Quinoa in a milk-bread loaf sounds like a health-food compromise until you taste it. This recipe from xiachufang folds cooked quinoa into a soft, enriched dough — the kind that tears into glossy shreds — so the little grains disappear into the crumb, adding a faint nuttiness and a lovely speckled look. Brush the top with spicy pork floss and you get a loaf that is fluffy, faintly sweet, savory, and a little bit addictive, all at once.
The dough is a straightforward milk bread: bread flour, egg, butter, sugar, yeast, and salt, kneaded to a thin, translucent membrane. Quinoa is cooked ahead, cooled, and kneaded in with the butter, so it distributes evenly instead of clumping. The dough is divided into three, rolled into logs, and proofed in a loaf pan until it nearly reaches the rim before baking at 170°C (340°F) in a convection oven for 28 minutes.
What Is Quinoa Pork Floss Toast (藜麦辣肉松吐司)?
Quinoa pork floss toast is a Chinese bakery-style milk-bread loaf with cooked quinoa kneaded into the dough and a savory pork floss (肉松) topping. The loaf bakes up soft and shreddable, with the quinoa adding subtle texture and the floss giving each slice a salty, savory edge.
The base is a classic enriched bread — milk, egg, butter, and sugar — which is what gives it the tender, pull-apart crumb Chinese bakeries are known for. Cooking the quinoa first is essential: raw quinoa would stay gritty, but pre-cooked grains soften into the dough and blend with the crumb. The spicy pork floss on top is optional but transforms the loaf from a plain milk bread into something savory and snackable.
If you like enriched Chinese breads, my whole-wheat poolish toast is another soft loaf with whole grains worked into it.
10-Sugar Whole Wheat Toast With Poolish (Quan Mai Tu Si)A sugar-free, fat-free 100% whole wheat toast built on an overnight poolish – soft, moist, bran-flecked crumb at 70% hydration, with a patient two-stage proofing method that actually works.Check out this recipe
Why This Recipe Works
- Cooking the quinoa first makes it tender. Pre-cooked grains blend into the crumb instead of staying hard and gritty.
- An enriched dough makes the crumb shreddable. Milk, egg, and butter give the loaf its soft, pull-apart texture.
- Kneading to a thin membrane builds structure. A translucent windowpane means the gluten is developed enough for a tall, even rise.
- Three rolled logs create the classic shape. Dividing and rolling gives the loaf its bakery-style seams and even crumb.
- A gentle convection bake keeps the crust soft. 170°C (340°F) for 28 minutes bakes the loaf through without toughening the outside.
Equipment Needed
- Stand mixer with dough hook
- Loaf pan
- Small pot for the quinoa
- Rolling pin
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 250 g (2 cups) bread flour (高筋面粉)
- 4 g (1 tsp) salt
- 20 g (1.5 tbsp) butter, softened
- 3 g (1 tsp) instant yeast
- 20 g (1 tbsp) egg
- 40 g (1/4 cup) quinoa, cooked and cooled
- 15 g (1 tbsp) sugar
- About 150 ml (2/3 cup) milk, as needed for the dough
- Spicy pork floss (辣肉松), for the top (optional)
Ingredient Notes
Quinoa (藜麦). Rinse it, soak one hour, then boil about 20 minutes and drain well. Cool it completely before kneading it in, so it does not warm the dough.
Bread flour. High-protein flour is essential for a soft yet structured loaf; all-purpose gives a flatter rise.
Pork floss (肉松). The cook suggests a spicy version for the topping; it is brushed or sprinkled on after baking. It is optional but delicious.
Prep & Mise en Place
Rinse and soak the quinoa for an hour, then boil 20 minutes, drain, and let it cool completely. Weigh the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and egg into the mixer bowl and have the milk ready to add gradually. Soften the butter and grease the loaf pan.
Cooking Process
Step 1 — Cook the Quinoa and Mix the Dough
Soak the quinoa an hour, boil 20 minutes, and drain and cool. Add all the dough ingredients except the butter and quinoa to the mixer and knead on low to combine, then on medium until the dough stretches.
Step 2 — Add Butter and Quinoa, Then Rise
Add the butter and quinoa and knead to a smooth, thin membrane. Let the dough rise at room temperature or in a proofing oven until doubled — a finger poked into it should leave a hole that springs back slightly.
Step 3 — Divide, Round, and Rest
Punch down the dough, divide it into 3 pieces, round each one, cover, and rest 20 minutes.
