Basic Sweet Dough

In my previous post, I mentioned using a basic sweet dough for my Apple Cinnamon and Black Sesame Buns. A dear friend who is now in Sweden sent me a message and asked for the recipe. So I decided I should be a responsible (eh-hem) blogger and do a short post on this.

I think this is a decent dough for a nice breakfast roll.

Ingredients
365g Bread Flour
2 1/4 tsp Instant Yeast
Milk powder 1 tbsp (for extra fragrance)
60 - 75g sugar (the recipe I had say 75g, I usually use about 70g)
1/2 - 3/4 tsp salt
1 large egg (or about 60g egg)
160 Cold water (It's good to use very cold water. I add 100g water and 60g ice to make sure..)
60g Butter

What I did
1. Combine all the dry ingredients together and mix well
2. Add butter and mix well
3. Slowly add the cold water and knead until smooth
4. Proof for 30 - 45 mins
5. Divide dough up and wait for 15 - 30 mins before shaping
6. Shape into desired shape and then proof for another 60 minutes

From the courses and books I've read.. and based on The Husband's and my experience, here is a simple list of things to note:
1. Be careful not to underknead the dough. If using a mixer, when the dough is ready, you should be able to hear a distinct "slapping" sound - sound the dough makes when it hits the bowl. The other way to test it is to take a handful of dough out and stretch it. You should be able to stretch it til it is rather thin and it should still look smooth and not break up
2. Allowing the dough to rest before shaping. I tend to make the mistake of wanting to shape the dough right after I divide it up. But it'd get very "stretchy" and difficult to shape. It's better to allow the dough to "relax" before shaping.
3. Leave enough time for the final proofing. The final proofing is the most important proofing. Allowing the dough to proof sufficiently makes a real difference and gives you that nice fluffy texture.