Apple Cinnamon Buns

These are delicious, soft and cottony buns filled with pieces of sweet apples and a hint of cinnamon. Great as breakfast or afternoon snack.

Now that Autumn is here, there are all kind of apples in the market. Why not use the seasonal fruits to fill the buns?

This is an Asian version of apple cinnamon buns…I used the tangzhong method for the dough, therefore the dough is super light and fluffy and the buns stay fresh and soft for many days.

More details about tangzhong can be found HERE.

– Why are these rolls so delicious?

The combination of the soft and cottony dough with small pieces of apples are just so delicious…every bite comes with apple…giving a feeling of warmth…Autumn is here.

– Can I substitute apples for any other fruit?

Pears will work well for these buns.

– Are you ready to give these buns a try?

Ingredients:

Tangzhong or water roux

50 g bread flour
250 ml water

Bread dough

550 g bread flour
90 g sugar
7 g salt
7 g yeast
75 g non-fat dry milk
2 eggs (minus 1 ½ tablespoon), approximately 100 g
55 ml water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
100 g butter

Apple Filling

400 g apple peeled and cut into small pieces
65 g sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Method:

Tangzhong or water roux

Whisk together the water and the flour until the mixture is well blended and free of lumps.

Stir the mixture while it cooks over the medium heat to reach 65C/150F. It takes about 2-3 minutes.

Continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken. The mixture of flour will have “lines”.

Remove from the heat.

Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plastic film to avoid “skin” from forming.

Ready to add to the bread dough once is cool.

Water roux or Tangzhong can bend kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

Bread dough

In the mixer, add all the water roux, and all the other ingredients under bread, except for the butter.

Turn the machine and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, until a uniform very wet and sticky dough.

Increase the speed to “2” and let it mix for 15 minutes. The dough should be very sticky. Do not add extra flour as the dough will be less sticky as gluten forms.

Add the butter and mix for 15 to 20 minutes more. Take a small portion of the dough (like a golf ball) and stretch gently until a very thin and transparent membrane (windowpane).

If the dough tears, mix for another 2-3 minutes until you achieve the windowpane test. This test demonstrates that the gluten is very well developed, and it will create a very light crumb. The dough should be very elastic.

Remove the dough from the mixer and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let dough proof until the dough tripled to its original size.

In the meantime, make the apple filling.

Apple Filling

In a medium pot, place all the ingredients listed under apple filling. Cook under high heat for approximately 10 minutes, until the apples are slightly soft.

Remove from the heat and let it cool. Set Aside until ready to assemble the rolls.

Assembly

Knock back the dough and divide into 2 balls. Roll one dough into a rectangle of approximately 45 x 35cm (approximately 18 x 14in). Smear a thin layer of butter or its substitute on the rectangle dough.

Evenly sprinkle ½ of the apple filling, roll it like a Swiss roll from the long edge, and roll it into a tight log. Turn the seam to the bottom. Make a small mark on the log in the middle and then into 4 and again and again until you have the log divided into 16.

Gently cut on the mark without smashing the rolls. Place the rolls in a square or round pan, I used the 2 small round pan and one ring pan.

Cover and let it rise, approximately double of its original size. Brush with egg wash and bake in a preheated oven at 350^oF for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and let it cool.

– If you like this recipe and looking for more Asian baked good, please check these out…

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Cocoa Bread

A simple touch of cocoa powder in the bread dough can add so much color and aroma to your everyday slice of bread.

Hello everyone…yes, I have been incognito for a few weeks…a combination of work load and other things in my life that I want to prioritize…such as travel (vacation)…and suddenly here we are past mid January…

Time indeed flies…even faster as older I get and so much has been happening around me, I just want to take in and enjoy every moment…I tried to take a small break from blogging and see how I felt…well…I miss it, so here I am back to the world of sharing recipes by blogging.

Okay, enough of this…and let’s talk about cocoa bread…

– How the cocoa bread taste?

Honestly not much different than the plain one, the color is very deceiving as I have imagined biting into a big chunk of chocolate…sorry to disappoint you…does not taste like chocolate.

