Even when made with the direct method, yogurt toast stays soft for several days. With a first cold fermentation, the texture becomes even more delicate. Because this loaf has added dried cranberries, it’s perfect eaten on its own, and you get a sweet-tart cranberry in every bite.
This recipe makes one 450 g toast loaf.
Please read the tips before you start!
Ingredients
bread flour (Golden Statue brand)250 g
caster sugar31 g
salt3 g
milk powder12 g
homemade unsweetened yogurt80 g
egg15 g
water115 g
unsalted butter19 g
dried cranberries50 g
dry yeast3 g
Steps
1
Except for the butter and salt, knead all the ingredients until the dough reaches the extended stage. Add the butter and salt and knead until full gluten development.
Add the dried cranberries in the last 3 minutes and knead until evenly distributed.
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2
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in the fridge at about 5–7 b0C for the first cold fermentation for 12–24 hours.
Let it ferment until about doubled in size. Dip a finger in flour and poke the dough; if the dent neither springs back nor collapses, the fermentation is done.
If the dough has already doubled, there’s no need to bring it back to room temperature. If it hasn’t risen much, let it warm up in a cozy place at around 28 b0C for 30–60 minutes.
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3
Do not degas. Divide evenly into 3 pieces, round each piece, and place them seam side up.
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4
No need to rest; directly roll each piece out into a long oval.
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5
Roll up into 1.5–2 turns, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.
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6
Roll out again into a tongue shape. Press out any small bubbles at the sides.
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7
Roll up into 2.5–3 turns.
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8
Place seam side down in the loaf pan.
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9
Proof in a warm, humid place at about 38 b0C. Press the dough gently with a finger; if it springs back slowly, the proofing is done.
The surface of well-proofed dough should be very smooth, slightly elastic, and not sticky, rather than rough and very sticky.
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10
Bake on the middle-lower rack of a preheated oven at 180 b0C, top and bottom heat, for 34 minutes. Adjust time and temperature according to your own oven.
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11
After about 10 minutes, the loaf will be basically set in height and the surface nicely browned; at this point you can cover it with foil.
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12
Tap the pan once after taking it out of the oven, remove from the pan, and cool on a wire rack. Once it cools to hand-warm, store in an airtight container. Slice only after it is completely cooled.
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13
Very soft, sweet and tangy, absolutely delicious~
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14
Without cranberries, it rises extremely high.
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Cooking Tips
Random notes
1. If you want a tall loaf, you must knead to the windowpane stage, but the membrane should not be too thin; if it’s too thin, it won’t have enough strength. It should be thin yet not easy to tear—that’s a good dough.
2. When working with the dough, lightly oil your hands and rolling pin, otherwise it will stick. If it’s still too sticky, you can use a little dusting flour. Note that whether it’s oil or flour, don’t use too much or it will affect the final crumb.
3. For the first fermentation, keep the dough at about 28 b0C and do not exceed 30 b0C; for the second fermentation, keep it around 38 b0C and absolutely do not exceed 40 b0C.
4. Be gentle when rolling and shaping; don’t be rough.
5. This is a high-hydration dough. If you’re a beginner, don’t pour in all the water at once. Hold some back and add gradually as you knead.
6. For this loaf I use the “late salt method,” so the salt is added together with the butter. In fact, you can add the salt even later, as long as it gets fully incorporated.
7. In winter, when it’s cold—especially in southern regions without heating—you need to adjust your strategy for making toast and not follow your summer routine. First, you can increase the yeast by 1 g. It’s best to use warm water for kneading (I use water at about 35 b0C). Make sure it’s warm, not hot. When kneading is finished, keeping the dough temperature at 24–25 b0C is ideal, and 28 b0C is the upper limit. Otherwise the first rise will be poor and the second rise will be very slow.
So we use warm water at the beginning to raise the dough temperature rather than increasing the first fermentation temperature. If needed, you can buy a probe thermometer to monitor dough temperature at any time.
Of course, if you use cold fermentation for this loaf, you don’t have to use warm water.
8. Why control the temperature during the first fermentation? Because it is the basic fermentation and is critical. If the dough temperature is too high, the yeast will be overly active, creating large and uneven bubbles, indirectly leading to a coarse crumb. Above 28 b0C, fermentation is too fast and you don’t develop the wheat flavor (the ideal wheat maturation temperature is 24–25 b0C). This also explains why toast that has only gone through one fermentation often tastes worse the next day. Below 28 b0C, fermentation slows down but won’t hurt flavor or texture. So during fermentation, it’s better for the dough temperature to be slightly low rather than too high—generally keep it between 25 b0C and 28 b0C.
9. You must understand your own oven’s quirks. If the actual temperature is much higher or lower than the setting, you won’t bake good toast.
That’s all for now; I’ll add more tips if needed~~