Wholemeal Pullman Loaf

I haven't been updating this blog because I have been suffering from baker's block. Everything I baked turn out bad, even my regular cinnamon roll. This changed when my neighbour, Iris, gave me a recipe for banana bread which turned out wonderful! Details of this in my next blog.

I want to share this recipe for wholemeal pullman bread. This is modified from Alex Goh's book "Bread". This recipe is different from other pullman bread because it uses whip cream. This gives the bread extra flavour and softness. I have substituted most of the flour with organic fine stoneground wholemeal flour for added goodness.

Sponge Dough:

2g fresh yeast (or 1/2 tsp instant yeast)
1 tbsp water
75g 12% high protein bread flour
75g fine stoneground wholemeal flour
87ml water

Main Dough:
5g fresh yeast (or 1/2 tsp instant yeast)
100g fine stoneground wholemeal flour
15g sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp milk powder
100ml whipping cream
15g butter

Method:

1. Mix ingredients for sponge dough and leave in a covered bowl for 4 hours.
2. Add all other ingredients to sponge dough except salt and butter. Add salt after mixing the dough for 5 minutes. Knead for another 10 minutes and add butter.
3. When a smooth dough has formed, cover it in a bowl and leave to rise for 2 hour. I usually put it in the refrigerator because my kitchen is warm (84 Fahrenheit).
4. Put the dough on a flat surface and do a stretch and fold. This is done by gently flattening the dough and pulling one side of the dough over to the other side about 2/3 of the way. Pull the other side over to overlap the first fold. Do the same for the top and bottom sides of the dough.
5. Cover the dough in a bowl and leave to rise for 1 hour. Repeat the stretch and fold and leave to rise for another hour.
6. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and round them up. Rest the pieces for 15 minutes.
7. Flatten the pieces of dough and roll them up swiss roll style. Rest for 10 minutes.
8. Repeat the flattening and rolling. Put the pieces in a loaf pan. I use a half sized loaf pan, 5.5 inches all round. The loaf does not reach the top even after baking unless I use more bread flour instead of wholemeal flour.
9. Cover the pan and proof for 45 minutes.
10. Bake at 200C for 35 minutes.
11. Close your eyes and enjoy the taste and smell of fresh bread!

Banana and Walnut Cinnamon Roll

Here's my favourite recipe. This is good for all kinds of buns or rolls. I always substitute 70% of the flour with fine stoneground wholemeal flour. You can use ordinary bread flour and the result will be just as good, if not better.

Sponge
80g Bread Flour
130g Fine stoneground wholemeal flour
2g Yeast
125g Water

Mix ingredients in a bowl and leave aside for 4 to 5 hours.

Dough
50g Plain flour
40g Fine stoneground wholemeal flour
15g milk powder
40g sugar
6g yeast
1 small egg
3g salt
45g butter

Filling
30g softened butter
20g brown sugar
5g cinnamon
100g bananas
100g walnuts

1. Put ingredients, except salt and butter, into mixer with the sponge. Mix for 5 mins and add salt. Mix for another 5 to 10 mins and add butter. Mix for 10 mins. If you mixer does not have a dough hook, just mix with a big spoon and then use your hands when the dough forms into a ball.

2. Rest the dough for 10 mins and then mix/knead for another 10 mins. Continue this way till you have kneaded for 30 mins.

3. Put the dough in a large bowl and cover with cling wrap. Let it rise (or proof) in the refrigerator. This slows down the rise but improves the softness and flexibility of the dough. This is important on a hot day when the temperature rises above 22 degrees.

4. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down with your fist and knead all the air out of the dough. Cover and put it back in the fridge.

5. Roast walnuts and leave it to cool. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and leave aside.

6. When the dough has doubled in size again (about half the time required from the first time), punch it down and put it on a well floured surface. Use a rolling pin and flatten the dough into a rectangular shape of 30cm by 10 cm.

7. Spread softened butter over the dough. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over the dough.

8. Spread banana and walnut generously over the dough. Roll the dough up like a swiss roll and cut into 16 pieces. You may cut them into any other size that fits your baking pan.