– So, why bother adding cocoa powder into the bread dough?

Cocoa powder does not contain fats or sugar, therefore makes the bread a bit healthier and smell so good.

– Tangzhong method?

Yes, this recipe uses tangzhong method, which you can read more about it here. The bread stays soft, cottony for many days.

– Are you ready to give this recipe a try?

Ingredients:

Tangzhong or water roux

40 g flour
200 g water

Bread dough

450 g bread flour
35 g honey
25 g sugar
25 g unsweetened cocoa powder
5 g yeast
5 g salt
80 g heavy cream
70 g water
30 g butter

Method:

Tangzhong or Water roux

Whisk together the water and the flour until the mixture is well blended and free of lumps.

Stir the mixture while it cooks over the medium heat to reach 65^oC/149 – 150^oF. It takes about 2-3 minutes.

Continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken. The mixture of flour will have “lines”.

Remove from the heat.

Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plastic film to avoid “skin” from forming.

Ready to add to the bread dough once is cool.

Tangzhong or water roux can bend kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

Cocoa bread dough

In the mixer, add all the water roux, and all the other ingredients under bread, except for the butter.

Turn the machine and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, until a uniform very wet and sticky dough.

Increase the speed to “2” and let it mix for 15 minutes. The dough should be very sticky. Do not add extra flour as the dough will be less sticky as gluten forms.

Add the butter and mix for 15 to 20 minutes more. Take a small portion of the dough (like a golf ball) and stretch gently until a very thin and transparent membrane (windowpane) and you can see light through it.

If the dough tears mix for another 2-3 minutes until the dough pass the windowpane test. demonstrating that the gluten is very well developed, and it will create a very light crumb. The dough should be very elastic.

Remove the dough from the mixer and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let dough proof until the dough tripled to its original size.

Assembly

Shape the dough as you like. I used two different pans, one bread pan and the other one I made into small dinner rolls.

Knock back the dough and split into desired size and shape and let it rise until triple of its original size.

Cover the pan and bake in a preheated oven of 350^oF for approximately 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and flip the bread into a wire rack to cool.

– Looking for more bread recipes? Check these out…

Did you know that cocoa powder is healthy? Chocolate is made from cocoa plant by adding fat, sugar and vanilla, therefore need to be consumed in moderation. Unsweetened cocoa powder is a great source of iron, magnesium, zinc, manganese and other minerals. Moreover, studies have found cocoa powder to exert anti-inflammatory properties.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Gooey Ugly Sticky All Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll

As the title says…this is super gooey, super ugly and super sticky cinnamon rolls made with pumpkin dough and pumpkin jam as a topping…and super delicious.

This all pumpkin rolls, literally pumpkin in the dough and pumpkin in the topping are super, let me emphasize, super delicious if you are an all pumpkin fan like I am. Every bite is screaming pumpkin…the soft and cottony dough filled with pumpkin spice, sugar and butter covered with a layer (or two) of gooey and sticky pumpkin jam is absolutely heaven…

– Why these pumpkin cinnamon rolls are different?

To keep the color of the dough pretty I did not add the pumpkin spice in the dough. Each roll is smeared with pumpkin jam. Pumpkin jam was made using pumpkin puree, butter and sugar…cooked until thicken.

– Are these all pumpkin rolls healthy?

I must admit, these rolls are very unusual for me, as I always try to cut fat and sugar in my baking…not this time…I did not want to jeopardize the taste and flavor of these rolls so I went all the way…be aware…these rolls are not your typical heart-healthy rolls…but they taste so good…finger licking…so please eat with moderation (if you can).

– What is the texture of these buns?

As always, I used the tangzhong or water roux method, therefore the texture of these rolls is super soft and cottony and stay fresh for many days.

– Where did the pumpkin jam come from?

In Brazil there are many kinds of pumpkin desserts, which it is called “doce de abobóra”, “doce” means sweet and “abobóra” means pumpkin. These sweets can be made into cubes of pumpkin or as a paste. Usually the pumpkin is cooked with sugar, cinnamon and cloves…coconut can be added as well.

