Monday, March 14, 2011

Wheat Mantou II and Ham and Cheese Bread

I haven't felt like blogging recently, but I still bake a lot. So now I have lots of posts that I still need to write. Anyway....

I wanted to try replicating this Chinese supermarket's mantou because I really like their mantou's texture. It's soft and you can eat it layer by layer. I always love peeling off the mantou skin and eating that first before peeling off layers of the mantou and eating it bit by bit. Is that weird? :D So because I wanted soft, layered mantou, I tried making wheat mantou again by adapting the recipe I previously used.

Sorry the picture is a bit washed out.
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My bread tin has some grooves, so the bread has these cool looking lines.
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Looking back at my previous bread loaf, I noticed that my swirl wrapping is improving. :)
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Here the breads are rising.
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I used my pullman loaf tin for the second time! It made my bread look taller than usual. I can't wait to use it again.
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With the mantou recipe I tried last time, it produced a crumb that was too tight for me to be able to eat it layer by layer, so I decided to remake the mantou using different flour proportions. I added all purpose flour and decreased the amount of whole wheat flour. Now I'm wondering if the supermarket just uses white whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat flour....

This time, the mantou indeed was softer and looser in texture. I let them rise even longer because I like soft breads, not dense ones.

Here's the recipe for the mantou. If you don't like the strong, hearty flavor of wheat, substitute some of the wheat flour with all purpose flour.

I also made the basic ham and cheese bread on the same day, it's basically family favorite now. (Not including my brother, he didn't even want to taste it. He doesn't like eating toast. I couldn't sway his decision.)

Here are the previous basic bread posts.

7 comments:

  1. the bread looks really good and delicious!

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  2. Both the bread and mantou look so pretty! Ya, I love peeling the mantou too. ha... I wish I could join you for tea. :o) Have a lovely day.
    Kristy

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  3. yes, Esther! Your bread and rolling skills have improved so much and i can see that the swirl is beautiful too with ham! also your mantou looks in perfect shape! I've jsut apssed you an award, pls pick it up from my blog when you have time!

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  4. I love savoury bread, just like this one...! It looks so delicious, Esther :)!!

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  5. j3ss kitc3n, Thank you!

    My Little Space, Yay! I'm glad I'm not the only person who likes to eat mantou that way. :D You're welcome to if you want. ;) Have a great day too Kristy!

    Thank you so much Lena. It's my first award ever. :) I'll treasure it very much.

    Cooking Gallery, Thank you. :) Try it out one day when you have time, it's pretty simple.

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  6. Your swirls look perfect! Ham and cheese bread sounds sooo good. Ham and cheese sandwiches are great anyways but when baked in a loaf - must be amazing! Can't believe your brother didn't even want to taste it lol. And oh your rich and sweet berry scones look delicious! I need to come over there for breakfast ;) haha.

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  7. Sharon, You should taste the ones that my mom used to buy from the bakery. They had a delicious cheesy crust, with a hint of sweetness, and a really soft, pillowy bread. Delicious! That's what I wanted to copy when I made this bread, except I think it's harder for homemade bread to get the softness of a bakery's bread sometimes because homemade breads don't have bread improver. Haha, thanks. :)

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Thanks for reading my blog. I love hearing about your thoughts and/or your advice. :)

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