Mixed Berries Yoghurt Bread

After reading about KWF's Yoghurt Bread, I couldn't wait to try it. In fact, I have earlier planned to make a yogurt bread base on a recipe from a cookbook. However, I decided to try her recipe first as her lovely buns are just too good to give it a miss!


Instead of shaping the bread into buns, I made it into a loaf...for the sole reason that my younger boy has recently developed this love of spreading half kaya and half butter on a slice of bread. He has since demanded for a square bread every morning, for the past 2 months...and he would rather have just milk with honey stars if there is no square bread on the breakfast table.

A couple of weeks ago, I chanced upon a range of Gold Harvest flour on promotion at the local supermarket. The discounted price was almost the same as the usual bread flour I used. I grabbed one pack of the Harvest King Better for Bread Flour without any further hesitation, even though I had to lug the 5lb (2.2kg) flour, on top of the other stuff I bought, all the way home...on public transport. It was only after making a few other loaves before I got the chance to use this brand of flour for this loaf.

I used my breadmaker to knead the dough for a total of 30mins. Just after the first 15mins of kneading, I could hear the dough banging loudly in the bread pan. This meant that the dough was already smooth and no longer stick to the pan. I stopped the machine after the 20mins of kneading cycle had completed...re-start and let it knead for a further 10mins. Even though the dough didn't exactly passed the pane or stretch test, I removed it from the pan, shaped it into a smooth dough and let it rise in room temperature. Within an hour or so, the dough had doubled in size. I divided it into 3 equal portion, shaped and rolled into 3 smaller doughs and let them proof for the second time in a pullman tin. The second proofing took a little longer...it was way pass 1.5hrs before the dough rise up close to the rim. I baked the bread at 180degC for 30-35mins.


I have used Meiji's mixed berries yoghurt for this bread. As the yoghurt was purplish(it has got strawberries, raspberries and blueberries in it)...the dough became an odd colour during the mixing. I added in a tiny drop of pink food colouring, just to make sure that the bread would not turned into some strange colour. The result was a pretty pink bread :)


The bread was a great success. Look at how soft and cottony the texture was?! Besides the yoghurt, I wonder whether the Harvest King flour had a major role in contributing to the nice texture of the bread??


Although the fragrance from the yoghurt was quite prominent in the bread, taste wise, it was a little plain on it's own, probably due to the small amount of sugar used. It didn't has the 'chew' (嚼劲) as compared to the Hokkaido Milk Loaf (which I baked just two days before this loaf, so I was able to remember its texture). Nevertheless, it went well with my raspberry jam. The bread stayed soft for two days...and as suggested by my friend VB, I kept one slice up to the third day...it was just a little on the dry side. This recipe is certainly a keeper...I will make this whenever I can find a tub of yoghurt in my fridge :D

I managed to borrow this book from the library over the weekend. I really liked the cute toast photo on the cover, and couldn't help but made a copycat version ;p


Here's sharing with you what is mentioned in this book...regarding how to choose a good loaf of sandwich bread. Basically there are 4 factors to look out for:

1. The finished loaf should have a nice even square shape, and the crust should be nice golden brown. The holes on the crumbs should be evenly distributed...and they should not be too big or too small, this implies that the bread has undergone a proper proofing process.

2. The bread should emit just a mere hint of fragrance from the wheat, it should not give a yeasty odor or sour flavour (unless it you are making a sourdough bread).

3. The inside (crumb) should be soft, tender and would spring back when lightly pressed.

4. A tasty sandwich bread should have a light chew to it. It should taste soft and yet a little moist, and not dry. When chewed, it should not form into a lump, giving a doughy texture and taste. In addition, the bread can be shredded/torn into long stripes easily...evidence of a well kneaded dough.

So, did your homemade bread pass all these criteria? Mine certainly has got lots of room for improvement :)