So, I decided to give these pumpkin cinnamon rolls a touch of the Brazilian “doce de abobóra”. In this recipe I did not add cinnamon nor cloves when making the pumpkin jam, but feel free to add.

– Are you ready to try it?

Ingredients:

Water roux or Tangzhong

30 g bread flour
150 ml water

Pumpkin bread dough

550 g bread flour
250 g pumpkin puree
80 g sugar
8 g salt
8 g yeast
8 g vital gluten
50 ml non-fat milk
60 g butter, room temperature

Filling

40 g butter, room temperature
50 – 60 g sugar
1 ½ to 2 ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice

Pumpkin jam

150 g pumpkin puree
80 g sugar
10g butter

Method:

Water roux or Tangzhong

Whisk together the water and the flour until the mixture is well blended and free of lumps.

Stir the mixture while it cooks over the medium heat to reach 65^oC/149 – 150F. It takes about 2-3 minutes.

Continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken. The mixture of flour will have “lines”.

Remove from the heat.

Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plastic film to avoid “skin” from forming.

Ready to add to the bread dough once is cool.

Water roux or Tangzhong can bend kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

Pumpkin bread dough

In the mixer, add all the water roux, and all the other ingredients under bread, except for the butter.

Turn the machine and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, until a uniform very wet and sticky dough.

Increase the speed to “2” and let it mix for 15 minutes. The dough should be very sticky. Do not add extra flour as the dough will be less sticky as gluten forms.

Add the butter and mix for 15 to 20 minutes more. Take a small portion of the dough (like a golf ball) and stretch gently until a very thin and transparent membrane (windowpane).

If the dough tears mix for another 2-3 minutes until you achieve the windowpane test. The window pane test demonstrates that the gluten is very well developed, and it will create a very light crumb. The dough should be very elastic.

Remove the dough from the mixer and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let dough proof until the dough tripled to its original size.

In the meantime, mix together the sugar and pumpkin spice and set aside.

Assembly

Now it is time to shape the rolls…

Knock back the dough and in a lightly floured surface open the dough into a rectangle of approximately 40 x 30 cm (16 x 12 in).

Brush the softened butter onto the dough and be sure to leave around 2 cm (1 in) on the edge of the long side of the rectangle.

Sprinkle the mixture of the pumpkin spice and sugar all over the layer of butter.

Roll up the dough tightly from the long side of the rectangle.

Cut the rolls, 1 ½ in approximately and arrange the rolls evenly in a baking pan.

Cover the pan and let the rolls rise until it doubled the original size.

Bake in a pre-heated oven of 350^oF, for 18 to 20 minutes.

While the rolls are in the oven, make the pumpkin jam.

In a small pan add all the ingredients under the pumpkin jam and cook under medium heat. Once boiled, simmer and stir occasionally, until the mixture has thickened, and you can see the bottom of the pan.

Remove from the heat and let it cool.

Once the rolls are baked, remove from the oven and place them in a wire rack to cool.

Smear the pumpkin jam on the rolls and serve.

Store the rolls in an airtight container.

– Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Check these out…

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Soft Pumpkin Twist Bun

This soft and cottony pumpkin twist bun is delicious, super light and cottony…packed with everything pumpkin…screaming with all the spices in every bite…

The color of this bread is…very pumpkin with all the spices, maybe not too enticing…or very appealing, but do not get fooled by its appearance…it is super, I mean super soft and taste amazingly everything pumpkin.

These buns stay light, moist and soft for days like all the breads baked using tangzhong method. Since I baked so many buns, I end up sending some to neighbors and friends…and I got request for baking more of these pumpkin buns.

– Why pumpkin?

Because it is Autumn and it is everything pumpkin…pumpkin contains a lot of beta-carotene, which give the bright orange color of the flesh. Beta-carotene and carotenoids are antioxidants that help immune system, may help reduce risks of chronic eye diseases.

