What is and How to Make Enriched Sweet Dough

What is and How to Make Enriched Sweet Dough
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Enriched Sweet Dough – What is it, How to Make it, and How to Use it?

What is Enriched Sweet Dough?

An Enriched Sweet Dough has two components: a fat and a sugar. The fat can be eggs, butter, milk, or oil. The enrichment process of adding fat to bread dough creates a soft, delicious bread perfect for sweet or savory applications.

An enriched sweet dough is created by the addition of sugar, honey, or another sweetener to the enriched dough. Besides adding sweetness, sugar helps soften the bread, caramelize the crust, and elongate the shelf life of the final bake. An enriched sweet dough is perfect for sweet breads and pastries.

How to Make an Enriched Sweet Dough?

New to bread baking? Check out this post on the 12 Steps to Perfect Bread for the basics. Read on to find pointers on the enriched sweet dough process.

Mix Yeast with Warm Water Until it Blooms
Mix Yeast with Warm Water Until it Blooms
Mix Ingredients with Whisk
Mix Ingredients with Whisk
Knead with Dough Hook
Knead with Dough Hook
Proof Dough
Proof Dough

Do I need a mixer?

I find it easiest to use an electric mixer to make enriched sweet dough. I like the ease of using an electric mixer, but you can certainly hand-knead this dough. If using a mixer, you will need one with a whisk and dough hook. I personally choose and like the powerful Kitchen Aid mixers. Interested in learning more about the mixer I use? You can read my independent review here.

What Flour Should I use?

Make enriched sweet dough with all purpose flour rather than high protein bread flour. Why? Because, making enriched sweet dough with a fat and a sweetener creates its signature flavor. Unlike no knead sourdough or rustic straight doughs (those using only flour, water, yeast & salt), which use high protein bread flour for structure and develop flavor through a long proof. If you want to learn more about flours, check out this post on European Flours. If you want to make a classic rustic bread using a straight dough, check out this post for an easy Rustic Whole Wheat.

How Much Yeast Do I use?

I already discussed above the use of fat and sugar in the enriched sweet dough. One other component of an enriched sweet dough is a large amount of yeast. Here are two reasons why:

  1. A dough that is enriched and sweetened is heavy. A large amount of yeast ensures a sufficient rise of the heavy dough during the proofing stage. Beware! Too much yeast will cause the dough to rise and fall too quickly, leaving an over proofed dough and a flat final bread.
  2. The yeast adds additional flavor to the final dough. There is a balance here – you want enough yeast to rise the heavy dough and create a balanced flavor. Beware! Too much yeast leaves a residual yeast flavor rather than a balanced flavor.

How to Bake an Enriched Sweet Dough?

Finally, baking an enriched dough requires a lower oven temperature. The addition of the sugar and fat causes caramelization to occur at lower temperatures. Therefore, keep the oven temp between 350-375 F (175-190 C) degrees to prevent burned exteriors and underdone interiors. When in doubt, check the baked dough with a kitchen thermometer. It should read between 195-200 F (90-93 C) degrees.

How to Use an Enriched Sweet Dough?

I use enriched sweet doughs to create sweet breads. Here are a few recommendations on how I use use this dough:

Braid a 6 Strand Challah
Braid a 6 Strand Challah
Create a Signature Sweet Pastry
Cinnamon Walnut Sweet Bread Wreath
Make a Cinnamon Walnut Sweet Bread Wreath
  1. Make Challah. This is one of my favorite enriched sweetened breads. You can use this recipe and follow the directions in How to Braid a Six Strand Challah to get the beautiful look of a classic braided bread. Sprinkle the braid with your choice of sesame seeds, poppy seeds or sliced almonds. Bake at 375F until golden brown.
  2. Make a dozen sweet rolls with your choice of filling. For instance, for cinnamon rolls, mix 3/4 cup of brown sugar with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Roll the dough out, spread it with softened butter, sprinkle the brown sugar mix, roll it up, cut it into 12 portions, and bake at 350 F until browned and filling is bubbly. Consider additional mix-ins to create your own special recipe: raisins, nuts, other dried fruit, etc.Fruit-filled Pastries. Divide the dough into twelve portions. Create a ball, push down in the center and add your desired pie filling. Cherry, blueberry or apple would all work in this application. Bake at 350F degrees until golden brown.
  3. Fruit-filled Pastries. Divide the dough into twelve portions. Create a ball, push down in the center and add your desired pie filling. Cherry, blueberry or apple would all work in this application. Bake at 350F degrees until golden brown.
  4. Lastly, try an absolutely delicious Cinnamon-Walnut Wreath. Perfect for a Sunday brunch, special occasion, or holiday, it looks pretty and tastes amazing, too!

