Mmmmm, butter.....

Today we had our usual Monday morning bread baking session and tried the Tang Zhong bread for the first time.  It's gorgeous bread - a lovely sweet nutty flavour with a beautiful texture.  I'd highly recommend it, (though it is a bit more fiddly than I prefer because it has the starter process and also needs a second rise).  It's not going to replace our staple Bible Bread, but it is definitely going on the favourites list!

Fresh bread is, I think, one of baking's greatest pleasures not least because it fills your house with such a gorgeous scent.  There's also something very virtuous about baking your own bread (not so much about eating half the loaf before the day is out though, which is what we ended up doing!).

Today also saw another first for our Thermomix - Almond Butter.  While the oven was on baking the bread I popped a tray full of almonds in to toast, then whizzed them up on Speed 7 for about 20 seconds.  The result was sensational - it's toasty, sweet and nutty and entirely delicious!

Tang Zhong Bread

Starter
250ml water
50g bread flour

Place in  and cook for 5 1/2 minutes, at 60 degress on speed 4.  Pour out and place in a bowl on the bench (or fridge if you're in a hot area) to cool to room temperature.

Bread
500g bread flour
160g TangZhong starter
200g water
2 tsp salt
30g sugar
2 tsp yeast
50g melted cooled butter

I also added my 90g of mixed seeds

Place all in  and mix on  for 15 minutes. (Yes, 15 minutes!!!! - Don't walk away, the Thermomix will walk off the bench otherwise!).

Allow to rise (I just left mine in the TMX) until doubled.  Then knead again on  for 2 minutes.  Pour into prepared bread tin and leave in a warm spot. Cover with a billowed plastic bag - it should rise above the tin.

Bake at 220C for 25 minutes. Remove from tin and bake a further 5 - 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.