Pumpkin also contain fibers, soluble and insoluble, therefore it might help the elimination of the bad cholesterol (LDL).

– What is the texture of these buns?

The combination of tangzhong or water roux method and the pumpkin puree is magical…resulting is a soft cottony bread, almost like mochi.

– Why these pumpkin twist buns are so addictive?

They are coated with a layer of pumpkin glaze made with pumpkin puree, sugar and pumpkin spices.

– Are you ready to try it?

Ingredients:

Water roux or Tangzhong

30 g bread flour
150 ml water

Pumpkin bread dough

600 g bread flour
300 g pumpkin puree
110 g sugar
8 g salt
8 g yeast
8 g vital gluten
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
60 g butter (room temperature)

Pumpkin glaze

90 to 100 g pumpkin puree
50 g sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin spices
Pearl sugar (optional)

Method:

Water roux or Tangzhong

Whisk together the water and the flour until the mixture is well blended and free of lumps.

Stir the mixture while it cooks over the medium heat to reach 65^oC/149 – 150F. It takes about 2-3 minutes.

Continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken. The mixture of flour will have “lines”.

Remove from the heat.

Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plastic film to avoid “skin” from forming.

Ready to add to the bread dough once is cool.

Water roux or Tangzhong can bend kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

Pumpkin bread dough

In the mixer, add all the water roux, and all the other ingredients under bread, except for the butter.

Turn the machine and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, until a uniform very wet and sticky dough.

Increase the speed to “2” and let it mix for 15 minutes. The dough should be very sticky. Do not add extra flour as the dough will be less sticky as gluten forms.

Add the butter and mix for 15 to 20 minutes more. Take a small portion of the dough (like a golf ball) and stretch gently until a very thin and transparent membrane (windowpane).

If the dough tears mix for another 2-3 minutes until you achieve the windowpane test. The window pane test, demonstrates that the gluten is very well developed and it will create a very light crumb. The dough should be very elastic.

Remove the dough from the mixer and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let dough proof until the dough tripled to its original size.

Assembly

Now it is time to shape the buns…

Knock back the dough and split into approximately 18 little balls (approximately 70 g each) and let it rest for 5 minutes on the counter.

Flatten the ball making sure that the air is removed and roll it like a Swiss roll.

Roll more from the center of the Swiss roll placing a little bit of pressure and roll it until approximately 16 in (40 cm) rope. Repeat the process until all the balls are done.

To make the twist…fold the rope into thirds and make a knot at one end, twist the bottom end around the top, and feed the loose end into the top hole. Please see the pictures above, it is much easier that it sound…

Place the twists in a baking ban of your preference. Cover the pan and let the twist rise until double in size.

In the meantime, in a small pot add the pumpkin puree, sugar and pumpkin spices. In a medium heat bring the mixture to boil. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes and remove from the heat and let it cool.

Once the twists doubled in size, gently brush the top of the twists with the pumpkin glaze, and sprinkle with pearl sugar.

Bake in a preheated oven of 350^oF for approximately 18 to 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let the buns cool on a wire rack.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Store the bread in an airtight container.

– If you enjoy this pumpkin twist bun recipe, you might want to take a look at these…

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Purple Sweet Potato Bread

This soft and cottony purple sweet potato bread is amazing, so light, almost like a cloud…you will not stop munching on it…

The color of this bread is so enticing…very appealing and super attractive….not to mention it softness…indeed like a cloud.

This bread stays light, moist and soft for days like all the breads baked using tangzhong method. Since I baked two loaves, one I stored in the refrigerator and microwaved for 20 seconds and the bread is like out of the oven.

– Why purple sweet potato?

Purple sweet potato contains a lot of anthocyanin, which give the purple color of the flesh. Anthocyanin is the same pigment found in red grapes, blueberries and red cabbage.

– What is the texture of the bread?

The combination of tangzhong or water roux method and the creamy mashed purple sweet potato is magical…soft and cottony bread, almost like mochi.

-Are you ready to try it?

