Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 1/3 cup bread flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup warm milk
  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 500 grams bread flour
  • 1 tablespoon milk powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 120 grams Tangzhong
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)

Instruction

  • Start by making the Tangzhong. Add ⅓ cup bread flour and 1 cup water in a small saucepan and whisk using a wire whisk to make a lump-free mixture.
  • Cook the mixture on medium-low heat until its temperature reaches 65 Degrees F (or a thick slurry is formed). Keep stirring continuously while cooking to avoid the formation of lumps.
  • Once the mixture reaches the desired temperature, remove the pan from heat and transfer this mixture to a small bowl.
  • Immediately cover the bowl tightly with a cling wrap to avoid the formation of skin over the Tangzong. Let it cool down for 30 minutes.
  • To make the bread, add ½ cup warm milk, 4 tbsp sugar, and 2 tsp active dry yeast in a measuring cup and stir gently. Keep it aside for 10 minutes for the yeast to bloom.
  • Note – The milk should be warm and not hot. If it is hot, it will kill the yeast and it will not bloom. If the yeast has not bloomed, it means that either the milk was very hot or the yeast was expired or was not of good quality. Replace it with good quality yeast in that case.
  • Now in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine 500 g bread flour, 1 tbsp milk powder, ½ tsp salt, 1 egg, Tangzhong that we made earlier, 4 tbsp softened unsalted butter and the yeast mixture.
  • Fit the electric mixer with a hook attachment and knead to make a super soft dough.
  • Knead the dough on medium speed for 6-8 minutes until a smooth dough is formed. Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl.
  • Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and keep aside in a warm place for 1 hour until it doubles in size.
  • Punch the dough gently and divide it into 4 parts. I use a kitchen scale to divide the dough so that all my portions are equal in size.
  • Brush a 9×5 inch bread loaf pan generously with butter or oil. Now dust your hands with some dry flour and roll each part into a ball. Keep the dough on the surface and press it gently to make a rough 4-inch square.
  • Bring both the ends of the square in the center to make a rectangle and pinch the dough well at the joint.
  • Keep the dough rectangle in the prepared tray with the seam side down. Prepare all the remaining 3 parts in the same way and arrange them in the bread loaf pan next to each other.
  • Cover the pan lightly with a kitchen cloth and keep aside for 2 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Brush the loaf very gently with some milk and keep that pan in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the bread is nicely browned from the top.
  • Remove the pan from the oven and let the bread cool down for 10 minutes. Transfer it on a wire rack to cool down. Cool completely, slice, and serve.