Sunday 29 April 2007

Hokkaido Milky Loaf


I have finally found the bread recipe that yields the "right" texture!!

I really like my bread to be cottony soft and fluffy. I found this recipe from this site sometime back, but didn't get to try it till now. I have seen another Hokkaido Milky Loaf recipe from a cookbook, but that is made with Hokkaido's Furano fresh milk, which of course is not available here. This recipe uses ordinary fresh milk.


I followed the recipe exactly but only halved the portion as we wouldn't be able to finish such a big loaf. The special thing about this recipe is that it uses whipping cream. I guess this makes the bread soft and increases the moisture. The bread was still moist when left overnight even though no additives such as bread improver is used! This bread can be made by using the straight dough method or the Water roux method. I find the Water roux method too troublesome, although it will yield a much softer texture.

It was a breeze making this loaf using the straight dough method. I simply added all the ingredients into my bread machine, set it to the "sweet bread" function and let it run on its own. Do note that if you are using a bread machine to do the kneading, you will have to scrape down the side of the pan from time to time. The dough appeared to be very sticky and wet in the beginning. When the loaf is done, do remove it from the pan carefully. When fresh out of the oven, the loaf was very delicate! It was so soft that I deformed it when I tried to remove the kneader at the bottom :'(


A closer look at the texture of the bread. This is the best bread I have made so far. The texture is truely cottony soft, and it tasted even better than the sweet bun bread that I have made earlier. The bread is delicious eaten plain and it is not necessary to warm or toast it even though it was left overnight. This is the kind of bread that I will make and give it away to friends and family members :))

149 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your bread looks so delicious. I feel like getting one bread machine too. If I don't have an oven, can I still make those bread with fillings with the bread machine?

Looking forward for more bread recipe :)

Anonymous said...

thank you for directing your reader to where the recipe is! i love to try this bread at home since my family is bread-eating people :)
if you don't mind I'd like to link your blog in my blog, thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hi! Guess wat? While searching for a bread recipe to do, I did thought of doing this too! In the end I choose a Chocolate Milk Buns to do, it's proofing right now :)

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Eliza, thanks for dropping by and linking me up on your blog. You have a beautiful blog and your bakes are gorgeous! I can't wait to see your posting on this bread :))

Hi anonymous, I am afraid the bread machine can only bake loaves. If you are refering to buns, you will need an oven to bake them. However, the bread machine is capable of making loaves with added flavourings such as nuts, seeds, dried fruits, raisins, etc. On top of that, depending on the brand, you could also make jams and use it to mix & bake simple cakes and quickbreads (those that are made without yeast but uses baking soda or baking powder). Hope this helps!

Anne said...

Your loaf looks really soft :) well done! Last night I tried making some buns and well...it didn't turn out really good. It so happen the recipe was intended for bread machine which I don't have. ha!ha! I really have to brush up my skill in bread making :)

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Anne, thanks for the kind words! Actually, I didn't do much work...other than making sure the right amount of ingredients went into the bread maker, and it did the rest of the work for me :) It's the lady who came up with this recipe whom I truely admire!

Anonymous said...

Hi SH,

Am wondering if you use the basic or sweet function for this?

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Elyn, I used the sweet bread function.

Anonymous said...

hi, ur hokkaido bread looks so soft n fluffy!! Did u bake it in a bread maker? Will be most grateful if u could advise me the brand ur using. Im thinkin of buying one cos the pics of ur bread looked so good tht its encouraging me to try baking bread - so far, just been baking cakes n cookies.

becky

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Becky, I bought my breadmaker from carrefour, the brand is Bluesky @ S$69.90. Sometimes I'll use the breadmaker to bake the loaf, but other times, I'll just use it to do the kneading...then proof at room temperature, and then shape and bake using my oven. You can also try making bread by hand...although it needs a lot more work, if u have a standing mixer that comes with a dough hook, you can also use it to mix and knead the dough. hope this helps :)

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB,
Im munching on a hot "freshly out-of-the oven slice" of Hokkaido milky bread as im typing this comment. Its really soft n the best bread ive ever made n tasted!! :) Thks very much for sharing this recipe. Well, actually ive had this recipe from another blogger in my to-do list for some time. BUT YOUR pic of the Hokkaido Milk bread was sooo....delish, it was just the nudge i needed to bake it straight away! Im think im gonna try ur choc swirly bread tomorrow! Thks for sharing ur recipes n pic - so glad i stumbled into ur blog recently. I'll definitely be dropping in here ever so oft!

Susanna

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Susanna, thanks for your kind words! Glad to hear that you have tried this bread and like it:) I've also seen this recipe sometime back, but didnt try until lately. It seems like a very good recipe as many bloggers who have tried it like it. Have fun baking the chocolate swirl bread! Do check out the various Jap sites (as stated in my postings) for ideas on how to roll/fold/shape the dough. Happy Baking :P

Anonymous said...

I came across your page the other day, and what a lovely blog you have! I was actually doing a Google search for Hokkaido Milk Loaf recipes when I came across the recipe you mentioned above, and then a little later, I came across you blog. Just reading your entry made me decide to go for it and try the bread out. What a great recipe! Bread turned out beautifully, which is great since my 1st attempt earlier with another recipe was a complete failure. I'll definitely be checking out your lovely blog more often in the future! :)

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Bonita, thanks for visiting :)Your have made a very beautifull! It looks so soft!! Great job!