Step 4 — Roll, Shape, and Proof to the Rim
Roll and shape each piece into a log, rest 20 minutes, then place them in the loaf pan and proof at 35°C (95°F) until the dough reaches nine-tenths of the pan. Bake in a preheated convection oven at 170°C (340°F) for 28 minutes, then brush the top with pork floss.
Step 5 — Add the Spicy Pork Floss
The baked loaf can be topped or filled with spicy pork floss for a savory finish.
Step 6 — Bake Until Golden
Bake at 170°C (340°F) for 28 minutes in a convection oven, until the top is golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
Quinoa holds a surprising amount of water, which is exactly why it works here. The cooked grains release moisture into the crumb as the loaf bakes, keeping it tender for days — and the same moisture is why the grains must be drained and cooled before kneading, or they would make the dough slack.
Step 7 — Cool and Slice
The finished loaf is super soft. Cool it in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out and slice.
Common Mistakes When Making Quinoa Toast
1. The loaf is dense. Cause: under-kneading or old yeast. Fix: knead to a thin membrane and use fresh yeast.
2. The quinoa is gritty. Cause: not cooked or drained enough. Fix: soak an hour, boil 20 minutes, and drain thoroughly.
3. The dough is sticky and slack. Cause: wet quinoa. Fix: cool and drain the quinoa completely before adding it.
4. The top browns too fast. Cause: oven too hot. Fix: bake at 170°C (340°F), tenting with foil if needed.
5. The loaf collapses after baking. Cause: over-proofing. Fix: proof only to nine-tenths of the pan.
Variations
Plain milk toast. Skip the quinoa for a classic soft loaf, like my milk bread rolls.
Butter-topped. Brush the warm crust with butter, as in my butter bread.
Floss everywhere. Swirl pork floss through the rolls before baking and top with more, like my pork floss buns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use white quinoa? Yes — any color works; tri-color adds a prettier speckle.
Do I need a stand mixer? No, but enriched doughs take 15-20 minutes by hand.
Can I bake it in a regular oven? Yes — bake at 175°C (350°F) for about 30 minutes.
How long does it keep? Wrapped at room temperature for 2-3 days, or freeze sliced for 2 months.
Can I skip the pork floss? Yes — the loaf is delicious plain or with butter.
How to Serve
Slice the loaf for toast, sandwiches, or French toast, or serve it alongside bacon pork floss toast and butter sugar toast for a bakery-style breakfast, or with coconut bread strips and tangzhong buns for a bread basket.
Storage & Reheat
Store the cooled loaf in a sealed bag at room temperature for 2-3 days, or freeze slices for up to 2 months. Toast slices to refresh, or warm the whole loaf at 150°C (300°F) for 5 minutes.
Allergen Notice
Contains wheat, dairy (butter, milk), and egg. Pork floss contains pork and often soy; check the label.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
About the Author & Recipe Development
I am Lin, and I grew up in my parents’ restaurant kitchen in Chengdu, where the bread we ate was steamed, not baked. Quinoa in a milk loaf would have puzzled my father — until he tasted it. This xiachufang recipe is soft, nutty, and faintly sweet, with the pork floss giving every slice a savory edge. I tested it twice: the first time I under-drained the quinoa and the dough turned slack; the second time, cooled and drained properly, the loaf rose tall and shredded beautifully. It is now my favorite way to use up cooked quinoa.
Authoritative References
King Arthur Baking on enriched doughs and proofing, and USDA Safe Temperature Chart for storing egg-enriched breads.
Quinoa Pork Floss Toast (藜麦辣肉松吐司): Soft and Savory
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Loaf Pan
- Small Pot
Ingredients
For the Loaf
- 2 cups bread flour 250 g
- 1 tsp salt 4 g
- 1.5 tbsp butter, softened 20 g
- 1 tsp instant yeast 3 g
- 1 tbsp egg 20 g
- 0.25 cup quinoa, cooked and cooled 40 g
- 1 tbsp sugar 15 g
- 0.66 cup milk, as needed about 150 ml
- 1 handful spicy pork floss for the top, optional
Instructions
- Soak the quinoa an hour, boil 20 minutes, drain and cool. Mix all dough ingredients except the butter and quinoa, then knead until the dough stretches.
- Add the butter and quinoa and knead to a thin membrane. Rise until doubled.
- Punch down, divide into 3, round, and rest 20 minutes.
- Roll and shape into logs, rest 20 minutes, then proof in the pan at 35°C (95°F) to nine-tenths full.
- Optionally top or fill with spicy pork floss.
- Bake in a convection oven at 170°C (340°F) for 28 minutes.
- Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then turn out and slice.
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