pre-face: i’m a homebaker who enjoys trying new things and learning about the science of baking. in my culture, preparing ingredients in advance, usually the night before, is a crucial part of our cooking process. i was curious whether doing all of the “pre-baking” steps would make a huge difference in my baked goods.

so anw, to sum up before i write down the full recipes:

+ 1st recipe (50% butter ~30% sugar + preferments + Caputo tipo 00 flour): personally super advanced and labor-intensive, required a lot of active hands-on work, “watching” the dough, waiting for the dough and on top of that, i inherited an affordable weak slow stand mixer.

=> result: absolutely worth it!! the brioche had a super complex, addicting, buttery flavor; ultra soft buttery texture; and the “tear-apart” crumb was SO satisfying. it also stayed soft on the counter for ~3 days. would i make it again? probably only on a weekend where i have absolutely nothing to do and nowhere to be because every step took much longer than i thought 😔

+ 2nd recipe (40% butter, 12% sugar, whole foods organic bread flour): no pre-fermentation, no stand mixer, easy, hassle-free.

=> result: also very worth it considering how little time and effort it required. a brioche recipe requiring NO STAND MIXER AND AGRESSIVE HAND-KNEADING? HELL YESS!’n beautiful, soft, fluffy right out of the oven. however, it got a little drier overnight and the flavor wasn’t as deep/complex as the first recipe.

visually? almost no difference.
taste, texture, shelf life? YES!!

FULL RECIPES:

🍞1st recipe (left):

Preparing tangzhong & poolish the night before
+ Poolish: 90g milk, 1/2 tsp sugar, 90g 00 flour, 1g dry yeast -> mix until combined

+ Tangzhong: 10g flour + 50 g milk => mix in a pan on medium-high heat until a paste is formed and can be easily removed from the pan => cool down => fridge for at least 5 hours or overnight

why tangzhong + poolish?
tangzhong: helps the dough retain more moisture => softer, fluffier texture + stayed soft for days

poolish: adds more flavor complexity/deeper buttery aroma compared to straight dough

+ Main dough (all cold ingredients): 200g 00 flour, 90g sugar, 2g instant yeast (3g in winter), 5g egg custard/milk powder (optional), 105g egg (2 eggs), 150g “soft” cold butter cut into small cubes, 5g salt

mix everything except the salt together on medium speed until combined => add salt

this is the… hard part since this dough is super enriched and high hydration: mix 7-8 minutes => rest the dough in the fridge for 5-15 mins (or even longer…) => repeat. ADD THE BUTTER SLOWLY, ONLY WHEN A STRONG DOUGH IS FORMED (the dough no longer sticks to the mixer bowl + feels stretchy).

=> this whole mixing stage took me like 90 minutes in total. the slower and more “delayed” you add the butter, the better. reduce the speed to low after adding the butter.

the temperature of the dough should not exceed 24C/75F + should almost pass the windowpane test. since this is a super enriched dough, it doesn’t have to be extremely strong.

Shaping:
+ divide into 6 balls => if you wanna shape them: put them in the freezer for 40 mins or they will be VERY difficult to handle

+ take them out, flatten into rectangles => roll into long strings => braid the strings. shaping is also difficult. every time i finished shaping one string => i put it back in the freezer => took all of them out again to braid when the last string was done. you can absolutely skip this shaping part and just make brioche buns with the 6 balls.

Cold fermentation: put the shaped brioche in the fridge for at least 12 hours and no longer than 48 hours (haven’t tried 72 hours but i think it’s probably fine) OR let the dough rise at room temperature for 4-5 hours, but brioche definitely benefits from longer proofing time.

=> if refrigerated: take them out and let them return to room temperature for 30 mins - 1 hour. it’s okay if they don’t rise that much in the fridge.

Eggwash: 1 egg yolk + 3 tbsp milk + some salt. you can add fun stuff here. i added dark chocolate, pistachio, and some pistachio paste.

Bake: 170C/340F for 15 mins preferably with a cup of water in the oven => 160C/320F for 20 mins

This is honestly one of the best brioche loaves i have ever tried. i genuinely could not stop eating it whenever i told myself i would just “pick a small piece.”

🍞 2nd recipe (right):

250g bread flour, 150g egg (2 large or 3 medium eggs), 6g salt, 4g instant dry yeast or 4.8g active dry yeast, 30g sugar, 100g soft butter

+ rough dough: whisk eggs, yeast, salt, sugar until the sugar dissolves => add half of the flour and whisk until smooth => add the butter and whisk until smooth => add the rest of the flour and mix into a dough

+ stretch & fold: rest the dough for 20 mins at room temperature to form some gluten => stretch and fold #1
=> refrigerate for 20 mins => SF #2 => repeat this once or twice more (3-4 SF total with 20 mins rest in the fridge between each round). the dough will gradually get smoother, stronger, and stretchier as gluten forms while it rests. no kneading needed!! teehee

