#338_Spanish Bread

Spanish Bread...
another popular kind of bread that Filipinos enjoy.

Why are these called Spanish Bread? I have no clue except maybe it is the same way how we call the "French Bread" here in the States as such even though there is nothing French about them.

As I was making some of the Lion House Dinner Rolls the other day (see post #336), I decided to use the other half of the dough to make some Spanish Bread to see how my G'kids would like them. To my surprise, all of them liked the bread! Our 15 year old g'daughter ate 5 of them, and she would have eaten more if she wasn't worried about gaining weight. Ohhh, so good!

As I mentioned on the Lion House Dinner Rolls post, the similarity between the two breads is the buttering and rolling up the dough. And the obvious difference is the shape. Spanish Bread are longer and skinnier while the Lion House Bread are short and puffy.

Aside from using the Lion House Rolls dough recipe to make the Spanish Bread, you can use any kind of soft dough recipe such as the Ensaymada, click here or Sweet Dough, click here, or even Pan de Sal dough, click here;

Just a side note:I remember back in the Philippines the bakeries over there used "mantekilya" or Star Margarine for the filling.

Shaping the Doughs:
The dough is formed into small balls, then rolled out into about 3"x5", slather the flattened dough with margarine and sprinkle some white sugar.
Starting from one corner, roll up tightly to the opposite corner and you'll end up with doughs looking like the picture above.

Arrange the rolled up doughs on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet with seams facing down. Let the dough rise until double in size. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degrees oven for 15-18 minutes.

Some bakers use bread crumbs on top, but I just brushed the bread with melted butter and sprinkled them with white sugar like you would ensaymada.

ENJOY!!!

#233_Easter Buns (Hot Cross Buns)

There are so many different recipes of Hot Cross Buns out there. Some are spicy and savory with some dried fruits like currants. Since I enjoy white sweet bread, I decided to use the my Basic Sweet Dough recipe #178, then added raisins, cinnamon powder and orange zest. For the crosses, I used cream cheese frosting recipe. The result? Amazing!

Here's the recipe:
1-3/4 cups warm milk
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
6 cups bread flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. instant yeast, (saf yeast)
1 tsp. dough enhancer (my secret ingredient)
1 tsp. vital wheat gluten(another secret ingredient)
1 tsp. salt
4 whole eggs, slightly beaten

Here's the procedure:

1) Put everything in the bread machine pan in the order listed above starting with the milk.
2) Set the bread machine on dough cycle and let it do the mixing and kneading. ( my bread machine beeps when it is time to add other ingredients such as nuts, oats, etc) . So when it beeps, add 1 cup raisins and orange zest from 1 orange.
3) Let the dough rise in the bread machine pan.



4) When doubled in bulk, punch down the dough then take it out onto a floured surface and divide equally into 24 pieces. Shape the dough into balls then arrange them on a parchment-lined baking pan. (12 rolls in one pan)
5) Let the doughs rise until doubled in size.
6) Brush dough with egg wash then bake in a pre-heated 350 degrees oven for 18-20 minutes

Rolls right out of the oven

Let the rolls cool then pipe each roll with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe:

4 oz. (or half a brick) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, very soft but not melted
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tbps. warm milk or orange juice ( add a little more if too dry)
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream together cream cheese and butter.
Add in the powdered sugar and milk.
Mix well until smooth and there no more lumps.
Pipe on rolls.

#178_Basic Sweet Dough Recipe (Bread Machine)

Sweet Dough
in its first rising in the bread machine pan (bucket).

This is actually the recipe for the
Reduced Eggs Ensaymada, post #114, click here
but, I thought it would be a good idea to post a
dough recipe that can be used in making
different varieties of bread.
I also had made some adjustments in the ingredients
and changed the procedure a little to make it
simpler and easier to follow and
not too complicated for a beginner.

With this dough recipe, you can make several kinds of bread,
such as Pani Popo, Dinner Rolls, Ensaymada, Brioche,
Cinnamon Rolls, Monkey Bread, Braided loaf,
just to name a few.

Bread Machine Sweet Dough Recipe:
1-3/4 cups warm milk
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
6 cups bread flour
1 tbsp. instant yeast, (saf yeast)
1 tsp. dough enhancer (my secret ingredient)
1 tsp. vital wheat gluten(another secret ingredient)
1 tsp. salt
4 large eggs, slightly beaten


I like to place the slightly beaten eggs on one side on top of flour
and the yeast, dough enhancer, vital and salt on the other side
with a little levee in between them.
The reason for this is that my bread machine takes 10 minutes
to actually start after I push the start button,
and I'm afraid that the dry ingredients I mentioned
will clump up when soaked with the eggs...
that's just me thinking and being cautious.


Here's the procedure:

1) Put everything in the bread machine pan in the order listed above starting with the milk.
2) Set the bread machine on dough cycle and let it do the mixing and kneading.
3) Let the dough rise in the bread machine pan.
4) When doubled in bulk, lightly punch down the dough then take it out onto a floured surface and form into desired shapes and varieties.
5) Let the shaped doughs rise until doubled in size. (second rising)
6) Bake in a pre-heated 350 degrees oven for 18-20 minutes
Baking time depends on the variety of bread.

Here are examples of different varieties of breads
you can make with the
Basic Sweet Dough Recipe:

Swedish Tea Ring


Ensaymada....
just came out of the oven.
post #114, click here

Ensaymada
slathered with softened butter
and sprinkled with white sugar
post #114, click here

Swirled Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
a.k.a. Plain Ensaymada with frosting

Panipopo or Coconut Cream Buns
post #122, click here

Plain Ensaymada
post#114, click here

Monkey Bread
post #23, click here

Braided Loaves

Brioche

Swedish Tea Ring, Braided Loaf, and White Bread Loaf...
made from one recipe,
or you can make 4 different varieties, but smaller sizes.
You might also want to check out the Pumpkin Dinner Rolls recipe #192, click here.

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Important bread-making tips from KAF bakers

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/100-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-recipe

• Don't bother heating the orange juice to lukewarm; you can use it straight out of the fridge. The orange juice won't add its own flavor to the bread, but will mellow any potential bitterness in the whole wheat.
• If you're kneading bread by hand, it's tempting to keep adding flour till the dough is no longer sticky. Resist the temptation! The more flour you add while you're kneading, the heavier and drier your final loaf will be.
• The amount of liquid you use to make the "perfect" dough will vary with the seasons. Flour is like a sponge; it absorbs water during the humid days of summer, and dries out during the winter. Your goal should be making the dough as it's described (e.g., cohesive, soft but not sticky), rather than sticking religiously to the amount of liquid.
• When making yeast bread, let the dough rise to the point the recipe says it should, e.g., "Let the dough rise till it's doubled in bulk." Rising times are only a guide; there are so many variables in yeast baking (how you kneaded the dough; what kind of yeast you used) that it's impossible to say that bread dough will ALWAYS double in bulk in a specific amount of time.