Christmas Tree Buns

Bread recipe adapted from Jocelyn's 蛋白土司 

When I saw  Jessie  and  Min  posted their beautiful Christmas Tree Bread, I decided that I must post one too to thank my fellow blogger friends who so kindly shared their wonderful creations and readers who dropped by my humble blog.  

Wishing you all a merry Christmas and may the good times and treasures of the present become the golden memories of tomorrow!

Ingredients:

220g bread flour
80g plain flour
20g caster sugar
2 tsp active dried yeast
1/4 tsp salt
130g plain yoghurt
80g egg whites
45g olive oil

grated tasty cheese
dried cranberries
dried parsley

• In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine flours, sugar and  yeast together.  Add in the yoghurt and egg whites to form into a slightly sticky soft dough.  Add in salt and continue to knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes).

• Add in olive oil and continue to knead until fully incorporated.  
  [At this stage, the dough should be able to stretched to form a window-like thin membrane without breaking].

• Shape the dough  into a smooth ball and place in a greased  bowl.  Cover with lightly oiled clingfilm.  Then place it in a warm, moist and draught-free place to allow the dough to rise until at least double or nearly triple its original size.
  [To determine if the dough has risen long enough, poke a floured finger into the  dough.  When you remove your finger, the dough shouldn't spring back at all.  If the dough springs back immediately, it is underproved and needs more time to proof further.]

• Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down by pressing the dough out evenly with your hands to remove air bubbles.

• Divide the dough into:
  - 1 x 50g and 10 x 30g  [for bigger tree]  and
  - 1 x 30g and 10 x 20g  [for smaller tree]
  Roll them into balls and rest for 10 minutes.
• Arrange the buns on a lined baking pan, using the 50g and 30g as tree trunks.  Cover with lightly oiled clingfilm.  For final proofing, leave them to rise in a warm place until they nearly doubled in size.

• Preheat oven to 170 degrees C.

• Brush the loaves with egg-wash and sprinkle some grated tasty cheese, chopped dried cranberries and  dried parsley on top.
• Bake for about 15 minutes or golden brown.
• Dust with icing sugar before serving.