| 271g All Purpose Flour | |
| 6g Instant Yeast | |
| 32g Granulated Sugar | |
| 7g Fine Sea Salt | |
| 136g Eggs | |
| 46g Whole Milk | |
| 122g Unsalted Butter - Room Temp. |
| 1. | Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray (unless making hot cross buns). |
| 2. | To mix the dough: Place the flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix for about 15 seconds to distribute the yeast evenly. Add all of the remaining dough ingredients, except the butter, and mix on low speed for 4 minutes. Continue to mix on low speed for 30 minutes. (At this point there will be some dough sticking to the sides of the bowl.) After 30 minutes, add the butter a few pieces at a time, incorporating each addition before adding the next. Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and push the dough off the hook. Continue to mix for 10 minutes. For hot cross buns, the dough is used at this point. |
| 3. | Fermentation: For all other doughs, the dough is now in the fermentation stage. Set a timer for 1 hour. Using a bowl scraper, release the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured board; the dough will be sticky. Pat, stretch, and fold the dough (see Stretching and Folding the Dough) and place it in the prepared bowl. Cover and set aside. Repeat the pat, stretch, and fold, place the dough back in the bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight. The dough is now ready to be used. |
| 4. | You’ll need two 21.5cm by 7cm loaf pans. |
| 5. | Spray the loaf pans with nonstick spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray the parchment. |
| 6. | To divide, preshape, and shape the dough: Use a bowl scraper to release the dough from the bowl and turn it out onto a lightly floured board. Gently pat into a rectangular shape, removing any large air bubbles and adding flour only as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the board. Divide the dough into twelve 50-gram/1.7-ounce portions. Cup your fingers around a portion of dough and, using the palm of your hand, roll it against the board to form a ball. Continue to roll until the top is completely smooth. Repeat with the remaining dough. (When you become proficient at rolling with one hand, you can use both hands to roll 2 portions at a time. |
| 7. | To proof the dough: Set 6 balls in each pan. Brush the tops with egg wash. Cover the pans with a plastic tub or a cardboard box and let proof for 2½ to 3 hours, until the balls have risen and are touching. Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of the oven and place a baking stone on it. Preheat the oven to 180°C (standard). |
| 8. | To bake the bread: Brush the tops again with egg wash. Slide the pans onto the stone and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are a rich golden brown and the loaves are baked through (a wooden skewer inserted in the center should come out clean). Turn out immediately and let cool completely on a cooling rack. |
Leave a Reply