Mini Pumpkin Loaf 南瓜小吐司

A light and soft mini loaf baked using the lighter colour butternut pumpkin :)

Yield: four 25Lx8Wx9Hcm mini bread

100g whole milk 全脂牛奶

20g condensed milk 炼乳

3/4 tsp instant dry yeast 即发干酵母粉

225g bread flour 高筋面粉

25g top/cake flour 低筋面粉

50g cooked pumpkin paste 熟南瓜泥

30g fine sugar 细糖

25g beaten egg 蛋液

1/4 tsp salt 盐

30g soften unsalted butter 无盐奶油

Some flour for sprinkling the dough

Directions

1. Steamed about 80g raw pumpkin at medium high heat for 15 minutes, till softened. Drain away the excess water collected at the bottom of the bowl. Mash the softened pumpkin into paste by using a fork. Collect 50g of the pumpkin paste for later use.

2. In a separate bowl, add condensed milk to fresh milk and heat up in rice cooker using "keep warm" mode for 10 minutes.

3. When the milk mixture temperature falls between 28 to 38 degree Celsius, sprinkle instant dry yeast over the milk mixture without stirring it. Let the mixture stands for about 15 minutes to activate the yeast.

4. Mix both flours, sugar and salt, in a mixing bowl.

5. Pour in pumpkin paste, beaten egg and milk mixture from (3). And stir the mixture in one direction till it forms into a lump.

Cover the dough with a lid and let it rest for 15 minutes to allow the flour to absorb the liquid.

6. After the 20-minute-rest, turn the dough onto a floured work top. 

Knead the dough by slamming - pulling -folding and turning in repeated steps till the dough becomes smooth. This process takes about 10 minutes.

Wear a pair of CPE gloves to knead this rather sticky dough.

Pictures for illustration only.

7. Spread out the dough and apply softened butter to it. Knead to incorporate butter into the dough.

Pictures for illustration only.

8. When the butter has well incorporated into the dough, repeat the slamming process till you get an elastic dough that can pull out a membrane. This process take about 10 to 15 minutes.

9. Place the dough in a lightly greased mixing bowl, spray some water, cover with a lid, and allow the dough to proof for 1 hour, or till the dough doubles in size.

10. After the proofing, invert the dough onto a floured surface. Flatten the dough to released the trapped air.

11. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and shape them into balls,

Coat the dough with flour and roll within the cup of your hand into a ball.

12. Place the finished dough into a 30x10x7 tin mould lined with parchment paper. 

13. Allow the dough to proof in a closed oven for 50 to 60 minutes or till the dough rises to the rim of the mould.

14. When the doughs reaches 4/5 the height of the loaf tin, remove the tin from the oven.

Turn on the oven to 160 degree Celsius, and preheat for about 10 minutes.

15. Sprinkle some flour over the surface of the dough.

16. Bake the dough in the oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, or till the top turns golden, at lower rack.

17. After the loaf has baked through, lift it out of the tin and cool on a wire rack immediately.

18. After the loaf has completely cool down, slice it with a bread knife :)