9. Grease 2 baking pans 17cm by 10cm. Put the rolls into the pan and cover with cling wrap. I usually stack them one on top of the other to save space and clingwrap.

10. Leave to rise for 40 mins.

11. Heat the oven to 220 degrees celsius 15 mins before baking and bake for 15 mins.

12. Cool the rolls on a rack for 1/2 an hour before eating.

Instead of banana and walnut, you can use ingredients such as raisins or chocolate chip. My friend, Mary Ann, likes cream cheese fillings but that's another recipe!

Healthy Additions

As you may have guessed by now, I believe in healthy eating. This means to eat organic fruits and vegetables, where available, and to eat local produce. I also believe in eating seeds and nuts. They contain lots of vitamins and minerals; some even assist in healing. Here are some things I add to bread or sandwiches to make them healthier :

1. Pumpkin Seeds. After brushing the bread or buns with egg wash, sprinkle shelled pumpkin seeds on top. Bake the bread at the usual temperature. The seeds come out roasted and fragrant. Somethings I pick them off the bread to eat on its own. They are really yummy.

2. Flaxseed. These are high in omega 3,6 and 9. They help in brain development and is good for general health. However, the nutrients are destroyed when heated so I usually add them in a sandwich. They need to be grinded into powder form because our body cannot digest the seeds when it is whole. Just sprinkle them generously in a sandwich. They don't have much taste so are not offensive at all.

3. Tahini. These are sesame paste and are used in salads and mediterrenean cooking. I use them as a spread for my sandwiches. I like the black ones because they are very fragrant.

4. Alfafa. I use them as a filling for my sandwich.

5. Olive oil. I like dipping my bread in extra virgin olive oil. They are slightly green in colour and taste great with bread.

6. Banana and other fruits. I like adding banana into my buns and bread. You can add any soft fruit that is in season. I sometimes use raisins. These are sweet and tasty, and is a good source of fibre. I may try jackfruit or durians next time.

7. Cinnamon. This helps to control blood sugar level and smells great in the bread.

8. Walnut. I use this instead of almonds because I prefer to eat almonds own its own. However, any type of nut will taste good when baked. They come out roasted.

An Pan

This recipe is meant for an pans, Japanese buns with red bean (azuki bean) paste fillings. I used cheese instead of red bean paste as fillings. I prepared the bread dough the night before and left it in the refrigerator to rise and baked it in the morning for breakfast. It tasted warm and soft because of the melted cheese fillings, mmm... Here's the recipe :

Ingredients :

Flour 300g
Yeast 7g
Sugar 2 tablespoons
Butter 7g
Salt 3g
Milk 50ml
Water 150ml

Method :
1. Mix all ingredients for dough together, except salt and butter.
2. Mix till all liquid is absorbed into dough and add salt.
3. Knead (or mix dough around) for 10 mins and add butter.
4. Knead for 10 mins and cover dough for 10 mins. Continue kneading for another 10 mins.
5. Put dough in a large bowl and cover with clingwrap or wet towel. Leave it to rise for 40-50 mins or until double in size. Dough rises faster in warmer temperatures so check more often if the weather is hot.
6. Flatten dough and break into 10 pieces.
7. Flatten each piece of dough and put in red bean paste or any filling you like. I have used cheese, chocolate chips and green beans before. Use your imagination and have fun!
8. Close over filling and flatten. Leave in a baking pan about 1-2cm apart and leave to rise for 30 min or until double in size.
9. Pre-heat oven to 220 degrees and bake for 10-15 mins.

Red Bean Paste

Ingredients:
Red Beans (Azuki beans) 3/4 cup
Water 2 cups
Sugar 50g

Method:
1. Soak beans in water the night before use. Ensure that the level of water is double the level of beans in the bowl. This is because the beans will absorb water and expand.
2. The next morning, drain water from the bowl.
3. Put beans in a pan and cover with water. Put on high flame until it boils. Lower flame.
4. Cook the beans till the water dries up - about 2 hours. Stir occasionally. Ensure that the beans are soft.