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I located the exact recipe from that same food site in the past year or so, but have never made it before. My oven seemingly has some heat distribution issues, so I'm not able to make loaves of bread with the right texture. Your bread looks lovely and I've noticed that almost all chinese food blogs i've visited feature pics of this type of bread. Do you reckon I could make these into buns instead (since i've had success making buns before)or would the reduction in portion size and hence surface area, make them not as soft? also, if i do this, how long would you recommend me reduce the baking time by, and how would I test for doneness? :S

Jo

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Jo, I read from blogs that for certain bread recipes, the bread will be good if it is made into either loaf or buns, whereas certain recipe, will only be good for loaf and not buns. I am not sure about this recipe though...but I think it should taste as good? As I am relatively new in the area of baking, especially breadmaking, I can't really give much comments. However, I've read that the softness of the bread/buns are not so dependant on the baking time...it's more on the combination of the ingredients...amount of milk, eggs or butter or cream used. The kneading is another important factor to ensure softness. Most soft buns will require the dough be kneaded until it can pass the stretch test. other factors such as shaping/rolling and time given for the dough to rise will also affect the texture. I gauged the baking time by looking at the appearance...as long as the buns are browned, I'll remove them from the oven. I read that to test for doneness, you will have to tap the bottom of the bread, if there's a hollow sound, it means that the bread is done. So far, I didn't try this method as I couldn't differentiate what's a hollow sound from a bread, and the bread were usually too hot for me to tap, hehe!

Nana said...

Hiii HHB ^_^

My bread turned really well & so moist, my husband really likes it. I guess I will make it more often. Thx for sharing! I have posted my bread here

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Nana, this is a wonderful bread recipe isn't it?!

donna said...

Hi
Can you please give me your hokkaido bread recipe? Thks

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Donna, the recipe is available at this site: http://schneiderchen.de/237Hokkaido-Milky-Loaf.html
Happy baking :)

Anonymous said...

Hi HBB,

I have been visiting your blog for a while now and always enjoy reading about your baking and cooking adventures. I would like to try the Hokkaido milky loaf. May I know what sort of cream you used? I am thinking of using Emborg's UHT whipping cream which contains 35% fat. Another recipe I read uses single cream. Please advise. Thank you.

regards,
Peik Keng

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Peik Keng, glad to hear that you like my blog :)
You may use Emborg's whipping cream...I have tried this recipe with Bulla heavy cream, which is also about 35% of fat. It should work fine. However, I'm not sure about single cream as the fat content is much lower. Hope this helps! Do drop me a note after you have tried it, hope u like it :)

Anonymous said...

Hi HBB,

Thanks a lot for your advice. I tried the bread today and it was as soft and cottony as you described and tasted good too. Definitely one of the best recipe I've tried so far.

regards,
Peik Keng

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Peik Keng, we have got to thank the originator of this recipe :) It's a great recipe, as far as I know, those who have tried it were all thumbs up!

Anonymous said...

Hi Angie,
What size egg did u use? Here, in the USA, we have different size - medium,large, extra large. Although large size is the most often used size.
Thanks.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Anonymous, I am not sure whether this comment is meant for me as I am no Angie? Over here, the eggs are not categoried by size...I weighed the eggs that I ususally use...it's about 65g with shell on. Judging from the size, it's about medium to large. Hope this helps.

Sandy said...

hi happy homebaker
it's me again.. i don't have a bread machine, so made this from scratch. my bread is yellowish, because i forgot to "halve the egg qty" and i'm wondering why my bread crust is hard. is it because i forgot to brush with egg wash / water? but the inside is soft and fluffy.

Sandy said...

hi there
i think i found the problem... i dusted too much flour on my work table during kneading.. *sigh* do a better job next time...

here's a website to share. http://www.baking911.com/bread/problems.htm

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Sandy, it's best not to add too much flour on the work surface while kneading. I usually dust with a thin layer before I start kneading...during the entire kneading process, I don't dust with flour anymore. The additional flour may not yield a satisfactory texture of the end product. I am sure your next attempt will be much better :)
Yes, the baking911 site is very useful...it was one of the very first site which I referred to before I made my first loaf of bread :)

Sandy said...

Hi happy homebaker
I did it! Soft, fluffy and yummy! Thks for the tips :)

http://pax-recipe.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Hi happy homebaker,

Thanks for this wonderful recipe.

It is really fluffy and yummy!
I did it three times and still loving it.

Keep up the good work and share with us more recipes.

Wing

Anonymous said...

Hi HappyHomeBaker,
I have to say your blog is sooooo inspiring!! I came across it 2 days ago and i've been glued to my computer looking through.
I want to try my hands on the hakkaido milk loaf but i am not sure whether to go ahead and an electric mixer or not. All the loaves i've ever baked have been by hand, so im a bit scared to try a different method but i'll give it a shot.
cld u pls clarify what "1 pc egg" stands for? I thought it meant to use one egg but reading some of the other comments, someone mentioned something about halving the egg! Pls let me know. I am also wondering if anyone knows a substitute for cake flour that would work well with this recipe, i havent been able to lay my hands on cake flour here in Nigeria.
Thanks.

Bella

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Bella, thanks for your nice comments :)

"1 pc egg" refers to 1 egg.
As the original recipe yields quite a big loaf, so some bloggers (including myself) halve the recipe. As a result I used half an egg. I am not too sure about a good substitute for cake flour. You may want to refer to this site: http://www.joyofbaking.com/IngredientSubstitution.html
Hope this helps :)

Anonymous said...

Hi,

The recipe requires milk powder. Will it be ok if I omit this out?

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi anonymous, I am not sure whether omit the milk powder will affect the texture? maybe you can give it a try as the amount used is not alot.

