Flaxseed Pullman Loaf ❤️ Low Sugar & Low Calorie ❤️ Healthy & Wholesome

🍞 Ingredients:

🌼 Tangzhong (water roux): Bread flour 20g, Water 100g

🌼 Flaxseed Paste: Ground flaxseed meal 30g, Milk 33g

🌼 Main Dough: Bread flour 250g, Icy cold milk 110g (adjust as needed), Sugar 15g, Salt 3g, Instant dry yeast 3g, Unsalted butter 20g.

🌼 Toppings: (Optional) Rolled oats, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries

🍞 Instructions:

1️⃣ First, make the Tangzhong (water roux) following Photo 8. You can make it the night before or chill it in the refrigerator for 2 hours before using. Today I chilled it for 2 hours.

2️⃣ Mix the ground flaxseed meal and milk together and set aside. (You only need to mix this right before kneading; no need to soak it hours in advance.)

3️⃣ Combine the cooled Tangzhong (yields about 100g after moisture evaporation and bowl residue) with all main dough ingredients except the butter. Mix on low speed until combined. If the dough sticks to the sides during mixing, stop and scrape down the mixer bowl, then continue mixing. Once the dough pulls into a thick membrane, add the softened room-temperature butter and mix to about 90% gluten development. Add the flaxseed paste and mix on low speed for another 2 to 3 minutes until evenly incorporated.

4️⃣ Shape the dough into a tight ball (boule), cover well, and let it bulk ferment (first proof) for about 45 minutes until doubled in size.

5️⃣ Gently degas the dough, divide it into 2 equal pieces, shape into tight balls, and give them a 10-minute bench rest. Roll out, coil, and place into the loaf pan.

6️⃣ Proof until the pan is 90% full. Lightly mist the top of the loaf with water and sprinkle with sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and rolled oats if desired, or skip the toppings.

7️⃣ Bake at 190°C for about 35 minutes, tenting with aluminum foil partway through once browned.

❤️ Baker's Tips:

1. Always add the flaxseed paste at the very end of mixing. Whenever you make bread with mix-ins like raisins, nuts, cranberries, or chocolate chips, add them at the end. Gluten develops much better without coarse particles interfering, and once gluten is developed, mix briefly on low speed so you don't tear the gluten network.

2. Adjust the liquid amount as needed. It is best to hold back a portion of the milk at first and add it gradually.

3. Adjust baking temperature and time based on how your oven runs.

4. Toppings are completely optional. It bakes up great plain too; I just happened to want to use up leftover seeds and dried fruit.

5. Photo 8 shows the method for Tangzhong, though I used half the batch shown in that photo.