Japanese Milk Bread Food

JAPANESE MILK BREAD (SHOKUPAN)

Steps:

• Starter:Whisk together milk, 1/2 cup water, and flour in a small saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, until thickened slightly but still pourable (it should have the consistency of loose pudding), 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl; let cool until warm to the touch but no longer hot, about 10 minutes.
• Dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, milk powder, sugar, salt, and yeast. Make a well in center of mixture. Add milk, melted butter, and starter to well; stir until a dough forms. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic and springs back when lightly pressed, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl brushed with butter; brush top of dough with more butter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush two standard 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with butter. Punch down dough. Transfer to a clean work surface and divide in half. Roll each half into an approximately 9-inch log; transfer to prepared pans. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise until more than doubled in volume (doughs should rise about 1 1/2 inches above tops of pans), 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Whisk egg white with 1 teaspoon water and gently brush onto tops of dough. Bake until puffed, golden brown, and a thermometer inserted in centers registers 200 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pans on a wire rack 15 minutes. Flip loaves out onto rack; let cool completely before slicing and serving, or store, unsliced and wrapped in parchment-lined foil at room temperature up to 3 days, or sliced and frozen up to 3 months.

JAPANESE MILK BREAD

Steps:

• Whisk water and bread flour together in a saucepan over low heat. Cook roux until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 150 degrees F (65 degrees C). Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
• Place 3 cups plus 3 tablespoons bread flour, sugar, milk powder, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed. Add cooled roux, egg, cream, and water. Knead dough until it comes together in a shaggy mass, 1 to 2 minutes. Continue to mix on low speed until dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl.
• Increase speed to medium and start adding butter. Mix until completely incorporated and dough is smooth, 10 to 20 minutes. Remove dough from the mixer and place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.
• Flatten dough and roll into an oblong shape. Place in a greased loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Uncover loaf and bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Cover with foil if top starts to brown too quickly. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a rack to cool completely.

JAPANESE MILK BREAD

Steps:

• Make the starter: In a small heavy pot, whisk flour, milk and 1/2 cup water (120 milliliters) together until smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, stirring often, until thickened but still pourable, about 10 minutes (it will thicken more as it cools). When it's ready, the spoon will leave tracks on the bottom of the pot. Scrape into a measuring cup and lightly cover the surface with plastic wrap. Set aside to cool to room temperature. (You will have about 1 cup starter; see note below.)
• Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt and mix for a few seconds, just until evenly combined.
• Add egg, milk and 1/2 cup starter. Turn the mixer on low speed and knead 5 minutes.
• Add soft butter and knead another 10 to 12 minutes (it will take a few minutes for butter to be incorporated), until the dough is smooth and springy and just a bit tacky.
• Lightly butter the inside of a bowl. Use your hands to lift dough out of mixer bowl, shape into a ball and place in prepared bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes.
• Punch the dough down and use your hands to scoop it out onto a surface. Using a bench scraper or a large knife, cut dough in half. Lightly form each half into a ball, cover again and let rise 15 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In the meantime, generously butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
• Using a rolling pin, gently roll out one dough ball into a thick oval. (By this time, the dough should be moist and no longer sticky. You probably will not need to flour the surface, but you may want to flour the pin.) First roll away from your body, then pull in, until the oval is about 12 inches long and 6 inches across.
• Fold the top 3 inches of the oval down, then fold the bottom 3 inches of the oval up, making a rough square. Starting from the right edge of the square, roll up the dough into a fat log, pick it up and smooth the top with your hands. Place the log in the buttered pan, seam side down and crosswise, nestling it near one end of the pan. Repeat with the other dough ball, placing it near the other end of the pan.
• Cover and let rest 30 to 40 minutes more, until the risen dough is peeking over the edge of the pan and the dough logs are meeting in the center. Brush the tops with milk and bake on the bottom shelf of the oven until golden brown and puffed, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Let cool in the pan 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and let cool at least 1 hour, to let the crust soften and keep the crumb lofty. (If cut too soon, the air bubbles trapped in the bread will deflate.)

JAPANESE TANGZHONG MILK BREAD (WATER ROUX)

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.