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB,
Foremost, thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes with us. I'm so glad that I came across your blogspot and I have been checking others too and noticed that you are almost everyone's favorite. Keep up with the good work.
I have tried 2 of your recipes; Rustic Wholemeal Bread and Crunchy Peanut Butter Bread (made into a 6" square tin) and they're fabulous. I have read so much about Hokkaido Milk Bread and gonna try it out but could you please advice me how much instant dried yeast can I substitute for the dried yeast as mentioned in the recipe. Everywhere I look, only instant dried yeast is sold. By the way, I'm from Malaysia.

Thanks & regards,

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Anonymous, thanks for you nice comments.
I used instant dried yeast too. I used the same amount as dried yeast and had no problem with it. Hope this helps :)

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB,
Just a note to thank you for the tips regarding using the amount of dried yeast and instant yeast. I baked the bread yesterday afternoon and it was a success!

Regards.

Anonymous said...

Hi happy homebaker,

I just baked the Hokkaido Milky Loaf but I didn't get the same cottony texture you described :( I don't know what could have gone wrong. I used the same ingredients except for the yeast; I had just 4g of dry active yeast so I used all that. The texture I got was kind of dense. I use the same bread maker as you: Bluesky from Carrefour. Do you think the sequence by which I put in the ingredients matter?

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Anonymous, sorry to hear that your bread didnt turn out well. The sequence of adding the ingredients is very importnat when using the bread machine. Do follow the instruction manual accordingly.

Anonymous said...

Hi!

Thanks for replying so quickly! Can I ask you more questions? Since you halved the ingredients, what loaf size did you select on the bread machine? I used the full 540g of bread flour and selected the 700g loaf option. Also, did you mix the ingredients well first before turning the maker on? Did you add the salt last? I followed the sequence on the instruction manual of the bread maker (for sweet bread. Is that ok? I'm not an experienced baker, having only baked bread with my Bluesky since I don't have an oven at home. I really want to know whether the texture we can get from breadmaker is always dense? What contributes to the fluffy texture of the bread? My mum thinks it's because the water is not enough.

Anonymous said...

Hi happy homebaker,

Hmmm, I don't know why my second comment didn't get posted. I am writing to you a second time. Can I ask you more questions? Did you select the '700g' or '900g' loaf size since you halved the ingredients? Do you mix the ingredients in the machine first before letting it work? I find that it is very hard to achieve a fluffy texture using a breadmaker. Do you have the same experience? My mum says it's because of insufficient water. But I doubt it because I follow the recipe from the breadmaker closely. Is it true that using the conventional oven is the only way to achieve the same kind of fluffy, cottony texture we get from bread shops here? I have too many questions. I think I should go for a course in basic bread making :)

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Anonymous,
You can choose the bigger loaf size (750g?) if you are using the full portion. (I used the smallest loaf size). No, I didnt mix the ingredients...I simply add them in the bread pan...usually it is the wet ingredients before the dry ones...eg milk, followed by the whipping cream, egg, salt, sugar, milk powder, bread & cake flour, lastly, make a dent in the flour and add the yeast. I hope u are doing this correctly?

I dont think it is the amount of water. Since u only used 4g of yeast (the actual amount required is 10g for the full portion) I suspect that's the main reason...the dough didn't rise enough due to the small amount of yeast?

I tend to agree that my bread machine is not 'powerful' enough to knead the dough to reach the right stage, as such, I usually let the machine knead for at least 30mins (by start & re-start), in order to achieve a soft bread. However, for this recipe, the texture is quite soft even though I used the standard full cycle.
It will be good if u can get hold of a cookbook on breadmachine, you can borrow from the library to get a better understanding on bread making with bread machine. A good book will be THE BREAD BOOK by Sara Lewis. Simple and yet filled with lots of photos.
Hope this helps :)

Unknown said...

Hi happy homebaker,

Yes, I followed this sequence. The bread did rise alot actually. It almost reached my breadmaker. The Bluesky machine I have has just two loaf sizes, 700g and 900g. I chose the 700g option for the full-portion recipe (i.e. 540g of bread flour). I am not discouraged yet :-) I will try again with 10g of yeast after we finish this loaf. Taste-wise, it is not bad. In fact, it is the best-tasting and softest bread I have made so far. It's just that I wanted to achieve the same cottony texture as you have. I have made so much bread with this breadmaker but my family is not used to the dense texture a bread machine achieves. So I end up eating the bread myself. haha.

Yes, definitely will get the book you recommend. And will definitely buy an oven when I move into my own home next year!

Thanks so much for your blog. It is really very inspiring to all aspiring bakers!

P:S: Can you recommend where I can get good bread knives?

Unknown said...

Oh, I used my google account so you will see fivedollardollarman as my nickname.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Fivedollar, I don't own a good bread knife...I simply bought one from Daiso at $2. You may check out baking supply store or the household/kitchen sections of major departmental stores for good quality bread knives.

ganache-ganache said...

Hi,
Found your blog while 'looking' around. I love to bake & cook & have turned my passion into a little home bakery. I make my own bread almost everyday & sometimes I make Hokkaido milk loaf too with a 汤种 recipe, in case you might be interested, check out this link
http://warmsweethome.blogspot.com/2005/11/blog-post_113255021066678706.html

Anonymous said...

Has anyone tried this and did NOT roll the dough? Can you just shape it into a loaf? With it still be soft?

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Anonymous, I used my breadmachine to make this loaf, there is no shaping involved, and the bread is just as soft.

