'PAIN DE MIE AU BEURRE' OR BUTTER BREAD LOAF

My bread madness is not over yet.  It's so fun to knead.  I remember when I was still doing my O-level, I had no idea when to stop kneading.  You imagine that!!  I came across this bread recipe through Honey Bee Sweets' blog.  She got this beautiful recipe from Carol 自在生活 blog.  I would strongly advise you to visit Honey Bee Sweets' blog.  There are many wonderful recipes over there.  Carol's pictorial is just amazing.  You don't need to know Chinese to understand the recipe.  Just follow her pictorials.  Click on the links below to get the butter bread loaf recipe from the above mentioned blogs:

1. 奶油千層吐司 from Carol 自在生活 blog (With pictorials)
2. "Thousand Layer" Butter Bread Loaf from Honey Bee Sweets' blog

I adapted the recipe with minor modifications based on the equipment and ingredients I had.

Ingredients 

List A

270 g bread flour (High gluten flour)

30 g cake flour (Low-gluten flour)

5 g instant yeast

3 g salt (about ½ teaspoon)

30 g caster sugar

200 ml warn milk

List B

20 g unsalted butter

List C

30 g unsalted butter
List D
1 beaten egg

Method

1.  In a large bowl, combine the sifted flours (both low and high gluten flour), sugar and salt. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk.  Add this liquid to the flour mixing to form a rough mass.  Work and knead the dough for about 20 minutes until it is smooth and does not stick to your hands.

2.  Knead in the 20 g unsalted butter.  When all the butter is incorporated into the dough knock back and continue kneading by folding, pushing and rotating the dough continuously until you obtain a smooth and elastic dough.
Take your time and do the kneading process slowly.  Avoid being harsh with the dough.  This should take you approximately 20 minutes.  You can use the Windowpane Test to check whether the dough is ready.

Initially the dough was stiff! But once you add the butter, it is easier to work with!
It is always recommended to develop the gluten before adding fat!!

3.  Place the dough ball in an oiled bowl.  Spray some oil or water on the surface of the dough to prevent drying.  Allow the dough to rise (ferment) in a warm place for about 1½ hours.  You can cover it with a damp towel or cling film.  I left mine to ferment for 2 hours since it is currently winter here.


4.  Punch down or deflate the dough to remove air.  Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface.  Form the dough into a ball; cover with a damp towel and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes.

1.  Cover and allow to ferment    2.  After fermentation    3.  Punching or degassing    4. Resting

5.  Roll the dough into a large rectangle (about 30 cm x 50 cm).  Spread the 30 g unsalted butter onto the dough.  Roll up the dough (as you would do for a Swiss roll) from the short side and seal all the four edges tightly.  


6.  Fold the resulted dough roll or log into half with one half on top of the other.  Cut through the middle of the folded log lengthwise leaving about 2cm at the end uncut.

I did many mistakes here.  Didn't roll the rectangle properly.   As a result the roll was short in length and the whole thing became too plumpy :-p

7.  Twist the dough as shown in the picture below.  It need not be tight.  Place the twisted bread dough in a greased loaf tin.  Spray with water.  Cover with a damp towel and allow to prove for 1 hour.  (I did not use a loaf tin but rather a cake tin which was not deep enough).


8.  Glaze with either beaten eggs or milk or honey.  

1. Twist and place in greased mould    2. Proofing     3. Glazing

9.  Bake for 30-40 minutes at 180°C depending on your oven.  Un-mould and cool immediately on a cooling rack once baked.

So cottonyyyy!  Actually I was having fun tearing the bread! LOL

The texture as well as the taste were amazing.  Thanks to Carol and Honey Bee Sweets for sharing recipes.  Keep the circle of sharing.