 |  | | | Milk Loaf | 26 September 2006 | | |
Though soft and good for a sandwich, the sugars in milk bread make it perfect for toasting.
Much like the 'pain de mie' from France, the English milk loaf has a homely appearance. But unlike the controlled appearance and delicate structure of the Gallic loaf, this bread relies on the thrust created by glutinous strong white flour to jump boldly over the top of the tin.
Its strong, slightly tough crumb will make a jam sandwich that can withstand the rigours of a child's schoolbag, or a cheese sandwich that could survive in a rucksack on a joggers back.
Reproduced by kind permission of Dan Lepard from his book, “The Handmade Loaf”, published by Mitchell Beazley, ISBN: 1840009667 | |
| Milk Loaf | | |
Ingredients
250g plain white flour
250g strong white flour
350g whole milk (22C)
1 1/2 tsp (10g) fresh yeast
1 1/2 tbs (25g) syrup (golden or maple)
1 1/4 tsp (10g) salt
25g warm melted butter, unsalted
Method
In a large bowl whisk the yeast with the milk and the syrup. Add both the flours and the salt, and squidge the lot together with your hands until you have a soft, sticky dough, and the flour and liquid have evenly combined. Pour over the warm melted butter, and then squeeze this into the dough. Scrape any remaining dough from your hands, cover the bowl and leave for 10 minutes. Rub a tsp of oil on the work surface and knead the dough for 10 seconds, ending with the dough in a smooth round ball. Wipe the bowl clean, replace the dough, cover and leave for a further 10 minutes. Repeat this light kneading twice more, at 10 minute intervals. Then leave the dough for 30 minutes.
Grease and flour a 12cm wide x 19cm long deep loaf tin. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces, and shape each into a ball. Drop them side by side into the prepared tin, cover with a cloth, and leave to rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until almost doubled in height.
Preheat the oven to 210C. Brush the top of the loaf with a little cream or milk, and bake for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 180C and bake for a further 25 - 30 minutes, or until the top of the loaf is a shiny dark brown, and the loaf has come away from the sides of the tin. Remove from the oven, remove from the tin, and leave to cool on a wire rack.
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