The Knead For Bread

Make the most of your mornings, and try out these easy and quick breakfast bread recipes. Is there anything more satisfying than starting a slow morning to the aroma of freshly baked bread? The home smells divine and you have a warm and soft piece of heaven to bite into. Enjoy them with a mug of coffee or tea, and for the little ones out there, serve them with a glass of milk.

Banana Bread

If you’ve got some over ripped bananas screaming to be saved in your fruit basket, this recipe is the saviour for those nature’s delights. Mix that banana with a handful of pantry ingredients and you will have the most delicious and moist banana bread ever! 

Enjoy it as it is or spread a generous layer of Nutella or peanut butter on a slice and top it with some caramelised bananas to take it to the next level.

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas

½ cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 egg

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

¼ cup cooking oil

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp chopped walnuts/raisins

(optional)

Instructions:

In a clean bowl, mash the bananas. Mix in the sugar. Add in the vanilla essence. Mix well. Now add the egg and whisk well. 

Add the oil to the mixture and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix the all purpose flour with the baking soda and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until all the ingredients are well combined. Add in the chopped walnuts and raisins to the mixture. Now grease a baking tin with a parchment paper and pour the mixture into the baking tin. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree Celsius for 20-25 minutes.

Hokkaido Bread

If there’s one bread that you need to experience baking once in your lifetime, it has to be this soft, rich, and slightly sweet bread with an unmatchable texture. This Japanese-style milk bread is a delight to eat and is the perfect everyday bread loaf recipe that you need to impress your family and friends!

Ingredients:

For making the Tangzhong (water roux)

1/4 cup bread flour

¾ cup water

For bread:

4 cups bread flour

¼ cup sugar

2 tsp salt

10g dry yeast

2 ½ tsp dry milk powder

1 cup + 2 tbsp milk

1 + 1 egg

50g butter

Instructions:

Make the tangzhong by heating up a pan and mixing in the bread flour and water on medium heat till the mixture thickens up as a paste. Once cooled, refrigerate the mixture for 6-8 hours and bring it to room temperature 1 hour before using it.

In a clean bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt, dry yeast, dry milk powder and mix well. Add in the milk (1 cup), egg (1), tangzhong, butter and knead it to a soft and smooth dough. Cover the bowl with a cling film and let it rest for 1 hour or until the dough gets double in size. After the dough rises up, punch the air out of the dough, knead it for a few minutes and divide the dough into 6 equal parts. Roll each dough section into balls, cover them with a cling film and let it rest for another 15 minutes. Now roll out each dough ball flat. Fold the dough using thirds. Turn the dough 90 degrees and make it into a roll, pinching it together at the seam. Place three moulded doughs into a bread tin and let it rest for 30 minutes. Brush the top with egg wash (1 egg + 2 tbsp milk) and bake it in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 25-30 minutes.

Cinnamon Roll

Nothing wakes up your senses more than the smell of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven. The smell of cinnamon melting with butter and sugar to create that gooey texture inside the layers of the roll is magical. These rolls are perfect for any special occasion or for those usual mornings that you want to transform into a celebration.

Ingredients:

1 egg

½ cup milk

2 ½ cups bread flour

1 ¾ tsp instant dry yeast

2 tbsp sugar

½ tsp salt

3 tbsp butter

For the filling:

½ cup brown sugar

1 ½ tsp cinnamon powder

2 tbsp butter

For the frosting:

2 tbsp cream cheese

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp castor sugar

Instructions:

In a bowl, mix in the milk (warm) and egg and keep it aside. In another bowl, add in the bread flour, yeast, sugar, salt and mix well. Now add in the butter (room temperature) and mix in with the dry ingredients. Add in the milk and egg mixture to the dry ingredients and knead to a soft dough. Cover the bowl with a cling film and let it rest for 1-2 hours or until the dough doubles in size. 

In the meantime, make the filling by mixing the brown sugar, cinnamon powder and butter (softened).After 1-2 hours, punch the dough and knead again for 1-2 minutes. Now, roll out the dough into a rectangular shape and spread the filling generously. Roll up the dough along the length. 

Now cut the roll in nine equal pieces using a sharp knife and place the rolls into a greased baking pan. Cover the pan and let the rolls proof for 15-20 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. For the frosting, in a bowl, whisk in the cream cheese (softened), butter (softened), vanilla extract and castor sugar together. Spread the frosting onto the freshly baked rolls and enjoy!