Recipe and method of hand-torn old bread

Old bread is known for its sweetness and elasticity and is deeply loved by people in daily life. Its preparation method is also very particular, from the proportion of flour to fermentation and then to fully softening with butter, each process needs to be completed strictly step by step according to the given steps. If you are not a professional baker during the production process, you can shape the bread according to your own preferences, and you can also dip it in the final seasoning appropriately.

Main ingredients: 150g high-gluten flour, 60g low-gluten flour

Methods/Steps

1. Make the starter first, mix the starter materials into dough, and let it ferment. Fermentation is complete when the dough takes on a honeycomb shape, which takes about 1 hour at room temperature in summer.

2. Soften the butter at room temperature in advance.

3. Mix the main dough ingredients except butter, and add the fermented starter. Do not add all the water at once. Add water while mixing and observing to avoid adding too much water and making the dough too thin and difficult to handle.

4. After all the ingredients are mixed into dough, place it on the chopping board and knead it thoroughly. When the dough is stretched and found to have some elasticity and is not easy to break, add butter.

5. Knead the butter and dough thoroughly and beat it continuously to make the dough develop higher gluten as quickly as possible. When the dough can be stretched to a relatively thin layer without breaking, it means the kneading is complete.

6. Place the dough in a closed and warm place for the first fermentation. When the dough expands to 2.5 times its size, insert your finger into the center of the dough. If the dough does not collapse and the round hole remains unchanged, the first fermentation of the dough is complete. Divide the dough into 9 equal parts, roll each small dough into a ball, and let it rest for 10 minutes.

7. Shape the bread and roll the dough into long strips

8. Pinch the two ends together and roll them 2 times like a twist.

9. Then stuff the pinched end into the circle.

10. Place the shaped dough into a baking tray and place the baking tray in the oven for a second fermentation. If the oven does not have a fermentation function, use boiling water to create a high temperature environment to complete it.

11. When the dough expands to twice its size, take out the baking tray and preheat the oven. Place the baking tray in the lower layer of the oven and bake. Observe carefully and cover with tin foil when the color becomes darker.

12. Melt the butter in a heat insulator. When the bread is baked, brush the butter on the surface while it is still hot to enhance the color and flavor.

Precautions

The bread shaping technique needs to be improved. If you don’t want to shape it, just rolling it into a round shape is also fine.

The final basting with butter is optional.