Japanese Milk Bread
Servings: 1 loaf
Ingredients
Starter:
⅓ cup bread flour
½ cup whole milk
½ cup water
Dough:
2 ½ cups bread flour
¼ cup sugar
2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 egg
½ cup warm whole milk, plus extra for brushing on the unbaked loaf
4 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed and softened
Directions
Starter:
In a small heavy pot, whisk starter ingredients together until smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, stirring often, until thickened but still pourable, about 10 min. (it will thicken more as it cools). When it’s ready, the spoon will leave tracks on the bottom of the pot. Set aside to cool to room temperature. (You will have about 1 cup starter, but only need ½ cup)
Dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt and mix for a few seconds, just until evenly combined.
Add egg, milk and ½ cup starter. Turn the mixer on low speed and knead for 5 minutes.
Add soft butter and knead for another 10-12 min., until the dough is smooth, springy, and tacky.
Lightly butter the inside of a bowl. Shape the dough into a ball and place it into the bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 40-60 min.
Punch the dough down and cut the dough in half. Lightly form each half into a ball, cover again and let rise 15 min.
Heat the oven to 350°F.
Using a rolling pin, gently roll out one dough ball into a thick oval. First roll away from your body, then pull in, until the oval is about 12 inches long and 6 inches across.
Fold the top 3 inches of the oval down, then fold the bottom 3 inches of the oval up, making a rough square. Starting from the right edge of the square, roll up the dough into a fat log, pick it up and smooth the top with your hands. Place the log in the buttered pan, seam side down and crosswise, nestling it near one end of the pan. Repeat with the other dough ball, placing it near the other end of the pan.
Cover and let rest for 30-40 min. more, until the risen dough is peeking over the edge of the pan and the dough logs are meeting in the center.
Brush the tops with milk and bake on the bottom shelf of the oven until golden brown and puffed, 35-40 min.
Let cool in the pan for 10 min., then remove to a wire rack and let cool for at least 1 hour, to let the crust soften and keep the crumb lofty. (If cut too soon, the air bubbles trapped in the bread will deflate.)