Pandan Raisin Bread with Crumble Topping

Gosh, I’ve been on the bread wagon lately, feeling a whole lot of craving for sweet dough. And have I got an easy, do-able, delicious sweet bread loaf recipe for you! Oooh, and I promise this won’t take up too much time. I absolutely think that baking bread should always be fun, easy, and hopefully, won’t have you feeling like you’ve spent an entire day in the kitchen (though, I have to admit that I do enjoy whiling away hours in mine).

I’ve just spent the past week baking these wonderfully old-fashioned looking, sweet bread loaves, infused with pandan and coconut flavours, and speckled with sweet raisins. Sliced, toasted, and slathered with goobs of butter and kaya, pandan raisin bread is my idea of a none-too-sweet, none-too-indulgent afternoon tea (in spite of what I just said about the butter).

This bread bake happened on a whim, when I was thinking of ways to use up my leftover pandan juice and coconut milk (from when I made fresh Nonya kaya earlier in the week), which I didn’t want to go to waste. And this pandan raisin bread recipe was just perfect. It turned out a tender loaf so delicious, that hubby has been raving about how it’s the best bread he’s ever eaten so far, and that coming from a man who loves his bread and knows his food, just speaks volumes about this recipe.

But wait, that’s not all! This pandan raisin bread is made just a little more special, with a crust (exterior) that’s generously sprinkled with a lightly sweet and buttery crumble topping, baked to golden crispness, and a crumb (interior) that’s soft and moist. Let’s not forget too, that gorgeous pandan green hue- it will surely perk you up and make you feel so gratified. And oh, have I mentioned how your kids are going to love this? Let’s face it, kids will probably just about love, and flock to any food with colour, but at least, you’ll feel better about them (and yourself) eating on the healthier side of the food spectrum.

I’ve made an all-natural version of this bread, omitting the use of artificial green colouring, and you’re perfectly welcome to do that as well. But I’ve had to re-think that, as the bread looked a little grungy, and as much as I’d hate to say this, even almost fungal-looking in patches, as the amount of freshly squeezed pandan juice used was just not enough to tinge the crumb to a uniform light green hue. So, I opted to add just a trickle of pandan paste, to infuse it with a more vivid colour, as well as to strengthen the pandan flavour. After all, we just can’t seem to resist food that looks yeee-uum, right?

 

Pandan Lovers! If you want the perfect accompaniment to this pandan raisin bread, try making your very own home-made Nonya kaya (coconut jam) spread (pictured below). Kaya is a rich, creamy custard spread prepared with eggs and coconut milk, flavoured with pandan juice, and sweetened with sugar.

 

Also, the love doesn’t stop there! You can’t afford to miss this recipe for a true-blue Asian cake classic – Pandan Chiffon Cake (pictured above). Enjoy this rich, moist, cotton-soft light and fluffy pandan and coconut-flavoured chiffon cake.

Trust Chef Alex Goh to come up with yet another trustworthy bread recipe that we can make with ease and confidence. I did, however, take the easy way out of the tedious task of measuring out 15 g portions of dough – to preserve my sanity in the midst of a hot afternoon in the kitchen, I simply eye-balled, cut (roughly 1-inch blobs of dough), and moulded these into balls. When placing these into your loaf tin, fill the base with a loosely packed layer of dough balls (don’t worry about the gaps in between, the balls will expand in volume to fill those in-between spaces). Then pile the rest on top, working one layer at a time, and try to end up with a level top layer.

And then watch the magic happen in your oven, as that loaf bakes and crusts to golden brown!

Pandan Raisin Bread with Crumble Topping Recipe

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This pandan raisin bread is made just a little more special, with a crust (exterior) that's generously sprinkled with a lightly sweet and buttery crumble topping, baked to golden crispness, and a crumb (interior) that's soft and moist. (Adapted from 'The World of Bread' by Chef Alex Goh).

Serves1 loaf

Prep Time20 minutes

Cook Time30 minutes

Wait Time2 1/2 hours

Serves1 loaf Prep Time20 minutes Cook Time30 minutes Wait Time2 1/2 hours

Pandan Raisin Bread with Crumble Topping Recipe Tried this? Rate it! Votes: 2 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe! Print It Print Recipe This pandan raisin bread is made just a little more special, with a crust (exterior) that's generously sprinkled with a lightly sweet and buttery crumble topping, baked to golden crispness, and a crumb (interior) that's soft and moist. (Adapted from 'The World of Bread' by Chef Alex Goh). Serves1 loaf Prep Time20 minutes Cook Time30 minutes Wait Time2 1/2 hours Serves1 loaf Prep Time20 minutes Cook Time30 minutes Wait Time2 1/2 hours

Ingredients

Ingredients A:

• 300 g bread flour
• 2 tsps instant yeast
• 45 g sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp milk powder

Ingredients B:

• 30 g egg (save the rest for egg wash)
• 60 ml coconut milk
• 1/2 tbsp pandan juice*
• 1/8 tsp pandan paste
• 105 ml water

Ingredients C:

• 20 g ghee (or butter)

Ingredients D:

• 130 g raisins

To make Crumble Topping (makes extra):

• 30 g butter
• 30 g sugar
• 60 g plain flour

Instructions

1. Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine all the dry ingredients (A) in the mixer bowl, and mix well.
2. In a separate bowl, combine all the wet ingredients (B). Fit the electric mixer with a dough hook attachment, then add all the wet ingredients (B) to the flour mixture (A). Knead on medium speed (speed 3 on my Kitchen Aid mixer) until a rough dough comes together.
3. Add (C), and knead on medium speed until dough becomes smooth and elastic. Add (D), continue to knead to incorporate raisins in the dough. Turn out dough and remaining loose raisins, onto a lightly floured work top. Finish up kneading by hand, using lightly floured hands (dough will be slightly sticky) if necessary, until all raisins have been mixed into the dough.
4. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and set aside to ferment for 50 to 60 minutes in a warm, draft-free area (the inside of an oven, for example), until doubled in size.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the crumble topping. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar. Rub the butter into the flour-sugar mixture, until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.
6. Divide the dough into 15 to 20 g portions, and mould each into a ball. Place the dough balls into a greased loaf tin (L20-cm x W10-cm x H8.5-cm). Set aside, covered, to proof in a warm, draft-free area for 45 to 60 minutes. Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to 175 deg C (350 deg F).
7. When dough has risen to, or just above the edge of the loaf tin, it's ready to be baked. Brush the top with egg wash, and sprinkle with crumble topping.
8. Bake at 175 deg C (350 deg F) for 25 to 30 minutes. When done, turn out loaf onto a cooling rack and let cool completely. Slice and serve as desired.