Japanese Milk Bread

⏳ Time

1 hour + 4 hours

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

When baking bread, it's important to use steam. To do this, place a container of water in the oven while it's preheating. Remove it 15 minutes after the baking begins. When shaping the bread, you can roll the dough into logs and let them rise in that form. This will give the finished bread a beautiful shape.

Ingredients

Wheat Flour - 19.6 oz
Dry yeast - 0.4 oz
Dry Malted Milk Powder - 1.3 oz
Water - 10 fl oz
Chicken Egg - 2.3 oz
Butter - 1.6 oz
Sugar - 2.9 oz
Salt - 0.2 oz
Whole egg - 1 piece

Step by Step guide

Step 1

In a saucepan, mix 30 g of flour with 150 ml of water, stirring until there are no lumps. Heat over low heat until thickened or until it reaches a temperature of 60–158°F. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface and cool. In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, combine 525 g of flour, dry milk, 150 ml of water, the cooked dough, and all other ingredients. Mix on speed 1 for 3 minutes, then increase to speed 2 and mix for another 10–15 minutes. The finished dough should be uniform, smooth, and glossy.

Step 2

Transfer the dough to a greased container with a lid and leave it at room temperature. After 50 minutes, take it out, punch down the dough, cover it again for another 50 minutes, punch it down once more, and let it rest for an additional 40 minutes. The dough should increase in volume by about three times.

Step 3

Divide the dough into equal portions weighing approximately 120 g each.

Step 4

Shape the pieces of dough into rounds and let them rest for 10-15 minutes under plastic wrap. Then roll them into balls. The balls should be smooth and round on one side and uneven on the other.

Step 5

Place in greased molds with the uneven side facing down. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1.5 to 2 hours. The dough should increase to about three times its original size.

Step 6

Brush the top with an egg yolk mixed with water (egg wash). Bake in a preheated oven for 30–40 minutes at a temperature of 180–392°F until golden brown. After baking, immediately remove from the molds and cool on a wire rack.