Ingredients:

Water roux or Tangzhong

50 g bread flour
250 ml water

Purple sweet potato dough

500 g bread flour
245 g purple sweet potato, steamed and mashed
80 g sugar
7 g salt
6 g yeast
8 g vital gluten
30 dry milk
80-100 ml water
80 g butter (room temperature)

Method:

Water roux or Tangzhong

Whisk together the water and the flour until the mixture is well blended and free of lumps.

Stir the mixture while it cooks over the medium heat to reach 65^oC/149 – 150F. It takes about 2-3 minutes.

Continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken. The mixture of flour will have “lines”.

Remove from the heat.

Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plastic film to avoid “skin” from forming.

Ready to add to the bread dough once is cool.

Water roux or Tangzhong can bend kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

Purple sweet potato dough

In the mixer, add all the water roux, and all the other ingredients under bread, except for the butter.

Turn the machine and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, until a uniform very wet and sticky dough.

Increase the speed to “2” and let it mix for 15 minutes. The dough should be very sticky. Do not add extra flour as the dough will be less sticky as gluten forms.

Add the butter and mix for 15 to 20 minutes more. Take a small portion of the dough (like a golf ball) and stretch gently until a very thin and transparent membrane (windowpane).

Remove the dough from the mixer and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let dough proof until the dough tripled to its original size.

Assembly

Now it is time to shape the dough…

Knock back the dough and split into approximately 8 little balls (approximately 140 g each) and let it rest for 5 minutes on the counter.

Flatten the ball making sure that the air is removed and fold into thirds, then roll it like a Swiss roll.

Place the Swiss rolls into 2 Pullman pan, (4 each) pan and let it rise until triple of its original size.

Cover the pan and bake in a preheated oven of 350^oF for approximately 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and flip the bread into a wire rack to cool. Slice according to your like.

– More bread recipes? Sure…check these out…

Did you know that the purple sweet potato contains more antioxidant than blueberries? Antioxidants helps combat cardiovascular disease and cancer. Moreover, sweet potatoes in general contain a lot of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A and manganese.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

SuperFood Protein Bread

Have you ever had bread with protein powder in it? Well, this might be the way to start a new day…specially if you are in hurry.

First, I must admit that this is my first-time trying protein powder, I never felt that I needed it but when I was offered to try one of products from LIVfit, I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to try the Organic SuperFood Blend…

I had the bag in my cupboard for a couple of weeks and every time I look at it I did not know what to do with it…I did not want to add into smoothie or juice…that is too simple…until I need it to bake more bread and the “aha moment” that I was waiting to use the superfood blend came to my mind…why not add some protein into my bread dough? And this post was created…

Before I continue I must disclose the following… “I have been given SuperFood Blend as part of a product review, as the product was a gift, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company“.

People always complaint about the empty calories in bread…not anymore, as this bread comes with protein and the mix of vitamins and antioxidants…a great way to start your day.

– What is SuperFood Blend?

The SuperFood Blend is a mixture of organic pea protein, quinoa, chia, flaxseed meal, hemp, green tea, variety of fruit blend and some vitamins…you can read more about it here.

– How should I add the protein powder to the bread dough?

Since I am already familiar with all the ingredients in this blend and have made bread using them (separately) it would not be too hard to incorporate the powder into the bread dough. And yes, I applied the tangzhong method…I substituted a small portion of bread flour with the protein powder and added vital gluten to compensate the lack of it from the protein powder.

My making this bread I found out that the protein powder absorb a lot of liquid, therefore much more water was added to get the perfect texture.

– Did the protein powder affected the bread?

Not at all, the bread came out moist, soft and fluffy…if not by the color and the speckles you would not be able to tell that there is protein powder in it…

– Ready for the recipe?

Ingredients:

Water roux or Tangzhong

50 g bread flour
250 ml water

SuperFood Blend Bread Dough

500 g bread flour
80 g SuperFood Blend
70 g sugar
7 g salt
7 g yeast
7 g vital gluten
30 dry milk
200 ml water
80 g butter (room temperature)

Method:

Water roux or Tangzhong

Whisk together the water and the flour until the mixture is well blended and free of lumps.

