Tuesday 9 October 2012

Fuss Free Wholemeal Loaf

This is a relatively simple, straight forward wholemeal loaf which I baked a couple of weeks back. There is no need to prepare water roux or tangzhong since the recipe is taken from a bread machine cookbook. This is something I could make on a whim...whenever I feel like having a slice of freshly baked homemade bread or whenever I miss the cozy feeling from breathing in the wonderful aroma of bread baking in the oven.



As usual, I left the bread maker to knead the dough put left the dough to proof in room temperature. A quick roll out and roll up of the dough, and in in no time, it was sitting inside the loaf pan ready to bloom. The raw dough rose beautifully, and it ballooned even further once it got into the hot oven...a phenomenon known as 'oven spring'.


The finished loaf looks pretty much like a crusty country loaf isn't it?


It is actually a soft sandwich loaf! This is a classical case of what you see is not what you get ;) The bread is pleasantly light and fluffy, something I didn't expect from a loaf made using the straight dough method and not to mention with wholemeal flour! I believe the secret ingredient is none other than yoghurt! Do give it a try if you have a bread machine at home or a standing mixer to do the kneading. If you choose to knead by hand, be prepared to wrestle with a wet and sticky mess, even though I have not done it by hand, I am sure the efforts will pay off.




Wholemeal Yoghurt Bread Loaf

Ingredients
(makes one loaf using a 9" loaf pan)

260g bread flour
115g wholemeal flour
15g unsalted butter
30g caster sugar
6g salt
100ml natural plain yoghurt
150ml water
5g instant yeast

some rolled oats (optional)

Method:

to knead dough by bread machine:
* Place water, yoghurt, sugar, salt, butter, bread flour and wholemeal flour flour in the pan of the bread machine (according to the sequence as stated in the instruction manual of your bread machine). Make an indentation on the flour and add in the instant yeast. Select the Dough function of the bread machine and press start. Let the machine knead the dough for about 10 mins. Stop the machine. Select the Dough function and start the machine again. Allow the machine to continue kneading until the kneading cycle stops after 20mins. Total kneading time is 30mins. (Note: Leave the lid open through out the kneading cycle to prevent over heating.) Remove dough from the bread pan.

* Dust dough with flour, shape into a smooth round dough. Place dough in a lightly greased mixing bowl, cover with cling wrap or a damp cloth and let proof in room temperature (around 28 to 30 degC) for about 45min to 1 hour, or until double in bulk.

* Remove the dough from the bowl and give a few light kneading to press out the gas in the dough. Dust the dough with some flour if it feels sticky. Smooth into round and leave it to rest for about 10mins.

* Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape about 9" by 15". Roll up the dough along the shorter end like a swiss roll to form a log (with a length of about 9" or the length of the baking pan you are using). Pinch and seal the seams tightly. Place in a greased 9" loaf pan. Cover with damp cloth or cling wrap and leave dough to proof for the second time for about 40mins, or until double in size. Brush the top with water and sprinkle rolled oats all over, this is optional.

* Bake in pre-heated oven at 190 deg C for 25 ~30 mins or until golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to wire track to let cool. Once cool, store immediately in an airtight container.

Recipe source: adapted from 幸福面包机

42 comments:

fuat gencal said...

Günaydın, ellerinize,emeğinize sağlık. Çok leziz ve nefis görünüyor. Ayrıca çokda iştah açıcı.

Saygılarımla..

Kimmy said...

Hi HHB, you're right, the yoghurt does help. Must try baking one using loaf pan [I always use Pullman's tin]. I like the shape of your loaf. Today I baked 2 loaves of bread, didn't roll them up like swiss roll. Looks awful.

Edith said...

a loaf of wholesome goodness.

cybil said...

Looks really yummy!!

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB

I would like to try your fuss free wholemeal loaf but I don't like wholemeal. I stock a lot of bread flour at home. Would u be able to advise me if using bread flour, what would be the amount to replace wholemeal.

This loaf looks really good. I bake bread impromptu, hence, I can bake this loaf anytime I feel like it.

Blessings
Priscilla Poh

The Experimental Cook said...

Lovely loaf. I like the shape of the cross section. Homemade bread's the best - it comes with free aroma.

Happy Homebaker said...