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB,

I tried this recipe today but did not get the expected result. Dunno what went wrong, the crust was slightly burnt and the bread only rise to half loaf, not as long as yours.

I also used a Bluesky BM. I followed u and used the sweet menu, and also half the ingredients. Then I choose the 750g loaf size and medium crust option. :(

The inside of the bread is still very moist and soft, but the outside has to be cut off and throw away. Dunno what went wrong.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Anonymous, sounds like your had two problems...proofing and baking. 1st of all may I ask is this the 1st time u are using the breadmachine? Did you have the same problem happens to your previous other breads?
This loaf I made rised up to the brim of the bread pan. It could either be due to your yeast not being active (have you checked it's expiry date?), or the temperature of the other ingredients, were they cold from the fridge? Since the dough didnt rise much, I guess the bread was overbaked. You may want to select the Light crust option next time, I find that this option is just right for my bread.

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB,

Thanks for answering my question. Yes I think the problem is with the proofing and baking. However I cant pin point to what went wrong. The yeast is good bec i just used it on other bread and they rise to more than double. Could it be the milk & cream, which are cold from the fridge? I tried another time using the knead function only and shape into buns myself. Again it did not rise :( Do u think i need to bring out the milk and cream to room temp before starting?

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Anonymous, in that case, do bring the milk and cream to room temperature. I think the temperature in fridge is about 4 degC, so it will take a while for the ingredients to return to room temperature. So the yeast must have 'gone to sleep' with such a low temperature ;)

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB,

thanks for your prompt reply & guidiance. sorry for my numerous ques as I'm really very interested in this bread and want it to work out. I am using instant yeast but the recipe said dry active yeast. I just weighted the same as mentioned. is there any diff? In my 2nd attempt when i hand shape the dough, i waited for 2 hrs for it to proof and again it did not rise. So i think there is some serious problem with the yeast. thanks :)

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB,

I finally got it :) mainly 2 problems. First the milk and cream must be too cold for the yeast to work. Again i did not bring out first, but i waited it to proof for almost 4 hrs before shaping it. Secondly i ve put in the ingredients in wrong sequence in the BM. I actually put the dry before the liquid, as my previous BM works this way :p thanks for all ur help and advice, i finally got my cotton soft bread for my son to bring to school :)

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Anonymous, glad to hear that you managed to get it right! I asked whether it was the first time you are using the BM, since you have used it before, I thot you wouldnt have gotten the sequence wrong ;p
I've read that we should not over-proof the dough, 4hrs is really too long, the longest I have allowed a dough to proof was 2hrs. If the dough is over proofed, it may collapse while baking.

Anonymous said...

Hi! Just want to ask how do u measure all the small amounts of ingredients? I find it difficult to do that. Also, when u put milk powder, what type of milk powder u put? Also, how do u keep the yeast? Cannot keep it in the fridge right?

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Anonymous, I find it difficult to do that too. as my kitchen scale can only read up til 10g, so, most of the time I just go by rough estimation. I use my kids milk powder, Dumax brand. I keep my yeast in the fridge. I assume you are a local? It is best kept in the fridge for our weather here.

Anonymous said...

Goodness.... i left my yeast outside. Yr blog is very inspirational! Keep up the good work. Because of yr blog, i went to buy the breadmaker and trying to make my own bread.

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB,

Thanks for the recipe. Tried it last night and I doubled the recipe. My children kneaded the dough and I managed to bake 2 loaves and 8 sausage rolls for lunch boxes today. They were delicious!! I'm looking forward to trying out more recipes from your blog.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Su, It's great to hear that you have a fun time baking bread with your children :) Due to their school timing, I hardly have time baking with my kids this year.

Anonymous said...

My kids can't resist the sight of dough! They like to 'help' and pretend they are bakers. I am also trying out sourdough and that takes more time. So thanks for fast and easy recipes.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I have tried the Milk loaf recipe n it turned out great. Everyone loves it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

I really like to try your Hokkaido Milky Loaf. You mentioned that you divided all the recipes into half portion. May I know how many gram of egg did you used? and it also mentioned to separate the yeast from salt n sugar. Does it mean I put the yeast last? i.e mixing all the ingredients first then put yeast.

Hope to hear from u soon.
Thanks n regards.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Anonymous, I used half an egg. I lightly beat the egg, and measure it. Then weight half the amount and use it. I didnt exactly record it, but it should be around 25-30g. Are you using a bread machine? If yes, you will have to follow the instruction manual. Some machine will ask you to add wet ingredients followed by dry ones, others may ask you to add dry before wet. As for my machine, I have to add in the wet ingredients, than the dry ones, then the flour, and make an indent on the flour and add in the yeast last. For making by hand, I usually mix all the dry ingredients including Instant Yeast together in a mixing bowl, make a well in the centre, and add in the wet ingredients.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.
I don't have the bread machine... yet :p. So, need to knead it by hand. I will put all the dry ingredient together, mix well. Make a well in the middle then put the wet ingredient. Thanks for the advice. will let you know the result :)

Anonymous said...

Hi happy homebaker,

I have tried the hokkaido milk loaf. it's really soft n yummy. Everyone luvs it. Thanks for sharing this recipe :)

I hope to see more of your new recipes soon.

Regards

PS said...

hi HHB,
this recipe really work on a bread maker! I followed closely to the recipe, only thing different was to activate the yeasts in warm sugary water before pouring into bread maker.
will try out your other recipe this weekend. thanks for sharing. :-)

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi PS, if you are using Instant Yeast, then u dont have to activate the yeast in water. I am looking forward to hear about your next bread :)

PS said...

