#178_Basic Sweet Dough Recipe (Bread Machine)

Sweet Dough
in its first rising in the bread machine pan (bucket).

This is actually the recipe for the
Reduced Eggs Ensaymada, post #114, click here
but, I thought it would be a good idea to post a
dough recipe that can be used in making
different varieties of bread.
I also had made some adjustments in the ingredients
and changed the procedure a little to make it
simpler and easier to follow and
not too complicated for a beginner.

With this dough recipe, you can make several kinds of bread,
such as Pani Popo, Dinner Rolls, Ensaymada, Brioche,
Cinnamon Rolls, Monkey Bread, Braided loaf,
just to name a few.

Bread Machine Sweet Dough Recipe:
1-3/4 cups warm milk
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
6 cups bread flour
1 tbsp. instant yeast, (saf yeast)
1 tsp. dough enhancer (my secret ingredient)
1 tsp. vital wheat gluten(another secret ingredient)
1 tsp. salt
4 large eggs, slightly beaten


I like to place the slightly beaten eggs on one side on top of flour
and the yeast, dough enhancer, vital and salt on the other side
with a little levee in between them.
The reason for this is that my bread machine takes 10 minutes
to actually start after I push the start button,
and I'm afraid that the dry ingredients I mentioned
will clump up when soaked with the eggs...
that's just me thinking and being cautious.


Here's the procedure:

1) Put everything in the bread machine pan in the order listed above starting with the milk.
2) Set the bread machine on dough cycle and let it do the mixing and kneading.
3) Let the dough rise in the bread machine pan.
4) When doubled in bulk, lightly punch down the dough then take it out onto a floured surface and form into desired shapes and varieties.
5) Let the shaped doughs rise until doubled in size. (second rising)
6) Bake in a pre-heated 350 degrees oven for 18-20 minutes
Baking time depends on the variety of bread.

Here are examples of different varieties of breads
you can make with the
Basic Sweet Dough Recipe:

Swedish Tea Ring


Ensaymada....
just came out of the oven.
post #114, click here

Ensaymada
slathered with softened butter
and sprinkled with white sugar
post #114, click here

Swirled Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
a.k.a. Plain Ensaymada with frosting

Panipopo or Coconut Cream Buns
post #122, click here

Plain Ensaymada
post#114, click here

Monkey Bread
post #23, click here

Braided Loaves

Brioche

Swedish Tea Ring, Braided Loaf, and White Bread Loaf...
made from one recipe,
or you can make 4 different varieties, but smaller sizes.
You might also want to check out the Pumpkin Dinner Rolls recipe #192, click here.

************

Important bread-making tips from KAF bakers

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/100-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-recipe

• Don't bother heating the orange juice to lukewarm; you can use it straight out of the fridge. The orange juice won't add its own flavor to the bread, but will mellow any potential bitterness in the whole wheat.
• If you're kneading bread by hand, it's tempting to keep adding flour till the dough is no longer sticky. Resist the temptation! The more flour you add while you're kneading, the heavier and drier your final loaf will be.
• The amount of liquid you use to make the "perfect" dough will vary with the seasons. Flour is like a sponge; it absorbs water during the humid days of summer, and dries out during the winter. Your goal should be making the dough as it's described (e.g., cohesive, soft but not sticky), rather than sticking religiously to the amount of liquid.
• When making yeast bread, let the dough rise to the point the recipe says it should, e.g., "Let the dough rise till it's doubled in bulk." Rising times are only a guide; there are so many variables in yeast baking (how you kneaded the dough; what kind of yeast you used) that it's impossible to say that bread dough will ALWAYS double in bulk in a specific amount of time.

#122_Pani Popo or Coconut Cream Buns

Pani Popo....

not only rhymes with pan de coco
but also it is in the same ball park.

Pani Popo is a Polynesian bread baked in coconut cream,
or in other words, pani popo swims in coconut cream
while the Filipino pan de coco is filled with coconut candy or bocayo.

My sister Melinda learned how to make this bread
from her father-in-law in New Zealand,
then she showed me how to make it
when she came to visit me here 10 years ago.

It is really easy to make except for making the dough,
but the taste is, ohh, superb!
If you like pan de coco, you'll like pani popo.

Two months ago I made a whole pan
of this bread, click here, for a family from Tonga.
They love it so much that they went to a
Polynesian bakery, to get some more, obviously.
The father didn't like what they bought from the bakery!
Just recently, he begged his wife to call and ask me
if I would make some for their party.
Needless to say this bread is Polynesian-approved.

You can use any bread recipe that you may already have,
but here are my suggestions:
These are all bread machine recipes

Pan de Sal recipe #20, click here
Potato Dinner Rolls recipe #63, click here
Reduced Eggs Ensaymada recipe #114, click here
Basic Sweet Dough Recipe #178, click here

Procedure:

1) After the dough cycle is finished, let the dough rise either in the bread machine bucket or in a bowl, until doubled in size.
2) Punch down dough and divide it into 3 equal portions, then cut each portion into 12 pieces. Shape them into balls.

3) Arrange the shaped dough in 3 well-greased baking pans measuring 9x13.

4) Let rise (again) until the doughs have doubled in size.

5) Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the above picture, I used the reduced egg ensaymada dough recipe
in a bigger pan measuring 11 1/2" x 15 1/2" x 2"
with 24 pieces of dough balls.
Make sure the pan is at least 2 inches deep
so the cream will not splash out while it is baking.

The doughs might look like they
are swimming in coconut cream, but
don't be alarmed because as the bread bakes
the coconut cream thickens
and some of the cream will be absorbed by the bread.


The Cream Mixture

5) Mix 1 1/2 cans (3 cups) coconut cream and 3/4 cup sugar, stirring well until sugar is dissolved.

6) Pour this mixture into the 3 pans just before baking.
7) Bake for 20-25 minutes.

The thickened coconut cream in the
baking pan can be used for dipping the bread.


Enjoy!!!

UPDATES: 6-30-09

The perfect proportion for coconut cream and sugar is:
For 1 cup coconut cream, use 1/4 cup white sugar.
But you can use more or less according to your personal
preference.

I received a couple of e-mails inquiring about the coconut cream, if it is okay to use coconut milk. I took a picture of the coconut cream that I like to use personally. You can use any brand you like as long as it is coconut cream ( this is thicker).

I had used coconut milk in the past but the sauce was too thin.

Another update:
When I was in Texas visiting our family there, I can't find the ingredients to make the bread such as the vital wheat gluten and dough enhancer and the right kind of coconut cream. So, I settled with the frozen dough and coconut milk. The outcome wasn't as good as the kind I make using the dough recipes I listed above.

#92_It's a Boy!!

NO! DEFINITELY NOT MINE!

A friend, Camille, asked me if I could help her with the food for the baby shower she gave today for Anna, another friend. Thanks for asking me to help, Camille!It sure was an honor!!

I only took pictures of the ones I made.
On the lazy Susan on top is a bouquet of the Lollicakes,
surounded by Chocolate Cupcake with Coconut-Pecan Frosting and mini Chocolate Cupcakes. At left are the Potato Dinner Rolls for cold sandwiches; middle platter is more of the chocolate cupcakesCoconut-Pecan Frosting; then more of the cakeballs on the right.
The Fiesta Dip was hiding on the right next to the cakeballs.

These are Pani Popo or
Coconut Cream Buns
I made this for Anna, the-mother-in-two-weeks and her family.
My sister in NZ showed me how to make them when she came over for a visit back in 2000.
I will post the recipe later.

Here are some of Anna's family and friends who were at the party.

and....some more friends.
I didn't get to take too many pictures but it sure was FUN!!