This Week's Bread: Struan Bread
So, after figuring out the problem with the yeast LAST time, I tried the struan bread again, and found ANOTHER problem. The recipe calls for INSTANT yeast. I don't use instant yeast, I use active dry yeast. I didn't know there was a difference, so I was just dumping my yeast into the ingredients like the recipe said.
This time, I bloomed the yeast in water first. I also did the first rise in an oven where I turned the heat on for two minutes, and when I took the bread out, IT FREAKING FILLED THE PAN FIRST TIME. :D
I punched it down, did a quick knead, reheated the oven and let it rise again. Again, it filled the bread pan. And then I baked it for twenty minutes. I couldn't get it to bake for some reason, and left it in for another ten miinutes. At thirty it was done.
I could tell it was WAAAAY better just taking it out of the pan. IT was bouncy, squeezable, and not dense at all. I cooled the bread down and cut it in half - and it's super moist, with Big Crumb. Very happy.
I'm not calling it mastered yet, mainly because I keep screwing up one thing, and that's an egg. I added an eggwash at the end of the recipe to make the sesame seeds stick. The problem? I keep reading my instructions and they say "Add all the ingredients to the mixing bowl." Annnnnd, I forget to read the next part: "Except the egg and sesame seeds." So I keep adding an egg where it's not supposed to be.
I think this is why the bread is INCREDIBLY moist. To the point that it almost seems like the dough is soggy. And I freaking keep doing it.
So this loaf will last me two weeks, so I 'll try it again then. Remind me to not add the freaking egg next time. :)