Hi HHB,
In order to finish up the left over ingredients from my first Hokkaido Milk Loaf attempt the other day, I made another bread last night.
Since I ran out of egg, and I have some raisins on hand, I decided to be adventurous - Hokkaido Milk Raisin loaf, minus egg! I followed the instructions in your raisin bread section - to add in raisins only towards the end of 2nd kneading cycle.
The result is not too bad. Bread is soft and yummy. But it is a denser bread than the one I made previously. Maybe I did not put in enough yeasts to proof the dough and thus not rising high enough.
More recipe to try this weekend. :-)

sherlyn said...

Hi HHB,

I finally have a bread machine. Its from Phoon Huat cos my mother accumulated the vouchers to buy it. Tried your Hokkiado Milk Bread. Its indeed soft and my son likes it so much. However, I am not sure y my bread is yellow or brownish instead of white? Could it be the milk powder I use?

Not sure if this bread machine is different from the usual kind found in market?? It doesn't have sweet bread mode! So I use basic and choose light crust. The crust is still thick and a little too dark too. I cant even choose a smaller loaf setting. Any idea what mode shd I be using if it doesnt have "sweet bread"

thanks
sherlyn

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Sherlyn, I think the bread is a little yellowish due to the dairy cream. Mine was also yellowish.
I'm not sure which mode you can use, but I think the basic mode should be find. It's quite normal for bread machine to yield a slightly harder crust as compared to baking in a normal oven.

sherlyn said...

Thank you HHB for responding so fast .. was away over the weekend so did not check email.

Thanks for answering my doubts .. now I shd carry on making bread...

Thanks a million

Anonymous said...

I was so inspired by the pictures of this bread that I bought a bread machine yesterday and baked this bread right away. The result - it tastes really good but the texture is dense. It is even denser now. What do you think could be the problem? I followed the recipe exactly except the amount of yeast. Because the quantity is so small and I was not using a digital scale, I had to estimate to the best of my ability. The main problem, however, could be the temperature of the whipped cream. It came in a frozen tub. I did microwave it a little bit but it was colder than room temperature. Do you think this jeopardized the texture?

Great website by the way, keep up the good work!!

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi HL, Thanks for your comments :)
As many factors can contribute to the end result, I don't really know what causes the dense texture. It could be the temperature of the ingredients...and it could also be due to the amount of yeast. What kind of yeast did you use? I use Instant Yeast...and I dont have a digital scale too...my scale can only read up to 10g, so I always estimate. Lately I use a teaspoon to measure Instant Yeast...1 tsp is 4g. I dont seems to be of much help here. Nevertheless, with a few more tries, I'm sure you are able to bake a nice loaf. Happy Baking!

Anonymous said...

Hi, I tried this bread recipe yesterday and I can safely say that it's the best bread that came out of the bread machine in terms of texture and taste. Thanks for sharing it with us. However, the bread seems to be a little hard when left overnight, it is normal or should the unfinished bread be stored in the fridge to retain it's texture?

Thanks so much in advance.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Anonymous, what a coincidence, I made the same bread yesterday afternoon! This time, I only used the machine to do the kneading, I left it to proof at room temperature, shape and bake in a pullman tin. The bread taste as soft this morning. I kept them in an air-tight container. It will usually stay soft for at least 2 nites. I have never kept my bread in the fridge. How do you store your bread?

Anonymous said...

Hi, thanks for the tip. I usually store my bread in a bag and then into a bread box. Oh yes, is it advisable to leave the bread un-sliced until just before eating? Thanks a lot again.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Anonymous, I am not sure whether leaving the bread un-sliced will help to keep it soft. I usually slice the whole loaf once the bread cooled off. However, do note that as homemade bread does not have any addictives, it will not stay soft as compared to those store bought ones.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I've tried the hokkaido bread, its really soft n, my hubby said this is best bread he ever eat. Even my children also like it.

Im thinking of adding in cocoa or milo, how many tblspoon should I add.

Thanks for sharing so much if not my machine is still in the storeroom.

Linda

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I used full-cycle under sweet function but the crust is hard. I suspect is due to the breadmaker.
Can I use the bread machine to knead n proof(Idont know how to proof), then transfer to my oven ? If so, which cycle should I choose?

And also what's the size of your pullman tin ?

Need to learn alot from you.

Thanks !

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Linda, great to hear that you and your family like this bread, we love it too :)
I have not tried with cocoa or milo, maybe you can try by replacing one tablespoon of flour with one tablespoon of cocoa powder/milo.

Hi Anonymous, you can use the DOUGH function, it will do the kneading and the proofing...time taken is about 1hr 30mins. (20mins of kneading, the rest is proofing time.) After the cycle, remove the dough from the breadmachine, shape as desired, let if proof for the 2nd time and bake with your oven. Hope this helps.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Anonymous, my pullman tin size is about, 7.5"x4"x4",

Anonymous said...

hi,

Thanks for your reply, when you say proof for the 2nd time is it put in the tin and cover to let it rise before putting in the oven ?
Proof in room temp or oven and how long ?

Forgive my ignorance as my knowlege for making bread is zero.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Anonymous, yes, for the 2nd proofing, if you are using the pullman tin, you will need to place the dough int the tin and cover it with the lid to let it rise (under room temperature) before baking. I usually cover it with a cling wrap so that I can see how it is doing. It usually takes about 60-90mins for the dough to reach about 90% of the height of the tin.
You may want to read more about bread making at this site: baking911.com, it has got lots of detailed information. You can also borrow books on breadmaking, or bread making with breadmachines from the library. It certainly helps to get the basic knowledge. I learn baking thru reading cook books, so far I have not attended any baking class or workshop, as such I am no expert in this area, just sharing what I have learned from my own baking experience ;p

Lingtots said...

