Sourdough Milk Bread (Rainbow Bread option)
I know we all laugh about the novels of writing before recipes on recipe blogs, but did you know there is an actual reason for all that text? From what I understand it has to do with google only recognizing pages with a certain number of words, and for people to see this site and recipes, that is kind of important.
So here I am, trying to fill my quota of words with another recipe.
I am all about the simple joys and sometimes about the less than simple joys, but seeing my kids delight over rainbow bread was a joy that probably brought me just about as much joy too. And then when you take a bite of the softest bread you might have ever tasted, the feelings of joy are back again.
What makes it so soft? Well the tangzhong is the trick. Cooked flour and water that just holds the moisture in the finished bread and perhaps even extends its shelf life. Is my half Japanese side drawn to it because it is perhaps of Japanese origin and popular in Asian bakeries, originally yes, but the difference this makes in bread is the real testament to why I love it.
Feel free to make this bread rainbow, or just make it normal and feel like you are sitting in a world of butterflies and rainbows while you can’t stop sneaking another slice.
Sourdough Milk Bread (Rainbow option)
Makes one loaf
Tangzhong
200g of water
40g flour
Levain
40g water
20g unfed sourdough starter
50g flour
Dough (final mix)
All tangzhong
375-390g bread flour
30g sugar
8g salt
90g levain
9g dry milk powder (can use powdered coconut milk)
125g milk (I use almond milk)
55groom temperature butter (vegan butter or coconut oil works)
1 large egg
Day 1
Make tangzhong. Whisk water and flour together in a pot. Cook over medium heat, continually stirring until the mixture is thick and glossy. Put into a bowl and cover to cool. Set in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can make this the day/night before.
Before bed, mix levain. Cover overnight.
Day 2 (starting in the morning)
Combine 375g of bread flour, dry milk, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix with a whisk.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine milk, egg, levain, and tangzhong. Mix until well combined.
Add butter in pieces.
Mix the dough until it pulls off the walls of the bowl. If after 7 minutes the dough is still extremely sticky, add the remaining 15g of flour.
Keep mixing the dough until it comes together and doesn’t stick to the sides. It will be soft and elastic, and if you poke it, it will spring back. It will take about 10 minutes.
Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover, and let rise for 8 hours. Or let rise for 4 hours at room temperature and then overnight in the refrigerator. SEE NOTES FOR RAINBOW BREAD
Day 3
The next morning, remove dough from the refrigerator and divide the dough into three equal pieces (use a scale for accuracy).
To reshape the dough, make three balls of dough, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter for about 10 minutes. SEE NOTES FOR RAINBOW BREAD
Using flour, dust the table and rolling pin. Roll the dough into a 10-inch long piece. Fold the dough lengthwise into the middle from both sides and press it firmly.
Rotate the dough 90 degrees, fold it into the middle, and then roll the dough in a log shape (think cinnamon buns before cutting the buns).
Place the loaf seam side down into an 8 X 4-inch loaf pan. Repeat the shaping process for each of the remaining pieces of dough.
Let the loaf proof covered for about 4 hours or until the dough has risen to the pan's top rim.
Preheat oven to 350º. Brush the top of the loaf with an egg wash.
Bake for 24-30 minutes. Let the loaf cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan and cool for 20 minutes at least before slicing.
RAINBOW BREAD:
7. If making rainbow bread, measure out five 50g portions of dough, add color to each portion, put them in a small bowl, and cover to rise for 8 hours. Put the remaining dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover to rise for 8 hours. Or let rise for 4 hours at room temperature and then overnight in the refrigerator.
8-10. Roll each piece of colored dough into a rectangle about 4 inches x 8 inches. Stack them on top of each other. Cut the edges so that they are all even. Prepare the remaining un-dyed dough by rolling into a ball, letting rest for 10 minutes, and roll out into a rectangle about 8 x 12 inches. Place the colored dough on top of the uncolored dough. Roll the dough into a log with the colored dough now inside. See video on instagram for another similar method.
SOURDOUGH MILK BREAD (RAINBOW OPTION)
Ingredients
- 200g of water
- 40g flour
- 40g water
- 20g unfed sourdough starter
- 50g flour
- All tangzhong
- 375-390g bread flour
- 30g sugar
- 8g salt
- 90g levain
- 9g dry milk powder (can use powdered coconut milk)
- 125g milk (I use almond milk)
- 55groom temperature butter (vegan butter or coconut oil works)
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Make tangzhong. Whisk water and flour together in a pot. Cook over medium heat, continually stirring until the mixture is thick and glossy. Put into a bowl and cover to cool. Set in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can make this the day/night before.
- Before bed, mix levain. Cover overnight.
- Combine 375g of bread flour, dry milk, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix with a whisk.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine milk, egg, levain, and tangzhong. Mix until well combined.
- Add butter in pieces.
- Mix the dough until it pulls off the walls of the bowl. If after 7 minutes the dough is still extremely sticky, add the remaining 15g of flour.
- Keep mixing the dough until it comes together and doesn’t stick to the sides. It will be soft and elastic, and if you poke it, it will spring back. It will take about 10 minutes.
- Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover, and let rise for 8 hours. Or let rise for 4 hours at room temperature and then overnight in the refrigerator. SEE NOTES FOR RAINBOW BREAD
- The next morning, remove dough from the refrigerator and divide the dough into three equal pieces (use a scale for accuracy).
- To reshape the dough, make three balls of dough, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter for about 10 minutes. SEE NOTES FOR RAINBOW BREAD
- Using flour, dust the table and rolling pin. Roll the dough into a 10-inch long piece. Fold the dough lengthwise into the middle from both sides and press it firmly.
- Rotate the dough 90 degrees, fold it into the middle, and then roll the dough in a log shape (think cinnamon buns before cutting the buns).
- Place the loaf seam side down into an 8 X 4-inch loaf pan. Repeat the shaping process for each of the remaining pieces of dough.
- Let the loaf proof covered for about 4 hours or until the dough has risen to the pan's top rim.
- Preheat oven to 350º. Brush the top of the loaf with an egg wash.
- Bake for 24-30 minutes. Let the loaf cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan and cool for 20 minutes at least before slicing.
- Step 7. If making rainbow bread, measure out five 50g portions of dough, add color to each portion, put them in a small bowl, and cover to rise for 8 hours. Put the remaining dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover to rise for 8 hours. Or let rise for 4 hours at room temperature and then overnight in the refrigerator.
- Steps 8-10. Roll each piece of colored dough into a rectangle about 4 inches x 8 inches. Stack them on top of each other. Cut the edges so that they are all even. Prepare the remaining un-dyed dough by rolling into a ball, letting rest for 10 minutes, and roll out into a rectangle about 8 x 12 inches. Place the colored dough on top of the uncolored dough. Roll the dough into a log with the colored dough now inside. See video on instagram for another similar method.