WHITE CHOCOLATE BREAD

Steps:

• Place all of the ingredients into the bucket of your bread machine, reserving 1/3 cup of white chips or chunks for the topping. Program the machine for basic bread, light crust, and press Start. After about 10 minutes of kneading, examine the dough; it should be smooth and soft, not gnarly. Add additional water, if necessary; the bread will rise properly and have a beautiful, tender texture if it has the correct amount of liquid. Note: If the bread is coarse-textured and collapses, use slightly less liquid the next time.
• If you have a bread machine that seems to heat the dough a lot as it kneads, such as the Breadman, add half the chocolate at the beginning of the kneading cycle and half near the end, as otherwise it may all melt. Adding all of the chocolate at the beginning worked fine with the Zojirushi, which is a "cooler kneader" than Breadman.
• Chop or crush the reserved white chocolate. Just before the final rise cycle begins, brush the top of the loaf with water or beaten egg white, and sprinkle with the crushed white chocolate. (This step is optional, but if you like caramelized white chocolate, it really adds a nice touch.) Allow the machine to finish its cycle.
• Here's a helpful hint: Just before the final rise cycle begins, and before you brush the top with water or egg, lift the dough out of the machine, remove the paddles, and spritz the bucket with non-stick baking spray. The baked bread will release more easily from the pan, and only small holes will be left in the bottom, rather than the larger holes the paddles would have left.
• You could also form this dough into breakfast buns and glazed with vanilla frosting.
• To make buns, place all of the ingredients (except 1/3 cup of the white chocolate) into the bucket of your bread machine. Program the machine for dough or manual, and press Start. When the cycle is complete, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured or greased work surface. Divide the dough into 12 pieces, each weighing slightly more than 2 1/2 ounces. Shape the pieces into round balls, and place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving room between them for expansion. Cover and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes; the buns will be almost double in size, and be very soft looking. Gently brush the buns with water or beaten egg white, and sprinkle the reserved white chocolate over their tops. Bake the buns in a preheated 350°F oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until they're a light golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool them a bit on a wire rack. Spread while they're still warm with the following glaze, if desired.
• In a small saucepan set over low heat, or in the microwave, melt together the white chocolate, butter, honey, and milk or cream, stirring until smooth. Sift the sugar into the chocolate mixture, and stir; thin with a teaspoon or so of extra milk if necessary to make a smooth, spreadable glaze. Spread over the warm rolls, then allow them to cool for an hour or so, for the glaze to harden. Yield: 12 buns.