Hi HHB,

I just gt the bread machine (frm Carrefour, Blue sky) last nite.. hee..

Gt questions abt the bread machine..

1) Wat does the 700 & 900g means? the amt of flour used? i choose 700g. hee..

2) How to do know to use "Sweet" or "Basic" Function?
Which one should i use for his Hokkaido Milk loaf?

3) I made the bread (milk Loaf) last nite... I realised that the dough was very wet. i added more flour and beat the flour for quite long. & i use "sweet" function which i any how guessed. The bread was soft but a bit rubbery. is the dough suppose to be wet for the milk loaf??

Hope you could help.. thanks a lot.. :)

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Lingtots,

1. It refers to the size of the finished loaf. My breadmachine comes in lb, I usually select the smallest size, since I usually use recipe that uses about 300g of flour.

2. Sweet is for sweet dough where there are more sugar in the recipe. You can refer to the the instruction manual for all the details on the various functions. I use Sweet dough function for this Hokkaido milk loaf.

3. The dough is quite wet, just follow the recipe closely and it should be ok. By adding more flour, it will affect the texture of the bread. Hope this helps.

Lingtots said...

Hi.. thanks so much for your reply.

I will play with my breadmaker more..

Thanks so much for sharing.

Zhen said...

Hi, I chanced upon your blog when i was researching on whether to get a breadmaker or not. Your blog is awesome! Everything looks so good and delicious!

I eventually got the carrefour brand breadmaker and just made this hokkaido milk loaf. I used the sweet bread function as you have advised, however, the bread came out with a very thick and hard crust, and the crust doesn't look as smooth as yours. (looks like surface of moon in fact)

Can you pls advise and teach me what went wrong? The measurements of my ingredients were exactly half the recipe. Thanks.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Zhen, thanks for visiting :)
May I ask whether this is the 1st time you are using the machine? Have you used it to make other bread? If yes, did you have the same problem? If not, did you read thru the instruction manual before you proceed? You need to bake 'blind' (ie on the machine without any ingredients in the pan) for the very first use.
Did you follow the sequence in adding in the ingredients? (liquids and egg to go in first, followed by salt, sugar, etc, then flour and finally yeast.) Which loaf size did u select (choose the smaller one)? which crust setting did you use (choose the lightest)? I'm sorry, as you did not give enough details I can't really comment on what went wrong.

Zhen said...

Hi, thanks for answering. Here are more details:

Yes, this is the 1st time I'm using the machine. I've never used it to make other breads b4. I've also read thru the instruction manual, it stated to bake without anything for 10 mins and i did so.

I also followed the sequence of adding in the ingredients correctly (liquids first, then flour and yeast last), and selected the smaller loaf size with the lightest crust setting.

Just want to find out since you've got so much experience baking bread, does the texture differ if i use the breadmaker to bake the bread compared to using the breadmaker to knead and then baking the bread in the normal oven?

Thanks for advising. :)

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Zhen, you are doing all the right thing...I am not sure what went wrong. I do find bread that are baked with the bread machine tend to give a harder crust, although I didn't have problem with this recipe. Yes, if you use the normal oven to bake the bread, the crust will be much thinner.

Zhen said...

Yeah, I'm puzzled too about the outcome of the bread. Anyway, I sliced the bread after it has cooled down, and to my horror, the holes in the bread were quite big. As in, maybe it's overproofed or something. I shall try it again till i get it right. Will probably put it in a pullman tin and try the next time. Thanks for all your advises!

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Zhen, I checked this site (http://www.baking911.com/bread/problems.htm#breadproblemsmachine), it says that if there are holes in the bread, it could be due to too much yeast. I hope your next loaf will be a great success :)

Xhen said...

Hi HHB,

Thanks for your advise, I'm trying this loaf again even as i type and this time, i let the macihine knead the dough then proof and i roll it out on a floured surface. Just want to check with you something as i have not baked a bread 'manually' before. :)

I tried rolling the dough with a pinroller and roll it up swiss roll style, but as i roll, the dough kept shrinking back. Is this normal?

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Xhen/Zhen?

It is normal that the dough will shrink back...it is very elastic. You will need to divide the doughs (into 3 or 2, up to your preferenc), shape them into rounds, cover and let them rest for about 15mins. Thereafter, flatten the round dough, roll out and roll up swiss roll style. The resting time will help the dough to relax and you will find it easier to shape.

Zhen said...

Hi HHB!

I finally made it! The texture of the bread was just right, and no big holes in the bread! So happy with the outcome after attempting this recipe 3 times. Thanks for all your tips!

Ali said...

Hi HHB,

I have been following your blog for some time, and have been wanting to try your bread recipes.

Unfortunately, my oven is spoilt! It trips the circuit breaker every time I switch it on.. :(

But, I just bought my Bluesky BM today! It was on sale at just S$39.90. Die die must buy!

It will be delivered tomorrow morning, but I can't wait to try this milk loaf. I hope it turns out like yours!

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Ali, thanks for reading my blog :) That's a very good deal! I am sure you will have fun baking your first bread :D

Sue said...

Hi,
I have a kenwood bread machine and I have tried making many bread but it always turns out dry and hard. I was tired of trying so I put the machine a side for about 2 years.

