Japanese Milk Bread Rolls Recipes

Steps:

• Make tangzhong (water roux) by wisking together the 25 g flour with the 125 ml of water in a small saucepan.
• Heat mixture over medium-low heat while stirring constantly until it thickens enough that your stirring leaves 'lines' or 'trails' on the surface, and then remove from heat immediately and scrape into a small bowl.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying on the surface and cool to room temperature.
• Put milk, egg and cooled tangzhong in mixer bowl or bread machine pan.
• Add remaining ingredients except butter and turn on machine to begin mixing.
• Mix until ingredients just come together and then add butter.
• Knead until dough is smooth and elastic and will form a windowpane when stretched.
• Proof dough, covered, until it doubles.
• Deflate dough and divide into 4 equal portions, trying to make them as equal as possible (weighing is the best way).
• Cover and rest 15 minutes.
• Roll out each portion into an oval shape.
• Fold each side of the oval to the middle and roll again to flatten the seam.
• By hand, roll up each portion of folded dough starting at the unfolded end, so it resembles a swiss roll.
• Place all four rolls into a greased 9" x 5" bread pan with the ends of the rolls facing the long sides of the pan.
• Cover and proof until doubled.
• At this point you can apply an egg-wash by beating an egg and lightly brushing it over the top of the dough (optional).
• Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for about 30 minutes, until a deep golden brown.
• Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
• If you didn't use an egg wash, you can brush tops of hot bread with melted butter if desired.
• NOTE: for those of you who do not have a scale, the measured ingredients would be: tangzhong=2 Tbsp + 2 tsp flour, 1/2 c water, Recipe=2 1/2 c bread flour, 2 tsp instant yeast, 4 T sugar, 1 tsp salt, 4 tsp milk powder, 1 egg, 1/2 c milk, 3 T butter.

Steps:

• Refresh your sourdough starter with a cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water to make a thick starter and let double in volume.
• To make roux, mix flour and water and heat slowly until it begins to thicken and trails can be seen as it's stirred. Take off heat and continue to stir for about a minute.
• Drop the cold butter pats onto the roux to keep the roux from forming a film.
• When the roux is lukewarm, mix it with the sourdough starter and the rest of the ingredients in a mixer. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
• Knead well, for about 8 to 10 minutes and tip out onto a floured counter.
• Stretch the dough into a rectangle and fold letter-style, top to bottom and side to side. Place in an oiled, clear straight sided container and cover. after 15 minutes, stretch and fold again. Put back into container.
• Let rise until doubled in volume from the original volume.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• After the rise, shape a loaf and place in an 8 inch by 4.5 inch pan that's well oiled. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until 1 inch above the walls of the pan. Brush the loaves lightly with an egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water and bake for 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes for even baking.
• If making rolls, divide risen dough into 12 pieces (56 to 57g each). Shape as desired and place on parchment paper, cover and let rise until puffed and about 50% larger in size. A piece of dough in a straight sided juice glass to judge when the dough is 1.5 times its original volume.
• Brush the loaves lightly with an egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water and bake in 350F oven for 6 minutes, turn and bake for 7 minutes until browned and 200F internally.
• Cool on rack before serving.