Japanese milk bread

Ingredients

Method

1. Activate Yeast : In a small bowl, add the warm milk, sugar and yeast. Give it a stir and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Tangzhong: In a small pan, over medium low heat, combine the milk and flour for the tangzhong.Whisk until thick like pudding. It takes a couple of minutes. It's ready when line streaks stay visible on the roux . Set aside and let cool.
3. Make Dough: In a stand mixer bowl, whisk the flour and salt together. Crack the egg in, add the yeast mixture and the tangzhong. Stir with a wooden spoon until it roughly comes together.
4. Knead: Using a stand mixer, knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Add the butter and knead for another 5-7 minutes. Dough may stick to the bottom of the bowl. Scrape and give it a fold so that the dough is evenly kneaded. To know if dough is ready, dust some flour on the sticky dough and poke it. If it springs back immediately, it's ready.
5. First Rise: Allow the dough to rise (covered) in a warm, draft free place for 1 - 1½ hours or until double in size.
6. Shape: Divide the dough into 3 equal parts and shape each into a ball. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it becomes a long oval. Fold one side (lengthwise) into the middle and then fold in the other side as well. Use the rolling pin and flatten it. Now, roll the dough into a cylinder. Pinch the seams. Place it seam side down into a greased 20cm x 10cm loaf pan. Repeat with the remaining two dough.
7. Second Rise: Cover and let rise again for 1 - 1½ hours or until double in size (or top of dough has risen over the top of the pan. 30 minutes before the loaf is ready, preheat the oven to 180C.
8. Bake and cool: When the bread is ready to bake, brush the top of the bread with egg wash and bake for 30 minutes. Loosely tent the bread with aluminum foil if it's browning too much during the last 5 minutes of baking. Remove the bread from the pan immediately and let it cool on a wire rack.