Last week I was your hokkaido bread and I give it a try and thank you so much, I made a soft loaf of bread. I was so happy.

Any other soft bread that I can try? Any wholemeal bread or buns that turns out soft? I always wonder is it the recipe, the bread machine or me that makes the bread so hard and dry.

thanks and hoping for your advice.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Sue, glad to hear that this bread recipe has rekindled your joy of baking homemade breads :)
Most of the time I only use my bread machine to knead the dough. I prefer to shape the dough and bake it in my oven. You can try recipes which I have posted such as "Crunchy Peanut Butter Bread", "Milk Loaf", "Wholemeal Loaf", "Sweet Buns". Happy Baking!

Anonymous said...

HI HHB,
Can I check with you how do u select the loaf size from the bread machine? I mean do you determine the loaf size from the total weight of the flour or total weight of all the ingredients? What if some breads that call for 2 different types of flour?
Thanks!

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi, I use the total amount of of the different type of flour used to determin the loaf size. I use the following as s rough gauge:
1 lb (300g flour)
1.5 lb (450g flour)
2 lb (600g flour)
Since my BM does not come with 1 lb bread, I always select 1.5lb as I usually make bread that uses about 300g flour. Hope this helps.

jjcht said...

Recipe from http://schneiderchen.de/237Hokkaido-Milky-Loaf.html
is based on 540g Bread flour. Seems like a very big loaf for me. If i want to bake the small loaf, how do i adjust all the ingredients?

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi HT, as mentioned in my post, I used half the portion, divide all ingredients by halve. Hope this helps :)

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB
U mention that you halve the recipe and choose a small loaf setting.My breadmaker has only 2 settings 700g and 900g, does that mean I can't half the recipe? Pls help, Thanks.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi, I'm sorry I don't understand why you can't halve the recipe? You can choose the 700g setting, it should be ok.

Anonymous said...

Hi, is it ok to use Nestle dairy cream (canned form) for this recipe? Many Thanks for your advice!

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi, I have not tried using Nestle cream, I think it is better to stick to dairy whipping cream, as I am not sure whether it will affect the outcome.

Anonymous said...

It is certainly interesting for me to read that post. Thank you for it. I like such topics and anything connected to this matter. I would like to read more soon.

fuuchan said...

Hello HH:

I'm finally tackling this recipe today after many weeks of planning to do so.

I have a very old bread machine and brought it out to make this loaf today. My bread machine's knead cycle is a full 28 minutes long! Is that normal, do you think?

I took a look at the dough at half that time and it seemed okay, it wasn't sticking to the sides and seemed nicely stretchy. I have it out of the machine right now and rising by itself.

I hope it will turn out all right, but do you know whether such a long kneading time in a machine is correct?

Thanks!
Fuuchan

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Fuuchan, I don't think you have to worry too much about the kneading time. I usually let my machine knead the dough for 30mins. Hope you will like this bread.

fuuchan said...

Thanks for the reply, HH!

I took the dough out about halfway through the knead time. It's baking now so we'll see how it turns out.

I'll try letting the machine go all the way through the knead cycle next time I make this loaf! It looks beautiful in the oven, so far!

DC said...

Hi HHB,

I'm new here and I found your blog really interesting and i think you really have the passion in your baking..
I've read through the recipe for this Hokkaido milk loaf and I don't understand what is the meaning to separate the yeast from salt & suagr to avoid dehydration?
Can you assist me on this remarks?

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Daynee, most bread machine cookbook and instruction manual will advise that the yeast not be added at the same spot with the salt and sugar. Salt will curb the yeast, while sugar serve as 'food' for the yeast. I am sorry I am no expert in this area, as such I am not able to provide a detailed explanation.

Meirong said...

Hi HHB,

May I know whether proofing of the yeast is a must for all breads? Thank you.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Meirong, I am not sure what you meant by proofing of the yeast? Are you referring to proofing of the dough?

Meirong said...

Hi HHB,
I read about it here: http://www.baking911.com/howto/yeast_proof.htm

At first I thought I can just add in the yeast straight from it's bottle but I came across this website. It says that yeast should be dissolve in warm water first. I'm going to bake my first bread tomorrow! So excited! Thank you HHB for all the wonderful recipes. :)

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Meirong, ok now I got what you mean. If you are using Active Dry Yeast, then u need to dissolve it in water before using (to 'wake' it up).
If you are using INSTANT Yeast, u can add it straight to the other ingredients. I assume you are a local? I use this brand "Bake King", it is instant yeast. You can read about the different types of yeast here: http://www.joyofbaking.com/Yeast.html
Hope this helps, and HAPPY BAKING!

Meirong said...

Thank you HHB! That really helps. I've tried making the mini melon pans. Took around 3hrs to bake. Haha...kneaded the dough by hand. That's my 1st time! It was fun although my arms ended up sore at night but recovered to next morning. I added the instant yeast to the wet ingredients and bubbles form within a minute. The melon pans turned out quite well although the top isn't crispy and the bread turned a bit hard the next day.

dew said...

Hi HHB, I love this recipe. Been using it for awhile. Thinking whether I can change it to pandan flavour? Used your pandan bread recipe to make a bread loaf today but duno izzit under measured the flour, ended up not successful.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Dew, I am sorry as I have not tried tweaking this recipe, I do not know whether this can be changed to pandan flavour.

gracie said...