Sharing is Caring

As always, give bread baking a go and share it with someone you care about, a friend, a coworker, a neighbor or family member. Nothing says love like a home-baked goodie! So Bake One Share One today, help me create a world where my vision comes true: Great Bread For All! Please take a moment to comment below or share on social media and tag @christinasbreadbakes, I love to see your creations! Happy baking, Bread Bakers, from your friends here at breadbakes.com.

Signature Christina
Knead with Dough Hook

Enriched Sweet Dough

Christina
This is a recipe and instructions for an enriched sweet dough used for a variety of sweet breads. It makes about 850 grams of dough. Enough for two loaves of bread or a dozen decorative pastries.
5 from 11 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Proof 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course bread, bread starter, Breakfast
Servings 2 loaves

Equipment

  • 1 Electric Mixer whisk and dough hook
  • 7 Small measuring bowls/cups
  • 1 Digital Metric Scale
  • 1 Spatula
  • 1 Large bowl for proofing dough
  • Plastic Wrap

Ingredients
  

  • 236 g Warm Water 1 cup
  • 1½ tsp Yeast
  • 70 g Sugar ⅓ cup
  • 500 g All Purpose Flour
  • 1 ea Egg
  • 60 g Butter, melted ¼ cup
  • ⅓ tsp Sea Salt, fine

Instructions
 

Scale

  • Measure all ingredients using digital metric scale.
    Ingredients Measured in Separate Bowls

Mix

  • Mix yeast and a pinch of sugar into the warm water. Set aside for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
    Mix Yeast with Warm Water Until it Blooms
  • Pour prepared yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
  • Add 1 cup of flour and sugar.
    Add 1 Cup of Flour to Yeast Mixture
  • Whisk until smooth.
    Whisk until smooth
  • Scrape down the edges.
  • Add egg, butter, salt, and a ½ cup of flour.
    Mix Ingredients with Whisk
  • Whisk until smooth.
    Whisk Until Smooth
  • Scrape down the edges.
  • Switch to the dough hook and add all but 2 T of the flour.
  • Mix on low speed for 2 minutes until all dry ingredients are mixed into wet and you have a rough dough.
    Mix on Speed One until shaggy dough forms
  • Increase mixer to speed 2 and mix for 4-5 more minutes until the dough is smooth, climbs the dough hook and sticks to the bottom of the bowl. Add additional flour (if needed) 1 T at a time until a soft consistency is achieved.
    Knead with Dough Hook
  • Scrape dough onto the counter and knead a few times into a smooth ball.
    Smooth dough ball ready for proofing

Bulk Ferment

  • Place the dough ball into a prepared bowl (coated with oil). Cover with a piece of oiled plastic wrap.
    Proof Dough
  • Allow dough to rise until it is double in size.

Folding

  • Remove dough from bowl, punch down.

Dividing

  • Divide dough into portions (as needed). This recipe makes approximately 850 grams of dough. Divide in two to make two loaves of bread or twelve pieces for a dozen pastries. Roll dough portions into loose balls.
    Proofed dough divided into two pieces

Bench Rest

  • Cover and bench rest portions for 10 minutes.

Make up & Panning

  • Continue to make up/pan dough according to desired recipe.
  • This dough is an enriched dough meaning it does not need to be baked at a high temperature. Egg wash and bake at 350-375°F degrees maximum.

Notes

This is the best recipe to play with to create your own personal designs.  Be creative! Since it is an enriched sweet dough, I recommend using it for sweet breads and pastries.  This dough needs an egg wash before baking to make it glossy and golden brown.  Here are a few ideas for using this dough:
  1. Roll out half the dough using a rolling pin, and fill it with your choice of filling, roll it into a log, and bake it.  
  2. Make two small or one large Challah.  Instructions on how to braid a challah can be found here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/822962531900567372
  3. Make a dozen individual shaped/filled pastries.  Fill with desired fruit pie filling (cherry, apple, blueberry).
  4. Try my recipe for a Cinnamon-Walnut Crown, step by step instructions available at this link.
Keyword enriched dough, enriched sweet dough, sweet dough, sweet enriched dough

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