In EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FAERIES, a brownie named Poe gifts Emily with bread in exchange for her help. But this isn’t just any bread. This is faerie bread made with magic! Emily describes it as “perfectly golden and soft,” a welcome delicacy when she accidentally offends the nearby villagers, who start giving her burned bread and seaweed relish to eat. Poe’s bread appears frequently throughout the story, so I knew I had to try my hand at this magical loaf.

Almost every time Emily mentions Poe’s bread, she reminds us of how soft it is. This in mind, I hunted for the softest bread recipe I could find and decided on this Asian Milk Bread from A Day in the Kitchen. The recipe requires making a roux, but don’t let that scare you. The dough is still relatively easy to make, doesn’t require hand-kneading, and makes a delightfully soft and fluffy bread. I was nervous when I started, but I found the recipe easy to follow and pretty forgiving.

My kids LOVED this, especially my son, who is a major bread enthusiast. He ate a whole mini loaf for breakfast and ate another for a snack. I think I did Poe proud!

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Poe’s Incredibly Soft White Bread

“He pushed the grass aside and wrapped his sharp fingers around a fine loaf of bread. It smelled of sulphur, but it was perfectly golden and soft.“

— Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries

 

INGREDIENTS:

• FOR THE TANGZHONG ROUX
  • 40 grams flour (approx. 5 Tbsp)
  • 1 cup whole milk
• FOR THE DOUGH
  • 540 grams flour (approx. 3 3/4 cups plus 2 Tbsp)
  • 1/2 cup caster sugar
  • 4 tsp instant or active yeast
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 6 Tbsp milk powder
  • 2 room temp eggs
  • 1/2 cup whole milk (warmed to 100°F)
  • 6 Tbsp room temp butter, cut into tablespoons
• FOR THE EGG WASH
  • 1 egg white

 

Makes 2 9-inch loaves (which can be torn into 6 mini loaves)

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a small saucepan on medium-low heat, whisk together the flour and milk for the roux. Whisk frequently until mix reaches the consistency of pudding, about 5 minutes.
2. Scrape roux into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to come to room temperature.
3. Sift the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Stir in the milk powder.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the room temperature roux, eggs, and milk until mostly smooth. Add to the mixer bowl. Mix with the dough hook on the lowest setting for 1-2 minutes or until almost all the flour has come up from the bottom.
5. With the mixer running, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time. Once combined, turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides. Return to low speed and mix for 15-20 minutes until the dough is smooth and tacky. Stop to scrape down the bowl if needed.
6. Coat a large bowl and your hands with cooking spray. Shape the dough as best you can into a ball (it will be a bit sticky) and transfer to the bowl. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise in warm place for 1-2 hours (for me, it was 1.5 hours on a summer day).
7. Cut the dough into 2 equal portions (do not tear it). My dough weighed about 1168 grams, so each portion was about 584 grams.
8. Line a 9-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Taking one half of the dough, cut it into 3 equal portions (approx. 194 grams each). Take one portion, roll it into a 12″ x 5″ rectangle. Fold it into thirds lengthwise. Flip seam side down. Roll to 15″ x 3″. Flip seam side up. Starting at the short end, roll up tightly like a sleeping bag. Lay seam side down in one of the prepared loaf pans. Roll remaining 2 portions and place them in the loaf pan alongside the first.
   
   

   

   

   

    

9. NOTE: If the center of the roll starts to stick out, tap down the sides so that they are level (pictured below).
   
   

   See how the middle is sticking out?

   

   All better!

    

10. Repeat Step 8 to create a second loaf. Cover both pans lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
11. Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk egg white with 1 tsp water and brush onto dough. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Just before serving, brush with melted butter.
12. Serve to Emily Wilde as a thank you for helping you clear a path in the snow between your faerie tree and the enchanted spring.
    
    

    

    

     

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Check out my other bread recipes!

Tom Bombadil’s White Bread with Basil Butter, Honey, and Berries

Little Red Riding Hood’s Bread Rolls

Mini Zopf Bread from Heidi