It has been a long while since I made a loaf of bread. Ever since my bread machine broke down 2, 3 years back, I find it more and more difficult to make bread from scratch. Since I don't have a standing mixer (and no intention to get one), the kneading process although rather therapeutic, will make my arms and shoulders hurt for days. I have been looking around for a replacement, but have no luck as I wouldn't spend more than what I paid for my previous bead maker. It so happened that I manage to get a new machine at about the same price when we were in Beijing last year. The design and functions is just like my previous machine, a very basic and economical machine that is affordable and reliable...well, at least for a couple of years.

Here's my first loaf of bread for the year. I followed the tang zhong method and bread rose high and mighty. It rose more than an inch over the top of the rim of my pullman pan that it couldn't fit into my standard bread loaf air tight container. I can't complaint much since it is really a happy problem for me =)

Do pardon me from bragging, but the loaf was very nicely baked, the crust colour was just right! From the picture above, I hope you could imagine how pillowy-soft and fluffy the bread loaf turn out.

'拉丝' a commonly used term to describe a feathery soft loaf of bread...where the crumbs tears off like strands of silk...

The bread tastes delicious even on its own as it is a sweet bread. It remained soft and light for three days, in fact the loaf was so cottony that I had problem cutting it into slices. It is time I get a new bread knife since I don't know how, or whether it is possible to sharpen a serrated knife?

What better way to eat scoops of ice cream than to sandwich them between a slice of homemade bread! I could almost hear the sounds of bells jingling from the ice cream cart...




Raisin Loaf (tang zhong method)

tang zhong (water-roux):
25g bread flour
125ml water

bread dough:
285g bread flour
15g milk powder
54g caster sugar
4g salt
5g instant yeast
30g egg, lightly beaten (about half an egg)
81g water
90g tang zhong (water-roux)*

30g unsalted butter
60g raisins

Method:
to make tang zhong:
* Place 25g bread flour in a saucepan. Add 125ml water, mix till smooth, making sure there are no lumps of flour. Cook over medium to low heat, stirring constantly with a hand whisk to prevent it from burning. Within 1 to 2 mins, the mixture will start to thicken, stop when you see traces in the mixture for every stir you make with the hand whisk. (Take a look at the video clip here. ) The 65degC tang zhong is ready. Immediately transfer the hot tang zhong into a bowl and cover it with a cling wrap, making sure the cling wrap sticks onto the surface of the mixture. This is to prevent a film from forming on the surface. Leave to cool completely before using it.

to knead dough by bread machine:
* Place water, egg, tang zhong (use 90g), sugar, salt, bread flour, milk powder in the pan of the bread machine (according to the sequence as stated in the instruction manual of your bread machine). Make an indentation on the flour and add in the instant yeast. Select the Dough function of the bread machine and press start. Leave the lid of the machine open (this is to prevent over heating). After about 10mins of kneading, add in the 30g of butter. Let the machine continue to knead the dough. After the kneading cycle has stopped (20mins), Stop and Restart the machine. Continue to let the machine knead for another 20mins. Remove dough from the bread pan.

* Place dough in a lightly greased (use vegetable oil or butter) mixing bowl, cover with cling wrap or a damp cloth and let proof in room temperature (around 28 to 30 degC) for about one hour, or until double in bulk.

* Remove the dough from the bowl and give a few light kneading to press out the gas in the dough. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Roll each dough into smooth rounds, cover with a damp cloth or cling wrap and let the doughs rest for 10mins.

* On a lightly floured work surface, flatten each dough and roll out to form a longish oval shape. Starting from the shorter end, roll it up swiss-roll style. Leave the doughs to rest for another 10
mins.

* Flatten each dough and roll it out again to form a long rectangle (around 30cm x 10cm). Flip the dough over and sprinkle the surface with raisins. Roll up swiss-roll style, roll up as tightly as possible. Pinch and seal the seams. Place the 2 doughs, seam side down, against each side of a well greased (with butter) pullman tin.

* Cover with damp cloth or cling wrap and leave doughs to proof for the second time for about 50~60mins, or until the dough rise up almost to the rim of the pan. Bake in preheated oven at 180degC for 30mins. (Note: If necessary, cover the top with foil to prevent over browning). Unmold immediately and leave to cool completely. Once cool, store in an airtight container.

Recipe source: adapted from 65度C汤种面包, 陈郁芬