Creamy White Bread

pain de mie, soft fine-crumbed thin-crust sandwich loaf

I was very disappointed with the 100% whole wheat sandwich loaf in the recently finished The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge. Earlier this week I baked one loaf of 100% WW bread which is a lot more moist, soft, and most important, edible. However, I am a white bread lover and I can't eat WW bread every day, I just can't. 100% whole wheat bread is not for me. There, I said it. *I hope the food police doesn't come and arrest me* ^_^

And so I'm back to baking my favorite creamy white bread; it is very soft and yummy. I used my new 9 x 4-inch Pullman bread pan with lid which is made here in the USA of recycled steel and has non-stick ridged surface for easy release of bread. I have two similar pans that were made in China. They were very cheap but also cheaply made. The non-stick is fake and I had to line the pans with parchment paper EACH AND EVERY TIME I use them. The surface has now developed some rust, I can't use them anymore, not even as planters. When the USA-made pans in the smaller size became available, I immediately got one and am very happy with it. If you are interested in the pan, check out my amazon store by clicking on the myStore tab. I highly recommend it specially for fine-crumbed pain de mie. The following white bread recipe can also be baked in a regular 9 x 4-inch loaf pan and it will still be delicious.

Creamy White Bread
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons heavy cream, room temperature
2 tablespoons light olive oil
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
3¼ cups bread flour
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ cup nonfat dry milk powder

• In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, put the ingredients in the order listed. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, continue mixing on medium-low for 1 more minute. Knead by hand for 3 to 4 minutes until smooth.
• Transfer dough into an oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic film and leave to rise for 1 hour.
• Lightly grease the pan and lid. Remove the risen dough from bowl and knead lightly to remove air bubbles. Flatten into an oval, roll tightly, and ease into the pan. Cover tightly with plastic film and let rise for 45 minutes or until the dough has risen to half inch below the lip of the pan. Slide the lid on and bake in a preheated 350° F oven for 20 minutes. With gloved hands, remove the lid and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove immediately from the pan and let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before slicing.

the whitest creamiest yummiest white bread

White Bread: BBAC#40

soft, fluffy, and yummy dinner rolls

The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge #40: White Bread Variation 3

There are 3 variations of the White Bread recipe and I chose variation 3 which uses a sponge although still a one-day bread. In making the sponge I discovered there's a typo. For the milk, I used the volume measurement, 1¼ cups which was not enough for the amount of bread flour because the sponge was a bit dry and stiff and clearly needed more liquid. I checked the weight measurement which is 12 ounces, or 1½ cups. You might want to correct your books if you haven't done so already.

This is an enriched white bread recipe with one egg yolk, a quarter cup of butter or vegetable oil, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and milk (I used buttermilk). This is one of the simplest and I think foolproof recipes to make into feather-light, soft, milky, tight-crumbed, and utterly delicious loaves and rolls. If you have family members who are stuck in white Wonder Bread in its bright red, white, blue, and yellow packages, and won't eat anything else, this recipe might win them over to home baked white bread.

I divided the dough in half, one half was shaped into 18 mini dinner rolls, each one weighed 1 ounce, and baked in a 7 x 11 x 2 inch pan. The other half of the dough was misshaped into 6 New England-style hot dog buns which I will fill  later with breaded deep fried oysters or seafood salad, yum.

7 x 11 x 2-inch pan is the perfect size for small dinner rolls

New England-style hot dog buns

Rating:
flavor 5
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 30
Average: 5

Hokkaido Milky Loaf

aah, I love the scent of freshly baked bread

I have previously written about my love for Japanese breads and buns specially the soft milky sliced loaf that I used to buy still warm straight from the oven. After writing that post I realized we have been eating mediocre white bread from the grocery for so many years. I am so glad and grateful that I found Angie's recipe and have been baking them and have not had store-bought white bread since. These are the softest tastiest white bread ever and they don't get crushed or flattened like store-bought when you smear them with peanut butter and jelly. They toast beautifully and I like them with a little butter and fruit preserves for breakfast and Manchego cheese, fig preserves, and sliced apple grilled sandwich for lunch.

with butter and orange blossoms preserves For my loaf breads I use two 8 x 4 x 4 Pullman bread pans that I got from eBay. I prefer using these to the 13 or 16 inch long pans available online at Amazon or (King Arthur Flour) The Baker's Catalog because the shorter bread loaves are easier to handle and to store. I like that the pans make perfectly square loaves and very thin crust when they are baked with the pans' lids on. Sometimes I bake the loaves without the lids for taller slices like the ones here that I baked a few days ago (with the brazo meringue). The bread loaves are as soft although not as tight crumbed as those baked lidded.

the busiest bakeware in my kitchen: 8 x 4 x 4 Pullman loaf pans

This is my entry to this month's Tasty Tools Event (Bakeware) hosted by Joelen's Culinary Adventures.