+ cold fermentation for 12 - 24 hours

+ shaping: divide into portions (depending on how you wanna shape them) => leave to rest for 30 minutes => shape + add anything you want here to make rolls/buns (i added a cardamom filling = cardamom + honey + banana + softened butter)

+ final proof: 2.5 hours or until jiggly and ~1.5x in size (took me a little longer in a cold kitchen)

+ bake: depending on the shape

one loaf: 160C/320F for 30-40 mins
small buns like mine (6 buns): 160C/320F for 20 mins

result: soft, buttery right out of the oven, super rewarding considering how little hands-on time it required.

i honestly don’t remember where i originally came across the first recipe because i wrote the whole process down in my notebook at some point.
no-knead recipe credit: ChainBaker

I meant to call it “croissant sourdough loaf” NOT a “croissant” but I cannot edit the title 😔 anw sourdough with added butter recipe (with timeline)

- this recipe requires more hand/active work than others (the ones where you mix in the butter during stretch & fold) but look at that soft “croissant” texture… and to me the taste is really rich and complex. totally worth it!!

<edit: this perspective comes from my humble experience with baking>

credit to: https://youtu.be/UTf4DA48j3o?si=c1U-XrFAnWQZJYTF (i made some adjustments along the way + do most steps intuitively. but her video provides in-depth instruction for each stage)

- feed starter from the fridge 1:3:3, leave overnight until double and bubble. I tried feeding her with rye this time and she likes it!!

7pm (would recommend starting at 2pm…):
mix: 1 egg yolk + 205g water + 20g honey + 300g bread flour => leave for 1 hour

8pm:
- put salted butter in the freezer (I did not measure but I think I use about 50gram of butter for this loaf, you can definitely use more, up to 90g)

- mix in 70g active starter, leave for 30 mins => add 15g water + 5g salt
stretch and fold twice, 45 mins rest in between
rest the dough for another 60 mins

- adding the butter:
+ stretch the dough thinly with hands => grate butter gradually => fold both sides vertically => grate more butter => fold both sides horizontally
+ rest for 45 mins
+ coil fold once or twice
if once: bulk fermentation for 90-120mins after
if twice: 45 mins between each round, bulk fermentation 60 mins

- shape (buritto style, I am still bad at shaping so I just do it randomly tbh) => put in fridge for 12 - 16 hours

total time from mixing in starter to cold fermentation: 6~7 hours

9pm next day:
preheat oven + dutch oven at 230C/450F
bake at 230C/450F for 20 mins with lid on => remove lid => 210C/410F with lid off

This is the best loaf of bread I have ever tasted… Truly the best of both worlds!! I love croissants but making them is still very intimidating to me, but for now this sourdough loaf comes close!! Please try it if you have time, I promise it’s worth all the time and effort!!

crumb shot: https://imgur.com/a/I2bNcCS

croissant sourdough loaf recipe (with timeline)

- this recipe requires more hand/active work than others (the ones where you mix in the butter during stretch & fold) but look at that soft “croissant”-like texture… worth it!! the taste is also very rich and complex

credit to: https://youtu.be/UTf4DA48j3o?si=c1U-XrFAnWQZJYTF (i made some adjustments along the way + do most steps intuitively. but her video provides in-depth instruction for each stage)

- feed starter from the fridge 1:3:3, leave overnight until double and bubble. I tried feeding her with rye this time and she likes it!!

7pm (would recommend starting at 2pm…):
mix: 1 egg yolk + 205g water + 20g honey + 300g bread flour => leave for 1 hour

8pm:
- put salted butter in the freezer (I did not measure but I think I use about 50gram of butter for this loaf, you can definitely use more, up to 90g)

- mix in 70g active starter, leave for 30 mins => add 15g water + 5g salt
stretch and fold twice, 45 mins rest in between
rest the dough for another 60 mins

- adding in the butter:
+ stretch the dough thinly with hands => grate butter gradually => fold both sides vertically => grate more butter => fold both sides horizontally
+ rest for 45 mins
+ coil fold once or twice
if once: bulk fermentation for 90-120mins after
if twice: 45 mins between each round, bulk fermentation 60 mins

- shape (buritto style, I am still bad at shaping so I just do it randomly tbh) => put in fridge for 12 - 16 hours

total time from mixing in starter to cold fermentation: 6~7 hours

9pm next day:
preheat oven + dutch oven at 230C/450F
bake at 230C/450F for 20 mins with lid on => remove lid => 210C/410F with lid off

This is the best loaf of bread I have ever tasted… Truly the best of both worlds!! I love croissants but making them is still very intimidating to me, but this sourdough croissant loaf comes close!! Please try it if you have time, I promise it’s worth all the time and effort!!

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I took a recipe for basic asian bread (with tangzhong and poolish) and made mini shiopan + hotdog buns

Why tangzhong and poolish? I love exploring different recipes and the science of baking so while I think there are simpler recipes that yield great results (which I have tried!!) without having to do all the “pre-dough” steps, tangzhong + poolish is always a foolproof way for me to create soft, layered, cotton-like texture. And this technique makes a huge difference in the amount of kneading time, shelf life, and it sure gives my bread a more complex flavor!

