HOKKAIDO MILK BREAD (TANGZHONG ROUX METHOD)

Steps:

• 1. To make tangzhong, combine bread flour, milk and water in a saucepan. Whisk to remove lumps. Place saucepan over medium-low heat on the stove and cook till thicken, whisking constantly. Cook till it thickens into a pudding-like consistency and you can leave lines in the roux. Set aside to cool.
• 2. Cool the tangzhong to ambient temperature before using. Tangzhong can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days and has to be brought to ambient temperature before using.
• 3. To make the bread, weigh out all the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl of the stand mixer.
• 4. Combine all the wet ingredients together (milk, egg and tangzhong) except butter.
• 5. Pour wet ingreidnts into the dry ingredients and mixing till combine, approximately 10 minutes. Add in butter and continue to mix till dough is smooth and elastic, approximately another 15 - 20 minutes. Conduct the windowpane test to determine if dough ready for proofing.
• 6. Place dough in a greased big bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Proof again for qbout 40 minutes till it has doubled its size. Can be proofed in oven at 40 Deg C covered with a towel.
• 7. Split dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 15 minutes.
• 8. Grease a 5" x 9" loaf tin.
• 9. Roll one piece of dough on a lightly floured surface into a long oval. Fold the right edge inward to the middle of the dough. Fold the left side inward overlapping the earlier layer. Seal and flatten the dough with a rolling pin.
• 10. Roll up the dough into little logs. Repeat with the other 2 pieces of dough.
• 11. Arrange the 3 pieces of dough, seam side down, in the loaf tin. Cover with plastic wrap and proof for another 40 minutes.
• 12. Preheat oven to 175 Deg C, while the bread is proofing.
• 13. Brush the top of the bread with a little egg wash. Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes until top is dark golden brown and bread is firm to the touch and sound hollow when tap on the bottom.
• 14. Turn out bread onto a wire rack and cool before slicing.
• 1. To make bread using a Bread Machine (Panasonic model), place all wet ingredients in the mixing bowl (milk, egg, tangzhong).
• 2. Add in all dry ingredients (salt, sugar, milk powder, bread flour, yeast).
• 3. Select "DOUGH" (9) function which only does mixing and proofing.
• 4. When all ingredients are combined, slowly add in butter and continue mixing till dough is smooth and elastic.
• 5. When the process switched to "RISE", turn off machine and repeat Step 3 again. This is to increase the kneading time to 40 minutes (each kneading cycle is 20 minutes).
• 6. Leave the machine to run its full cycle which also include approx. 40 minutes of proofing.
• 7. When dough has doubled its size, remove from mixing bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Cut into 3 equal pieces. Roll them into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and rest for 15 minutes.
• 8. Refer to previous instruction on shaping the dough prior to second proofing and baking instructions.