Bread with Sugar Topping

I love breads with toppings. Not fillings but sweet sugar toppings. I have a sweet tooth, I admit. Sweet breads are my fave. From the many bread recipes I've jotted down, I managed to find one that has a sugary topping. The topping is made up of butter, sugar, milk powder and flour. It's like icing on a bread. This one is definitely for keeps.



It was so nice and super soft. Even as I sliced it, I was salivating. My daughter was waiting with smiles on her face...

The bread has a slight yellow tint, perhaps from the cream I used? For the same reason, it must be because of the cream that makes the bread so cottony soft. I went overboard on the topping and spreaded them generously on the bread after I braided it. And when I baked it I was afraid that it would get burnt so I set the oven to 160 deg C. By the time the bread was starting to brown, the topping was still milky white. I didn't want to bake it too long to retain the moisture in the bread.



I didn't spend as much time kneading as I did on some previous bread recipes. Perhaps it was because I got distracted because I was baking cookies at the same time. My helper was helping me to add the ingredients for the cookie as I was kneading. And I had to run to the marble table each time, stopping kneading so that I could guide her how to use the bear cookie cutter I got months back. The bear cookie is not posted up yet, but it's far cuter than the previous bear shaped cookies.

My girls are into bears. It's bear phenomenon at home since they received a Care Bear each from "Santa" during Christmas.


Bread with Sugar Topping

Recipe
200g bread flour
30g sugar
1/4 tsp salt
5g instant yeast

100g whipping cream
40g fresh milk
1 egg yolk

20g soft butter

Sugar Topping
30g sugar powder
30g plain flour
1 tsp milk powder
30g cold butter


Method
Sift flour, yeast, sugar, salt together in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre.
In another small bowl, mix yolk, milk, cream together. Pour the egg and cream mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix them well and knead till it become a smooth dough. It may take about 15 to 30mins. Add the butter into the dough, knead well. It will be elastic and when you pull the dough, it will not break easily, doesn't have jagged lines and is satiny smooth. Kneading may take half hour to an hour.

Form it into a ball, and place in a stainless steel mixing bowl, well greased on it's sides. Cover with cling wrap to prevent drought. Keep in a nice warm place. Let if proof till it doubles about 1 and half hour. Punch down the bread to release the gas inside. Divide it into 6 equally shaped round dough. Let it rest for 15 more minutes. Roll each into a long piece each. Using 3, braid them the way you would braid hair. With 6 rolls, you should be able to make 2 long braids.

Make the topping. Mix the topping ingredients together until it forms a crumbly texture.

Place the braid on a pan. Brush it with egg wash (beat an egg, add some milk if desire) and sprinkle the topping on top. Bake it at 160 deg C for 20 - 30 minutes.