pain au lait with sultanas..

i made this sultana milk loaf today without a recipe but when i looked online later to see if there were similar recipes i found that my bread resembles the classic french pain au lait ..

it was a wonderful dough to work with because it was beautifully silky, luxuriant and well behaved..by well behaved i mean that it was easy to knead and shape..i kept the sugar content low so that the bread would be suitable to have with cheese and for sweet use..

the warm bread was complimented by 'duet' cheese

pain au lait with sultanas

tea with hazel

ingredients

500 gms unbleached white flour

300 mls (approximately) cold full cream milk (i used barambah organic unhomogenised milk)

1 teaspoon  (3.5 gms) instant yeast

1 tablespoon (tbs) sugar

1 tbs murray river salt 

60 gms butter cubed

3/4 cup sultanas

1 egg 

1 tbs milk extra

1 tsp powdered gelatine

1 tbs sugar extra

1 tbs boiling water

method

~place flour, sugar, yeast and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer

~with the motor running add enough cold milk to make a soft dough

~rest for 10 minutes 

~add salt and knead for 1 minute

~rest and knead for two more cycles

~remove the bowl from the mixer, cover with greased cling film, and prove until doubled

~turn dough onto a lightly flour dusted bench and knead in sultanas

~cover loosely with cling film and rest for 15 minutes

~knead for a further minute and rest for another 15 minutes

~divide the dough in two, shape into round loaves, and place in a well greased bread tin

~cover loosely with cling film and leave to prove until nearly doubled

~beat together the egg and extra milk and brush the top of the dough

~bake at 220 deg c with steam for 20 minutes

~reduce the oven temperature to 180 deg c, cover the tin loosely with foil to prevent burning, and cook for a further 20-25 minutes

~mix gelatine, extra sugar and boiling water in a bowl over a saucepan of hot water until the gelatine and sugar dissolve

~after removing the bread from the tin brush the top of the loaf with the gelatine and sugar glaze

note

the crust of the bread is crispy on the sides and softer with a sweet stickiness on the top..the sultanas add a welcome sweetness to the light but moist crumb..i think this bread will become a regular feature in my bread making repertoire..i have visions of a wobbly bread and butter pudding featuring generous slices of my pain au lait with sultanas..

'duet' is an artisan cheese hand made in south australia
using 50% cow's and 50% goat's  milk

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