Traditional Sweet Bread II (Cold Fermentation)

A similar sweet bread as my previous Traditional Sweet Bread I , but using overnight cold fermentation and a little adjustment to the original recipe. The result was a better moisture content and texture bread ✌👍😋

Yield: 2 loaves in a pan
Pan size: Wiltshire enamel coated pan 21x13x6cm
Raw dough weight: 593g
Baking temperature: Preheated oven to 190℃, bake at middle rack at 180℃ for 13 minutes, 170℃ for about 12 minutes, off for 3 minutes. Tent at 10th minute.


Water Roux
3g bread flour
2g glutinous rice flour
25g water

1. Mix and stir over low heat till it thicken into a glossy paste.

2. Cool down and collect about 25g for use later.

Cover with an inverted glass till needed.

Sweet Bread Dough

Ingredients
210g bread flour
80g Prima plain flour plus/plain flour
40g raw cane sugar
1g instant dry yeast
3g low-sodium fine salt

25g water roux from above
20g beaten egg
30g natural yeast*
20g condensed milk
130g fresh milk, cold

10g cold water, added depending on dough condition

30g unsalted butter, added after gluten formed


Toppings
egg wash

* 30g of natural yeast can be replaced by 15g each of bread flour and water. You can add 1/8 tsp of instant dry yeast if you want to have a shorter proofing period.

Directions

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer.

2. Add all the wet ingredients, except the 10g of water and unsalted butter, into the mixing bowl.

wet ingredients

natural yeast

water roux

cold milk

When all the ingredients come together into a lump, cover with a lid and keep in the vegetable compartment of a fridge for 20 minutes. This allows autolysis to take place.

Keep the dough in the vegetable drawer for about 20 minutes

3. Knead the dough at low speed till it forms into a smoother dough.

Add the softened butter and continue to knead till reaching window pane stage.

Add the 10g of water depending on the dough moisture.

End of kneading

Give the dough about 50 sets of slap and fold into a smooth dough

4. Keep the dough in double plastic bags and in a covered container, before keeping in the fridge to undergo about 16 to 18 hours of cold fermentation.

In the next day, take out the cold dough, invert it, and let it thaw for about 60 to  90 minutes.

5. Invert the dough onto a floured worktop. Deflate and divide into two portions.

Shape the dough into two balls, cover and let them rest for 15 minutes.

6. Take a dough and flatten it slightly, and shape into a round dough again.

Lower the shaped dough into the bread pan coated with a thin layer of butter. Spray some water, cover with a tea cloth, and let them proof for about 90 minutes, or till reaching the rim of the pan.

End of 90-minute second proofing

7. Preheat the oven to 190℃. While waiting, brush a coat of egg wash over the top.

Bake at middle rack of an oven preheated to 190℃, lower temperature to 180℃ for 13 minutes, further lower to 170℃ for 12 minutes, turn off the oven and bake for 3 minutes, or till the top has become golden. Tent the top with aluminum foil at about 10th minute into baking to prevent over-browning the top.

8. Transfer the bread out of oven, and remove from pan immediately.

9. Let the bread rest on a wire rack.

10. Cut the bread after it has completely cool down 😋