CHEF JOHN'S MILK BREAD

Steps:

• Whisk bread flour, water, and milk for starter together in a small saucepan until very smooth. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring often, until very thick and just about to bubble. If you want to check, it should be at least 150 degrees F (65 degrees C). Pull off the heat and transfer into a measuring cup; you will need exactly 1/2 cup. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Prepare dough: Combine bread flour, cooled starter, salt, sugar, yeast, warm milk, and egg in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Beat on low speed until dough begins to form a ball and pull away from the sides of the bowl, scraping down the sides as needed, about 5 minutes.
• Stop the mixer and scrape dough off the hook and into the bowl. Add butter and knead on low speed until dough is slightly tacky but very smooth and elastic, scraping down the sides as needed, 10 to 12 more minutes.
• Remove dough from the bowl and shape into a smooth ball. Transfer into a lightly buttered bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Very generously butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
• Transfer dough to a work surface (you don't need flour.) Press and knead out all the air and shape into a 9-inch wide rectangle. Starting at one 9-inch side, roll dough lengthwise into a log. Transfer log into the prepared loaf pan with the seam down. Press on dough a bit to be sure it's evenly distributed. Cover the pan and let dough rise until it comes to just about the top of the pan, 35 to 45 minutes.
• Brush the top of the loaf with just enough milk to lightly coat the surface.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until the top is golden brown and the load is beautifully puffed up, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan for 10 minutes. Very carefully remove bread and place on a wire rack to cool all the way to room temperature before slicing, about 1 hour.

SHOKUPAN

Steps:

• Make Yudane the night before. Place bread flour in a bowl and add boiling water and mix well. Put cling wrap and refrigerate overnight. *4
• Pour the room temperature milk into a stand mixer bowl.
• Add sugar,butter and yeast to the bowl then add the yudane as you tear it into small pieces.
• Add the bread, flour and salt.
• Attach the kneading hook onto the stand mixer and combine all ingredient on low speed 1.
• When all ingredients are combined, turn the speed up to 5 or 6 and knead the dough for 20 min.
• Roll the dough round and place the dough into a greased bowl. Wrap with cling wrap to rise for about 45 min to 1 hour at about 86°F(30°C) or until double the size.
• Use your finger, to test if the dough has risen by dusting your finger with flour and poking the dough. If the dough doesn't bounce back and the hole you poked stays there, it is ready.
• Punch the dough down and cut the dough into two equal parts with a scraper and roll them.
• Cover the rolled doughs with a wet cloth and stand it for 20 minutes bench time.
• Roll out each dough to about 5.9x7.8inch (15 x 20 cm) rectangle with a rolling pin.
• Fold the dough tightly not letting any air in towards the centre from left and right.
• Rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll it from one end.
• Spray one loaf bread tin lightly and place the rolled dough in the end of the tin facing the centre.
• Cover it with a wet cloth and let the dough rise for a second time until the dough rises to the size of the bread tin about 30 min.
• Start to preheat the oven to 365 °F(185°C).
• When the dough has risen to be level with the tin, it's ready to bake.
• Bake the dough for about 25 -30 minutes in preheated oven.
• Remove the bread from the tin and cool it down on a rack. * 5
• Whisk an egg, rightly brush over the bread dough.(Optional)

SHOKUPAN

Steps:

• For the starter: Whisk together the flour, milk and 1/3 cup (75 milliliters) water in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan until smooth. Turn the heat to medium low and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and pasty, about 3 minutes. Scrape the starter into a small bowl. When cool, cover and refrigerate to allow the starter to rest and firm up slightly, about 2 hours.
• For the dough: After the starter rests for 2 hours, briefly stir together the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a stand mixer fitter with the dough hook attachment. Add the milk, egg and starter and knead on low speed until completely combined, about 3 minutes. Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time and knead on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the hook once or twice, until the dough is smooth, elastic and a little sticky, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, lightly grease a large bowl. Generously grease a 9-by-4-inch pullman loaf pan or 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
• Gather the dough from the mixer, form into a ball and place in the greased bowl seam-side down. Cover with a kitchen towel, set in a warm place and let rise until doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough and roll it out onto a clean work surface. (If needed, lightly flour the surface.) Cut the dough into 2 pieces. Gently form each piece into a ball and set the pieces next to each other seam-side down. Cover with the kitchen towel and let rise for about 15 minutes.
• When the dough is ready, lightly flour a rolling pin and/or the work surface, if needed. Gently roll out 1 ball of dough into a 6-by-9-inch oval. Fold the top edge of the oval over to the center, then repeat with the bottom edge. Tightly roll the right edge of the dough until you form a log. Gently transfer the log to the prepared pan seam-side down, so one of the smooth sides touches one end of the pan. Repeat with the remaining ball of dough, setting it in the pan so one of the smooth sides touches the other end of the pan. Cover with the kitchen towel, set in a warm place and let rise until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• When the dough is ready, brush the top with a little milk and bake until the center measures 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 35 minutes. Carefully remove the bread from the pan and set on a wire rack on its side for at least 1 hour before slicing. (If you cut it when the bread is warm, it will compress and lose its fluffy texture.)

