Thursday 3 September 2009

Milk Loaf

I like to have soft white bread in the house for sandwiches and toast as my grandchildren will eat no other. I prefer to make my own as I know what is in there and always use milk to add a little extra protein, calcium and vitamins for those growing little people I often cover my loaf with another loaf tin while baking to achieve nice soft white bread as you can see here. I was therefore intrigued to see this bread tin on the Lakeland site. It is called a milk loaf tin

I loved the shape and also the little marks which I thought would make an excellent guide for cutting. The children love their little round slices. It makes perfect sandwiches and is as soft as can be. A good buy I think. The card that came with the tin recommended 350 gms of flour but it wasn't quite enough to fill the tin. It also recommended one rise in the tin itself. This took a very long time. I assume because the metal was cold. I made the bread my own way and it worked perfectly. This is so often the case when you get a recipe with a piece of equipment. It never seems to work. I often wonder where they get these recipes from.

Milk Loaf

450g/1lb Strong white bread flour
1 teasp fast action yeast
250-270 mls/ 1 cup warm milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
25gms/1oz melted butter or 2 tablespoons of oil
A little honey (optional)

Method

I tend to make a starter sponge with my bread but this is not necessary. If you want to do it this way, place all of the liquid and all of the yeast with half the flour in a bowl. Mix well, cover and leave for an hour or up to eight hours if you wish. Then just add the rest of the flour and the other ingredients and knead as usual. I do find it gives a nicer texture and crumb but it's not always possible to make the time. I often do this either just before I go to bed for morning bread or put it together in the morning for bread for dinner. You can do this with any bread recipe you have.

For the quick route

Place all the ingredients in a bowl.
Mix together.
Check at this point if your dough is too dry or wet. It should come together as a nice soft dough that comes away cleanly from the sides of the bowl when you start to knead. If it is too dry (shaggy looking) add a little more milk. If it is sticky add a little more flour
Knead for ten minutes by hand or for five minutes if using a dough hook on your stand mixer. You should have a nice smooth elastic ball of dough.
Form it into a ball and place in a slightly oiled bowl. Cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in volume which should take about an hour.

Lightly grease and lightly flour the tin.

For the next stage oil you hands and work top to stop everything sticking.
Pull the dough gently out of the bowl then dimple out flat on the work top with your fingers to expel the excess gas. Make the long edge about the same length as the tin.
Now roll it in a sausage towards you pressing each fold along the line with your thumbs.
Tuck in the ends and you should have a cylinder shape. Place this in the tin and press it down gently to fit.
Cover with the lid and leave for half to one hour. There is a little spy hole on this tin so you can see the dough reach the top.
(If you are using an ordinary loaf tin it should rise to to nearly the top of the tin and place the tin in a supermarket carrier bag while rising. It keeps the moisture in If you shake the dough very slightly it will feel very light so you know it is ready for the oven)

Bake in a preheated oven 200.C/ 180.c fan/Gas6/400.F
for approx thirty to thirty five mins.
Then it is just a case of unmoulding it from it's tin and leaving it to cool on a wire rack.
If done in an ordinary loaf tin it should be well risen and golden tapping hollow on the bottom


Tip

When I am making up the dough I turn my oven on at the lowest point for a few minutes then turn off. I put the bowl of covered dough in there to rise. This gives a nice warm environment for it
For the second rise I preheat my oven and set the loaf on the hob to get warmth while it rises. In this case I also warmed the milk loaf tin a little too.

Now I'm off to make a brown version for Granny :)








20 comments:

Kana said...

Milk bread is popular in Canada - I love the ones studded with dried fruits that is available in the cooler months in most bakeries.

Gloria Baker said...

What lovely Loaf dear Brenda I love make bread.Is the favorite bread of the kids.
I m in love of your loaf tin.!
xoxo gloria

Clabby said...

I've been trying various bread recipes lately so I'm going to give this one a go too. Made your Beetroot Chutney and Lemon Curd last week and both worked a treat. Thanks for sharing.

Mary said...

