The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Seven breads in seven days - Day 1 Milk Bread

varda's picture
varda

Seven breads in seven days - Day 1 Milk Bread

I have been baking bread like crazy over the last three months.   I've tried a lot of things, I've received a lot of great advice in the forums, many breads haven't worked very well since I am so inexperienced, but now I have a list of breads that either came out pretty well or I hope that with more practice will eventually turn out pretty well.   In order to consolidate what I've learned so far, I will try to bake a bread a day (or so) with seven breads that I would like to get right.   I'll start with the easiest, and since it is also quite delicious, I'll call it the best per amount of effort:   Greenstein's Milk Bread.   In Secrets of a Jewish Baker, Greenstein gives two recipes for this - one with a sponge, one without.   The one I made today was with a straight dough method.   This means you just mix everything up, let rise, shape, rise, and bake.   No pre-ferment, no cold ferment, no sourdough no nothing.   And for bread, a fairly short time from start to finish.  

Mix 2 cups warm warm water with 1.5 Tbsp instant yeast.   Add 5 cups unbleached bread flour (I used a measurement of 133 g per cup).  Add 2 Tbsp soft butter, 4 tsp sugar, 2/3 cup dry milk, 2 tsp salt.   Mix it up until smooth.   Let double.  Cut in half.   Let rest for 15 minutes.   Shape and put in bread pans.  Let rise to over top of pan.   Score and brush with melted butter.  Bake with steam for 40 minutes at 375.   Remove from pan for last 5 minutes of baking and put directly on stone.

Tomorrow Madame Doz Pain de Compagne from Bernard Clayton.

Comments

althetrainer's picture
althetrainer

Nice looking loaf of bread.  Five cups of flour, that must be one very large loaf.  Keep the pictures coming.  Can't wait to see the rest of your daily breads.

Al

mrfrost's picture
mrfrost

2 loaves.

althetrainer's picture
althetrainer

Missed the "cut in half" part.  I thought the cut loaf was from the far end of the full loaf.  Thanks!

Al

varda's picture
varda

Thanks for the encouragement.   It would be easier doing this if I could just take a class or something.   But instead I'm just slogging it out in my kitchen.   This list helps a lot.