Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Whitebread with Wholemeal, Oats, Soy and Honey.



This is probably the best bread I have baked so far. So very soft and moist, delicious! Make sure you have at least 2 1/2 hours. Prepping and proving takes about 2 hours, baking another 30-35 minutes. 

Medium loaf 
280g white bread flour (I used Lauke)
80g Atta flour (wholemeal)
40g either bread/atta for kneading and dusting
1 1/2 tsp dry yeast
260ml lukewarm soy milk
1 tsp of soft brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp of honey
50g of instant oats
30ml of hot water
About 2 tbps of olive oil for kneading.

Prep loaf tin, lined with baking paper, and dust bottom with flour. 

Mix yeast into soy milk and leave covered for 20 minutes. 
Separately, mix honey, oats and hot water, leave aside.
Using a large mixing bowl, mix flour, salt, sugar, create a well in center.
When yeast is proven, pour yeast soy liquid into flour.
Use a fork to stir, combine, into a lump of dough. 
Leave yeast to prove, cover the bowl with cling film or wet teatowel, for about 20 minutes. 
When yeast proven, pour oil on working bench surface.
Gently using hand scrape out all the dough on top of the oil and move the dough around to evenly spread oil all over the dough.
Gently knead with palm of hands for 2-3 minutes, stretch all parts of the dough, then form a ball, and leave covered to prove for 20 minutes. (15 in summer)
Lift dough up and lightly dust bench with flour. Knead for another say 2-3 minutes. Leave to prove another 20 minutes.(15 in summer)
Lift dough up and dust bench with flour. Knead for another say 2-3 minutes. Leave to prove another 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 230 deg C fan force. Place a baking tray at bottom of oven. And another rack above it, in middle of oven. 
Lift dough up and dust bench with flour. Using palm of hands, gently flatten out dough into a triangle, about 2 cm thick, then slowly pull/stretch on both ends simultaneously, till dough almost double in lenght (to stretch the gluten), it is about 1 cm thick now. Then take 1 end, fold in both sides, pull, and roll in, repeat this action bit by bit, till dough is rolled up tightly into a long bun. 
Place seam down into prepped loaf tin. Cover and leave to prove for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until almost double in size. Dough would have risen and filled the loaf tin by now. You can also see the dough is stretched. 
At  this point onwards, you have to work quickly. 
Dust the surface of the dough lightly with flour. 
Steam the oven by throwing about 5-6 cube of ice into a tray in oven. Close the oven door quickly. 
Meanwhile, using a sharp knife cut a line about 1 cm deep lenghtwise across surface of dough. You should see the dough has pocket of air bubbles when cut.
Quickly put the loaf tin onto the rack in the middle of the oven, and add another 5-6 cubes of ice onto bottom tray. Close oven door gently.
Baked 15 minutes at 230 deg C fan force. 
Lower temperature to 180 deg and bake for another 12 minutes. 
Open our door by 1 cm, and stick a wooden spoon door in between to keep door open, and bake for final 5 minutes (this releases the steam, and helps to crisp the crust). 
Remove loaf tin from oven, and bread from tin, and cool the bread on a rack.    

Combination of soy milk, oats and honey keeps the bread soft and moist for a few days. 


Bon Appetite!

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