Stir the mixture while it cooks over the medium heat to reach 65^oC/149 – 150F. It takes about 2-3 minutes.

Continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken. The mixture of flour will have “lines”.

Remove from the heat.

Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plastic film to avoid “skin” from forming.

Ready to add to the bread dough once is cool.

Water roux or Tangzhong can bend kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

SuperFood Blend Dough

In the mixer, add all the water roux, and all the other ingredients under bread, except for the butter.

Turn the machine and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, until a uniform very wet and sticky dough.

Increase the speed to “2” and let it mix for 15 minutes. The dough should be very sticky. Do not add extra flour as the dough will be less sticky as gluten forms.

Add the butter and mix for 15 to 20 minutes more. Take a small portion of the dough (like a golf ball) and stretch gently until a very thin and transparent membrane (windowpane).

Remove the dough from the mixer and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let dough proof until the dough tripled to its original size.

Assembly

Now it is time to shape the dough…

Knock back the dough and split into approximately 8 little balls (approximately 140 g each) and let it rest for 5 minutes on the counter.

Flatten the ball making sure that the air is removed and fold into thirds, then roll it like a Swiss roll.

Place the Swiss rolls into 2 Pullman pan, (4 each) pan and let it rise until triple of its original size.

Cover the pan and bake in a preheated oven of 350^oF for approximately 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and flip the bread into a wire rack to cool. Slice according to your like.

Store the bread in an airtight container.

– Looking for more bread recipes? Check these out…

Did you know that protein is necessary for building bones, muscles and skin? With that said, not everyone needs extra protein, especially if you eat routinely meat, fish, dairy products and eggs. Adding protein powder to your diet might be beneficial to vegans, vegetarians, athletes, older adults…

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Sugar Twist Bread

This soft and cottony sugar twist bread are the best treat ever…they are a light version of brioche…same richness, full flavor with much less calories.

I made so many versions of this bread and I must admit, this version, so far is the best one…the real trick here is to add the butter after the gluten has form. Yes, it will take more time to incorporate the butter into the dough but so worth the extra time as the crumb of the bread will be something out of this world…

In this recipe as many others I used the tangzhong or water roux method, which you can read more about it here…

– Do I need to shape the bread as described here?

Absolutely not…you can shape the dough as you desire…in a pullman loaf, as an individual roll, as a pull-apart, braided, dinner rolls, in another word, which ever shape you want…and even filled it.

– Ready to try this recipe?

I got the idea of twisting the dough from My Mind Patch.

Here we go…

Ingredients:

Tangzhong or water roux

50 g bread flour
250 ml water

Bread dough

550 g bread flour
90 g sugar
7 g salt
7 g yeast
20 g non-fat dry milk
2 eggs (minus 1 ½ tablespoon), approximately 100 g
65 g heavy cream
20 g butter
50g Earth Balance

Method:

Tangzhong or water roux

Whisk together the water and the flour until the mixture is well blended and free of lumps.

Stir the mixture while it cooks over the medium heat to reach 65C/150F. It takes about 2-3 minutes.

Continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken. The mixture of flour will have “lines”.

Remove from the heat.

Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plastic film to avoid “skin” from forming.

Ready to add to the bread dough once is cool.

Water roux or Tangzhong can bend kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

Bread dough

In the mixer, add all the water roux, and all the other ingredients under bread, except for the butter.

Turn the machine and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, until a uniform very wet and sticky dough.

Increase the speed to “2” and let it mix for 15 minutes. The dough should be very sticky. Do not add extra flour as the dough will be less sticky as gluten forms.

Add the butter and mix for 15 to 20 minutes more. Take a small portion of the dough (like a golf ball) and stretch gently until a very thin and transparent membrane (windowpane).

If the dough tears mix for another 2-3 minutes until you achieve the windowpane test. The windowpane test, demonstrates that the gluten is very well developed and it will create a very light crumb. The dough should be very elastic.

Remove the dough from the mixer and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let dough proof until the dough tripled to its original size.

