JAPANESE MILK BREAD (YEAST VERSION)

Steps:

• Tangzhong
• Whisk the milk and flour in a small saucepan until blended. Cook on med-low heat for several minutes until thickened, stirring or whisking frequently.
• Remove from the heat, and see the instructions below for melting the butter in the hot tangzhong.
• Dough Mixing and First Rise
• These instructions are for using a stand mixer. Scroll to the end of the recipe for hand-kneading instructions if you don't have a mixer.
• Add the butter in chunks to the tangzhong to melt it.
• Whisk the two eggs and then the milk into the tangzhong-butter mixture. Set aside briefly.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk the flour, sugar, salt and yeast; and then pour in the prepped wet ingredients.
• With the dough hook attachment, mix the dough on low speed for about 1 minute.
• Scrape down the sides of your mixer, and mix on medium speed for about 15 minutes. As you approach the 15-minute mark, the dough will become smooth and should pass the windowpane test.
• Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough into it. Form it into a ball, flip it smooth-side up, and cover.
• Let the dough rise until it has doubled, about 1-3 hours, depending on your room temperature and if you used instant vs. active yeast.
• Dough Shaping and Second Rise
• Prepare your pans by greasing them. You can use one large pullman pan, two loaf pans, or make rolls (16 rolls in two 9" round pans, 18 rolls in two 8" square pans, 24 rolls in two 9" square pans, 18 rolls in a 9x13" rectangular pan).
• Scrape the dough out onto a clean countertop. There's no need for flour. Press the dough into a rectangle, divide it and roll the pieces into balls. Your total dough weight is about 1400g. I divided the dough for my large Pullman pan in six 230g pieces.
• Place the balls in your pan(s) and cover. To be able to squeeze the dough balls into the large Pullman pan in an even manner, I placed the end pieces in first and worked my way toward the middle.
• Cover and let the dough proof for 1-2 hours (more if you put the dough in the refrigerator).
• Baking*
• Preheat your oven to 350F and brush the dough with the egg-milk wash.
• Bake loaves for 45-55 minutes and rolls for 30-35 minutes. Cover with foil partway through if the bread seems to be browning excessively.
• The internal temperature when ready should be at least 190F.
• Remove the bread from the oven but not the pans, brush the top with butter while its hot, and then let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pans.
• After the bread is completely cooled, store it in a plastic bag at room temp for a week or longer.
• *Bread baked in a glass loaf pans will need longer than metal pans.
• Instructions for kneading by hand
• Mix all of the ingredients except the softened butter in a bowl with a spatula, dough whisk and/or your hands. Let rest for 10 minutes, then transfer to your countertop and knead by hand, adding 2 Tbsp of butter at a time, kneading between butter additions until the butter is incorporated and the dough stays together. Now follow the instructions above from when you transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and start the first rise.
• https://breadtopia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/20200524_133907-Copy.jpg
• https://breadtopia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/20200525_123454-Copy.jpg