Whole Wheat Hokkaido Bread

A nicely risen tall whole wheat loaf always succeed to elevate my spirits and me feel ecstatic. I simply love baking breads and of course eating them too And torn, under proofed or not so well risen whole wheat loaves make me feel very sad I have been baking breads for more than a year now and I have had my share of good and not so good breads. I keep experimenting with flour and the proportion of ingredients. One thing I must confess is that I feel my yeast is slightly getting weaker than before, I am needing to add a pinch more than what I used to add before. But still its much better than what most other recipes ask for and believe me, my breads do not smell or taste yeasty at all.

I already have another recipe of whole wheat bread using the tangzhong method and this is almost similar to it, just a bit difference in the way the loaf is shaped. I am quite happy with the rise and the texture too. Perfect crust and crumb and very healthy too without a pinch of maida or any preservative. Please do try and share your feedback. It means a lot to me. I always use a 240 ml cup.

Ingredients:

For the tangzhong:

• Whole wheat flour 20 gm
• Water 100 gm

For the bread dough:

• Whole wheat flour 400 gm
• Salt as required
• Sugar 1 tsp or honey 1 tbsp
• Instant yeast 3/4 – 1 tsp
• Olive oil 1-2 tbsp
• Lukewarm water plus milk 1 cup or as required

Method:

To prepare the tangzhong:

• Mix the flour and the water so that it is fully lump free.
• Cook it on medium flame in a sauce pan till it becomes thick like custard.
• Do not overcook. Allow it to cool and bring it to room temperature.
• Cover it with a cling film while it is cooling.
• This tangzhong can be stored in the refrigerator for 5-6 days.

To make the bread dough:

• Mix wheat flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a big mixing bowl.
• Add the cooled tangzhong, milk and lukewarm water and knead.
• Sprinkle oil in your hands and knead using the stretch and fold method for about 10-12 minutes till you get a soft and elastic dough.
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover the bowl with a cling wrap and allow it to rise till it is double in volume. This might take an hour in this weather.
• Gently punch out the gases and knead again for a minute or two.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. ( My dough was exactly 800 gm, so I got 4 pieces each weighing 200 gm).
• Roll the pieces into smooth balls and keep aside for 10 minutes. Cover with a soft cloth.

• Roll out each piece into a long rectangle and fold it into a small log with width equal to the breadth of the bread tin.

• Place this in a well oiled bread tin. Repeat this with the other 3 pieces.

• Apply milk or oil on the top of these logs and cover the tin with an oiled foil or a dome like lid and allow it to double in size. This took 30-40 minutes.

• Towards the last ten minutes of rising, preheat your oven for 10-12 minutes at 180 degree Celsius.
• Bake the tin for around 40-45 minutes or till the inside of the bread records around 90 degree Celsius or more.
• Remove the tin from the oven and wait for 3-4 minutes before taking the bread out of the tin. Apply some butter on the crust of the bread to keep it soft.
• Cool on a wire rack overnight or for atleast 3-4 hours before you slice them. You may cover the loaf with a moist soft cotton towel while it is cooling to keep it soft.