Asian Water Roux White Bread

I can't accept the fact that I cannot bake a loaf of decent bread.

I decided to give this recipe a try:

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/asian-water-roux-white-bread/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

20

Original recipe yields 20 servings

Ingredient Checklist

• ½ cup water
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• ¼ cup butter 
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
• ¾ cup warm water
• 3 cups all-purpose flour 
• ⅓ cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons instant dry milk powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons melted butter, divided

I followed most part to the dot except that I added another 1/2 cup of water while preparing the water roux because it was too dough-y.


1. This is to prepare the water roux: Bring 1/2 cup of water to boil then add 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and 1/4 cup butter. Stir until dissolved. Pour this mixture into a heatproof bowl containing 1 cup all purpose flour. Whisk well to remove lumps (I added another 1/2 cup warm water in this step because what I got was a piece of dough). Whisk until flour is transformed into a smooth paste. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight (~9 hours).
2. Bring water roux to room temperature (leave it in the room half hour before needed).
3. Stir 1 pack active dry yeast into 3/4 cup warm water and let stand 5-10 minutes or until foamy.
4. Add in 3 cups all purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons instant dry milk powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 egg into the yeast mixture. Mix well.
5. Add water roux to the dough, spoonful by spoonful, while kneading. Continue kneading until dough is smooth and soft.
6. Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover with wet cloth and let rise to double its size (~1 hour).
7. Punch down dough and remove all air. Cut dough in half and shape. Place in 2 greased 8x4 loaf pans. Cover with wet cloth and let rise to desired size (~1 hour).
8. Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes or until top is golden brown.

The bread came out soft, fluffy, with slightly crunchy top and a little sweet.

Note: Great recipe.