Milk Roll 2

Every scrap of the first milk roll was used – and it made wonderful toast. I do not have any full-fat milk powder yet, nor do I have any visibly white flour, but here goes…

Same recipe as last time, but this time using butter instead of oil. The flour is the Bacheldre Watermill Organic Stoneground Unbleached White Flour. Recipe reproduced for ease of reference.

 Timeless Milk Loaf

 Ingredients

  •  350g strong plain white flour
  • ¼ tspn salt (optional)
  • 1 x 6g sachet fast-acting microfine dried yeast
  • 1 tablespoon full-fat dried milk powder (optional)
  • 220ml warm milk
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower or (mild) olive oil
  • a little oil for greasing
  • extra flour for dusting

 Method

  •  Place the flour, (salt if desired), yeast and milk powder (if using) in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
  • Add all the liquid and mix to a soft dough. If the dough is sticky, add a little extra flour.
  • Knead the dough for 10 minutes until it becomes smooth, springy and ‘silky’ to the touch.
  • Lightly and thoroughly grease the Milk Roll tin with oil. Shape the dough into a cylinder, the same length as the tin.
  • Place the dough in the base of the tin, engage the tabs and clip the tin together. Set the tin aside in a warm place to allow the bread to rise inside the tin. Watch for the dough through the vision hole in the tin top.
  • Heat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7. As soon as the dough can be seen rising towards the hole, place the (closed) tin in the oven and bake for 25 minutes (fan-assisted oven) or for 30 minutes (non fan-assisted).
  • Set the tin aside for 2-3 minutes before unclipping it and turning the bread out on to a cooling rack.
http://mermaidcookware.com/view-recipy-details.php?recipy_select=4

After two hours, I decided that the dough must be ready and I heated the oven. Returning when the oven was hot, there was still no sign of the dough in the  peephole.

I turned the oven off and left the dough for another hour. Still no sign of it having risen. At this stage it had to go in the oven because I needed it out again in time to make lunch. I felt confident that oven spring would take care of matters… after all… three hours rising? OK, it’s not very warm in the kitchen – the wind is in the wrong direction and the Rayburn is not heating up very well. But THREE hours, for 350g white loaf?

I baked the loaf for 20 minutes today and when I took it from the oven, the smell was correct but, oh, my, still no sign of it having risen!

I fretted.

Where's the dough?
Where’s the dough?

With just cause.

I was speechless...
I was speechless…

It was a Fail.

...at least it did not stick!
…at least it did not stick!

An Epic Fail.

I’ve not had bread fail like that, ever, other than in a bread machine. This is why I do not use a bread machine, I make better bread by hand. Until now.

On the plus side, the colour was right today and the crust satisfyingly soft – and it did not stick to the tin.

So,  what happened? It clearly did rise some – so I did remember to put the yeast in. That’s something – I may have lost my skill but not yet my wits.

I might look for a different recipe. I may also test my scales.

3 Comments

  1. March 8, 2013
    Reply

    Yeah, I would guestion the scales! ;o) Actually, still looks pretty darn delicious…

    • spinninggill
      March 9, 2013
      Reply

      I agree. What it tastes like counts. 🙂

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