Cookie Crust Bread Loaf

This sweet soft loaf of bread with crispy cookie crust would make everyone fighting for the two bread ends. As these are the two slices having the thickest cookie crust :P

Yield: One 13Lx10Wx15H cm loaf

          About 570g

Cookie Crust

Ingredients

60g all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

30g unsalted butter, softened

25g fine sugar

15g beaten egg

1/4 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 tsp fine sugar for sprinkling, optional

Direction

1. Mix all purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a small mixing bowl using a hand whisk. Set aside.

2. Whip butter till light using a hand whisk. This takes about 2 minutes.

3. Add in sugar and whip for about 5 minutes, or till creamy light.

4. Add in beaten egg in a few small  batches.

5. Add in vanilla essence.

6. Fold in the sieved flour in 3 lots using a spatula.

7. Transfer the cookie dough to a small sandwich bag. Flatten and shape the dough using a dough cutter. Try to shape the dough close to the bread pan area.

8. Refrigerate the cookie dough for about 1 hour. 

You can take out the cookie dough about 5 minutes before reaching the 1:55 countdown timer.

Bread dough

Ingredients 
150g whole milk 
20g condensed milk

25g beaten egg
40g fine sugar 
1/4 tsp salt 

30g unsalted butter

225g bread flour 
25g top/cake flour 

3/4 tsp instant dry yeast 

Direction

1. If you are using cold milk, keep warm the fresh milk, and condensed milk in a rice cooker for 10 minutes.

Or, you can let them stand in room temperature for about 25 minutes.

The temperature should not exceed 38 degree Celsius in order not to affect the yeast.

2. Pour milk mixture into the bread pan.

3. Add in beaten egg (about 1/2 an egg).

4. Add in sugar and salt.

5. Add in unsalted butter.

6. Pour in bread flour and cake flour.

7. Dig a hole and pour in the instant dry yeast.

8. Place the bread pan into the bread machine.

9. Select "5" Sweet Dough function; select the Crust Colour; and press "start".

I chose "Medium" crust colour.

10. When the countdown timer appears 1:55 (1 hour after starting the "Sweet Dough" program), take out the dough and shape it into a ball.

Remove the kneading blade, and place the dough back to the bread pan.

11. When the countdown timer reads 2:00, takes out the cookie dough from the fridge, cut open the sandwich bag, and coat the back with some beaten egg.

12. Carefully place the cookie dough above the bread dough. Press lightly to ensure good contact between the two doughs.

Close the lid and wait for the dough to proof and bake.

If you prefer a sweeter cookie crust, you can sprinkle some fine sugar to it.

13. The bread is ready *\(^o^)/*

14. Transfer the loaf out of the bread pan, and allow it to cool down on the cooling rack before slicing it :)