Pumpkin Condensed Milk Toast

First make the single-fermentation pull-apart toast: use the delayed oil method to knead the dough to about 95–100% gluten development. The torn windowpane should have smooth edges without jagged tears; the dough should be strong and not easy to break.

The final dough temperature should not exceed 26°C.

No need to bulk ferment. Divide into three equal portions, round each into a ball, and no need to rest.

Roll each piece out, rolling up and down two to three times is enough. Then stretch it longer.

Roll it up.

Finish shaping all three pieces. Still no need to rest the dough.

Roll them out again, also rolling up and down two to three times. Then flip over and stretch longer.

Roll them up again.

Place them in the loaf pan in the same direction.

Cover with the lid and proof in a 30°C proofer at 85% humidity.

When the dough reaches half the height of the pan, start preheating the oven.

When the dough reaches 60% of the pan height, put it into the oven to bake. Sixty percent full means the highest point of the dough is 4 cm below the top of the pan.

Once the oven is preheated, cover the pan with the lid and place it on the lower rack to bake. If you have the same oven models, you can refer to my temperatures and times. I used the gold corrugated loaf pan from Xuechu and the low-sugar pan from Sanneng. I found that these two can be baked at the same time with the same results. If you have these two molds you can follow this. CASKA 750: place on the second lowest rack. Top heat 150°C, bottom heat 180°C, bake for 28 minutes. Adjust the exact baking time according to your own situation. Hauswirt i7: top heat 160°C, bottom heat 185°C, place on the lowest rack, bake for 28 minutes. Preheating temperature is the same as the baking temperature. Preheat for 15 minutes.

At this temperature and time, both loaves come out with very nice color, and the internal temperature of the toast is fully baked through—both at 97°C. So I think these two loaf pans can be baked together in one oven.

The finished loaf here looks a bit wrinkled because it sat overnight.

Next is the pumpkin condensed milk toast. First make the starter dough: knead all the starter ingredients into a dough, then refrigerate at 4°C to ferment for 17 hours. Or you can ferment at room temperature for 2–3 hours.

The fermented starter should look like this, with a honeycomb structure inside.

Then mix the starter with the ingredients for the main dough, and knead using the delayed oil method until full gluten development.

Shape into a ball and proof at 25°C room temperature for 30 minutes.

After proofing, divide into three equal parts, round each into a ball, and let rest at 25°C room temperature for 30 minutes.

Then follow the normal toast procedure: roll out and flip over.

Roll up and let rest for 30 minutes.

Roll out again and flip over.

Roll up and place the three pieces in the loaf pan in the same direction.

Cover with the lid and proof at 32°C and 85% humidity. I’ve found that if you proof with the lid on, the dough won’t get overly wet.

When the dough reaches about 70% of the pan height, preheat the oven.

Brush the surface of the dough with a layer of whole egg wash.

Bake on the lower rack of the oven. Hauswirt i7: top heat 160°C, bottom heat 185°C, bake for 28 minutes; cover with foil once it has browned. CASKA 750: top heat 150°C, bottom heat 180°C, bake for 28 minutes; cover with foil once it has browned.

Remove from the oven and immediately de-pan. Let cool completely, then bag and seal for storage.