Honey Carrot Toast Bread
Soft and moist – perfect for kids and adults who don’t like carrots. The dough has a relatively high hydration, so pay attention to temperature control when kneading. Honey helps retain moisture, giving the bread an overall soft texture. Key points before you start: ① When weighing the ingredients, reserve some of the liquid for later adjustment. Adjust the amount of water flexibly according to your flour and the ambient humidity. The carrots used in this recipe are steamed; please note that if you use raw carrots blended with water into a puree, you will need to adjust the total water in the formula accordingly. ② The amount of dry yeast is 1/3 that of fresh yeast. If using dry yeast, choose dry yeast suitable for high-sugar doughs. ③ Strictly control the dough temperature. The dough temperature after kneading should be around 26°C. ④ Preheat the oven before the final proofing is completely finished. Avoid over-proofing caused by the dough being fully proofed while the oven is still preheating.
Ingredients
Steps
Steam the carrots (recommended to prepare the night before baking) Peel the carrots, slice into moderately thick pieces, steam until cooked through, and let cool. Try to prepare them a day in advance and keep them refrigerated or frozen. If you steam a large batch at once, you can portion and freeze them. I wanted visible bits of carrot in the dough, so I didn’t blend them into a smooth puree. I only mashed them lightly with a masher, as shown.
Knead the dough using the delayed fat method Weigh all the dough ingredients except the “butter” and place them into the mixing bowl of the M6 stand mixer. Note: Lightly mash the carrots with a masher; the texture is as shown in the picture.
Mix on low speed (speed 1 or 2) for about 30 seconds. Once there is no dry flour, increase to speed 5–6 to start kneading the dough. PS: Beginners, remember to reserve part of the liquid for later adjustment. This formula has a slightly higher hydration and the flour needs time to absorb the water, so be patient at the beginning. At first, the dough will look like a thick, muddy paste—don’t panic, just keep kneading. After about 6–8 minutes, gluten will gradually form as the dough is kneaded.
If some dough sticks to the sides of the bowl, scrape it down with a soft scraper, then add the softened butter. The butter should be softened to the point where a gentle press leaves an indentation. This makes it easier to incorporate. Do not over-soften it.
Knead on speed 3 for about 1–2 minutes until the butter is fully incorporated, then switch to speed 5–6 and continue kneading until the dough can be stretched into a thin, almost transparent membrane with excellent elasticity.
Take out the dough, shape it into a ball, and place it in a container. The dough temperature should be around 26°C. Proof at 28°C with 75% humidity for 60 minutes for the first (bulk) fermentation.
Ferment until the dough is about 2.5 times its original size.
Remove the dough and divide it into portions of about 255 g each. Be careful not to pull or tear the dough when dividing.
Shape each piece into a tight ball. Let them rest at 28°C with 80% humidity for about 20 minutes.
Take one piece of well-relaxed dough and roll it out as shown. Gently press out any air bubbles around the edges.
Flip the dough over, then fold the left and right sides toward the center so that each overlaps by about 1/3.
Use a rolling pin to roll it out lengthwise.
Roll it up from top to bottom into a tight log.
Repeat to make 4 logs in total.
Place 2 logs together in each 450 g loaf pan.
Proof at about 32°C with 80% humidity until the dough rises to about 90% of the pan’s height.
In an S75 oven, bake on the lowest rack at top heat 150–160°C and bottom heat 230°C for 26 minutes.
Remove from the oven, tap the pan to release the loaf, then demold and let cool on a rack.
Once completely cooled, slice, seal well, and store in the freezer.