We love breads from Asian bakeries at home. And the kids and husband love sweet, soft bread. So this bread was so up our alley!
For the third installment of our Knead to Bake group, we got this amazing recipe that was super simple and yet the bread tasted quite complicated - that is, with loads of flavor.
Anyone who has been wondering if they should or could bake bread at home, try this recipe. Its not complicated and delivers a perfectly soft bread. Do let me know how it went!
Hokkaido Milk Bread
First you make a tangzhong which is a simple roux - a combination of flour, water and milk.
Tangzhong:
1/3 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Milk
Put all three ingredients into a pan and whisk until smooth. Place the pan on the stove over a medium heat and stir until slightly firm and lines begin to form in the roux as you stir (or the temperature of the roux reaches 65deg C). Take off the stove and allow to cool. Cover and set aside for at least two hours (or overnight in the refrigerator), but not more than 24 hours.
Then you make the bread.
Dough:
2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour

3 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Powdered Milk
2 tsp Instant Yeast (I used Active Dry Yeast)
1/2 cup Milk
1/8 cup Cream
1/3 cup tangzhong (about half of what we made above)
25g Butter (unsalted, softened)
Toppings, as desired (I did not use any toppings, but next time I'm going to make a savory version filled with cheese, or topped with herbs, or a sweet version filled with melted chocolate!).
I used my Kitchen Aid food processor to make the dough, and I would recommend using some kind of food processor. The dough is quite sticky until it starts coming together, and if you are kneading by hand you might tend to add flour to stop it from being sticky, which is not recommended. So if you are kneading by hand, be patient.
Those with the food processor, go ahead and add the flour, salt, sugar, powdered milk and yeast in the bowl. Pulse to combine. In another bowl, combine the milk, cream and tangzhong until smooth, and add to the dry ingredients in the processor bowl. Run on a slow speed until you see the dough coming together. Add the butter and keep processing on a slow speed until you have a smooth and elastic dough.
Form the dough into a ball and place in a well-oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a muslin cloth and keep in a warm place and allow the dough to rise for about 45 minutes.
Now take out the dough, flatten and form into a desired shape: you can make traditional loaves, rolls, or even some cute animal shapes for kids. This dough is so easy to work with that kids might love shaping it with you and enjoy making their own bread.
To make a loaf, divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll out each piece into a rough oval. Now fold the shorter sides of the oval down to the middle, where they slightly overlap. Roll this folded dough with a rolling pin so the unfolded edges are stretched out to form a rectangle. Roll the rectangle from one short edge to the other, pinching the edges to seal well (if you are adding a filling, do so at this stage, and then roll up the rectangle). Do this with each of the three pieces and place them, sealed edges down, in a well-oiled loaf tin.
Cover with a muslin cloth and let rise for about 45 minutes in a warm area. You can add toppings to the dough at this stage before baking. Brush the tops of the dough with cream and bake the bread at 170 deg C for about 30 minutes and browned on top.
Remove from the oven. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, remove from pan and place on a wire rack and allow to rest.
Serve warm or cool. Slathered with butter, or straight from the pan! Its delicious any way you try it.
Thanks
Aparna for this fabulous recipe!