Yield: 1 loaf (6–8 slices)
Ingredients
Dough
Ingredient |
Amount / Weight |
Note |
all-purpose flour |
250g |
plus extra for dusting |
granulated sugar |
20g |
|
salt |
5g |
|
instant yeast |
4g |
about 1 tsp |
whole milk |
100g |
warm, about 110°F |
heavy cream |
40g |
warm, about 110°F |
unsalted butter |
15g |
melted and cooled |
Butter Block
Ingredient |
Amount / Weight |
Note |
unsalted butter |
115g |
cold, for lamination |
all-purpose flour |
5g |
to coat butter if needed |
Steps
To make the dough:
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and instant yeast.
- Add the warm milk, warm cream, and melted butter. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead by hand or mixer until smooth and slightly elastic, about 3–5 minutes.
- Shape into a rectangle, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight for more flavor).
To prepare the butter block:
- Place the cold butter between two sheets of parchment paper.
- Pound and roll into a thin rectangle about 5” x 7” (13cm x 18cm). Lightly dust with flour if needed.
- Chill until firm but pliable—about the consistency of the chilled dough.
To laminate:
- Roll the chilled dough with a pasta roller to about 5” x 15”. If it’s too long to manage, roll in segments and reconnect.
- Place the butter block on the bottom third of the dough and fold the top two-thirds down over it, like folding a letter.
- Rotate 90°, then gently roll the dough again through the pasta maker, starting at the widest setting. Stop before the butter starts smearing out.
- Perform a letter fold (fold top third down, bottom third up), wrap, and chill for 20–30 minutes.
- Repeat this rolling and folding process two more times, chilling between each fold.
To shape and proof:
- After the final fold and rest, roll the dough out one last time to the width of your bread pan and long enough to coil or fold into it.
- Either roll into a spiral or fold into thirds to fit snugly into a greased 8.5” x 4.5” bread pan.
- Cover loosely with foil or plastic and let rise at room temperature until doubled and puffy, about 1.5–2 hours.
To bake:
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Keep the loaf covered with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake another 15–20 minutes, or until the top is golden and the internal temp reaches 200°F (93°C).
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling before slicing.