Hokkaido Milk Bread

Preparation: 20 min
Cooking time: 20-30 min
Waiting time: 60-90 min
Portion: 1 loaf bread 24x13x10 cm
Difficulty: 2/5

Ingredient
-Bread flour: 270 gr
-All purpose flour: 25 gr
-Corn starch: 5 gr
-Granulated sugar: 40 gr
-Milk powder: 15 gr
-Salt: ⅔ tsp (~4 gr)
-Instant dry yeast: 5 gr
-Milk: 125 ml – at room temperature
-Whipping cream: 75 ml (30-35% fat; at room temperature)
-Egg: 1 small egg ~ 45-50 gr (shell included)
-Whipping cream: 5-10 ml to brush bread – optional

Kitchen utensil
-Electric hand mixer or dough mixer (> 300W)
-Loaf pan 24x13x5 cm
-Rolling pin

Instruction

1. Knead and Proof dough

• Add 270 gr bread flour, 25 gr all purpose flour with 5 gr corn starch into mixing bowl, mix well.
• Mix the bread flour with milk powder, sugar and salt.
• Then, mix 5 gr instant dry yeast in flour mixture and create a hole in the center of flour bowl

In case if you use dry yeast instead of instant yeast, you should activate the yeast with these following steps:

1. Warm 125 ml milk (in recipe) at 32-38 Celsius by using microwave
2. Stir 1-2 gr sugar in warm water
3. Add 5 gr dry yeast in warm water and let it sit in 10 minutes
4. After 10 minutes, if you see the water bubbling then you can use it for making bread. If not, the yeast that you used may not be activated and not be able to make bread, you should use a new pack of yeast.

• Pour 125 ml milk (or activated yeast milk if you use dry yeast), whipping cream and beaten egg into dry ingredient bowl. Mix with wooden spoon.
• Knead the dough by using electric hand whisk with dough hooks or electric mixer at low speed in 10-15 minutes.

If the flour mixture is too crumbly, you can add 5-10 ml water into mixing bowl. Please note that you should pour little by little to prevent it from being too squashy

• Remove dough ball from mixer and knead by hand in 1-2 minutes
• Brush a thin layer of 2 ml oil in a clean bowl (to prevent the dough from sticking), place the dough ball into and cover with cotton towel.
• Prove the dough in 45-60 minutes at room temperature until it double its size

2. Shaping and Baking

• When the dough double its size, punch down the dough with your fist and briefly knead out any air bubbles or gas.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal parts
• Flatten the dough into square shape and roll it up. Repeat the same process with other parts.
• Brush a thin layer of cooking oil inside loaf pan, then sprinkle dry flour on to prevent the bread from sticking
• Place the shaped doughs into loaf pan, then prove it in another 30-45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven at 175 Celsius degree in 10 minutes when the dough rises 75%
• Brush a thin layer of whipping cream on bread loaf
• Place the pan in oven and bake at 175 Celsius degree in 35-40 minutes or until the bread turn to golden brown.
• Remove the loaf pan from oven and let it cool on rack at room temperature.
• Store in closed bag and serve within 1-2 day.

⚠️ ATTENTION!

1. The dough should be kneaded well and reach its balance ratio of ingredients (not too wet or to dry)
2. Shaping process should be done quickly so that every dough will rise at the same time (the first dough balls often rises more than others)