Simple Baking: White Loaf ( black rice)

A very good recipe, taken from a very old cookbook that I've kept for a decade :)

Because of the requested cool temperature of the water used for kneading, the dough actually took longer to double in size than the dough for the basic loaf, up to 2 and 1/2 hours. Also, it was to be risen at room temperature. As a result of this, the texture turned out well. It is a light, even, firm and moist bread. I was very happy with it.

I had 120g of frozen left over black rice added in here as well.

From: The Complete Bread and Baking Book
Ingredient ( make 2 small loaves or a very large loaf like mine here):

Unbleached white bread flour 680g
Salt 15g
Instant dry yeast 2 and 1/2 teaspoon
Sugar 1/2 teaspoon
Water from the cold tap 430ml ( I used filtered cool water)
Cooked black rice 120g
Oil ( about 1 tablespoon to oil hands and oil bowl and oil top surface, to make the kneading job easier)

I saved half of the loaf in the freezer.
The loaf will keep good for four days and can be frozen for a month.

risen dough after 2 hours

Method

1. Mix yeast, sugar and 3 tablespoons of warm water in a bowl. Stir and dissolve yeast completely. When it turns foamy, it is ready to be used.

2. Salt in one corner of flour mixture. Pour in yeast mixture, then gradually pour in water and the black rice. I used chopstick to stir, mix and bring everything together into a rough dough.

3. Cover and leave for 10 minutes. Light knead and fold for 10 seconds, cover and leave for 10 minutes. Do that twice more for the 10 minute interval. Dough should be glossy, smooth by now. Cover and let it rise in room temperature until the size is doubled ( it would take up to 2 and 1/2 hours).
Note: my kneading method here (adapted from Dan Lepard).

4. Punch down the risen dough, cut dough in half. Roll each piece of dough into a long rope. Braid the dough.

5. Cover and let it rise again at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour ( do not overproof or it would become enormous, or they will collapse during baking). During the last 15 minutes of rising, heat the oven to 220C. ( Get set for the steam bake now, a pan filled with hot water placed at the bottom of the oven. This is to create steam, moisten and preventing cracks that might occur).

6. Egg wash the loaf. Bake for 15 minutes at pre-heaed oven 220C. Reduce oven temperature to 200C and bake for further 10 to 15 minutes. Insert a skewer and see that it comes out clean / turn loaf out of the pan and tap it with your knuckles, a thoroughly baked loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath. ( for mine, the bottom needed a little more time, so I turned over the other side which means the bottom is facing top, covered it loosely with a foil, further baked for a short moment).