Stuff braided bread

Yesterday, I decided to try another type of braided bread. There are a lot of type of braided bread and it's all depend on how do we braided it. This particular braided bread has caught my attention for months but I just need to find the right moment and mood to do it.

Earlier on, we went to the supermarket and I bought some ingredients for the filling. The filling is all depend on individual preference. You can stuffed it with meat..just vegetable..berries with cream cheese or anything that you want. Since it's for dinner, I decided to fill it with pepperoni, pork slices, pasta sauce and of course cheese!

Here are the ingredients for the dough. It is the same with any bread dough that I done previously and this one, I add tangzhong.

- 21/2 cup of flour
- 2 tsp of dry yeast or 20 gm of fresh yeast
- 1/2 cup of tangzhong ( 1/3 cup of flour + 1 cup of water. Whisk flour + water over medium heat until the mixture thickens and swirl lines appear)
- 3 tbsp of butter
- 3 tbsp of sugar
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup of warm milk ( 30second in the microwave)

1. Mix the yeast with milk, sugar, egg & tangzhong in a measuring cup & stirred will until all ingredients are well mix.

2. Combine the flour and salt.

3. Add the wet mixture into the flour mixture by creating a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Knead the dough and adding some flour until the dough is no longer stick on your hand. Add the butter (soften) and knead the dough again. Using a floured working board, knead the dough for a few minutes until it is elastic.

4. Let it stand for few hours or until it double the size. Then start rolling the dough into a rectangular shape. Using a knife or in my case, I just use pizza cutter to cut 'strips' on the left and right of the rectangle. Leave the middle third uncut.

5. Spread the filling in the middle. Then continue to 'braid' the dough strips all the way down to the bottom. Wrap the last few strips underneath the loaf.

6. Brush the top of the dough with the egg wash and sprinkle some cheese ( or anything you fancy). Baked for 20-25 minutes in a 185C temp oven.

And dinner is serve! It's better to eat it while it is still hot and fresh out from the oven. Enjoy your meal.

Braided bread with sugar icing and cranberry topping

It has been a while since I last updated my baking activities here. I guess I was busy with other things that eventually make me abandon my blog. HUhuh...so sorry for that. Actually for the past 2-3 months I literally have not bake anything as I just don't feel quite well & in the mood. Waa..boleh..hahaha...Harus la baking mesti ada 'MOOD" baru la jadi kan...

OK. Today I want to update what I just baked yesterday. I have been wanting to bake braided bread..I don't know since ages. But I just don't have enough urge to drag myself to do it but yesterday the urge is ...what shall I say...extremely strong. Hahhaha...so, the next thing I know, I am making a braided bread.

Here's the ingredient:

• 4 cups of bread flour (but I just use the normal wheat flour)
• 2 tsp of active dry yeast
• 2 tbsp of sugar
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 2 tsp of salt
• 2 whole eggs + 3 eggs white (slightly beaten)
• 3 tbsp of icing sugar (for topping)
• few drops of water (for topping)
• some cranberry or any berry of your choice for the topping (you also can use chop nuts)

Right. Now the methods;

In a mixing bowl, add 2 cups of flour, yeast and sugar. Whisk to combine.

In a pot, add the water, milk and butter. Heat until lukewarm.

Pour the wet mixture into the mixing bowl containing the flour, yeast & sugar. But make sure the wet mixture is not hot because it will kill the yeast. It has to be LUKEWARM.

Stirred both mixture until combine. The dough will be sticky but don't worry. Let the sticky dough rest for 10minutes until it rise. 

After 10 minutes, add the eggs into the mixture and stirred well. 

Add the remaining 2 cup of flour and salt into the mixing bowl and knead for few minutes.

If the dough is still sticky, add little bit of flour (tbsp per tbsp) until you get the right texture. It should be elastic, soft and maybe a little sticky to the fingers.

Let the dough rest for 1hr until it double the size. When the dough is risen, divide the dough into three part. And roll each dough into a long dough (cam tali la...) and don't forget to spread flour on your counter top before you start the rolling to prevent it from sticking on the counter top. Make sure the length is equally measure. I have to used a measuring tape for this one. Hahah..because I want the braid to be as perfect as it can be.

Pinching the top of the braid together & tuck them under to seal, and start braiding and again..pinch the end and tuck it underneath the dough to seal it. Let the dough rest again for at least 30min.(Sorry eh no pic from how I braided it coz I am alone. Xder juru photo nya. Hheheh..u can google for how to braid a bread K). 

While waiting for it to raise, place a tray with water inside the over and preheat the oven. Once the dough has rise, brush the top of the dough with egg yolk (add with a few drops of milk) and sprinkle some poppy seed. 

Then bake the dough at 190C for 30min. * After 20min, remove the tray with the water & continue on baking. The reason why I do this is to get the hard outside but soft and pillowy inside effect of the bread.

After 30min, take out the bread and cool it off. To finish it, mix icing sugar with water and spread it on top of the bread and sprinkle some cranberry. So, now you can have your braided bread. Great for breakfast..tea time or even dinner. Enjoy!!

Hokkaido Milk Loaf

Bread is an essential food in my household. We basically eat it everyday. If I am very lazy..or my arms just too tired, I will go to the nearest bakery and get some. Mind you..I do not used any bread maker or kitchen helper to mix my dough as I prefer to use my bare hands, and believe me, kneading a dough really give you a toned arms! 

I made bread several times before so this time I thought of trying a new kind of bread. I heard about it quite a lot so curiosity get the best of me. This time, I decided to give it a try.

As in any bread recipe, you need flour, yeast, milk, sugar, salt, egg and whipping cream ( I never use whipping cream when baking my bread previously so this is new for me). The original recipe of this loaf, which I took from Rasamalaysia.com required you to add powder milk as well but since I do not have any in my house, I decided to skip that one. 

Mix every ingredients in one mixing bowl & knead it all together until it become one smooth and elastic dough. Then leave the dough for an hour until it double it size. 
After an hour, divided the dough into two and roll each dough flat, into a rectangular shape. Then roll the rectangular shape dough just like when you're making a swiss roll. 

Take out your bread tray and place both of the roll dough inside the tray (place it side by side). Ok..when you roll it, start at the shorter end or the width. If you start at the longer end/length..it end up like mind. Over panjang for my bread tray!! Hahah..

Leave it for 45 to 60 minutes until it double it size or at least 3/4 of the bread tray.

Look very 'fat' and 'sendat' my dough inside this bread tray kan? hahah…I guess next time, I will put just one dough in each tray unless I get a bigger bread tray!


Baked the bread for 40 minutes in a 190C temperature and there you go!! U can have a nice, oven hot & freshly bake bread for you and your family.:)

You see that 'horn'?? That is because my dough is very long as you can see in the previous picture. So, next time I remember which side to roll when I roll the dough. Takder la rupa cam tandok tu. Hehhehe...

For the ingredients;

• 21/2 cups of flour
• 100ml of whipping/heavy cream
• 125ml of milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp of fine sugar
• 2 tsp of dry yeast
• 1/4 tsp of salt

The verdict: Yes! The bread is indeed very soft. I guess if you have powder milk, it might give you milkier taste (for those who want to use it, just add 1-2tbsp).