This is an Austrian bread made in the shape of a baguette though the crust is softer than a baguette. The texture is finer and the taste is sweeter, you will glaze it with egg wash before baking. This is your ideal bread for all sandwiches from hotdogs to the top-notch sandwiches like the beer-braised pull-apart pork sandwich with orange barbeque sauce coleslaw.
You can make this bread without a stand mixer, in a bowl, combine warm water, yeast and sugar then add the dry ingredients and mix until the dough has formed very well. Transfer the dough onto your work surface, scrape off excess dough left on your hands and add softened butter and continue kneading the dough using the palm and heels of your hands until the dough is completely smooth.
Do not add excess flour during the mixing and kneading process, it will modify the recipe making the dough much tougher. Place the dough in a greased container and cover with a plastic wrap and let it rise for 0 minutes or until doubled or tripled is the size. Meanwhile, make some egg wash by beating one egg with a pinch of salt. Divide the dough into equal pieces and shape them into balls, each should weigh about 3 and a half ounces, that is 100 grams. You can also make them smaller or bigger if you want.
Cover the balls with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let them rise for 15 minutes then flatten each ball to remove air bubbles from the fermentation. Shape the dough into about 20entimetres bonds and line your baking tray with parchment paper then place the rolled dough on the tray. This bread has slashes on the top which makes them so unique, arrange 4 to 5 bonds per tray leaving a large space in between.
Brush them with egg wash then carefully score them using a razor blade or a very sharp paring knife. The slashing must be done before the proofing process then let them proof for about an hour then bake them at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes. Halfway through, rotate the tray and let them finish baking. Remove from the oven and let them cool to room temperature.
Ingredients;
- 1.3 cup (325ml) water at 95ºF (35ºC)
- 0.5 ounce (14g) instant dry yeast or 1oz (30g) fresh yeast
- 2 Tbsp (25g) sugar
- 1 ounce (30g) milk powder
- 8 ounces (250g) all-purpose flour
- 8 ounces (250g) bread flour
- 1 Tbsp (10g) salt
- 3 Tbsp (45g) unsalted butter, at room temp.
- Use milk instead of water if milk powder is not available.
- Egg Wash: Beat or blend an egg with a pinch of salt.
Instructions;
- In a bowl combine water with sugar, yeast and milk powder. Combine the yeast mixture with the flour and salt.
- Add butter. Transfer the dough onto your work surface, scraping out your hand and knead using the palms and the heels of your hands until the dough turns completely smooth; for about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Do not use extra flour during the kneading and shaping process.
- The internal temperature of the dough should reach 73/80ºF (23/27ºC). Place dough ball in a greased container, cover with plastic wrap and make a hole.
- Place in a warm area; 80/90ºF (27/35ºC). Let rise for 30 minutes or until it has tripled in size. Transfer dough onto a clean work surface.
- Divide dough into 9 pieces and shape them into tight balls. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rest 15 minutes.
- Flatten each ball to remove air bubbles from the fermentation and shape them tightly, into 8 inches (20cm) buns.
- Place 4 to 5 buns per large sheet pan (seam-side down on the tray). Brush with egg wash.
- Carefully score each bun 20 times horizontally using a razor blade or a very sharp paring knife. Let proof for about an hour.
- Preheat oven to 450ºF (230ºC). Bake buns for about 15 minutes; halfway through, rotate each tray. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
- Keep the brioche baguette sandwich bread at room temperature for 2 days or freeze baked for up to 3 weeks.
