This Week's Bread: Japanese Milk Bread
When it comes from a bakery, I love this bread. SUPER soft, mildly sweet.
This version is not as soft, but still super soft, and that may be because I might have overcooked the tangzhong, which is a kind of "dough conditioner." Still, it softened the bread wonderfully. I was also surprised to see there was cinnamon and cardamom in this, which gives a nice flavor on top of the sweetness.
# Japanese Milk Bread
Street Fighter: The Official Street Food Cookbook
2.0 tbsp bread flour [tangzhong]
0.5 cup milk [tangzhong]
1.0 tbsp active dry yeast
0.75 cup milk (warm) [dough]
1.0 tsp salt
1.0 tsp ground cardamom
0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
0.3333333333333333 cup sugar
1.0 whole egg (room temperature) [dough]
0.25 cup unsalted butter (softened)
nonstick spray
1.0 whole egg [eggwash]
2.0 tbsp milk [eggwash]
2.75 cup bread flour [dough]
Tangzhong:
1 - Combine bread flour and milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
2 - Whisk until it comes together, about 1 minute. Set aside to cool.
Dough:
3 - Combine yeast and milk in a small bowl, and let rest for 5 minutes, allowing the yeast to become active and frothy.
4 - In a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment, combine the bread flour, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, and sugar.
5 - Add the tangzhong, yeast mixture, and egg to the bowl, and mix until it just comes together.
6 - While the dough begins to form, add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time.
7 - Knead the dough for 5 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add 1 tablespoon (8 g) of flour at a time. If it is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time.
8 - Lightly oil a large bowl with a neutral oil or nonstick spray. Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl, cover, and let rest in a warm location for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
9 - Punch down the dough, and knead for a few minutes.
10 - Divide the dough into 3 equal portions.
11 - Grease a deep loaf pan or other deep bread-baking pan.
12 - Take one of the portions and roll the dough out into a long rectangle. Make sure the width of the rolled-out portion is not wider than the baking dish you are using.
13 - Starting from a short end of the rectangle, carefully roll up the dough. Place in the prepared baking pan, seam-side down. Repeat with the other portions.
14 - Cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise again at room temperature for 30 minutes or until it doubles in size.
15 - Preheat an oven to 350°F
Egg Wash:
16 - In a small bowl, whisk the egg and milk to combine.
17 - Remove the plastic wrap from the baking pan, and brush the top of the bread with the egg wash.
Dough:
18 - Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
Makes 1 loaf of 10 slices at 37.5g per slice.
Calories 246
Total Fat 2g
Total Carbohydrates 37g
Protein 7g
