This soft and fluffy avocado milk bread made with yeast is perfect as a toast or as a sandwich bread. The bread is healthy and made with no butter and made with avocado oil.
20gavocado oilplus more for brushing, or use any oil of your choice
30gsugaryou can adjust amount to your preference
120gmilkstart with this amount, or more as needed
Egg wash:
1eggbeaten
½tspmilk
Instructions
I use a bit more yeast than I usually would for a bread because this is a "heavier/denser" bread (in a good way) because of the avocado.
Prepare the dough:
Make sure you use a ripe soft avocado and just roughly mash with a fork and don't have to be entirely smooth. The avocado will get all mixed and mashed up during the kneading process by the machine
Combine all the ingredients for the dough in a mixing bowl of a standmixer. Stir the mixture with the dough hook to combine roughly so the dry ingredients won't start flying when you turn on the machine. Start mixing at speed 2 for about 1 minute and then increase to speed 2 and continue to knead for 7-10 minutes (the timing depends on your mixer too) to get a soft dough is smooth and elastic, slightly sticky to the touch. The dough should reach a windowpane stage. When you gently stretch the dough thinly, it shouldn't tear easily. If it does, knead a bit longer.
If the dough feels dry and/or stiff, add more milk, one teaspoon at a time. You want to make sure the dough feels soft and hydrated, this is one of the important tips to get a soft bread. So don't be afraid to add more liquid if you feels like the dough needs it
First proofing:
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. This is optional but I like to put it in a round container, about 1 quart-size so I can monitor when it doubles in volume. Gently press the dough down so it's flat and fill up the container. I will mark the side of the container with masking tape where the dough would double in volume. This may take about 30-45 minutes at around 79-82 F (26-28 C). It may be faster or take longer, depending on the temperature
Shaping:
Once the dough has doubled, transfer it to a work surface. Deflate the air by pressing and folding the dough a few times
Round the dough up into a dough ball and keep it covered and let it rest for 5 minutes to relax the gluten
Brush your loaf pan with some oil all over. I use a 7 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 tall loaf pan. You can also use 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan. Roll the dough out into a rectangle, about 12 x 8 inches roughly, trying to deflate as much air bubbles as possible at the same time so there won’t be holes inside your bread later.
Fold both sides of the long side to the center. It should be about the same width as the length of your loaf pan.
Roll it down tightly from the top, trying to push out as much air as you can as you are rolling down the dough, so you won’t have large “holes” inside your bread later. You should have one log that is about the same length as the length of your loaf pan. Place this inside the loaf pan. Gently press the dough down to fit the pan
Final proofing:
This loaf is not a tall riser. Cover the loaf pan with a plastic wrap and let it ferment until it recahes the rim of the pan, about 30 minutes at 79-82 F (26-28 C). It may be faster or take longer, depending on the temperature
15 minutes before the end of the proofing, preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) for convection oven, 330 F (165 C) for convection oven
Baking:
Combine the egg with milk using a whisk. Strain them if necessary so the white won't be in one blob. Brush this thinly on top of the dough
Place the loaf pan in the middle of the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. The time is just for reference. You may need to tent loosely with aluminum foil halfway through baking if the top gets browned too quickly. I always check the internal temperature by poking a digital thermometer at 30-35 minute-mark, right into the center of the loaf, usually it has reached 190 F (88 C). If it hasn't, bake 3-5 minutes longer and check again until it reaches that internal temperature.
Cooling:
Remove from the oven and drop the pan on the counter once or twice. Brush with some avocado oil on top if you like and then gently unmould the bread and let it cool down completely on a cooling rack
Do not cut into freshly baked bread for at least 2 hours. The bread may collapse and worse, turns gummy