Gluten Free Bread: Soft Vanilla Swirl

By sandycon

Ingredients

• FOR THE BREAD
• 3 1/2 cups (490 g) Gluten Free Bread Flour*, plus more for sprinkling
• 40 grams (about 2/3 cup) nonfat dry milk, ground into a fine powder in a blender or food processor
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 1/3 teaspoons (7 g) instant yeast
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated vanilla sugar** (you can use plain granulated sugar and add 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract to the dough)
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) kosher salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces/8 fluid ounces) warm water (about 95°F)
• 2 eggs (120 g, out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
• 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• FOR THE FILLING
• 2 tablespoons milk (any kind), for brushing
• 1/3 cup (67 g) vanilla sugar (can substitute an equal amount of granulated sugar, and add 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract to the milk)

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from glutenfreeonashoestring.com

Preparation

Step 1

In the bowl of your stand mixer, place the flour, nonfat dry milk, cream of tartar, instant yeast and sugar, and use a handheld whisk to combine well. Add the salt and whisk to combine well. Add the water, eggs and butter, and mix on low speed with the dough hook until combined. Raise the mixer speed to medium and knead for about 5 minutes. The dough is a lovely, smooth, enriched dough. It climbs up the dough hook during kneading but remains intact and smooth. Spray a silicone spatula lightly with cooking oil spray, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl or proofing bucket large enough for the dough to rise to double its size, spray the top of the dough with cooking oil spray, and cover with an oiled piece of plastic wrap (or the oiled top to your proofing bucket). Place the dough in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days.**

**Note: If you prefer, you may make and use this dough on the same day. It will not be as easy to handle, and will not rise as smoothly, however. To use the dough the same day it is made, after making the dough, set the covered dough to rise in a warm, draft-free environment to allow it to rise to double its size (about 1 hour). Once it has doubled, place it in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes or until it is chilled. This will make it much easier to handle. Then, continue with the rest of the recipe instructions.

Preparing the dough for shaping. On baking day, grease a standard loaf pan (approximately 9-inches x 5-inches—mine are 8 1/2-inches x 4 1/2-inches) and set it aside. Turn out the chilled dough onto a lightly floured surface and, using the scrape and fold kneading method and using a very light touch, sprinkle the dough with more flour and knead it lightly, sprinkling with flour when necessary to prevent it from sticking, scrape the dough off the floured surface with a floured bench scraper, then fold it over on itself. Repeat scraping and folding until the dough has become smoother. Do not overwork the dough or you will incorporate too much flour and it will not rise properly.

Shaping and filling the dough. On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, pat the dough into a rectangle about 10-inches x 12-inches. Brush the entire surface of the dough with milk, and sprinkle with the vanilla sugar from the filling. Gently press the vanilla sugar into the dough to help it adhere. Beginning at a 10-inch side and using the parchment paper to guide it, roll the dough tightly into a coil and place it seam side down in the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the top of the loaf generously with flour to give it a cloak to rise into. Cover the loaf pan with an oiled piece of plastic wrap, and place in a warm, draft-free location until the dough has risen to nearly 1-inch above the lip of the pan (about 1 1/2 hours, but rising time can vary greatly depending upon your kitchen environment).

About 20 minutes before your dough has finished its final rise, preheat your oven to 350°F. Once the dough has finished rising, remove the plastic wrap and place the pan in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 185°F on an instant-read thermometer. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before running a thin spatula around the edge of the loaf pan and turning out the bread onto a wire rack to finish cooling until no longer hot to the touch. Serve immediately.

Adapted from the recipe for Oatmeal Bread on page 67 of Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread. Vanilla swirl bread concept and filling adapted from Bakingdom.