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1
Mix the floury ingredients together with a whisk.
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2
Measure out the milk and water in a measuring cup.
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3
Add the honey to the liquid and mix well to dissolve.
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4
Put all the ingredients except for the shortening and butter in a bowl, and mix together until it's no longer floury.
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5
Knead with a bread machine or mixer for 15 minutes.
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6
When the dough forms a gluten film (the dough can be stretched out to a thin translucent sheet of gluten) stop kneading.
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7
Divide the dough using a pastry cutter into about 10 pieces.
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8
Return to the mixer or bread machine, add the butter and shortening, and knead for another 10 minutes.
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9
When a gluten film forms again, take the dough out.
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10
Form into a ball with a smooth, taut surface.
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11
Put the dough in a plastic bag or container, and leave to rise overnight at room temperature, until it's 2 to 2.5 times its original volume.
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12
(The rising time varies depending on the temperature of the room.)
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If you leave it in a cool place near a window,for example, it will take about 10 hours.
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14
In a warm place it will rise faster.
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15
You can adjust the time by putting the dough the refrigerator.
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16
The next morning, deflate the dough by folding it, and divide into 16 pieces.
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17
Round off each portion into a smooth ball.
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18
Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
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19
After the dough has rested, press down to deflate and round off each piece into a smooth ball again, sealing the edges tightly.
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20
LIne up the dough in an oiled square baking pan.
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21
Use your oven's bread-rising setting to conduct the 2nd rising for 1-2 hours at 30C.
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22
Leave the dough to rise until the tops are about 1 cm below the rim of the pan.
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23
Cover with plastic wrap or a tightly wrung out moistened kitchen towel to prevent the dough from drying out.
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24
When the dough has finished rising, preheat the oven to 190C.
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25
Mix the sugar and cinnamon powder together to make cinnamon sugar.
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26
Melt the butter (over hot water or in the microwave), and brush it evenly over the dough.
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27
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the dough generously.
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28
Bake for about 18 minutes in a preheated 190C oven.
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29
If it looks like the bread is browning too fast, cover with a piece of foil.
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30
When the bread is baked, drop the pan onto your countertop from about a 30 cm height to force the steam out.
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31
Take the bread out of the pan and cool on a rack.
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32
Here I covered half the loaf with plain granulated sugar, and the other half with cinnamon sugar.
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33
To fully enjoy the crunchy sugar top, it's best to eat this when it's fresh out of the oven, or just cooled.
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34
If you cover the top with plastic, the plastic will stick to the sugar.
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35
(See Hints.)
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36
Here I made a version using a whole wheat sponger starter.
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37
I made this on a warm day in May; the dough was left to rise for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature, then for 5-6 hours in the refrigerator, and it was just about right.
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38
As a reference.
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39
The bread looks like this when pulled apart.
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40
Light and silky-smooth and chew.
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41
Yummy!