Happy Homebaker. Was this bread made by your breadmaker from kneading/proofing to baking? This is what i wish to try. As I've seen from the internet that the bread machine can only do the kneading while the dough would have to be proofed and baked in the oven (instead of bread machine). I would prefer finish teh process in teh bread machine. Please advise.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Gracie, yes this bread was made using the full cycle of the bread machine...from kneading, proofing, till baking.

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB

I tried this yesterday. Full cycle using the bread machine. The bread was awesome. Thanks so much for posting the recipe.

Rach

My.First.Attempt said...

hello I was so happy to find the recipe.

However it did not come out as the way you described it to be. Did you use bread machine yeas? Or the one in the recipe?

My bread came out hard and the flavor was a bit off too. I did not cut the recipe in half and was scared that it might not fit in the bread machine after. but it was actually deflated and very hard.

Any suggestions?

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi, My.First.Attempt, I have tried this recipe using bread machine and making it by hand. I am not sure what went wrong with yours, could it be due to the yeast? You can refer to this site (http://www.baking911.com/bread/problems.htm#breadproblemsmachine) to see whether you are able to identify the cause. Hope this helps.

Anonymous said...

Hi Happy Home baking,

I am so happy to find my fav bread recipe in your blog by using breadmaker. I have Tefal breadmaker but I seldom use it as buying bread here is very easy but of course not for the Hokkaido milk bread. You need to go to Japanese grocerry store to get this bread which is quite a distance for me (about 30KM/30 drives) from my house.
Can you let me know how many teaspoons of 9gm of salt. For the yeast, I buy the instant package one of 11gm. Will reduce it before I put it.

Thank you so much for your reply.
Regards from Belgium
Zhang

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Zhang, 1 tsp of salt is 6grams, so 9g is 1.5 tsp. and just for your info, 1 tsp of instant yeast is about 4g. Hope this helps.

I hope you have fun baking this bread :)

Anonymous said...

I love bread very much..

Anonymous said...

When I put all the ingredients into my breadmaker on dough function, after it was done kneading it was super wet! it looked like a wet dough surrounded by a puddle? Is it supposed to look like that? so then i put some more bread flour into it, but it made it really dense instead of fluffy and it didn't rise in the oven at all :( (i used a 9 inch by 5 inch pan. I reallyy would like to succeed in making this! It's my favorite bread whenever I visit Taiwan :)
-Anna

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Anna, the dough should be able to form a soft dough after kneading. I suspect it could be the ingredients amount, did you measure the amount correctly?

simplybakes said...

Hi Happy Home Baker:)
I am a really big fan of your blog and recently, i have started my own too! I only have one recipe so far but will definitely keep trying. Really wish that you will link me @ simplybakess.blogspot.com

Thank you!
Your fan truly,
Simplybakes

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Simplybakes, welcome to the blogging world, looking forward to reading about your baking journal :)

Anonymous said...

Hi there ! I would love to try this recipe but the original recipe is also way too much for a small family. You mentioned you halved everything but what about the yeast? Did you halve this too?

Anonymous said...

Also, may I ask which bread machine you have? I have a black and decker and although everything about the machine is good, it doesnt brown evenly on top (loaf is always a few shades lighter on top)

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi, I use half of the yeast too. I am currently using this bread machine which I bought when I was in China.
(http://www.amazon.cn/Donlim%E4%B8%9C%E8%8F%B1%E9%9D%A2%E5%8C%85%E6%9C%BAXBM-1139S/dp/B0055B33S0)
My bread machine is a cheap and comes with very basic functions. I used it mainly for kneading bread dough.

franke steve said...

Can't see the recipe :( Is it still here?

franke steve said...

oops sorry now i see it!

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB,
I have just started to make bread from DL bread machine brought a month ago.
Glad that I found ur blog and managed to make some tasty loaf bread using ur recipes.
When you mentioned using "sweet" funtion, it seem there isn't this in DL machine, any idea which is the equivalent?

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi, my donlim bread maker has got a sweet bread function too...function No. 5 "甜味面包".

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB, I tried this recipe last night and it turned out really well. However, during the mixing and kneading process, I found that my skimmed milk powder (bought from Phoon Huat) coagulated into little hard lumps that won't dissolve. I tried to pick them out manually cos I was afraid they would show in the final product, but there were just too many. Thankfully, they disappeared after baking, and I did not notice them in the bread.

Can I just ask if this happened to you too? Do you think it could be the milk powder I used, or was it because of something else? Or does it not matter? Thanks in advance!

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi, I didnt have problem with the milk powder forming lumps, I use my children's milk powder such as Dumex or Nestle. Maybe you can try sieve the milk powder with the flour before mixing?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for replying! Yes, I think I will try sieving the milk powder the next time. Speaking of which, do you normally sieve the flour before mixing? I do not sieve the flour when making bread, and only do so when specified such as in cake recipes, but I have always wondered if it is necessary in bread recipes too.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi, I dont sieve the flour for bread making either especially if I were to use my bread machine.
You may also try dissolve the milk powder with the liquid (water) that is called for in the recipes, this way it may help to prevent the lumps.

Anonymous said...

Hi, the recipe call for 10 gm dry active yeast, if replace to instant yeast, how many to use? Thanks

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi, you can use equal amounts, that is 10g instant yeast.

Anonymous said...

Hi, i dont really understand this ".Mix all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric stand-mixer. ", does the receipe mentioned that to used those hand mixer or bread machine to knead?

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi, it refers to an electric stand mixer. Handheld electric mixer is not powerful enough to knead bread dough. You can also use a bread machine to knead the dough.

Sonar Bangladesh said...

Many many thanks for your recipes. i am trying at home and i do it.
Bread machine