Kimmy, I usually bake with my pullman tin too...but this recipe seems to fit my loaf pan very well :)

The Experimental Cook, this bread has a country bread 'look and feel' because of the loaf pan. It will look like a hainanese bread loaf if I were to bake it in a pullman tin ;)

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Priscilla, I dont know how to adjust the recipe...may I suggest you try the following recipe instead? I baked it last week but didn't have chance to take a picture...

Raisin Bread Loaf:
380g bread flour
10g milk powder
30g unsalted butter
30g caster sugar
6g salt
265ml water
5g instant yeast
100g raisins

Add all ingredients Except raisins into the bread machine. Allow the machine to knead the dough for 30mins. Add the raisins at the last 2~3mins just before the kneading completes. The rest of the steps is same as above. Bake at 190degC for 30mins or until golden brown.
Recipe is from the same book, 幸福面包机.

Anonymous said...

Thanks HHB. Notice raisins recipe has no yoghurt. Wonder will be fluffy and soft. Nonetheless, might try out raisins recipe but still prefer the fuss free wholemeal which has yoghurt.

Blessings
Priscilla Poh

PH said...

Your bread looks so gorgeous! I like how it puff up over the loaf tin and the slices look nice and soft.

Bakericious said...

HHB, I am so tempting to get a bread machine after seeing this loaf, so nicely done!

ML said...

Dear HHB,

I happened to have half a tub of yoghurt in fridge to get rid of and so I baked this bread last night. I used my bread machine to knead the dough and do the first proof. Baked it in my oven after final proof.

I had the bread for breakfast this morning. It tasted great! Fluffy and soft. I love it very much. :)

Thanks for sharing this great recipe. It is fuss free indeed.

Best regards,
Mui Lim

CY said...

Ooooh, the last time I made my own bread my slicing was so bad! The kids complained some so thick and some were crooked! :( do you use a guide to cut or free hand?

Selbsy said...

Hi HHB, May i know where to get the book that you've mentioned? Thanks!

Happy Homebaker said...

Jess, if you have a standing mixer, you can use it to knead the dough, not necessary to get a bread maker :)

Mui Lim, great to hear that you like this bread too :D

CY, I do have a guide, but I didnt bother to use it ;) My bread slices are always not even too ;)

Selbsy, I borrowed the book from the national library.

Mommy said...

Hello HBB, I hv been admiring your bread making stories and sometimes it really makes me feel like baking one too. Would you share with me your bread machine? What is the model and what are the key features to a bread machine? Thanks in advance!

fitri said...

Hi There, I was searching for melon bread recipe and ended in your blog. The result are awesome! I need to make another time and take a good picture ^_^ anyway, something bother me, when I look at images at Google and found this

http://pisceschick.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/japanese-melon-pan/

tought that all are your pictures, seem someone just copy paste a whole page of your melon bread recipe.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Mommy,

I bought my BM online when I was in Beijing last year. This is the model:
http://www.amazon.cn/Donlim%E4%B8%9C%E8%8F%B1%E9%9D%A2%E5%8C%85%E6%9C%BAXBM-1139S/dp/B0055B33S0

There are several functions, u can bake a full loaf of bread, or just choose to use the BM to knead the dough. Actually, if you have a standing mixer that comes with a dough hook, you can use it to knead the dough, not necessary to use a BM. I bought one because I do not have a standing mixer and I have a chronic pain on my arms and shoulders and so I can't knead dough by hand in recent years.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi fitri, glad to hear that you like the melon pans :) and thanks so much for the alert. I have already informed the blogger, hopefully she will remove it immediately.

Mommy said...

Thanks HHB!

trishie said...

That looks soooo good!

Simple Life said...

Hi, I am crazy about baking bread too. I mainly baked sourdough bread. Your bread look soft and delicious!

Anonymous said...

Hi,
will i be able to substitute the yogurt with milk?

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi, please do not substitute with milk, the dough may be too wet.

Anonymous said...

Dear HHB,

I am a fan of your blog and always follow your posts regularly when I'm living overseas.

Now, I have moved back to Singapore and is in the midst of looking for a built in oven.

The model you bought, BOSCH HBN331E2J comes highly recommeded to me by the electrical shop owner, and it seems very popular.

May I know your feedback about the oven please? Does it perform well? I will be doing a little of all - baking, grilling, roasting. Thank you very much.

I am also very keen on the brandt version you initially shortlisted (FE811 now replaced by FE1011), but seems like brandt oven comes with 15/16amp so I'm worried. I stay in a hdb flat. May i know why you chose bosch over brandt in the first place?

once again, thanks for taking time to read this.

