Oxpicious Lunar New Year Bread

The ‘oxpicious bread’ was created and shaped like the horns of an illustrious animal from the chinese zodiac – the ox. This healthy bake emits a tinge of natural sweetness from longans, wolfberries and brown sugar. Beneath its crispy exterior, lies a soft, fluffy interior filled with bits of walnuts – adding a kick in every bite.

INGREDIENTS

ItemQuantity
Flour300g
Water (12°C) 200ml
Salt6g
Saf-instant® dry baker’s yeast/ Saf-instant® Gold instant dry yeast6g
Brown Sugar15g
Wolfberry4g
Dried Longan50g
Toasted Walnuts16g

FEATURED PRODUCT

Saf-instant® Gold

Saf-instant® Dry baker’s yeast

Saf-instant® Dry baker’s yeast

PREPARING THE INGREDIENTS

  1. Soak the dried longans for 30 minutes in cold water at 12°C. Keep the water as it will be used later to prepare the dough.
  2. Lightly toast the walnuts for 5 – 8 minutes at 170°C.

PREPARING THE FILLING

  1. Cut the longans and walnuts into small pieces, about less than 1cm.

PREPARING THE DOUGH

  1. Mix salt, brown sugar, longans, wolfberries, walnuts and Saf-instant® Dry baker’s yeast/ Saf-instant® Gold instant dry yeast in a bowl of flour.
  2. Add in soaked longans and water into the dry mixture.
  3. Stir the mixture until a dough forms. Knead the dough for about 20 seconds.
  4. Remove the dough from the bowl and continue kneading it on a flat surface for another 3 minutes. A well-knead dough will be shiny in texture and will not tear easily when stretched.
  5. Cover the dough with a cloth, or place it in an air-tight container, to let it ‘rest’ in room temperature (25℃ – 31℃) for about 40 minutes.

SHAPING THE DOUGH

  1. Divide the dough into 100g pieces.
  2. Mould each piece of dough into the shape of a teardrop. Dust some flour on your hands if the dough gets too sticky.
  3. Rest the dough by covering them with a cloth for 10-15 minutes.
  4. With a rolling pin, flatten each piece of dough to resemble a triangle by first rolling it into a long oval shape then rolling out the sides on one end.
  5. Roll the triangle starting from the wider end and ending at the tip.
  6. Slightly bend both sides of the rolled up dough to make a crescent or desired horn shape.
  7. Place the shaped dough in a warm, humid environment and allow for the dough to double in size. It should take approximately 2 hours.

BAKING

  1. Lightly press the dough with your finger. If no indent is left on the dough, and the dough bounces back, it is time for baking.
  2. Put the dough in an oven that has been pre-heated for 15 – 18 minutes at 210° C. Switch on the ‘steam mode’ of your oven if available, or spray a bit of water on your bread and inside the oven.
  3. Bake for approximately 15 minutes until the bread appears golden-brown with a hardened crust.
  4. Put the bread on wire rack to cool, and dust them with flour to create a rustic appearance.
  5. Let the bread cool until it is warm to touch before serving.

Watch the recipe video here.