JAPANESE MILK BREAD OR ROLLS WITH SOURDOUGH

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.

JAPANESE MILK BREAD

Steps:

• Place the water in a small saucepan. Add the bread flour and whisk until you have a smooth mix with no lumps. Add the rest of the milk and whisk to combine.
• Heat over medium heat while whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. The resulting mixture should have a thick, pudding-like consistency.
• Scrape the mixture into a bowl and then cover with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap is touching the surface of the tangzhong to prevent a skin from forming on top.
• Allow the tangzhong to cool to room temperature.
• In your mixing bowl, place the lukewarm milk and dissolve about 1 tsp of the sugar in the liquid. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and stir gently to mix. Allow the milk + yeast mixture to stand for about 10 - 20 minutes until the yeast is activated. The mixture should become bubbly and frothy on the surface.
• Once the yeast is activated, add the milk powder (if using), the rest of the sugar, tangzhong, the egg, flour, and finally the salt.
• Using a spatula, mix the dough to combine the ingredients and to help form a scraggly dough.
• With the dough hook attached to your mixer, knead the dough for about 5 minutes on a low speed (speed 2 or 3). The dough will be very sticky and stick to the sides, but continue mixing and the dough will start to come together.
• After 5 minutes of kneading, add the butter in 3 - 4 additions, mixing for about 20 seconds in between. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl to make sure the dough mixes well.
• Once all the butter is incorporated into the dough, turn up the speed to 4 - 5 (medium speed) and knead for a further 5 - 7 minutes. Scrape the bowl once or twice while kneading.
• The dough should become smooth, satiny and pull off cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and shape the dough into a ball. Then place the dough back in the mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
• Keep the bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to double in size (about 1 - 2 hours, depending on the weather/ambient room temperature).
• When the dough has proofed in a warm place, you can transfer it to the fridge for a couple of hours just to make it a little easier to handle. THIS IS AN OPTIONAL STEP.
• Alternatively, place the bowl in the fridge and let it slow proof for about 12 hours. The dough will also be easy to handle when chilled.
• Once the dough is proofed and you're ready to shape the dough, prepare the loaf pan. Butter 1 - 4.5 x 8.5 inch loaf pan and dust the pan with flour. If making dinner rolls, butter a 9 or 8 inch square cake pan, and dust the sides with flour. Set aside until needed.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press all the excess air out of the dough.
• Weigh the dough, and divide it into 4 equal portions.
• Roll out each dough portion into a six inch (approximately) square.
• Fold the opposite corners of the square in towards the middle.
• Roll up this piece of dough, starting from the pointed end. Make sure you roll up the dough firmly, and a little tightly. If it's too loose, you may end up with large holes in the baked bread.
• Once you've rolled up the dough to the top, fold the pointed edge in and pinch the seam to seal.
• Place the rolled up dough in the dough pan, seam side down. There will be 4 rolls per loaf pan.
• Repeat with all the dough portions and place them in the loaf pan.
• Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap and let the dough proof in a warm place, until doubled in size. This can take about 1 - 2 hours depending on the ambient room temperature. The dough should rise to just below the top of the loaf pan.
• Divide the dough into 9 equal pieces.
• Roll each piece into smooth, round dough balls and place them in the square baking pan, with about ¼ - ½ inch of space between each ball. Each square baking pan should have 9 rolls each.
• Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap and let the dough proof in a warm place, until doubled in size. This can take about 1 - 2 hours, depending on the ambient room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C. Once preheated, AND the bread is proofed, brush the top of the bread dough with a milk wash (for a more matte crust), or an egg wash (for a glossy crust). Bake in the preheated oven for 30 - 35 minutes (for the loaf), or 20 - 30 minutes (for the bread rolls). If the bread starts to caramelize too much in the oven, place a piece of foil over the surface of the bread to prevent it from burning.
• If you have a thermometer, bake until the internal temperature is about 190 - 205°F (88 - 96°C).
• Remove the loaf pan / baking pan from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a wire rack and let it cool down further.
• This bread is easier to slice when at room temperature, but can be enjoyed warm too.