Chefs, I once presumed, stood mid-kitchen, gazed at the ceiling and pronounced: rich, egg-bolstered bread! Then produced a perfect loaf.
Perhaps some are struck by such inspiration. None forgo perseveration. Perfecting a recipe takes trial and error. Over and over. And over and over and over.
Consider egg bread. It calls for eight ingredients (yeast, sugar, water, salt, milk, butter, eggs and flour) and six techniques (proof, scald, knead, rest, shape and bake). Testing every permutation multiplies out to, well, infinity.
Good news, especially if you like a heavy back stock of breadcrumbs, are keen on those leftover staples French toast and bread pudding, or know a pondful of hungry ducks.
I don't, but still tend to tinker.
My new favorite formula switches to bread flour, kicks up the salt and cuts the eggs down to yolks. It gives the dough a good long knead and many a languid nap. It ditches the old technology of thump-the-loaf for the new technology of use-a-thermometer. The result is a relaxed, happy dough that bakes up into a big, bumpy pull-apart loaf or a neat set of dinner rolls. Double-duty doubles its charm.
The recipe also yields a relaxed, happy home baker who can turn to tinkering with other recipes. That, or try a languid nap.