Recipe:
Tangzhong/Yudane: 42g bread flour + 68g boiling water => mix in a bowl => let it cool down + in the fridge overnight

Poolish: 50g bread flour + 50g water + 1/8 tsp instant yeast => mix => 4 hours roomp temp + in the fridge overnight

Main dough: 120g bread flour + 12g sugar + 38g milk/water (cold) + 15g softened butter + 2tsp salt + 1/8 tsp instant yeast

=> mix in a stand mixer everything except for the butter for 6-10 minutes on low + add butter and mix on medium/high for 10~15 minutes depending on the stand mixer.
my stand mixer is weak but thanks to the poolish and tangzhong, this dough comes together relatively fast without overworking both the dough and the mixer

without a stand mixer: mix everything except for butter until a rough dough is formed => rest 30minutes => stretch and fold 8 times => rest 20 minutes + add butter + do another stretch and fold while slowly incorporating the butter => rest 20 minutes + repeat one final time

bulk fermentation:
my house is relatively cold ~60F - 15C so proofing takes around 3-4 hours, 1 hour in warmer environment (85F/29C +). I let the dough proof and go out/run errands lol => ready when it doubles in size

divide into 10 38g balls => shape into small circles => rest 5-10 minutes => shape + add blocks of salted butter for shiopans + half a hotdog for hotdog buns

2nd proof: turn on “keep warm” function in a toaster oven (50C/125F) for 10 minutes => turn it off => let the shaped buns proof in there for ~1 hour

eggwash (egg + milk) + add some everything seasoning on top => 175C/350F for 18~20 minutes

I used tangzhong + poolish method (do tangzhong + poolish the night before). This recipe is personally quite advanced but the result is 🤩

Tangzhong: bread flour:water = 1:5 (32g + 160g) -> in a pan on medium high heat until thicken and can be easily removed from pan -> cool down over night

Poolish: 200g flour, 2g instant yeast, 200g water -> mix, room temp 12-18 hours til you see bubble

Main dough: tangzhong + poolish + 70g whipping cream + 100g water + 408g bread flour + 60g sugar + 30g milk powder + 6g instant yeast + 6g salt + 50g cold butter cut in slices/cubes

In a stand mixer (mine is pretty weak):
- mix all the ingredients in the main dough EXCEPT FOR tangzhong + butter + salt for 5-8 minutes -> autolyse this mixture in the fridge 30mins

- take it out -> add tangzhong slowly -> add cold butter slowly (it takes me 4-5 rounds of letting the machine runs for 6-8mins -> rest the dough in the fridge 5-10mins -> repeat until the dough reaches the windowpane test). always keep the dough temp below 25C/77F

- coil fold twice (10mins between 2 rounds)

- let the dough rise in the fridge for 4-5 hours until it doubles (allow enough time for the gluten to create firmness). i would avoid room temp here!

- take the dough out -> divide 4 equal balls -> roll each ball to be thinner -> fold vertically -> move on another ball -> come back to the first ball, roll thinly again, fold horizontally

- put in loaf tint, let rise in room temp until the dough is slightly higher than the tint

- eggwash (egg + milk) or milkwash (just milk)

- 170C/335F for 45-50 minutes

I did not use a stand mixer or yeast, only sourdough starter + stretch and fold and it turns out amazing 😩 the crumbs were not as soft and airy as the brioche i made with yeast + stand mixer though!

recipe:
- 370g bread flour
- 30g brown sugar
- 7g salt
- 60ml milk (room temp)
- 110g melted butter
- 3 eggs (room temp)
- 120g starter
- 1 egg yolk for eggwash

feed starter (from the fridge) 1:3:3 the night before
next day: mix butter, egg, starter -> add flour, sugar, salt -> mix + knead by hand until a dough is formed

leave dough rise double or half its size, stretch and fold every 30 minutes, 6-8 times (i had to run errands, think i left it out for 4-5 hours)

-> place dough inside fridge for 10-12 hours (longer is okay) -> take it out and divide into 6 balls -> put it back in the fridge again for another 1 hour -> take the balls out and shape them into 6 long stripes -> braid 3 stripes into a bun = 2 buns in a loaf tint (shaping can be hard, if the dough keeps resisting, let it rest a bit, shape another ball. while shaping, i kept the rest of the other balls in the freezer/above 4 ice packs to keep them cold)

at this point, you can leave the shaped buns in the loaf tint rise at room temperature for another 2-4 hours until they double in size + ready when perfoming the poke test. i was busy so i put them back in the fridge overnight -> take it out the next morning (it rises in the fridge pretty well) -> let it return to room temp (2 hours)

eggwash (egg + milk + honey) -> oven 350F for 20 minutes with a mental bowl of hot water for steam -> cover the dough with foild then bake at 330F for another 15-20 minutes

also, remember to cover the dough during any stage of proofing/bulk fermentation so it doesn’t dry out!!

this brioche has a bit of the sour taste from the starter and long proofing process but i don’t mind it!