Malted Milk Loaf

It is an unfortunate truth universally acknowledged that fat makes things taste better, and bread is no exception to this rule. Enriched, buttery breads, with their soft crust and tight crumb, are always popular in the restaurant and are apparently irresistible to the front of house staff, too. A simple milk loaf is hard to beat, and I’d choose it over brioche any time, but I also like the comforting ovaltiney note the malt extract provides in this bread. The overall effect reminds me of those rectangular biscuits adorned with grazing cows and pastoral landscapes my grandparents would always have a supply of.

This week in the kitchen I have been finding homes for my store cupboard exploits.

The rosehip syrup was reduced, made into ice cream and served with candied almonds and almond butter biscuits, although I have to say a little may have been misplaced and found itself in a rum cocktail or two. The chestnut jam now accompanies the dark chocolate brownie with clotted cream. I have also been making Swedish spiced biscuits, or pepparkakor, not only because I thought they would work well with the panna cotta and roasted plums, but also because the very smell of them gets me childishly excited about Christmas.

Malted Milk Loaf

Makes 1 loaf

For the loaf:

500g strong white flour

1 ½ tsp salt

15g fresh yeast, or 7g dried

300ml luke warm whole milk

1 tbsp malt extract

50g soft butter

For the glaze:

1 egg yolk

50 ml luke warm whole milk

1 tsp malt extract

To make the loaf, mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk, malt extract and yeast until thoroughly combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix by hand into a rough dough. Leave for 5 minutes. Add the butter to the bowl, and using both hands, repeatedly squidge the butter and dough through your fingers, like a child playing with plastercine. It is as fun as it sounds and will only take a few moments for the butter to evenly disperse. Leave for 10 minutes. Knead on a lightly oiled work surface for up to five minutes, until the dough is smooth and shiny. Return to the bowl, cover and leave to prove in a warmish place (25◦c) for an hour or until doubled in size. Knock back the dough, again on an oiled surface, and shape into a ball. Place on a semolina-dusted tray, and leave to prove again in a warm place for another 45 minutes.

To make the glaze, dissolve the malt extract in the milk, then stir in the egg yolk. When your dough is ready, brush the glaze evenly all over and slash the loaf in whatever way you fancy. Bake at 200◦c for around 50 minutes, turning the oven down to 180◦c if the crust is becoming too dark. Leave to cool before slicing. Because of the fat content of the loaf it will still be fine as it is the next day, and wonderful toasted in the days after that.