Matcha Milk Bread Recipe + Make Ahead Bread Pre-Order Offer

 I am part of the Good Cook Kitchen Experts and received their products in the past. All opinions and experiences are my own. #goodcookcom, #goodcookkitchenexprt #makeaheadbread

I really enjoy making bread and have even baked some for a past Good Cook post. Did you catch my Meatloaf Sliders and Brioche Mini Buns using the Good Cook Whoopie Pie Pan?

Well, when I heard fellow Good Cook Kitchen Expert, blogger and bread baker, Donna Currie was publishing a bread book this year I wanted to help spread the word. When I heard I would need to bakes some bread to get the word out, well, you could say that I was happy to "rise to the occaision".  I'll get to her book and the pre-order offer in a moment, but first the bread.
This lady sure can bake!

Some of you know that I lived in Japan for 4 years and have a love of matcha. I am sure the appreciation comes from those weekly tea ceremony lessons, a cold room, a hard floor and a deep love of the hot bowl of frothy green tea. Also known as the only way to keep warm in the winter.

Now though I choose to seek out confections and other treats with the distinct matcha flavor. A green and earthy flavor that seems to have grown on me.

Given the chance to browse through Donna's blog and bread creations the Honey Matcha Bread caught my attention. Since this post is in honor of the baker herself, I thought I would share a Matcha Milk Bread recipe that reminds me of the kind of breads I used to buy at the bakeries in Japan. It uses a Tangzhong or "water roux" as the base. If you have traveled to Asia, you know that is what sets their bread apart.

Amazingly soft and delicate bread stays that way for several days. No hard crust, it toasts up well and is also lovely for sandwiches. I plan on enjoying my loaf with some butter and maybe drizzle of honey. It won't last long. The Tangzhong has to be made up ahead of time, but it super easy to do.

I made this recipe even easier by using the dough cycle on my beloved bread machine then hand forming it and letting it do a final rise in my Good Cook Loaf Pan before baking. I prefer the loaf shape and how the crust turns out in the pan.

Matcha Milk Bread

You Will Need:

• 120 g. Tangzhong
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 3 Tbsp. butter, cubed
• 2 1/2 c. bread flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. instant yeast
• 2 Tbsp. matcha powder

Make the Tangzhong - Take 1/3 c. bread flour and 1 c. water and whisk to dissolve. Heat in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly till it reaches about 150 degrees and thickens. Cool and refrigerate overnight.

The next day add all the ingredients except the matcha powder to your bread machine as directed by your machine's instructions. Put the machine on dough cycle and add the matcha powder and any additional flour needed at the point when you machine is ready for mix-ins. This is usually in the second knead cycle. The dough is very soft, but not sticky. 

After the dough cycle has ended, shape your loaf and let it rise once more in a pre-greased loaf pan. 

Brush the top of the loaf with a little egg wash. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Let the loaf cool completely before slicing.

Enjoy!

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Now, if this bread recipe looks good, I am sure you are going to love fellow Good Cook blogger, Donna Currie's upcoming book - Make Ahead Bread - 100 Recipes for Bake-It-When-You-Want-It Yeast Breads. Pre-order now and recieve the Amazon Price Guarantee.

From the simplest dinner rolls to traditional croissants and all types of yeast breads in between, home cooks—even those short on time and skill–CAN bake fresh bread from scratch. How is this possible? By breaking the process into two separate steps, with the mixing and kneading done the day before and the baking done when the next day. And the best part? Not only does this make bread baking much easier to fit into a busy schedule, but it also results in a better finished bread product.

Good Cook wants to help spread the word and is offering a fun promo. Good Cook has a Free loaf pan offer with any pre-order purchase on Amazon (1 per book). Promo is good through February 28, 2014.  Just fill out this form to get your pan. 

You can also take advantage of the  25% off discount right now for any goodcook.com purchase by using coupon code BakeBread.

Now I hope that inspires you to get baking! What kind of bread do you want to try first?