Homemade Wholemeal Chia Bread

Not many things make me feel more domesticated than...baking bread.

As I took my batch of bread out of the oven, I felt as if I should be wearing a frilly apron.

And suddenly find myself as a housewife in Pleasantville or Stepford.

The novelty of freshly baked bread from your own oven hasn't worn off for this girl-from-a-non-bread-baking-family. Yet.

Strangely, I also feel like I'm going 'backward' in some ways.

But this is what I'll be doing from now on, going forward in time.

Because there is nothing better than fresh bread made with your own hands.

With plenty of love of course - the essential ingredient!

Homemade bread tends to harden up and dry out overnight compared to store bought ones, so I wanted to avoid that as I could hardly finish a whole loaf within a day.

I'm glad I came across the TangZhong method of bread making a while ago. I've read about how this method ensures that the bread stays soft and moist days after it's baked -  just like the bread you find in the Asian bakeries!

So what's this TangZhong method? In short, it's when a natural flour paste (TangZhong) is cooked to 65°C and then added to the rest of your normal bread making ingredients. This paste will ensure that the bread stays soft and 'bouncy'.

Amazing huh?

Ok, let's get baking.

First, you've got to make the TangZhong paste (I used a thermometer to check the temperature)...

Once you're done, add all the ingredients into your bread machine and let it knead away (the recipe below also caters for those without a bread maker, you just got to knead by hand which can be very time consuming!)

I added chia seeds to my dough. These Aztec ancient grains have recently been re-discovered as once of today's superfood. You can hardly see or taste them in the bread because they are so tiny! 

Once the dough has rested for at least an hour, divide the dough into 3 equal portions and let rest for another 15 minutes. 

Now roll each portion into an oval shape and roll from the upper, shorter end down to the bottom...

Flatten the dough with your rolling pin, then roll once again with the seals face down. 

Finally roll it up pretty like this:

Set all three into a baking tin and let rest for around 40 minutes (depending on the weather), until the dough rise once again...

It might be good to practice your patience here :)

Finally, bake for 30-35 minutes and there you have it!

Love. Soft. Fluffy. Cloud-like. Bread. 

Go spread the bread love!

Sometimes I sprinkle unsweetened cocoa powder into my dough and I get this:

Other times, I have it with my homemade jam. Seriously good. 

[For a more detailed photo instruction, please go to Christine's Recipe!]

Wholemeal Chia Bread
Adapted from here

Ingredients of TangZhong (The amount is enough to make two loafs):

• 50gm/ 1/3 cup bread flour
• 250ml/ 1cup water (could be replaced by milk, or 50/50 water and milk)

Ingredients of bread:

• 1½ cups bread flour
• 1 cup wholemeal flour
• 3tbsp+2tsp caster sugar
• 1tsp salt
• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 large egg
• 1tbsp+1tsp milk powder (to increase fragrance, optional)
• ½cup milk
• 120gm tangzhong (use half of the tangzhong you make from above)
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 3tbsp butter (cut into small pieces, softened at room temperature)

Making TangZhong:

1. Mix flour in water well without any lumps. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring consistently with a wooden spoon, whisk or spatula to prevent burning and sticking while you cook along the way.

2. The mixture becomes thicker and thicker. Once you notice some “lines” appear in the mixture for every stir you make with the spoon. It’s done. You get the tangzhong. (Some people might like to use a thermometer to check the temperature. After a few trials, I found this simple method works every time.) Remove from heat.

3. Transfer into a clean bowl. Cover with a cling wrap sticking onto the surface of tangzhong to prevent from drying up. Let cool. Chill in fridge for several hours. (I chill it overnight.) Then the tangzhong is ready to be used. (Note: When you are ready to use the tangzhong, just measure out the amount you need and let it rest in room temperature for a while before adding into other ingredients. The tangzhong can be stored up to a few days as long as it doesn't turn grey. If so, you need to discard and cook some more.)

Making bread:

1. Combine all dry ingredients: flours, salt, sugar , chia seeds and instant yeast in a bowl. Make a well in the center. Whisk and combine all wet ingredients: milk, egg and tangzhong, then add into the well of the dry ingredients. Knead until you get a dough shape and gluten has developed, then knead in the butter. Mind you, it’d be quite messy at this stage (That's why I used a bread maker). Keep kneading until the dough is smooth, not sticky and elastic. To test if the dough is ready, you might stretch the dough. If it forms a thin “membrane”, it’s done. The time of kneading all depends on how hard and fast you knead. (Note: I use bread maker to do this hardest part and messy job for me. I added the wet ingredients into my bread maker first, then followed by the dry ingredients. The yeast is the last to add.)

2. Knead the dough into a ball shape. Place in a greased bowl and cover with a wet towel or cling wrap. Let it proof till it's doubled in size, about 40 minutes (Note: the time will vary and depends on the weather. The best temperature for proofing is 28C. I still used my bread maker in this stage. And my bread maker has a heater.)

3. Transfer to a clean floured surface. Deflate and divide the dough into four equal portions. Knead into ball shapes. Cover with cling wrap, let rest for 15 minutes.

4. Roll out each portion of the dough with a rolling pin into an oval shape. Sprinkle bacon and cheese evenly as much as you like. Roll from the upper, shorter end down to the bottom (as picture shown). Flatten the dough with your rolling pin. Then roll once again. The seals face down.

5. Arrange the rolled-up dough in a greased or non-stick loaf tin (as picture shown). Leave it for the 2nd round of proofing, about 40 minutes, or until the dough rises up to 3/4 of the height of the tin inside.

6. Brush whisked egg on surface. Bake in a pre-heated 180C (356F) oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and tin. Transfer onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Slice to serve or place in an airtight plastic bag or container once it's thoroughly cooled.

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On another note, remember my pizza post a few weeks ago? I'm pretty stoked it was featured in Gourmet LIVE last week. Check it out along with other great pizza recipes!

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