Let's just say I don't use the word 'perfect' a lot but the Hokkaido milk bread that I've made today was quite literally the best sandwich bread I've ever had. Soft, velvety and milky with a hint of cream. I cannot think of a better sandwich loaf.
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Look at how 'shreddable' the crumb is. It was literally soft as cotton.
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I once saw another blogger describing this bread as 'cannot wait to dig a hole in this bread and sleep in it'. Well I guess that says a lot.
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Perfectly soft yet elastic crumb. I could snack on this bread without any butter or jam.
This bread is best eaten while still warm as the crust is still crisp and the crumb, well, would make you wanna make a hole in the bread and sleep in it. :D
The recipe was taken from Angie's Recipes but I first read about it on The Fresh Loaf. I ended up using the original instant yeast recipe as opposed to the sourdough version because my poor Francis the sourdough starter is still recuperating from his illness. Good news is he is now showing signs of improvement so fingers crossed.
Do read the post on The Fresh Loaf as it has got lots of tips on making this bread. The ultimate key is to knead the dough to death. To the point you could see your fingers behind it when stretched and won't break easily when you poke it with your finger.
I can't wait to make a second loaf!
Kong
Looks stunning! I am going to try it.
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DeleteYou absolutely should. Just make sure you knead it really really well (more so than normal bread). Let me know how it turns out!
DeleteWill do. Probably this weekend. Think I've finally cracked oven spring too - have a few photos, but more are out of focus, but will try to post.
DeleteBeautiful - I haven't been able to quite get the "shreddable" quality that you show in your photos. Did you use a tangzhong starter the way that some of the milk bread recipes call for?
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DeleteNo I didn't. I simply made sure that I kneaded the dough until the gluten was fully developed and passed the windowpane test. Do read the post on The Fresh Loaf because it has got nice pictures of a fully developed dough. I might well give the tanzhong method a try at some point as it seems to produce a leaner dough (less cream needed). Have you got a blog as well that I could visit? :)
DeleteI have wanted to try making Hokkaido bread for so long! I think this has just convinced me <3
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I have genuine feels for your genius in the kitchen. I can't wait until your next post! ^_^
Haha thank you for the kind words Véronique! What you see on my blog is just a snapshot of my baking adventures, although I do try to blog about my not-so-successful-baking-disasters too (remember the coffin cake?) You should absolutely give this recipe a go, it's nothing like the hard sponges that you get in supermarkets. Imagine sinking your teeth into a soft pillowy white loaf. It really is best eaten while still warm (but not straight out of oven) because the residual steam makes the crumb extra delicate while the crust has some time to stabilise and crisp up. Gosh I have a feeling I'll be baking this loaf again this weekend!
DeleteGorgeous! I definitely want to try this recipe when I get a free weekend!
ReplyDeletePlease do Su Lin! Let me know how it turns out too! Don't forget to knead the dough till the strong windowpane stage. :)
DeleteI am a bread lover and your bread looked so soft and moist! Congratulations!
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