RECIPE #7

KOREAN SWEET RED BEAN BREAD

INGREDIENTS:

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups red bean paste
2/3 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 butter, melted
2 tsp fast active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
Some melted butter (for brushing)
Some Black Sesame Seeds (to Garnish)

METHOD:
1.Place flour in a big mixing bowl. Make three holes in the flour, and then put sugar, yeast, and salt in each hole. Gently cover the holes with the flour.
2.Pour lukewarm water and lukewarm milk in the flour mix. Mix everything together with a fork or your hands.
3.Pour melted butter into the dough and kneed the dough. If you have a bread machine, let it mix the ingredients and knead the dough.
4.If you knead the dough by hand, knead the dough for about 30 minutes. Knead the dough strongly.
5.When the dough becomes smooth and elastic, it is done.
6.Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place for 40 minutes.
7.Meanwhile, obtain red bean paste. You can homemade red bean paste or you can use canned paste from a Korean grocery store.
8.Divide the paste into 16 pieces and make round ball shapes out of the pieces. It will be about 1 1/2 tbsp of paste for each ball.
9.When the dough has risen into a nice big size, take the dough out of the bowl and press down in the center to remove some of the air in the dough.
10.Divide the dough into 16 pieces and make a round ball out of each piece.
11.Flatten a ball until it is about 3 inches in diameter and place 1 read bean ball in the center.
12.Fold the dough up and over the red bean paste to cover it.c Seal the center tightly so that the red bean paste will not come out.
13.Put the sealed part face down on a mat and press the dough into about a 2 inch diameter.
14.Cut 8 decorative slits around the edge, equally spaced apart.
15.Place the dough on a cooking sheet and set it aside to rise again for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
16.Bake the bread for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. You can brush the surface of the bread with egg before baking, or brush melted butter on top right after it comes out of the oven.