You've taken me back in time , i haven't seen a round loaf of bread in yrs. its loks so great and soft...and i love the loaf tin .

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

I'm jealous of your loaf tin! A wonderful recipe! Perfect bread for making canapés...

Cheers,

Rosa

Grannymar said...

The round loaf brings me way back to my Granny's house. I can even taste it right now.

Rhyleysgranny said...

Maya - I haven't seen that but it sounds interesting. Thank you

Gloria - It's a cute tin isn't it?

Clabby - Good luck with the bread. I am glad you were pleased with the lemon curd and the chutney :)

Mary - Isn't it strange how things trigger memories.

Rosa - I love the wee tin too.

Grannymar - More memories triggered.

Vicky said...

I really want to have a go at this. Amelie loves her soft white bread and I've got to give breadmaking a whirl! Love the tin. xxx

George@CulinaryTravels said...

Brenda it looks amazing. I love milk loaf, it is one of my favourite breads.

If you do get the chance do try the Andrew Whitely recipe as it is one of the best I have found; I blogged here:
http://culinarytravelsofakitchengoddess.wordpress.com/2008/09/20/yeastspotting/

I also must get myself one of those fabulous tins.

xx

Maria♥ said...

Wow I love the look of that bread tin and your bread looks so fluffy! I never buy shop-bought bread anymore, just can't beat home-made.

Maria
x

Caroline said...

Your milk loaf looks delicious - really soft and inviting! I'm not surprised the children love it!

Coby said...

Soft bread, but still with some personality! That's the way to go:) I always wondered about how the local shops ended up with the round bread. I buy it for the little ones sometimes as it looks like a face (having bits like ears). I'd love to be able to do my own, so I'll look out for these tins:D I'm of the quickie route myself thanks Granny;)

Clabby said...

Made this yesterday Granny it is the best loaf I've ever made! It was delicious. Just did the quick route and used a normal 2lb loaf tin and it worked perfectly. I poured a cup of water into the oven to give it a crust. Going to try a brown one soon - is it just the same only wholemeal flour?

Rhyleysgranny said...

Clabby I use white flour with about 50 gms bran ( a mix of wheat and oat) I find wholemeal flour too dense. I am going to blog the brown version tonight I am so glad you liked the bread. You are baking your way through my blog.:) I feel chuffed.

art is in the kitchen said...

Your milk loaf is hit! Somehow the shape makes it taste better I think! I will make this one. Thank you for a lovely find.

Julia Balbilla said...

Hi Granny :-)
I received a Mermaid milk loaf tin yesterday and made a loaf according to the recipe provided with the tin. I wish I had stumbled upon your blog before! The bread is fine but as you say, the dough quantity need to be larger to get the ridges. I will be giving it another go tomorrow.

xxx

Rhyleysgranny said...

Julia - Hi and welcome. I now have two mermaid tins. I use them all the time. Sometimes there is a little overflow if you don't watch the pop hole but it just chips off when baked and you still get a perfect loaf. It does need the two rises. Just making the dough and plopping in the tin gives a horrible dry loaf. Do let me know how you get on :)

Julia Balbilla said...

Hi again! I have made the bread again with the increased quantity and it worked like a dream. Not tried it yet as it is still cooling, but has lovely ridges.

Just as a matter of interest, have you ever made bread with chestnut flour? I bought some today but most of the recipes I have encountered seem to be for cakes and sweet things which I don't really go in for. I presume it would be used mixed with other flours but not sure of percentages etc. xxx

Rhyleysgranny said...

Hi Julia I am glad it worked for you. No I have never used chestnut flour. I have never seen it for sale here either. Now I am intrigued. Off to do a Google :)

Julia Balbilla said...

The chestnut flour that I got was from our deli and it is produced by Shipton Mill, about 30 miles from here, so that may be why they stock it. You can buy direct from Shipton Mill http://www.shipton-mill.com/flour-direct-shop/speciality-and-rare-flours/shop-46/organic-chestnut-flour-500g-411? Seems it is only a seasonal flour. xxx