Egg-less Soy Milk Butter Bread (SSL)

I seldom baked savoury breads. Having baked many sweet breads, I suddenly craved for savoury bread. Added with sweet stiff levain which gave the bread a springy texture, the salted butter glazed crust also gave a soft, savoury and aromatic golden crust to the bread.

The bread is best enjoyed with just a coat of salted butter and no others 😋

Yield: one loaf of bread

Pan size: 21x13x10 cm Jamie Oliver 1.5L bread pan

Raw dough weight: 630g

Baking temperature: Preheat oven to 190℃, lower rack, bake at 180℃ for 15 minutes, reduce to 170℃ for 15 minutes, turn off oven and continue to bake for 5 minutes. 

Sweet Stiff Levain (SSL)

Ingredients

40g cool boiled water

15g raw sugar

20g natural yeast, 100% hydration*

80g unbleached bread flour

* 20g natural yeast can be replaced by 10g bread flour + 10g water + 1/8 tsp instant dry yeast

Let the sweet stiff levain stands in room temperature for about 6~8 hours, or triple in volume, before adding to dough. 

sweet stiff levain (👈click to access the preparation method)

Egg-less Soy Milk Dough

Ingredient

A

200g bread flour

30g superfine wholegrain flour/plain flour

20g raw sugar

1g instant dry yeast

B

150~155g sweet stiff levain Pull SSL into smaller portions after adding to the flour mixture to facilitate kneading.

130g sweetened soy milk

20g whipping cream, cold

40g water, cold (to be added depending on dough condition)

 

C

5g low-sodium fine salt

D

30g unsalted butter, softened

Topping

2g whipping cream

Glazing

5g butter, melted

1g low-sodium salt

Directions

Knead the dough following your preferred method till reaching window pane.

1. Mix  Ingredient A in a mixing bowl.

2. Mix in Ingredient B. Mix in one direction till it becomes a lump. Cover with a lid and let the dough rest for 15 minutes

3. Knead the dough using an electric hand mixer fitted with a pair of dough hooks till the dough is smoother. Knead in Ingredient C.

4. Knead in Ingredient D, 

till the dough is smoother and a bit glossy.

5. Perform about 100 to 200 sets of "slapping and folding" till the dough is elastic (the dough can stretch to about 30 cm without breaking).

The dough can also be pulled out into a thin membrane, known as window pane stage.

6. Shape into a ball

and transfer the dough into a plastic bag coated with a thin layer of oil. Tie a loose knot, and keep in a second plastic bag before storing in a big mixing bowl with a lid.

Store the dough in the fridge for about 12 to 16 hours, or overnight to undergo cold fermentation. 

My fridge temperature is about 4℃.

7. On the next day, remove the outer plastic bag, invert the dough, and let it thaw in room temperature for about 2 hours.

8. Turn out the dough to a floured work top. Deflate the dough and shape into a ball. Cover with an inverted mixing bowl, and rest for 15 minutes.

9. Roll out the dough to about 1 cm thick.

Flip over the dough, and fold in the two wings towards the middle line.

Roll out to achieve an even thickness. Roll up like a swiss roll.

Lower the dough into the bread pan coated with a thin layer of homemade non-stick spread. Spray some water over, cover with a tea cloth, and let it proof for about 110 minutes, or till almost reaching the rim of the pan.

10. Start to preheat oven to 190℃ for about 10 minutes. While waiting, brush a thin coat of whipping cream under the Toppings, over the top of the dough.

11. Bake at 180℃ for 15 minutes, reduce to 170℃ for 15 minutes, turn off oven and continue to bake for 5 minutes.

12. Remove the hot bread from the pan after leaving the oven, and rest on a wire rack.

13. While the bread is still hot, brush a layer of melted salted butter under the "Glazing" over the crust.

Let the bread cool down to room temperature.

14. After the bread has completely cooled down, cut and enjoy 🍞 😋