Basic yellow bread - Hongkong style

I notice Hongkong people fond of very yellow-ish bread, which is usually enriched by egg and butter. My American husband considers it as a friend of foe though; he likes looking at cholesterol with a manifying glass. Our economy accelerated in the 70's, parents were finally able to afford better food; anything calling for egg, milk or butter was a music to their ears. Perhaps it explains how we got that perference from(?). This bread is already very good...and rich on its own, so my husband's quite amazed at I still spreading more butter, coconut and sugar on each layer!

Speaking of bread, the round-up of Wait There's Something in My ... Bread has already posted up by Andrew at Spittoon, please hop over and check it out!

Basic yellow bread recipe:

Sponge: 2 1/4 tsps active dry yeast, 1/4 cup lukewarm water, 1 cup of bread flour and 1/2 cup evaporate milk

Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 yolks
• 2 Tbps butter, melted
• a pinch of salt
• optional: one egg for egg wash; simple syrup to brush on bread (right after out of the oven)

Direction:

• To prepare the sponge: dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup water, sit for 5 minutes. Mix well with flour and evaporate milk, cover, let it rise in 75F room temperature for 1/2 hour or the volume until double
• 1st rising: combine the sponge with flour, sugar, yolks, butter and salt, knead until very smooth and elastic. The dough has to be slightly wet (but not sticky), don't attempt to add much extra flour. Add milk if the dough's dry. In this stage of fermentation I prefer takes it slowly, so I rest the dough in fridge overnight, in the morning take it out, and let it return back to room temperature before proceed the final proofing.
• Final proofing and shaping: Knead the dough briefly, and shape it to your desired (see note). Cover, proof it for an hour in 75F room temperature or until the volume double. Preheat the oven 375F
• Bake the bread for 10 minutes in 375F oven, then lower to 350F until it's done, more likely another 15 minutes, really depending how you shaped it.

My note:

• This original recipe found at a Hongkong food forum (life of elegance), the name was "pie-pao" (cantonese sound). Since I have used it so many time and already adjusted to my own taste, now this recipe of mine doesn't bear much resemblance to the original.
• Want the bread feels "lighter": replace 2 egg yolks with 1 whole egg, evaporate milk with whole milk, 1/2 cup bread flour with plain flour. But the final shaping is also a key of yielding a lighter structure.
• The bread in these photos, I have added desiccated coconut, extra melted butter and sugar between layers, and baked in a 7-inch dia round pan. There is a plain version but in retangle shape (pan size: 16 x 25cm): after the 1st fermentation, divide the dough into smaller portion, about 45g each. Then flatten each ball to an oval, roll up from a long side like a swiss roll, lay each log into the tray. Then proceed to final proofing. Brush egg wash on top before baking, and simple syrup after baked.

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