Healthy Bread

The main reason I bake my own bread is not just to bake a better loaf of bread but also to bake a healthier one. My friend and neighbour, Iris says I should call my blog "Organic Maniac"! For those who are allergic to health food like Iris is, you may skip this post and go to the next one where I have posted another recipe. For the rest of you who are still curious, read on :

There are many delicious bread recipes so how do we make healthier bread? Is it possible to modify these delicious recipes so that we get tasty AND healthy bread? Here are some things I do to make healthier bread.

1. Add wholemeal flour. Start by making half the amount of flour wholemeal. If a recipe calls for 300g of bread flour, use 150g of fine stoneground wholemeal flour and 150g of bread flour. This will not affect the recipe at all. You may gradually increase the proportion of wholemeal flour to get a healthier loaf. As the proportion of wholemeal flour increases, the bread will rise less and become more dense.

2. Reduce sugar. I use a type of molass sugar called sugacant. You may use any other form of molass sugar. They are high in nutrients and are less sweet. I also reduce the quantity of sugar in a recipe. If a recipe calls for 60g of sugar, I will use 40g of sugacant. You may reduce the amount of sugar according to your taste. This will not affect the recipe.

3. Reduce salt. I use half the amount of salt stated in a recipe.

4. Use butter instead of shortening. Shortening is a form of hydrogenated oil and is harmful to our health. Substitute butter or certain oils. Grapeseed oil and coconut oil are also good alternatives.

5. Use distilled or spring water. There are some contaminants in our water so use as clean a type of water as you can find. I have a water distiller and use them for drinking and cooking.

6. Use healthy ingredients. Examples are organic seeds and nuts. Avoid or reduce ingredients such as bread improvers, instant yeast, baking powder, sausages, non-organic meat, hydrogenated oil and cheese.

Tomoko's Bread - more

In my previous blog, I said to make balls of dough of 20g. This should be 50g.

For those whose mixer does not have a dough hook, you can mix with a normal mixer then remove the dough when it becomes too dry. Put the dough in a large bowl and continue to mix by hand for 10 mins. Rest the dough for 10 mins. Continue mixing and resting until you have mixed for 30 mins. This start-stop way of mixing helps the dough relax and easier to mix.

For those who don't have a mixer at all, you can start your mixing with a large spoon. Add water to flour a little at a time. Mix a little water to the flour, then mix it in thoroughly. Continue this way till you have mixed in all the water. Then use the start-stop method of mixing as stated above.

For warm days, you can let the dough rise in a refrigerator. This takes longer but improves the softness of the dough.

I am baking cheese buns using another recipe this afternoon. I plan to let it rise in the refrigerator tonight and bake it early in the morning for breakfast. I will post pictures and recipe tomorrow when I am done.

Please let me know if more information about bread or Tomoko's recipe is required.

Tomoko's Bread

This bread recipe is from my Japanese friend, Tomoko. She uses it to make sugar buns or wrap the dough around cheese or sausages to make cheese and sausage buns. Her kids love it and she bakes this twice a week. Each batch lasts her 2 to 3 days.

Tomoko's Bread :

Bread Flour 500g
Butter 75g
Egg 1
Fresh milk 300g ( reduce by 10-20g if egg is big)
Sugar 30g
Salt 9g
Yeast 15g or 2 teaspoon

Egg glaze:
1 egg mix with half egg shelf of water.

Method:
1. Mix all ingredients together except salt and butter.
2. After 5 mins of mixing, add salt.
3. Mix another 10 mins and add butter.
4. Mix another 10-20 mins.
5. Put dough in a big bowl and cover with cling wrap or wet cloth.
6. Let it rest for 40-50 mins until dough doubles in size.
7. Make balls of 20g with the dough and put them in a baking pan; about 1-2cm apart.
8. Let it rest for another 30-40 mins. Heat oven to 220 degrees about 15 mins before bake.
9. Make egg glaze and brush over dough.
10. Sprinkle sugar generously over the dough.
11. bake for 10-15 mins.

Instead of sprinkling sugar to make sugar buns, you can use this recipe to make sausage rolls. Just wrap the little balls of dough round a sausage and put it in cookie sheet about 2 cm apart.