Step-By-Step Instruction

1. Butterfly Pea Flower Water (For purple dough):
1. In a sauce pan, boil flower and water.  Off the fire once boiled. 
2. Steeping for 30 - 60 minutes,  strain to get the blue water.
2. Yudane :
1. Add bread flour in a bowl, pour the boiling water or boiling flower water for purple dough and mix well with spatula or spoon until no dry flour.  
2. Cling film and leave on the counter for at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge.  I prepared the night before.
3. Take out from the fridge 30 minutes before using to return to room temperature.
3. Sweet Stiff Starter:
1. In a bowl of stand mixer, dilute starter with water or flower water for purple dough, stir in sugar and add in bread flour.  Mix with paddle attachment until well mixed and all come together.   It can be done by hand mixing too.
2. Cover and let it ferment until tripled. I prepared a night before and leave it in aircond room (approximately 24 - 25C room temperature) overnight until tripled.  It took about 8 - 9 hours depending on your starter.  It should take around 4 - 6 hours to get triple at room temperature at 28C - 30C. The starter should look smooth and round dome.  It shouldn't collapse.
4. Main Dough:
1. Put all ingredients (except butter) into a bowl of stand mixer.  I usually torn the stiff starter and yudane dough into pieces first.
2. Slightly combine the mixture by hand with the paddle attachment before turning on the machine so that the flour will not splash out.  Using the paddle attachment, mix for 2 minutes or until all incorporated.  This step is critical to prevent  an uneven mixed dough as the stiff starter is rather hard and a dough hook may not be able to mix it well enough.
3. Change to hook attachment and knead for another 3 minutes or until the dough comes together. Add in butter and continue knead for 10 - 12 minutes or until reach window pane stage.  The whole kneading process, I stopped few times to scrape down the dough from the hook to be sure it is evenly kneaded and also to prevent the motor from overheating.
5. 1st Proofing/Resting:
1. In the same bowl, let the dough rest for 45 minutes. Keep it covered with clingfilm or use a lid. The dough did not rise a lot.
6. Shaping:
1. Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface then divide each dough into 10 equal portions.  Please use a kitchen scale if you want to be exact.   You will get 10 plain dough and 10 purple dough.
2. Form each portion to a ball.  
3. Shape one at a time.  Please refer to the video and diagram below.
4. Place all dough in the prepared loaf pans (lined the base of the round pan with parchment paper and grease the sides) as per the video.   
7. Final Proofing : 
1. Let it proof at warm place until the dough double in size.  These two took approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes at room temperature of 30C.  The duration of proofing depends on your ambient temperature and starter.
8. Baking:
1. Preheat oven at 180C - 190C (top & bottom heat) for 10 - 15 minutes.
2. Brush with egg wash or milk and bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
3. Remove bread from oven and let them cool on rack completely before slicing or tearing.

Expert Tips for Success

1. Sourdough Starter:   
• A healthy starter is essential for successful bread baking. To ensure your bread rises well, it's important to feed your starter regularly and use it (the levain) at its peak. A consistently fed starter will be more active and reliable. If the mother starter isn’t strong, the dough may still struggle to rise properly, even if the levain is used at its peak.  For more information, click the links: "How To Make Sourdough Starter" and "Sourdough Maintenance".
2. Gluten Development: 
• Essential for soft, airy bread, gluten is created when flour hydrates. To develop it, use techniques like autolyse or kneading. The windowpane test checks readiness—dough should stretch thin without tearing.  From my experience, high hydration dough with high percentage of fat will be easy to stretch and achieve a paper thin windowpane stage.
3. Kneading: 
• Please regard the timing provided as an indication only. It is only meant as a guide. Times vary by flour and mixer type. For higher fat dough, knead longer (18–20 minutes).
4. Flour & Hydration: 
• Use high-gluten flour for optimal texture. Always reserve some liquid to adjust dough consistency for best results.   If dough is too dry, add the reserve liquid one tablespoon at a time until the right consistency.
5. Dough Temperature:
• Maintaining the right dough temperature during kneading is crucial for a fine crumb. If the dough becomes too warm, the crumb will become too big and uneven. To prevent this, use cold water, milk, or eggs, and chill your mixing bowl or hook attachment in the freezer. Knead at low speeds, and if your kitchen is warm, rest the dough in a cooler spot. Proper dough temperature ensures a soft, fluffy bread with a fine, even crumb.
6. Proofing:
• Proofing time depends on your environment. Use the finger poke test to gauge readiness. To check dough readiness, lightly press the side with your finger:
• If it bounces back instantly, it’s under-proofed and needs more time.
• If the indentation stays, it’s over-proofed.
• If the indentation slowly bounces back, it’s ready to bake.
• There’s also a final rise called oven spring when the dough bakes, which adds to the bread’s height.
7. Wrinkle Top or Shrinking: 
• If your bread collapses or develops wrinkles on top after baking, it might be over-proofed during the second rise. Aim for the dough to rise to 80-90% of its final size or just below the rim of the pan to prevent this. Over-proofing leads to weaker structure, causing the bread to lose shape.
8. Baking & Oven Temperarate:  
• Do also note that the baking temperature and timing provided are what works for my oven and should also be regarded as a guide only. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Using hot butterfly pea tea in the dough – it can kill the yeast. Let it cool.

❌ Overproofing – the wool roll shaping will lose definition and the bread may collapse.

❌ Not rolling the dough tightly – this can result in loose swirls instead of a defined wool look.

❌ Skipping yudane – the texture won't be as fluffy and moist.

Ingredient Substitutions and Variations

Butterfly Pea Flower: Use powder if you don’t have the dried flowers – mix with water to form a paste.

Milk: Can be substituted with plant-based milk like soy or oat.

Sweetener: You may use honey or maple syrup in place of sugar.

Serving Suggestions and Storage

Enjoy slices on their own or with butter, kaya, or cream cheese. It pairs beautifully with tea.

Storage:

Room temperature: Store in an airtight container up to 2–3 days.

Freezer: Wrap slices individually and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature or reheat lightly in a microwave.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Does this bread taste sour?

A: Not at all. The sweet stiff starter creates a mild, non-tangy flavor.

Q: Can I use instant yeast instead of sourdough?

A: This recipe is developed for sourdough, but you can adapt it using about 3g yeast and skipping the long fermentation.

Q: Why use the yudane method?

A: It helps create a soft, fluffy texture and extends shelf life naturally.

Q: Can I make this without butterfly pea flower?

A: Yes! Just omit and use milk for the blue portion, or use matcha or cocoa powder as an alternative.

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