Assembly

Knock back the dough and divide into balls of approximately 75 g each. Let them rest on the counter covered for 5 to 10 minutes.

If making sugar twist, roll one dough into a 16-18 inch length rope. Fold the rope into thirds and make a knot at one end, twist the bottom end around the top, and feed the loose end into the top hole. Please see the pictures above, it is much easier that it sound…

Place the twists in a baking pan, I used small square pans (3 twists) or a USA biscotti pan (7 twists). Cover the pan and let the twists rise until double in size.

Brush the top of the twists with the egg wash (remember the 1 ½ tablespoon egg from the dough?), and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350^oF for 25 minutes. Remove and let it cool.

– Looking for more bread recipes? Check these out…

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Flaxseed Meal Sandwich Bread

This is such a great everyday sandwich bread for you and your family…it is a much healthier version of your white bread. This Asian inspired bread recipe is cottony soft, feathery crumbs and stays fresh for many days.

We love bread…period…no matter what we cannot stay away from it, so in order to indulge without feeling guilty, this is the healthy version that is a must try…the bread is so soft, cotton like, fluffy, airy and feather like crumb that if it was not for the title stating “flaxmeal” you would not even know that such a thing is part of the bread. Okay, you can see a bit of the flaxmeal speckles, but I can guarantee you that it does not jeopardize the texture of it…

Like many of my bread recipes, I use the tangzhong or water roux method, so the bread stays fresh and soft for many day

– What is tangzhong or water roux method?

This method was originally developed in Japan and now days is very popular in Asian bakery. The technique is basically a mix of flour and water cooked at 65^oC (149 F) to make a pudding like paste, which is added to the remaining bread dough ingredients.

– Why using tangzhong method in baking will keep your bread fresh?

The pudding like paste added to the bread dough will allow you to add more water to the final dough as compared to traditional method, therefore it will increase the hydration of the dough. The gelatinized flour will not only increase the hydration but will also retain the moisture and the development of gluten.

– Can I use tangzhong in all my bread recipes?

Absolutelly, just substitute portion of the flour in the recipe to make tangzhong, usually between 15 to 30% of the total dough weight. Another way to approach is to use approximately 10% of the total flour weight to make the tangzhong.

Okay, enough of the science behind the tangzhong or water roux method…let’s get to the recipe!

The recipe I am sharing today will make 2 loaves, and to achieve perfect square loaves I baked them in USA Pullman Pan with lid.

Ingredients:

Water roux or tangzhong

50g bread flour
250 ml water

Flaxseed Meal dough

450 g bread flour
50 g whole wheat flour
50 g flaxseed meal
70 g sugar
7 g salt
7 g yeast
7 g vital gluten
30 g dry nonfat milk
100 ml water
70 g Earth Balance or butter (room temperature)

Method:

Water roux or Tangzhong

In a small pan, mix all the ingredients of water roux, place in a low heat and stir constantly until the temperature reach 65^oC (149 F), or if you do not have a thermometer, cook until ripples form. Set aside to cool by covering with a plastic film. Please see here for more detail.

Flaxseed meal dough

Place the cooled water roux and all the ingredients listed under flaxseed meal dough into a mixer except for the Earth Balance or butter. Mix until all the ingredients are together, it will slightly sticky. Make sure to stop the mixer and scrap the sides of the bowl, do not assume that the mixer will do all the job.

Increase the speed to number 2 and continue to mix for 5 minutes.

Add the butter and continue the mixing until the dough is smooth and comes out of the mixing bowl, this will take approximately 15 minutes. You will notice that the dough will no longer be sticky.

Make sure to do the windowpane test. If does not pass, mix for another 2-3 minutes until the dough reaches the windowpane stage.

Once the dough reaches the windowpane stage, place it into a medium to large bowl. Cover and let it proof until the size triple from the original size.

Now it is time to shape the dough…

Knock back the dough and split into approximately 8 little balls (approximately 138 g each) and let it rest for 5 minutes on the counter.

Flatten the ball making sure that the air is removed and fold into thirds, then roll it like a Swiss roll.

