INTRODUCTION
I stumbled across this cream cheese bread recipe and I have always wanted to give it a try. The blogger claimed that the bread is super soft and she like it better than Hokkaido milk loaf. Looking at the images of her bread, I am convinced that the bread is indeed a very soft bread.
Using her base recipe, I have amended the recipe to suit my own taste buds. The outcome is a springy soft bread and even on the second day, it is still rather soft. I am unsure if this is due to the incorporation of cream cheese in the bread, but the final verdict is the bread is soft and spongy..
I hope that my images are able to convince you that the cream cheese bread is soft and springy.
I have made it into a herb loaf by adding some oregano to the loaf, however, this is totally optional..It should also be noted that a Pullman loaf tin is totally optional. You can always used any loaf tin of your choice.
WHAT IS REQUIRED
Recipe adapted from: Cream Cheese Bread
Servings: One 9”x 4” x 4” Pullman Loaf Tin (or any Pullman loaf tin not smaller than this size)
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320 grams of lukewarm milk
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500 grams of bread flour
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100 grams of cream cheese, soften
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20 gram of milk powder
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50 grams of condensed milk
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40 grams of butter (at room temperature)
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6 grams of salt
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6 grams of instant dry yeast
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3 tablespoons of dry herbs (optional)
STEPS OF PREPARATION
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Lightly greased a Pullman tin of 9” x 4” x 4”. But this is optional, you can always use any loaf tin with about the same volume.
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In a mixing bowl of a standard mixer, put all the dry ingredients (except cream cheese and butter). Make a well in the centre, add in the lukewarm milk and condensed milk. Use a spoon to lightly stir it until it become a paste. Use the dough hook to knead the dough for 5-6 minutes or until the dough starts to leaves the side of the mixing bowl. Add in the cream cheese and butter in 3 stages, knead at medium speed until the butter and cream cheese were well combined with the dough. Using high speed, knead the dough for another 10-15 minutes until the dough is smooth and leaves the side of the mixing bowl.
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Take out the dough and put it in a floured surface for about 10-15 minutes. Roughly shape the dough into a ball, put in the greased whisking bowl, cover with plastic clingy wrap and let it proof until it double in size. After the first proofing, lightly deflate the dough. Roll the dough into the cylindrical shape following the shape of the loaf tin. In the process of rolling, if it is too sticky, just dust with more flour. (note that this dough is a rather soft dough compare to most other breads and don’t be alarmed by the softness of the dough)
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Transfer the dough into the loaf tin and let it proof until it double in size which will take about 1 – 1.5hours depending on the days temperature (Actually proofing in this illustration is only about 45 minutes.)
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Once the dough reaches about 80% of the Pullman tin, preheat the oven to 200 degree Celsius. Bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes. At about 35 minutes when you start to smell the aroma of the bread, use an oven thermometer and insert into the bread and see if the temperature inside the loaf is more than 90 degrees Celsius. If it is less than 90 degrees Celsius, your bread will not be cooked and it is likely that when you take out the thermometer, there will be some wet dough stick with your thermometer. In this case, continue baking until when you inserted again the oven thermometer, the thermometer shows at least 90 degrees Celsius. If you find that the top starts to turn brownish, you can lower the temperature by 10 degree Celsius. General rule of thumb is that if you are unsure, rather bake slightly longer than under cooked.
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If you don’t have an oven thermometer, one way of testing is after about 45 minutes (which is a reasonable timing for this size of loaf), take out the loaf from the loaf tin and try to use your finger to knock the bottom of the loaf. If it is a hollow sound, your loaf is cooked, otherwise, the loaf is uncooked. Put it back into the loaf tin and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes until you are certain that the dough is cooked. Again, if the top layer has signs of getting burnt, lower the temperature slightly.
CONCLUSION
I tend to agree with the original recipe provider that this loaf of bread of super soft. It is springy, soft and a bit of chewiness. It definitely had its unique attractiveness that is hard for me to put in words. Whether herbs or not is up to individual. Do give it a try and remember, Pullman loaf tin is not a must, you can always use the normal loaf tin.
Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.
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GUAI SHU SHU 