No Matter How Many Times You Slice It, It’s Still Panda Bread 🐼
Ingredients
- 300g bread flour
- 20g sugar
- 5g salt
- 4g yeast
- 220–230g ice-cold milk (for summer)
- 20g unsalted butter
- 5g strawberry powder (or your preferred color)
- 5g cocoa powder
Instructions
- Knead all ingredients together except the strawberry powder, cocoa powder, and butter. After about 10 minutes, add the butter and continue kneading. Divide the dough into portions of 252g, 190g, and 130g. They don't have to be exact — roughly follow these proportions. The 252g portion will be used as the plain white dough.
- Mix the cocoa powder with a small amount of water, then knead it into the 130g dough portion.
- When the gluten film forms like this, the dough is ready!
- Mix the strawberry powder with a small amount of water, then knead it into the 190g dough portion in the same way.
- The three-color dough is ready. Cover the dough with a bowl or something similar to prevent it from drying out, then let it undergo its first proof.
- After the first proof, divide the dough into portions and shape them into balls, then let them rest for a while. Reserve 35g of the white dough, leaving 217g. Reserve 40g of the pink dough, leaving 150g. Divide the brown dough into 10g, two portions of 35g, and two portions of 30g. *The numbers above are approximate — adjust as needed. For a balanced look, make sure the dough for the eyes and ears are equal in weight.
- After resting, roll out the largest white dough portion into a rectangle matching the length of the mold. Roll the 10g brown dough into a thin strip for the nose and place it in the center of the mold.
- Roll the 35g white dough (for above the nose) into a thin strip and place it over the nose. Shape it into a triangle and press firmly to seal out as much air as possible.
- Roll the 35g brown dough into a flat oval for the eyes, then fold it in thirds. Roll it out so its length matches the body.
- Place it on top of the previous dough like this. If the brown dough is too close together, the finished bread will look crooked, so be careful!
- Fold both sides in and seal tightly.
- Roll the ear dough into thin strips and place them on top, keeping them balanced. Roll the dough for between the ears into a thin strip as well, flatten it with a rolling pin, and place it between the ears. Press firmly to seal and prevent air pockets.
- Finally, place the 150g dough on top of the head.
- Shaping is complete.
- Place it in the mold to proof.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 30 minutes and it's done! Remove from the mold after baking and let it cool completely.
