Fluffy Milk Bread

Toast
JDYangachi on

I've been playing around with enriched dough lately.  I modified my sweet dough formula from here, basically replacing 1 egg with milk and decreasing the amount of butter slightly.  I should note that I have been Inspired by many recipes and photos for Hokkaido Milk Bread using tangzhong (including Floydm's).

 

Tangzhong

20g AP flour (I use King Arthur unbleached)

100mL whole milk

 

Final dough

380g AP flour (about 3 cups)

200mL whole milk

75g granulated sugar (about 6 TBSP.)

50g egg (1 large)

5g instant yeast

5g salt

28.5g butter (2 TBSP.)

all of the tangzhong

 

This yielded around 850g of dough for me.  I cut off and shaped 3 x 200g* portions and arranged in a small loaf pan (25.4cm x 11cm x 7cm).

No egg or milk wash this time because I was feeling lazy. Yes, I realize the irony of that statement given that I was making homemade bread.

I baked at 325F for 30 minutes.

NOTE: I had long suspsected that my oven was running hot, so I finally picked up an oven thermometer.  With the oven dial set to 325F, the temperature reading on the deck near the heating element was indeed 325F. But when I hung the thermometer from a rack so that it was roughly around the top of a baking loaf, the temperature reading was 350F.  I don't know if this means my oven is at the right temperature or if it's running hot, but I think this bread should probably be baked at 350F.  In any case, when I say I baked at 325F, I mean that the oven dial was set to 325F with the intention to achieve an oven temperature of 350F.

 

 

 

* The astute reader will note that I had 250g of dough left.  This I formed into 50g balls and baked in muffin tins at 325F for 15 minutes.  The top left one was sacrificed for a temperature check. I realized later that I could have just as easily poked the side or bottom of the roll.

(Whoops, a little bit out of focus)

 

EDIT: June 30, 2013

I made this again, and got some better results (taller, fluffier loaf) in my mom's kitchen where it's warmer.

 

EDIT July 4, 2013

Additional crumb shot of sliced bread.

 

They're fluffy delicious. I do the lazy method whenever I find a way (that's why I picked this username). You saved yourself from washing a brush, cup, and fork. :) I don't like poking baked goods either. The tapping method never works for me because I can't detect a thumping sound.

Those look delicious, love the dark, caramelized crust contrasting with the fluffy, soft white crumb!  How did your changes to the formula affect the outcome?  Lighter and fluffier?  Milder flavor?

@evonlim your breads look lovely and I have been inspired to experiment with fruit yeast water.

@lazybaker haha I'm so lazy that I let the autolyse do most of the work. Actually, I'm not opposed to kneading, and I have a KA mixer, but I like the idea of minimal work. Tapping doesn't really work for me either, especially with enriched doughs.

@FlourChild the changes resulted in a tighter more cakelike crumb (as I had hoped) and it is noticeably moister. I'm still experimenting though.

@dabrownman thanks. You should post more pix of your apprentice Lucy. She's adorable.