Handmade Honey Bread (No Mixer)
Handmade Honey Bread (No Mixer) is a home-style dessert at difficulty 5/5 (Expert), about 176 kcal. This is a homemade honey bread recipe that requires no mixer. Ingredients and step-by-step instructions are below, with notes for home cooking.
5 / 5
★★★★★
176 kcal
Ingredients
- Dough: 400g High Gluten Flour (Bread Flour)
- Milk: 200g
- Yeast: 4g
- Egg: 1 whole
- White Sugar: 70g
- Salt: 2g
- Butter: 30g
- Glaze (for top): 20g Honey
- 20g Water
- Optional (sprinkle): Sesame seeds
Steps
- Make the dough: Combine the flour, milk (recommended to warm to 40°C, I used 15-20s in microwave), yeast, egg, flour, sugar, and salt together.
- Knead the dough until it is uniform and forms a ball.
- Add the butter and mix.
- Continue mixing + hand kneading to combine thoroughly.
- Start proofing (fermenting): Cover the container with plastic wrap. Place at ordinary room temperature (10-20°C) for 1-2 hours. It doesn't matter much if it takes a slightly longer time.
- When you can clearly see the dough has fermented and risen (2 times large), start dividing. At this stage, the dough should no longer be very sticky.
- Divide the dough: Ideally 60g per portion (for aesthetics), adjust size according to preference.
- Rolling and Shaping: Roll each small dough ball into a tongue shape with a rolling pin, then roll it up again. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Roll and cut: Roll the dough into a tongue shape again with a rolling pin, then roll it up and cut it from the middle (one becomes two).
- Roll and cut again: Roll the dough into a tongue shape again with a rolling pin, then roll it up and cut it again (two become four). (You can repeat rolling/cutting steps as many times as you like based on your schedule, as long as you manage the size of the portion.)
- Baking tray preparation: Line a baking tray with parchment paper and pour in peanut oil. Dip the bottom (of the rolled portion) in water + flour and place in the baking tray.
- Second Proofing (Cover with plastic wrap): This step can be put in the refrigerator; you can bake it the next day.
- Brush with beaten egg wash.
- Oven: 180°C (355°F), 18-20 minutes.
- After baking: Brush the surface with honey water and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Notes
This is a homemade honey bread recipe that requires no mixer. It is soft, sweet, and the bottom has a slightly crispy texture. Brushing the surface with honey water and sprinkling sesame seeds gives it a simple, rustic sweetness.
Main ingredients are high gluten flour, milk, eggs, and butter, providing sufficient carbohydrates, protein, and calcium. It is very reassuring as a breakfast or snack.
The method is simple, uses hand kneading throughout, and the fermentation time is flexible. You can even refrigerate it overnight and bake it the next day; it is very friendly for beginners. Making it takes about 3 hours, most of which is waiting time for fermentation, so the actual physical effort is not heavy.
Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★★★
Estimated Calories: 176 kcal
Calculation:
The ingredients defined below are for when using a long baking tray (10 x 15 inches / approx 25 x 38 cm) + a square baking tray (9 x 9 inches / approx 23 x 23 cm) + parchment paper. Suggest reducing the quantities as needed. It can last for about two weeks for breakfast (refrigerated storage). If stored in the fridge, it will harden; warm it in the microwave for 10-20s.
- Fermentation time is not fixed. Just check every hour or so. It is ready to divide when it has obviously risen. Suggest fermenting to 2-2.5 times its original size.
- The size of the dough does not significantly affect the taste or baking effect; you can adjust according to preference.
- Reference: Xiangchengfan (Xiangchufang) - Crispy Honey Small Bread
If you find issues with the process or have suggestions for improvement following this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull Request.