The desire to make my own bread has finally been fulfilled this Sunday Morning! I’m proud to say that this will be Sherbake’s very first post on bread making. It has been an interesting and fun learning experience- though it kinda took an entire day from start to finish.
It started off with a little bit of researching on the famous method called the Tang Zhong (Water-Roux) way of making bread which helps to product that ultra soft and fluffy texture you see in all Chinese buns. I prepared and measured all my ingredients the night before, only to realize that I did not have instant yeast on hand. How smart of me… There’s no way you can make bread with the main component lacking. Anyway, thank goodness for 24 hour marts!! I finally made my way down to the nearest NTUC at Nex in the weee hours of the morning- 6 ish.
The final product: Raisin Loaf. I was perfectly happy with the first attempt as the bread was super soft and fluffy! Only thing I can foresee you asking is ” WHERE are the Raisins”? Good question. They somehow disappeared in the process of baking and when the bread was finally cut open, they were spotted concentrating in only one single section- THE CENTRE! Someone enlighten me why please!
The basics of making a bread is actually quite simple. The only thing you have to have is loads of patience. Patience is key! First step usually begins with mixing the dough to a consistency that is non sticky and passes the window pane test that is when you know enough gluten has formed. Second stage is to wait for the dough to proof ( Yes, you wait! for about an hour). Third Stage you beat down the air in the dough, separate out the dough into the number of pieces you want and then you WAIT for it to proof for another 10 min, before you eventually roll it out, let it sit and wait and wait wait wait for another hour.
The trick to this is to plan ahead in advance ( In my case, since I woke up early, I planned my nap times in btw the waiting period ). So basically I slept 4 times. ( Just kidding).
Patience, lots of love and a hungry tummy will eventually lead you to a yummy tasting end product.
This was the roll I did with cranberries.
It’s always good to eat something freshly baked from the oven and free from additives, preservatives and what nots. If you’re considering baking your own bread, you have my full support!!!
