28 Feb 2010

Pain Au Lait - The Dough

2 cup of all purpose flour

1 1/2 cup of bread flour

2 tsp instand yeast

2 tbsp powdered milk

4 tbsp sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 tbsp butter (I decided to cut down the butter,  as my family don't like too much butter, which was a mistake.  I'll explain later.)

Mixed and knead. As it is a soft, wet dough, using Richard Bertinet's method to knead the dough,  I managed  to put the dough together. I think I had to do it for about 15 minutes or more.  Although Richard Bertinet recommended no flour,  I had to get the sticky dough off my hand,  I dip my hand onto the flour and rub them off.

After kneading and pulling into a ball, 1st rise takes about 1 1/2 hours,  after which I pulled and stretch once,  pulling it into a ball again,  and  the dough goes into the fridge, till the next morning. I had a very good 8 hours of sleep and all ready to do my bread in the morning.

Took it out of the fridge,  interesting,  it rose a perhaps 50%,  unlike 1st rise to the doughs that I did before,  will seem to appear to over-rise after 8 hours in the fridge.

Before the shaping,  I prepared the following:

Raisins

1/3 cup of Raisins

 2 tsp of sugar

a dash of cinnamon

Apricot

1/3 cup sliced to pieces apricot (canned)

a dash of cinnamon

Egg Wash

1 egg

1 tbsp milk

Now the shaping.  Cut the dough into 1/2.  

Part 1 dough.  Spread and cut into 8 pieces.  Roll them long and twist them.  Twirl them around.  Press down the middle and add the apricot in the middle.  (should have put the egg wash fist). Egg Wash.

Part 2 dough.  Spread the dough out,  and spread the raisins.  Roll up like a swiss roll and cut into 8 pieces.  Press down all around.  Egg wash.

Let rest and rise till puffy.  190 degrees celsius,  at 20 minutes.

By lessening the butter was a mistake,  the dough turned out a little hard.  The bread puffed up very very nicely though.