I generally like Horlicks, but I noticed that it is slowly disappearing from day to day life. Many eateries no longer offer Horlicks on their beverage menu, although a few places like the wonderful Inside Scoop has Horlicks ice cream (yum!)
I wondered how Horlicks put in bread would taste like, so here I am trying out a recipe from the blog MJ Bakes a Lot. The recipe calls for us to shape it by hand and baking in a loaf pan using an oven. I’ve tried baking it straight in the breadmaker, but after a few tries the loaf always ended up underproofed and undercooked.
I wanted to use the maltose I had on hand, but because I kept it in the fridge for so long, it was super hard and difficult to handle. I ended up using honey instead. I wonder if maltose would have significantly effected the taste.
In the picture you see me adding the oil after the dry ingredients. You should follow the sequence as advised by your manufacturer, but for Kenwood BM450 we’re supposed to add it to the liquid ingredients so I’ve updated the directions to reflect that.
The end result? A wonderfully moist, hearty loaf, with beautiful color and aroma. I was expecting it to taste a lot more like Horlicks but it didn’t, nonetheless it had a nice creamy flavor. Perfect when eaten with peanut butter or biscuit spread.
Horlicks Bread
Ingredients
- 230ml water
- 40 grams (2 tablespoons) maltose syrup OR honey
- 25 grams (2 tablespoons) cooking oil
- 200 grams (1 3/4 cups) whole wheat flour
- 120 grams bread flour
- 35 grams (1/4 cup) Horlicks, or your preferred malted milk powder
- 60 grams (1/2 cup) oat bran OR instant oats
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
Directions
In your breadmaker pan, add the water, syrup or honey, and cooking oil.
Add the wholewheat and bread flours, ensuring that the surface of the liquid is completely covered.
Add the Horlicks, oats, salt, and yeast.
Return and lock in the breadmaker pan in the breadmaker and, using the Dough program, start the machine. On the Kenwood BM450 breadmaker, this should take about 1 hour 30 minutes.
When the program is done and the dough has doubled, gently punch down the dough using a lightly flour-dusted fist. Transfer to a floured surface.
Shape the dough into an 8-inch loaf. Here’s a handy video I referred to on how to do it. Be mindful about sealing the edges when shaping, or you might end up with air pockets in the loaf which will will lead to holey bread slices.
Gently place the loaf into a lightly greased 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
Cover and let rest, until the loaf has risen about an inch above the sides of the pan, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
When the dough has been rising for about half an hour, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan 160 degrees C).
Transfer the loaf to the oven and bake, until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer reads 90 degrees C at the center of the loaf, 30 to 35 minutes.
When done, let cool on a wire rack.
Slice and enjoy!
