RECIPE
Yield: 2 Loaves
Baking Tin: 190mm x100m x100mm Loaf tin
YUDANE
90 g Bakers Flour
90 g Boiling Water
FINAL DOUGH
470 g Baker's Flour
9 g Instant Yeast
40 g Caster Sugar
8 g Salt
225 g Milk
110 g Eggs
40 g Unsalted Butter - softened at room temperature
SESAME DOUGH
500 g Final Dough
8 g Pure Sesame Paste
MATCHA DOUGH
500 g Final Dough
15 g Matcha Powder
30 g Water
SESAME PASTE
100 g Softened butter
40 g Caster Sugar
20 g Pure Sesame Paste
SUGAR SYRUP
30 g Boiling Water
30 g Caster Sugar
METHOD
1. PREPARE THE YUDANE by pouring the boiling water into the flour in a bowl. Whisk with a fork until a firm dough is formed. Cover with a food wrap and leave to cook completely at room temperature.
2. Heat the milk to 32-35C then whisk in the instant yeast. Leave at room temperature until it starts to froth up on the surface. This should take 5 - 10 minutes.
3. Prepare the FINAL DOUGH. Mix the flours, salt, sugar, yeast mixture with milk and eggs into a stand mixer bowl with a dough hook attachment and mix slightly until they come together.
Break up the cooled Yudane dough and add it into the dough. Continue to mix for another 10 minutes then add in the softened room temperature butter. Increase the speed to medium speed and mix for another 10 minutes.
At this point, the dough would have developed some gluten but not fully developed yet.
4. Divide the dough to two equal parts (approximately 500 g each), leaving the first half of the dough still in the mixer bowl. Cover the other dough on the bench to prevent it from drying out.
For the First dough in the mixer bowl, add in 1 heap teaspoon of pure sesame paste and continue to mix on medium speed for 10-12 minutes or until gluten are fully developed. Check out the videos to see how to do the window pane test.
Once the sesame dough is ready, roll it to a smooth ball then transfer into a medium bowl previously lightly dusted with some flour. Cover and set aside at room temperature.
5. With the second part of the dough, return it into the mixer bowl, then mix in the green tea paste and mix on medium speed for the final 10-12 minutes or until gluten are fully developed.
Once ready, roll the green tea dough to a smooth ball and transfer into a separate lightly dusted bowl. Cover and set aside at room temperature.
Leave the two doughs to bulk ferment. This process will take between 90 minutes to 2 hours depending on the ambient of your kitchen
6. Meanwhile, PREPARE SESAME PASTE by creaming the butter, sugar and pure sesame paste together. Set aside at room temperature until ready to use.
7. When the dough has risen double its volume. Divide each dough to two equal portions of approximately 250g each. You will end up with 2 x 250g Green Tea dough and 2 x 250 g Sesame Dough.
Working with two doughs at a time, roll out the first sesame dough to a rectangle and repeat the same with the first green tea dough. Place the green tea dough on top of the sesame dough then roll them to a 30cm x 40 cm rectangle.
Spread half of the sesame butter paste on top then roll the dough to a log from one short ends to the opposite end. Pinch the seams to seal. Turn the log 90 degrees then slit the log in the middle into halves. Intertwine the two to create a plait. Adjust the dough to fit into the loaf tin.
Repeat the same process with the second loaf.
Cover both loaf tin with tea towel and leave to ferment for the final time or until it starts to double in size. This will take approximately 1 hour to 90 minutes depending on the ambient of your kitchen. The dough should feels light and airy before it hits the oven.
BAKE in the pre heated oven at 180C for 40 - 45 minutes or when the internal temperature reads above 90C.
Prepare the sugar syrup by whisking in the sugar with the boiling water.
When the babka is ready. Gently remove the babka from the loaf tin over a wire rack then brush each babka generously with the sugar syrup.
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