White Chocolate-Coffee Loaf Recipe

Prepare Basic Sweet Dough recipe: Using a whisk or fork, mix 4 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add instant yeast and mix again. Rub or cut in butter into the dry ingredients until incorporated. Mix milk and eggs in another bowl. Pour into flour mixture. Mix until the dough comes together. If the mixture is sticky, add a little more flour.  Transfer dough to a clean, floured work surface and knead for 10 to 12 minutes or until dough becomes smooth and elastic.

Perform the windowpane test: Gently stretch a small piece of dough; if it breaks, continue kneading. The dough is ready when you can stretch it into a thin film without it breaking.

Tuck edges underneath to form a ball and smoothen the top. Rub dough with vegetable oil and place in an oiled bowl. Cover bowl with a damp kitchen towel. Let dough rest until it doubles in size, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Once double in size, make an indentation in the dough with your finger; dough should not spring back.
Punch down dough. Transfer to a clean, floured work surface and shape into desired form. 

Make the white chocolate-coffee filling: heat cream in a heavy-bottomed pot until boiling. Add white chocolate and mix. Stir in coffee powder and flour. Set aside.

Make the walnut paste: combine walnuts and sugar in a food processor. Process until very fine. Add egg white and vanilla. Mix well and set aside.

Make the streusel topping: mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Using your hands, rub in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the streusel topping: mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Using your hands, rub in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Meanwhile, grease 2 (8x5-inch) loaf pans with shortening.

With a bench scraper or knife, slice a log lengthwise in half. Pinch the tops of each half together. Twist the 2 halves together, crossing 1 half over the other a couple of times. Pinch the two ends together and tuck edge in the bottom securely. Transfer to prepared loaf pan. Repeat with remaining log.

Brush tops of loaves with oil or butter. Sprinkle with streusel topping and let rest until loaves double in size.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Let loaves cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool on a wire rack.