Makes enough for one 9 × 13-inch/23 × 33 cm cake, or two 8-inch/20 cm rounds
THIS DOUGH IS AN AWESOME BUILDING BLOCK RECIPE FOR SO MANY BAKERY classics. Although many yeast doughs can be made unplugged, with just a wooden spoon and your hands, this recipe calls specifically for an electric stand mixer and a paddle attachment. The reason is that the precise amount of flour in this recipe is the key to its light, cakelike texture, and the dough itself is meant to be very loose. To knead it by hand, you’d need to way too much flour on your work surface to make it workable, making for a dry finished product. Using a mixer ensures a soft, pillowy, buttery dough.
2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
⅔ cup/148 g warm whole milk (110° to 115°F/43° to 46°C)
4 tablespoons/57 g unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup/50 g granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
2 cups/256 g unbleached all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Nonstick cooking spray for pan
In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the yeast and milk. Set aside for a couple of minutes. Whisk in the melted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the flour and salt. Fit the bowl onto the mixer along with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes, or until shiny. It will be a very loose dough-batter hybrid. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl well about halfway through the mixing time.
Spray a medium bowl with nonstick cooking spray or oil it lightly. Scrape the dough into the bowl and dust the surface of the dough with a couple of teaspoons of flour. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Use as directed in the recipes that call for this dough.