Wool Roll Bread with Mia

 Aging is not for the young or faint of heart. It's brutal.

It's hard stumbling across the reflection of myself in a mirror with shock and sadness. "Who the heck is that?!" is usually my first thought, followed immediately with "I'm so old," when I realize it's me. Sigh.

And that's just it. Inside I still feel young. It's such a weird feeling to feel as though I'm an alien inside this body of mine that is more rapidly becoming unrecognizable. My wrinkles. The gray hair. Really, who is this woman?! 

My daughter took these pictures. My middle grand-girlie, Mia Violet, aka Mia-Moo, the smarter-than-me-2-year-old, helping grandma KeKe in the kitchen, making Filled Wool Roll Bread. I begged my daughter to just take Mia's picture and keep me out of it, but she said I would regret that years later. 

 

She's right.

 

I never thought of myself as particularly vain, but I was more focused on my gray hair than on capturing the most precious moments in time with my sweet little Mia; a memory I pray I don't forget as the years go by somehow faster than when I was younger. 

 

 

 

I am grateful for the gray hairs. I'm grateful to have the ability to spend these moments with my family that, quite frankly, mean more to me than anything else in life.  

 

I love being Mia and Faith's Grandma Keke and Iris's NiNi. This is life.

 

 

And  this Filled Wool Roll Bread is necessary in your life. 

 

 

 

 

 

Like now! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't wait another day to make this gem. It has a soft and ethereal bite and texture from the tangzhong starter that couldn't be easier to make. 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't let the appearance fool you. This bread is easy to make and oh, so forgiving! 

I started out making the bread last Sunday. I decided this would be my passion project while I dispassionately had to work on our income taxes. 

 

 

I made the tangzhong and popped it into the fridge where it sat untouched until the following weekend, patiently waiting to be useful. 

 

 

I filled the Wool Roll Bread with a cream cheese-nutella filing that ended up as a successful experiment. I recommend letting your imagination run wild when it comes to fillings, just make sure not to overfill the roll. As they say, less is more.

 

 

 

 

 

My bread was slightly adapted from the King Arthur recipe. I don't know why, but I ended up not having enough space in my 10" baking pan for the fourth section, so I improvised and curled it into a tight little bun in the middle. It was delightful!

Delicious!

Wool Roll Bread story: Did the bread come out perfect? Of course not. But was it delicious? You betcha. The time with Mia? Priceless.

Filled Wool Roll Bread

Tangzhong (starter)

• 3 tablespoons (43g) water
• 3 tablespoons (43g) milk, whole preferred
• 2 tablespoons (14g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour

Dough

• 1/2 cup (113g) milk, whole preferred
• 1 large egg
• 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon (9g) instant yeast
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
• 2 1/2 cups (300g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour

Filling

• half an 8-ounce package (113g) cream cheese, softened*
• 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
• zest (grated rind) of 2 medium lemons
• pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons (4g) freeze-dried raspberries, lightly crushed
• 2 tablespoons (15g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour

*The cream cheese should be at warm room temperature, at least 68°F.

Topping

• 2 tablespoons (28g) milk, whole preferred

1. To make the tangzhong: Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan, and whisk until no lumps remain.

2. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook the mixture, stirring regularly, until thickened, paste-like, and the spoon or spatula leaves lines on the bottom of the pan. This should take 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the strength of your burner.

3. Remove the tangzhong from the heat and transfer it to a large mixing bowl, the bowl of a stand mixer, or the bucket of a bread machine (whatever you plan to knead the dough in).

4. To make the dough: Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Place the flour into the bowl with the tangzhong and add the remaining dough ingredients. Mix to combine, then knead — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 8 to 10 minutes on medium-low speed of a mixer. (The dough may be tacky and stick to the sides of the bowl slightly; that's OK.)

5. Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest in a lightly greased bowl, covered, for 60 to 90 minutes, until puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk.

6. To make the filling: Combine the cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest, and salt, mixing until smooth.

7. Add the freeze-dried raspberries and flour, mixing until the berries are completely crushed and evenly distributed.

8. To assemble: On a lightly floured surface, gently deflate the dough, divide it into four pieces (about 170g each), and shape each piece into a ball.

9. Cover the dough and let rest for 10 minutes.

10. Line a 9”springform or a 9” round cake pan (at least 2” deep) with parchment and lightly grease the parchment.

11. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it into a 6” x 12” rectangle. If the dough begins to snap back during rolling, set it aside and begin rolling out the second piece. Return to the first piece to continue rolling it to the full size after a couple of minutes, giving the gluten a chance to relax.

12. Portion 2 heaping tablespoons of filling (about 50g) onto the top half of the rectangle. A tablespoon cookie scoop works well here; use two rounded scoops per piece of dough.

13. Position the rectangle so its 12” sides are vertical. Starting at the top, spread the filling across the entire width of the rectangle (leaving about 1/4” bare on each side) and down about 6” or 7”, leaving the bottom 5” to 6” bare. If the filling is difficult to spread, warm it in the microwave for 15 seconds and stir; check the consistency. Repeat, if necessary, until it's an easily spreadable consistency.

14. Using a bench or chef’s knife, cut the uncovered dough at the bottom into very thin strips (anywhere from 1/8” to 1/4" wide).

15. Fold the long edges of the rectangle in to prevent any filling from seeping out.

16. Starting from the filling-covered top and rolling toward the uncovered strips, roll the dough into a log about 6” long.

17. Lightly press the strips into the rolled log to secure. Place the log, seam-side down, into the bottom of the pan so it's snuggled up against the pan’s outside edge.

18. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, placing them into the pan to form a complete circle around the pan’s outside edge.

19. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

20. Cover the wool roll and let it rise for 60 to 75 minutes, until puffy.

21. To finish and bake the roll: Brush the roll with milk, being careful not to deflate the delicate dough.

22. Bake it for 28 to 32 minutes, until it’s golden brown on top; a digital thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf should read at least 190°F.

23. Remove the roll from the oven and cool it in the pan until you can transfer it safely to a rack to cool completely.

24. Storage information: Store leftover bread, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days.

Helpful Tips:

• The tangzhong starter can be made ahead of time. Simply cook it up (making a double, triple, or quadruple batch if you like, for future use) as instructed in steps 1 – 3. Remove from the heat and transfer to a small bowl, pressing a layer of plastic wrap over the top of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Cool to room temperature then store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to five days. When you’re ready to bake your Wool Roll Bread, use a heaping 1/3 cup (95g) tangzhong in the dough. Use warm milk when mixing the remaining dough ingredients; proceed with the recipe from step 4.

• Let your culinary imagination run wild with this recipe, since the sky is the limit for filling combinations. Cinnamon sugar? Chocolate? Butter and garlic? Pesto and cheese? Whether you go sweet or savory, don’t overload your bread with filling. Less is definitely more when working with this soft, pillowy dough.