Hokkaido Milk Bread (Tangzhong method) version 2.1

Isn't it ironic? When I finally succeeded, it was the version I wasn't expecting to be good. I just wanted to try with my "routine" flour. I knew I didn't probably have enough cream. I wanted to use the recipe from my latest experiment (version 2.0) and so I started baking, I made tangzhong, then mixed the liquids, added flour on top ( I made this with my bread machine), added all other ingredients. Then I reached from the yeast and remembered that last time I had used nearly all of it. The yeast measured scant 1 teaspoonful. I had baked this bread previously with slightly more yeast than that and they had been dense and underbaked...

Due to a bank holiday all nearby shops were closed. Then I remembered I might have a small piece of fresh yeast in the fridge. I reached for the top shelf and there it was: a small piece covered by paper. I opened the package: it was dried out as I had expected. I carved out the dry parts and weighed the piece: 8 g. Not enough... But as I had already mixed the other ingredients, I decided to advance: I pushed some flour to uncover the liquid part in the bottom of the pan, crumbled the small piece of fresh yeast there, mixed it a bit, then poured the dry yeast on top the flour and started the machine feeling I was already losing the battle.

Against all odds the bread ended up perfect: soft, fluffy, tasty... I'll still have to discover the recipe using either fresh or dry yeast, as it seems too めんどくさい (translates loosely as troublesome in Japanese) to use them both.

Hokkaido Milk Bread version 2.1 (with no Rainbow flour): perfect!!!

80 g water

23 g heavy cream (it was all I got)

12 g milk

90 g tangzhong (15 g flour, 75 g water)

230 g bread flour (this time I had my "routine flour")

20 g sugar
2/3 tsp salt

10 g milk powder

8 g fresh yeast (you could try substituting 1 extra tsp dry yeast, that's what I'm going to do next time)

scant 1 tsp instant yeast

29 g soft, unsalted butter, cubed

This time the liquid:flour-ratio was 190/245=0.78.  

Make tangzhong (instructions here). Put wet ingredients to the pan of the bread machine, crumble the fresh yeast and let it dissolve. Add the dry ones on top (or according to the instructions of your bread machine; or of course you could mix and knead it traditional style without any machines). Start the machine and let it knead the dough until it comes together. If the dough seems too wet/dry, add either water or flour. Add soft butter. Let the machine finish its kneading cycle and then let the dough proof about 40 min (as fresh yeast works faster)

Divide into 2 parts and roll them into rounds. Flatten with rolling pin to ovals (about 30 cm in length). Bring the long sides to center and roll again to 30 cm long oval. Roll up and place both "swirls" in the pan, the loose end facing the bottom and the swirl patterns to the sides (20x10x10 cm pan). Cover with greased clingfilm. Let proof appr. 1 h (or until double in size). 

Bake in 180 C oven for 30-35 min.

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