Japan #2

I don't want to dwell on this for too long because it wasn't the success I really wanted it to be. I'm still totally obsessed with Yakitate Japan! It hasn't bee updated for a while, I'm stuck on chapter 235 and I'm desperate to find out if Azuma defeats the bread monster Maou (if you don't know what the hell I'm talking about have a look here )
This is a Manga series about making bread, Azuma is some kind of bakery savant and everything he makes looks absolutely delicious. There area couple of recipes in the series that are, presumably, intended for Manga nerds who can't cook. So really this should be simple and straight forward. Well, lets have a look. I don't really need to explain anything. Here are the ingredients, I wanted to use up the wholemeal flour I had, but nothing prepared me for what happened next.
Result #1:
It's like a brick! 6 hours of preparation for a slightly burned on the outside, undercooked on the inside brick. Remember swimming lessons when the instructor would trow a rubber brick into the deep end of the pool and you had to dive in and get it? That is the weight and texture of this 'product'. I'm sad :(
Result #2:
Since this is Japan Bread #2 I felt compelled to try again. I put it in the warmest place I could think of, covered with pillows and towels to give it the best possible chance to rise. I kneaded it carefully, and gently placed it in the rice maker to steam-bake. Slightly better, more airy, but still undercooked in the middle. I think the culprit is either the fact that our rice maker is a lot bigger than the recommended size, or that you should not take cooking tips from nerdy geeks!