how can i adjust this bread recipe to make it...

[maui420]

all-purpose flour 3 cups

whole milk 1/2 cup

butter, melted 1/2 cup

granulated sugar 1/4 cup

kosher salt 2 tsp

instant yeast 1 tbsp

large eggs 2

i am thinking maybe 1 egg, add 1/2 cup water, and cut the butter to 1/4?

making this

http://www.applepiepatispate.com/bread/fil...o-pan-de-leche/

[Takhisis]

There are a few things you could try. The first is a technique used to make brioche rise more. You mix your dough and do most of the kneading before you add in the butter. If you do this I wouldn't melt the butter first though. Just add it in small chunks. It gives the gluten a chance to develop more and your bread will rise better. The butter makes the gluten strands too slippery and they can't develop a good structure.

Looking at the recipe I would add one more step. After the bulk ferment, fold the dough in half into itself a few times and set aside to rise for another hour. This distributes the yeast and contributes to a better rise.

Adding more liquid to the dough will make the bread have a more open texture but it will be harder to work with. There are a few discussions on this board about dough hydration.

You can try baking at a lower temp, 350 might keep more moisture in the bread making it softer. Adding more butter might help too.

Sorry I can't be more specific.

--Michelle

[devlin]

Following the link, I see that the author of the recipe has noted this bread will be dense and fairly dry. I guess for me I'd simply make another bread. Because if you change this to make it lighter and the like, it won't be the same bread at all. I would think that perhaps what you're looking for might be found in a brioche.

That said, I suppose I'd add more eggs and a lot more butter (room temp, not melted) to get what you're looking for, in which case, again, you're pretty much making a brioche.

I would not lower the temperature and bake longer, which in my experience is a sure way to dry a loaf out as it bakes. I tend to bake at higher temps for shorter bakes which gets a moister crumb. I know that sounds counter-intuitive to a lot of folks, but it's the way I bake. On the other hand, I haven't baked a brioche in awhile, so it may work differently there.

http://www.thevillagebakeryonline.com

Edited December 11, 2008 by devlin (log)