The title speaks for itself in my own way. I had difficulty getting the dough to rise a few times already, understandably the weather – ‘winter’ s here. At the same time I suspiciously thought the yeast may be the culprit. So I tested on the yeast. I dissolved a teaspoon of sugar in 1/2 cup lukewarm water and then added in the yeast. If the yeast is active, you will see cream foaming on the surface. So my yeast was alright. I then googled on the internet and learnt amazingly the technique using the microwave method to assist the dough to rise. I am forever thankful to the microwave for I can now bake any bread any time. Simply put a cup of water and set on 1 minute heat to boil the water. Then put the dough in a bowl and leave it together with the cup of hot water and shut the door. The heat and steam created in the atmosphere inside the microwave will help in the yeast movement and hence the proofing of the dough. My dough did doubled in size, baked perfectly and tasted yummy. The texture turns out soft and fluffy.This is so far my ultimate Sweet bread recipe. You can fill the sweet dough with chicken meat, sardine, sausages and vegetables like curry potatoes or red bean paste, bread spread like butter, kaya pandan spread and many more….simply be creative !

Ingredients A

• 330g high protein flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tbsp milk powder, 60g caster sugar

Ingredient B

• 1 egg – grade A (large is fine)

Ingredient C (mixed together)

• 120 ml lukewarm water, 10g instant yeast

Ingredient D

• 40g butter(soften)

Method

1. Combine ingredients A together in a mixer using the hook. Give it a slight blend to combine the mixture before adding in ingredient B. Beat and add in ingredient C a little at a time. Beat the combined mixture for approximately 5 minutes to form a dough. Add in ingredient D and continue to beat the dough for a further 5 minutes till dough has a smooth surface and leaves the sides of the bowl.
2. Check if dough is fully developed by stretching a small piece of dough with your fingers. If dough can be stretched into a thin layer without tearing, it is ready. If it isn’t, beat dough further till it passes  the stretch test. Remove and leave dough in a big bowl, covered with a damp cloth. Proof dough in a warm place for 30 minutes till it doubles in size.
3. Scale dough to 30g portions or your preferred size for the fillings. Flatten and roll into rounds. Place your preferred fillings( I filled some rolls with Kaya pandan spread and dried sambal shrimps and sausages in plaits), sealed and wrapped into a ball shape. Or you can make patterns and different shaped rolls for your fillings. Place the rolls in a cake tin ready for proofing and baking later.
4. Proof a second time the filled rolls for 50 minutes. Glaze with egg wash and bake in oven at 180’C for 15-20 minutes. Cool well on a wire rack. Voila! Happy Days!