If you have ever been to an Asian bakery, you will see that they are full of sweet, soft breads with various fillings and toppings. These are one of those breads.
They are just like your dinner butter rolls, only, way softer.
I have tried many many recipes that yielded a bread almost as soft as those sold in said bakeries, including the famed Tangzhong Method, which involves pre-cooking part of the dough. While that have had more success than others, it was still just a tad less soft, a tad less moist, and a tad less chewy than the commercially available ones.
I decided to take in a sucker punch, and jumped right into the world of bread softeners and emulsifiers.
It was ground breaking.
This dough texture was so much more enhanced. Kneading was much more easier due to the malleable consistency of the dough. The gluten strands that form within the dough was more elastic and by the end of the kneading, i was able to stretch the dough so thin and membrane-like that it was almost see through (window pane test).
I then gathered the kneaded dough into the tightest ball, with the tautest, and the smoothest surface before i laid it to rest for its first proofing.
Ditto for shaping the dough. You can pretty much coax the dough to form whatever shapes you fancy.
Filling these dough with chocolate was also a breeze as the dough pretty much seals easily. Throughout my bread making experiences, i dont think i have ever worked with a dough something so agreeable.
And the result of that wonderful dough was a bread with crumbs that was ultra tender and soft with pores are so so fine, you just want to tear right into them.
I even got a compliment from my dad, who never comments on my bakes over breakfast today (I did admit that i got a mini boost from the bread improvers though).
Having said that, i haven’t really read much into bread softeners and emulsifiers to know what health implications it might have. I can’t say whether i am for it, or against it. But for now, i am just going to bask in the glory of my chemically improved, bakery-worthy breads.
Bread Dough
Adapted from and Indonesian Cookbook Roti Unyil by Chendawati (Please pardon my poor translation)
Ingredients A
700 gr Bread Flour
300 gr AP Flour
250 gr Sugar
5 egg yolks
2 egg whites
150ml evaporated milk
275 iced water
20 gr instant yeast
10 gr bread softener
50 gr milk powder
Ingredients B
75 gr Butter
75 gr Margarine
50 gr Butter Substitute
10 gr Bacom (Bread emulsifier)
15 gr salt
1. Combine Ingredients A till the dough stops sticking all over the surface and starts getting tacky and elastic.
2. Gradually add ingredients B and knead till the dough gets so elastic, you are able to stretch it into a thin membrane skin.
3. Gather the dough into a ball, and leave for its first proofing for about 30 mins.
4. Punch down the dough, and scale the dough into balls weighing 30 grams each. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
5. Roll the dough, fill with chocolate filling, and roll it as you would a dinner roll.
6. Let it proof for a second time till it doubles in size (60 minutes).
7. Brush evaporated milk over the surfaces
8. Bake at 200 degree CELCIUS till the surface turns a golden brown.
9. Brush melted butter over the surface of the hot rolls to maintain that flexibility softness in the skin.
