Tag: rolls

japanese milk bread.

• this is what you need in your life.

• offensively soft, buttery and our personal favourite for any sandwich.

• hokkaido, also known as shokupan.

• this bread uses an old japanese technique called tangzhong to achieve that god damn irresistible crumb.

tangzhong

• the tangzhong is made by cooking out part of your liquid with some flour until it thickens, cooling it and then adding it to your dough when mixing.

• similiar to the french technique of making a roux, it is sometimes known as a ‘water roux’ . it involves whisking the flour over a medium heat until it is smooth and thick. however, the ratio is different to the classic french 1:1. the ratio you want here is around 1:6 flour to liquid.

• for this recipe, the scale is for either: one large sandwich loaf or 6 smaller rolls. we have made a double scaled batch at home to show you how to shape both methods.

making the tangzhong

• 60ml water
• 60ml milk
• 23g bread flour

• weight 60ml of water into a small pan, add the flour and whisk until smooth and no lumps remain. slowly pour in the milk and whisk.

• place the pan over a medium heat, and whisk constantly for a few minutes. by the time your arm starts to get sore, it should be thickening nicely.

• when it resembles custard, its ready. (see image).

• if you don’t know when its ready, that means you cant tell the difference between how thick milk and custard are and that is not something we are willing to try and help you with.

• pour it into something and place a layer of clingfilm directly on top to stop a skin forming. set aside to cool to room temperature.

• science behind it all : the starch gelatinizes at 65 degrees, stabilising the structure of your bread.

yeast

• you can make sourdough hokkaido, we have, but we believe for this dough, commercial yeast is bang on.

• if using dry yeast that you found in the back of your ma’s cupboard, make sure to check if it is active-dry yeast or instant yeast.

• instant yeast can be added straight to dough when mixing, in which case you do not need to ‘activate’ it like described below, so just throw it in with the rest of the ingredients.

• when using the active-dry version:
• pour 68g (½ cup if you are a wanker) of warm milk into a mixing bowl.

• add 4g sugar (1 teaspoon)

• add 7g active-dry yeast and stir until the yeast begins to dissolve. leave for a few minutes until bubbling and frothy. (if using instant yeast, continue without waiting).

• if you have a mixer or a kitchen-aid, now would be a good time. if not… it’s grand.

• you should always have some soft butter sitting around, ready for action. now is that time. if not, make sure you at least soften to room temperature:

• 58g, unsalted butter. set aside for now.

• add the following to your milk & yeast mixture:

• 325g bread flour
• 36g sugar (40g total with 4g already mixed in)
• 1 egg
• 6g salt (1 teaspoon).
• tangzhong, cooled to room temp

• mix together with a spatula briefly, throw that away and get involved. knead with your hands (dough hook on a mixer) until it starts to form a rough, ugly dough.

• knead for around 5-6 minutes, until starting to come together.

• slowly add the softened butter*, bit by bit, until fully incorporated.

• *if your butter isn’t soft enough, or is still a little cold, but you have added it anyway thinking “fuck it”, then you deserve the absolute nightmare that follows trying to mix that.

• pro tip: for fast softening, place butter inside baking paper, and bash with a rolling pin, listening to black sabbath (essential).

• when your dough starts to become smoother and less sticky, knead it into a tight ball, using the curve of your hands to round it and create tension on the surface.

• place into an oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm or a linen towel, and leave somewhere warm (22-24 degrees) until doubled and looking bodacious.

shaping

• time to make a decision.

• we prefer the sandwich loaf version. it rips into 4 perfect sandwich pieces, however you need a loaf pan, so failing that, make some rolls that you can bake on any flat tray.

• either way, tip your dough onto a lightly floured surface, and deflate with your hands, bringing her down a level. do it gently or hard, whatever you are into.

• as we mentioned, this is a double-recipe. so we cut this in half to show you each one and how it is shaped.

the loaf

• you can weigh it into 4 exact pieces, which is a good habit, we didnt. simply cut your dough in half, then half those two pieces.

• stretch and fold the sides of the dough into the centre, pushing firm and tight to seal.

• flip dough seam-side down, and tighten the log with a dough scraper or your hands.

• when the 4 pieces are ready, grab a loaf tin and rub butter on every crack and corner of the inside. place your 4 pieces of dough in the middle of the loaf tin, don’t worry if it looks a bit shit and underwhelming, after the proof, it will be popping.

alternatively

• this makes 6 good-sized rolls, you could make bigger ones or many small ones or put the dough together however you want, but you get 6 legit ones here, trust us.

• fold and seal the pieces. but instead of shaping into a log, round it into a ball with the curve of your hand, and tighten with scraper. place on oiled or buttered baking paper on a tray.

• whatever shape you went for, you are still going to proof the dough in a warm place, covered, until it has doubled in size. in the loaf tin, you want it to be just shy of the top of the tin.

• pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.

• you want to brush the top of your dough before it hits that oven. depending on how you like it, you could make the crust glossy by brushing with eggmix, or if you prefer a matte crust, use milk. we used a little of both.

• bake in the oven for:

• 20-25 mins (6 rolls)
• 30-35 mins (loaf)

• if the crust starts to darken a little too quickly, throw a little tin-foil on top.

• remove from oven. the smell is real.

• if you have a probe, you want your dough to be between 88-96 degrees internally. but you don’t need it, you know its ready. even if its not, look at it, you cant wait any longer.

• you should definitely let it cool. even just a few minutes, before gracefully ripping open and indulging in something that can only be likened to a buttered cloud.

recommended pairings

• whatever you want. you already know its perfect for everything, you are welcome. we hope you enjoy.

• we are aware there is no set recipe at the beginning of this post, because we wanted you to read it through and understand the breakdown of how to do this bread justice. if you got the whole way through and are feeling the call of the hokkaido people, here it is:

• tangzhong:
• 60ml water
• 60ml milk
• 23g bread flour

• dough:
• 325g bread flour
• 7g yeast
• 68g milk, warm
• 58g unsalted butter, soft
• 40g sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt