Soft White Bread Loaf (scalded-flour version)

I have been neglecting this blog for a while now, and if you have been reading my Chinese blog, you will know why, I have been distracted elsewhere by little pots of cuties, like this tiny desert rose…
Anyway, it has been a hot end to 2012 and a hot start to 2013, with temperature regularly in the high 30s and low 40s. So I have been baking breads a few times, taking advantage of the warm weather for quick proving of the dough. This is the end result after adjusting the recipe for Japanese-Style White Bread Loaf and the scalded flour method of this recipe, Sweet Bun Dough (scalded-flour version). This version is also wonderfully soft with a slight chewiness, and also quick to make without having to cook water-roux.

Makes one 23cm x 10cm x 10cm loaf

[Ingredients]
Scalded Flour:
100g bread flour
100ml boiling water

Main Dough:
350g bread flour
20g (2 tablespoons) milk powder
35g caster sugar
5g (1 teaspoon) salt
8g instant yeast
200ml (approx.) lukewarm water, adjust as necessary
35g butter, chopped into small pieces at room temperature
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[Preparation]
Scalded Flour:
Pour boiling hot water all at once over the flour and stir quickly with a pair of chopsticks (or fork) until combined with no more visible dry flour. It should be a doughy clumpy mixture at this stage. Rest 5 minutes for the dough clusters to fully absorb the heat and the moisture. Then cover with cling film and let cool to room temperature, about 1/2 hour, or up to 1 hour.

For the Main Dough:
1. Prepare a 23cm (L) x 10cm x 10cm (H) loaf tin. Sift bread flour, milk powder, caster sugar and salt onto the working surface. Add instant dry yeast and mix well. Form the flour mixture into a well. Add scalded flour mixture, then gradually add just enough lukewarm water to form into a slightly sticky, soft dough. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. During hand kneading, the dough also needs to be thrown onto the working surface once every few minutes between kneading to improve the dough structure. (I usually just pick up the dough to about head-high and throw it down onto the working surface 10 to 20 times every few minutes between kneading.)
2. Knead in butter until incorporated. Form the dough into a round ball and let it rise until double in size in a large greased bowl, cover with cling film (should take about 1 hour in warm weather, longer in winter months). To test if the dough has risen properly, dip a finger into bread or plain flour and poke down into the centre of the dough as far as your finger will go and pull out again – the hole should remain if it is ready. If the dough springs back, then it is not ready, continue to prove further.
3. Punch down, knead briefly and form into a ball shape. Then let rest for 15 minutes.
4. With a rolling pin, roll out into a long oval shape. Then roll up from the short end like a Swiss roll. Rest 10 minutes and repeat the rolling process, then place the roll-up dough into the tin.
5. Cover loosely and let rise until the dough has risen to almost the top of the tin.
6. Bake in preheated 175°C oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Taste: Soft white bread loaf that stays soft for at least 2-3 days
Consume: Best within 3-4 days
Storage: May be frozen to keep longer, defrost before serving
Recipe Reference(s): –