Place the Swiss rolls into the Pullman (4 each) pan and let it rise until triple of its original size.

Cover the pan and bake in a preheated oven of 350^oF for approximately 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and flip the bread into a wire rack to cool. Slice according to your like.

Store the bread in an airtight container.

– More Asian inspired bread recipes? Please check these out…

Did you flaxseed Is a good source of fiber? Moreover, flaxseed is rich in omega-3 fatty acid and phytochemicals. Studies have shown that flaxseed can lower blood cholesterol and LDL (the bad, low-density lipoprotein), therefore reducing risks of cardiovascular disease. Apparently the flaxseed in a form of meal is better digested than the whole flaxseed this way you will get all the benefits of it.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Cheddar Cheese Toast

This is an Asian inspired bread recipe with a touch of cheddar cheese using tangzhong method. The bread is light fluffy and cottony and stays fresh for many days.

By now you might know that I love, absolutely love baking bread, the only limiting factor is that there is not enough consumption between my husband and I, and often I take to work or send to friends, still, I look forward for the bread to disappear so I have “excuse” to bake more.

This recipe is pretty standard, I did not use any heavy cream but increase a bit on the butter. The texture is light, soft, cottony and bouncy. The cheddar cheese stripes gives this loaf of bread some personality…and it is great toasted, but my favorite way to eat is to cut a thick slice and peel it…

The assembly seems more complicated than it is in reality, it is all matter of math and splitting the portions correctly so you do not end up with a portion without cheese.

The recipe below can fill 2 Pullman pans (9 x 4 inch).

– Can I skip the cheese?

Absolutely…if you do not have cheddar cheese or do not care for it, you can follow the same bread recipe, skip the cheese and you will end up with a delicious egg bread.

– Now, let’s go to the recipe…

Ingredients:

Water roux or tangzhong

50 g bread flour
250 g water

Dough

550 g bread flour
80 g sugar
8 g yeast
7g salt
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
30 g dry milk powder
60 g butter, unsalted
250 g grated cheddar cheese (omit if making plain toast)

Method:

Water roux or Tangzhong

In a small pan, mix all the ingredients of water roux, place in a low heat and stir constantly until the temperature reach 65C (150F), or if you do not have a thermometer, cook until ripples form. Set aside to cool by covering with a plastic film. Please see here.

Bread Dough

Place water roux and all the ingredients listed under dough into a mixer with the hook attachment except for the butter and grated cheddar cheese. Mix until all the ingredients are together, it will be slightly sticky.

Increase the speed to number 2 and continue to mix for 5 minutes.

Add the butter and continue the mixing until the dough is smooth and comes out of the mixing bowl, this will take approximately 15 minutes. You will notice that the dough will no longer be sticky and it will reach the window pane stage.

Place the dough into a medium bowl. Cover and let it proof until the size triple from the original size.

Now it is time to shape the dough…

Knock back both dough and split each portion into two balls and each ball into 4 small balls and let it rest for 5 minutes on the counter.

Split the grated cheddar cheese into 8 portions.

Flatten the balls using a roller pin into a disk, place approximately ⅓ of the grated cheese from one of the ⅛ portions. Fold over one half of the disk and another ⅓ of grated cheese. Cover the grated cheese with the other half of the disk and sprinkle the last ⅓ portion of the grated cheese and roll it like a Swiss roll.

Repeat the process with the remaining 7 small dough balls. Place 4 Swiss rolls into each Pullman pan and let it rise until triple of its original size, like almost 85-90% of the pan.

Cover the pan and bake in a preheated oven of 350F for approximately 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and flip the bread into a wire rack to cool. Slice according to your like.

Store the bread in an airtight container.

– More recipes using tangzhong method?

Yes, there are many more recipes of bread using tangzhong method, please take a look here.

Did you know that Cheddar cheese was originated in the English village of Cheddar in Somerset? The color of Cheddar cheese can vary from pale to deep yellow. The yellow-orange color is due the addition of some plant extract such as annatto or paprika.