Japanese milk rolls are my first attempt at making a bread product. My first attempt was a few weeks ago which was a failure cos I forgot to add the egg. This time however, I was obsessive about the ingredients and making sure I used them all.
While I thought the recipe was fairly easy and straight forward, I found the dough to be pretty wet. I was so concerned that I called the help desk @ 855-371-2253. So the recipe that I used was from King Arthur Flour website.
The first question they asked was if I used King Arthur Flour and I may have lied and yes when the reality was I used a different brand. Do I really think that different brands have such a variance in the protein level that it can affect a recipe so drastically? No but since I have only just ventured into the world of breads, my lack of knowledge may have affected the dough. So something to keep in mind, if you decide to use this recipe, I recommend using King Arthur Bread Flour.
Now on to the recipe.
To make the starter, add water to a small pot.
Then add the milk …
And flour.
Whisk to get rid of lumps
On low heat, cook the flour mixture until it thickens, whipping constantly. Remove from the stove and place in a small mixing bowl and set aside until it is at room temperature.
To mix the rest of the dough, add flour to a large mixing bowl.
Dried milk …
Sugar …
Salt …
Yeast …
Starter …
Melted butter …
Lightly beaten egg …
And milk …
I mixed initially with a fork then got the hands in there. Kneading was a little challenging as this was a wet dough but I persevered.
I put the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rise.
After 90 minutes, the dough was ready for the next steps.
I placed the dough on a lightly floured surface. I always use parchment paper as it makes working with sticky and wet doughs much easier.
Divide the dough into 8 balls and place in your baking pan.
I let the dough rise a second time for 50 minutes.
Then I brushed the top and sides with milk to help get a lovely even browning.
Voila, just out of the oven.
For someone who was only attempting to make bread for the second time in her entire life, I would have to say that it was a very good job. Abigail, my fav taste tester actually asked for seconds.
I hope you try it out and let me know how it goes.
Japanese Milk Bread Rolls
Ingredients
Tangzhong (Starter)
- 43 g water
- 43 g whole milk
- 14 g King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour or Organic Bread Flour
Dough
- 298 g King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour or Organic Bread Flour
- 18 g Baker's Special Dry Milk or 11g nonfat dry milk
- 50 g sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 113 g whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 57 g melted unsalted butter
Instructions
- To make the tangzhong: Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan, and whisk until no lumps remain.
- Place the saucepan over low heat, and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until thick and the whisk leaves lines on the bottom of the pan, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer the tangzhong to a small mixing bowl or measuring cup and let it cool to room temperature.
- To make the dough: Combine the tangzhong with the remaining dough ingredients, then mix and knead — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until a smooth, elastic dough forms.
- Shape the dough into a ball, and let it rest in a lightly greased covered bowl for 60 to 90 minutes, until puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk.
- Gently deflate the dough, divide it into 8 equal pieces, and shape each piece into a ball.
- Place the rolls into a lightly greased 9 inch round pan. Cover the pan, and let the rolls rest for 40 to 50 minutes, until puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the rolls with milk or egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water), and bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until golden brown on top; a digital thermometer inserted into the center of the middle roll should read at least 190°F.
- Remove the rolls from the oven. Allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
- Yield: 8 rolls.