So, I took time to fix my previous roti gambang, both formula-wise and makeup-wise. I decided to do pain viennois approach, but at 60% hydration. I was quite surprise to know that pain viennois can be done at hydration as low as 50% (which will be a lot closer to the traditional scone-style roti gambang). But after few tests, I like the mouthfeel of 60% hydration better. This is my fifth trial batch.
I did a lot of tweaks, two of them worth mentioning are the addition of molasses and a tweak on incorporating orange zest. I used molasses to give deeper color, since the first batch wasn't dark enough. I switch from 2% candied orange peel to 1% orange peel, milled with a portion of the flour in the formula. Amazing how a simple tweak could reduce the amount of zest needed.
The zest is there mainly to brighten the flavor without making the buns taste orangey. If I by any chance work with a slow levain that results in acidic batch, the orange zest also temper the sourness, making the buns nicely sweet, sour, and orangey. A sort of safety net, in a way.
I previously did 50% hydration too. I love how the pre-proofing scoring is more pronounced. Unfortunately I enjoy the mouthfeel of 60% hydration better.
50% hydration batch
Change log:
- Increased PFF from 20% to 30%
- Reduced the use of VWG
- Reduced butter from 35% to 20%
- Increased homemade dried Gros Michel bananas from 20% to 30%
- Reduced orange zest
- Added molasses
- Reduced eggs
- Increased hydration
- Pain viennois makeup
- Reduced sesame seeds topping, interfering with overall flavor profile
I put the formula down here for 2 days, otherwise deleted. Nowadays I use a combination of fructose and sorbitol to control osmotic pressure in my buttered sweet bran starter. I might make a post about my two bran starters, but no promise is made.
Verdict
They taste lighter, brighter, deeper. This batch is so mild in acidity, despite hot ambient temperature and my unwillingness to do fussy pH and temperature measurements (life's too short, man). My banana guy happened to have really overripe Gros Michel bananas, and the flavor really came through. I'm saying this in all seriousness, you don't know banana bread at all if you've never used overripe Gros Michel bananas. They are godsent.
When just finished final mixing, tasting the dough was like, "The hell is this?!" But after all the flavors meld together, and fermentation flavor chimed in, it's day and night difference. I always do aliquot jar measurement, and I always taste the tiny piece of dough by the end of final proofing.
I'm satisfied with the overall flavor profile. I like this batch 5 times better than the first batch. I might have deviated too much from the original roti gambang, but I'm confident I can win the hearts of the conservatives.
I found dichotomies fascinating. Romantic, in a way. And these buns are both innovative and rustic. I just flipped chemically leavened scones into naturally leavened buns!
Oh, I already started my cinnamon rolls trials, already passed dough-formula and portioning tests. They are super soft, and featuring icing you've never seen anywhere. Can't wait!
Jay
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Excellent consistency, shape and size, they look perfect. Interesting use of candied orange...
As always, your process and recipe are distinctly unique! Good work!
Michael
Thanks for your kind words, Michael. Appreciate it!
I think citrus peels (and non-citrus citrusy ingredients) are excellent when we want sourness as a feature, rather than defect. Even if sourness considered a defect, they will make the products still palatable
I can't take the full credit, my buttered sweet bran starter did hefty amount of work too!
Jay
Jay, I think you're right to focus on the flavour that is what makes these so unique and interesting.
Can only imagine what a dried Gros Michel banana (I assume those are the bits we can see in the photos) tastes like together with the molasses, cinnamon and orange zest! But I'm drooling from my imagined interpretation of the flavours.
Also good to reduce the VWG and butter if you can. I guess the increased PFF is because it is fashionable here nowadays!
By the way, I noticed that my bran starter made a batch of dough turn to gloop the other day. Not sure if it was the pH or enzymatic degradation, or something else though.
-Jon
Thanks Jon for your kind words, appreciate it!
Yeah, it's essentially a flip on scones. They are not supposed to be pretty, as long as the texture and the flavor are right and on point
I'd say chunks instead of bits 😆 They really saturate the buns with banana flavor, I sometimes forgot there is no banana puree in the dough!
As for higher butter percentage in the first batch, because they were supposed to be brioche, and 20% butter brioche sounds depressing to me lol😆
As for VWG, actually I'm not worried as much, especially knowing the fact that some enriched SD bakers use extra high protein flour such as Manitoba. I usually only aim for 11-13% of final wheat protein of total dry matter. The use of VWG in final mixing and employing multiple stage levain help in reducing total protein needed, since gluten is preserved better by those two means. They allow me to reduce protein needed around 1-3% depends on fat content and whether I used starchy root puree/ gluten free flour or not. As for this bake, the decision was made in proportion of lowered fat content.
As for PFF increase, I don't know what's with 12 hours, but from anecdotal experience, as long as I don't cross 12 hours of room temperature fermentation, my bread will turn out fine. Since my starter still adapting to fructose+sorbitol, it's slowing down at the moment and the previous batch took 14 hours of final proofing with 20% PFF. Hence 30% PFF
Did the end product taste sweet? If so, that could be the sweet tasting glycerol came into play, as it makes the dough sticky and seems like melty. Do true autolyse (I don't know why it works, but it helped a lot in getting elastic baguette dough using my starter). I never have such problem with pain au son (which by French law, should contain at least 25% bran), but encounter such problem with black glutinous rice (and the bread tastes sweeter despite lacking in added sugar). I no longer encounter such problem since decided to do true autolyse.
And if you find your white levain is slow, add salt to the levain, up to 12:1 water:salt. That will buy the yeasts some time to produce osmotic-pressure-calibrating glycerol intracellularly. During final proof, they will produce glycerol extracellularly. My white baguettes taste sweet nowadays!
Jay
These are fascinating. I don't think I've had anything like this. Your comment:
Is extremely intriguing. I don't think I know banana bread after all 😂
I have to say your technical expertise far exceeds my current knowledge of breadmaking and I've lots of catching up to do. I would love love love to see your take on the cinnamon rolls though! I'll be waiting.
Thanks Lin, appreciate your kind words!
I look forward as well!
Jay
These look incredible Jay, I can’t say I’ve ever seen anything like them here in Canada or where I’ve travelled unless I just missed them. They must taste wonderful given the ingredients. They look like they’d belong in a fine patisserie on High Street.
Benny
Thanks Benny, appreciate your kind words!
I think the actual roti gambang is quite near extinction. The ethnic group that conserve the product originated from the capital city where internal migrants migrated to, and their culture overtime got heavily diluted. To make things worse, we are not baking culture in the first place. Most of the time, the only way to find ones is from cart vendors selling low quality products using margarine and food coloring. I'm trying to revive and refine it.
Jay