Sesame Pandan Braid

I was at the baking ingredients shop the other day and saw cartons of pandan and red bean paste just delivered from Kuala Lumpur.  Having a soft spot for anything to do with pandan, be it bread or pastries I bought a packet each of pandan and red bean paste both at Rm5.50 per kilo.  So tried out this pandan flavoured braid and it was ....... yummy!

I used my old faithful breadmaker to churn out the dough  and at the end of the cycle, knocked out some air, rolled it into a rectangle and trimmed off the edges to get the size that I wanted.  Made slits on both sides of the rectangle, spread the bean paste in the centre, plaited it up.
The braid before proving and after proving for 30 mins., applied egg glaze and sesame seeds before putting it into the oven.

This bread was fluffy and yummy.  We couldn't finish the whole braid, so kept some for breakfast the next morning and it stayed fresh too!

Ingredients

• 420 gm Pandan bean paste or any paste of your choice
• Sesame seeds

Dough ingredients

• 40 gm egg + water to make up 2/3 cup
• 2 Tbsp/1 oz butter/margarine
• 2/3 tsp salt
• 275 gm High Protein flour
• 1.1/3 Tbsp skimmed milk powder
• 2 Tbsp caster sugar
• 1.1/3 tsp yeast

Egg glaze  :  1 egg yolk + 1 Tbsp water + a tiny pinch of salt

Method

1. Put all the ingredients into the pan of the  Breadmaker according to the sequence of your machine.
2. Press dough cycle which will take 1.1/2 hours.
3. At the end of the cycle, take out the dough, punch out the gas.
4. Roll out into a rectangle about 12 " x 8", trim off the edges to get the desired size.
5. Spread the pandan paste down the centre  covering a space of about 3 inches wide.  At each end of the filling make cuts 2 inches in length at 1 inch intervals.  Take a strip from each side and cross them over the filling to form a plait.  Tuck in the last 2 strips.
6. Cover the braid with a damp cloth and leave to prove until double in size - about 30 mins.
7. Apply egg glaze and sprinkle on sesame seeds.
8. Bake in preheated oven @ 180 deg C for about 30 to 35 mins.
9. Cool completely before serving.