japanese tofu bread

in case you’ve been wondering if i still bake, yes, i do…however, i’ve been doing a miserable job keeping up with the posting!

in the past few months, i’ve been spotting the emergence of “tofu bread” at japanese bakeries around the NYC area.  i’ve purchased a few loaves.  i can’t say that the flavour of tofu is actually detectable, but the texture is good, it seems to keep for a longer time than normal bread, and well the idea of eating tofu in my bread seems virtuous and healthy.

so, i decided to track down a recipe on a japanese website (which i’ve since lost track of — otherwise, i’d link to it).  the flavour and texture is pretty good (a tight crumb) and moist…altho i didn’t quite get the rise that i had anticipated (perhaps i messed something up in translation or my yeast had sat in the freezer for too long).

anyhow…here’s how i made tofu bread…version 1.0

japanese tofu bread
(makes one 9″ loaf)

Bread Flour	250g + 50g (reserve)
Sugar	30g
Salt	3g
Butter	30g (at room temp)
Silken Tofu	150g
Milk	100 ml
Active dry yeast	3g

1. Heat milk until just warm (but not so hot that it kills the yeast).  Pour about 1/3 of the sugar into the warm milk.  Then pour in the yeast.  Set aside, allowing the yeast to bubble and froth (about 15 minutes).
2. In the bowl of your standmixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together butter and sugar until well-combined. Then add in tofu.  Mix for about 2-3 minutes.
3. Next, pour in salt and bread flour.  Mix for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Finally pour in milk-yeast mixture.
5. Change to dough hook.  Mix at medium speed until a ball of dough forms and the all the excess has removed from the sides.  The dough should not be tacky.  We added about 50g of additional bread flour until we got it to the right consistency — something like a soft clay.
6. Transfer to a bowl. Dust with flour, cover with plastic and allow to rise until it doubles to triples in size.
7.  Then, form it into a loaf to fit into a 9″ loaf pan.  Again, allow the dough to rest in a warm place until it rises to the just above the lip of the pan.
8. Heat oven to 385°F and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.