LHC

emma's mummy said...

Hi, Happy home baker

Love your blog! And inspired by almost every post! I'd like to share with you the books 'the sweeter side of Amy's bread' by Amy Sherber. It is not in many library branches, I reserved it from the library and found it very pleasant and intriguing written by this lady owner of New York's best bakery.

Another book is 果子學校 Vol.3 酥餅&餅乾
http://www.books.com.tw/exep/prod/booksfile.php?item=0010480439

Like most of Japanese Chinese books, it includes step by step illustrations and explanations.

Thanks for creating such a knowledgeable blog!

emma's mummy said...

Btw, I tried most of the recipes from 果子學校 Vol.3 酥餅&餅乾, and the cookies are well received.

Kimmy said...

Hi HHB, I tried this bread, it's soft and fluffy but rather chewy [very different from my usual loaf breads] cos' of the qty of wholemeal flour added. Overall not too bad. I wouldn't mind baking it often [supposed to be healthy bread, right?] I've linked my post to yours. Thanks for sharing. BTW do you think the bread will be softer if we use all yoghurt instead of water?

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi LHC, so far my oven serves my purpose...I use it mainly for simple bakes, nothing fancy or delicate, only the usual bread, muffins and cookies...so far so good. Do note that I do not have high expectations and I don't need a high end oven, as such this basic oven meets all my requirements...and it was the cheapest among the 3 i had shortlised. So, it really depends on individual. I like the digital timer function on the Bosch oven, very useful! whereas the brandt oven didnt come with a digital timer...but I am not sure about the newer models. The bosch oven doesnt come with self cleaning function, so expect to get stains on the oven walls after roasting a chicken. I could live with it as the walls are in dark enamel...can't really see unless u shine a touch light on it. To cut down on the splatter, I have been covering the sides of my roasting pan with foil, it certainly helps to avoid staining the oven walls, but cant do anything to the top of the oven where the heating coils reside. Hope your find this info useful :)



Happy Homebaker said...

Hi emma's mummy, thanks for the recommendation, I will certainly look for the book by Amy Sherber :) Oh yes, I have borrowed the book 果子學校 Vol.3 酥餅&餅乾, and the other books under the same series :) I have been following Jap translated books as they are really useful for self taught home bakers, love the step by step illustrations, plus the small portion and I prefer to weigh the ingredients instead of using measuring cups.

Hi Kimmy, I wont recommend that your replace the water with yoghurt...it may affect the bread dough...
You may want to try another yoghurt bread recipe posted by fellow blogger:
http://pureenjoyment.blogspot.sg/2008/02/yogurt-bread.html
I have also blog about it here:
http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.sg/2008/04/mixed-berries-yoghurt-bread.html

Kimmy said...

Hi HHB, thanks for your advice and info. I'll check it out and also stick to this recipe.
Have a nice week.

Unknown said...

This bread looks delicious!!

Chai Ling said...

Hi! I would like to ask if I were to knead by hand.. Is it normal to be sticky? Do I have to add more flour to reduce the stickiness??

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Chai Ling, the bread dough will be very sticky, you need to knead it continuously for at least 30mins until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, try not to add flour. for kneading by hand, you may like to take a look at my blog post here to get an idea (http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.sg/2007/11/matcha-red-bean-loaf.html)
Hope this helps.

marlissamy said...

Hi HHB... I love ur post :) tq for sharing the recipe..just wanna ask, can i straightly leave it to my bm without using the oven? Tq

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi, yes you can use your bread machine to bake the loaf.

Jean said...

Hi HHB,

wonder if it makes any difference if I were to use, say, Vanilla flavoured yoghurt instead of plain?

Jean

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Jean, I think it should be ok to use vanilla flavoured yoghurt.

Wen said...

Hi HHB, thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe! I baked twice and love it. I use my kenwood mixer to knead and it works as well. The bread is so soft and fluffy.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Wen, happy to know that this bread recipe works well for you :):)

TE said...

Hi HHB, all your breads so yummy! wanted to try this but i do not have a BM. is there any sequence to put in the ingredients if im using stand mixer and need to knead for how long? until it reaches window pane test? TIA! :D

TE

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi TE, I do not own a standing mixer as such I am not able to comment on how long it takes to knead. I dont think there is any specific sequence if you are using a mixer. You may want to try other recipes that use a standing mixer to get yourself familiar with the process before trying this recipe. hope this helps.