Great British Bake Off week 3 and we are on to bread. But even with Paul Hollywood throwing a ciabatta-shaped curve ball, everything seems to be plodding along on a rather even keel. No dramas, big or small. No (new) custardgates! I don’t know whether this is because the bakers are all evenly matched in terms of skills or whether BBC prefers this kinder, gentler pace. Even Paul seems to have mellowed. In the end it was the perennially cheery Jordan who went home and I am kind of sad to see him and his multicolour hair clips leave.

I have decided to join the filled centrepiece loaf challenge this week. Funnily enough I had baked a filled pesto loaf very similar to Richard’s (same shape but not exactly same fillings) for my GBBO audition but didn’t bring it as I didn’t think it was good enough! This Japanese milk bread filled with pulled pork however is amazing. I can get several people from my office to vouch for that…

pillowy soft bread that uses tangzhong starter – i.e. a water roux. If you have never made this you are in for a real treat, trust me on this. The roux causes the dough to become incredibly sticky so this is not a bread to make by hand. I used the Magimix and was amazed to discover that the kneading process is about 1 minute! That was hard to believe but the windowpane test doesn’t lie. If you are not familiar with Japanese milk bread it is a slightly sweet andbread that uses– i.e. a water roux. If you have never made this you are in for a real treat, trust me on this. The roux causes the dough to become incredibly sticky so this is not a bread to make by hand. I used theand was amazed to discover that the kneading process is about 1 minute! That was hard to believe but the windowpane test doesn’t lie. If you are baking along to the Great British Bake Off remember to link your recipes at the bottom of this post! I love seeing what everyone has been up to. Are we giving the GBBO baker a run for their money?



For the Water Roux (Tangzhong)

25g | 2 scant tbsp bread flour

125ml 1/2 cup | 4.2oz water





Bread

350g | 12.3oz strong bread flour, more for rolling

2 tbsp skimmed milk powder (optional)

1 large egg

1 tsp instant dried yeast

60g | 2.1 oz sugar

1 tsp salt

125ml | 1/2 cup | 4.2oz whole milk

120g | 4.1oz water roux

60g | 1/2 stick unsalted butter, very soft

1 egg, beaten with splash of milk for glazing



To fill



* follow this recipe (or your own) but make sure the pork is fairly dry 500g | 17.6oz pulled pork*, shredded finely (you may not need all of it)* follow(or your own) but make sure the pork is fairly dry

To decorate (optional)

60g | 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp sesame seeds 1 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp nigella seeds

Method To make the water roux, put the flour and water in a small pan and whisk over medium heat until the roux thickens. When the whisk leaves a trail of lines on the surface, it is ready. Place some cling film directly on the surface of the roux to prevent a crust forming. Leave to cool slightly. Add the flour, salt, sugar, yeast and skimmed milk powder to the large bowl of your Magimix fitted with the large plastic blade. Pulse briefly to combine the ingredients. Mix the milk, roux, butter and egg together in a measuring jug and add gradually to the dry ingredients with the processor running. Stop after 30 seconds and do a windowpane test. You may need to mix a few more seconds but usually under a minute. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise at room temperature for up to 2 hours or until almost double in size. Bread Maker method To make the dough in a bread maker, add the milk, tangzhong and egg to the bread machine. Top with the flour, salt, sugar, yeast and skimmed milk powder. Make sure the yeast does not touch the wet ingredients. Use the dough setting and let it run for 15m. Lift the lid and add the softened butter. The bread machine will mix the dough and do the first round of proving.

Stand mixer method

Add the flour, salt, sugar, yeast and skimmed milk powder to the bowl of your stand mixer. Attach the dough hook and mix briefly to combine. Mix the milk, roux and egg together in a measuring jug and add gradually to the dry ingredients with the mixer running on low speed. Once the dough forms a ball, add the softened butter and continue to mix for 7-15 minutes or until the dough passes the windowpane test. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise at room temperature for up to 2 hours or until almost double in size. After proving