Japanese Tangzhong Milk Bread (water Roux)

Total Time: 3 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 3 hrs Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 25 g bread flour
• 125 ml water
• 350 g bread flour
• 6 g instant yeast
• 55 g sugar
• 5 g salt
• 7 g powdered milk
• 1 egg
• 125 ml milk
• 30 g butter, softened

Recipe

• 1 make tangzhong (water roux) by wisking together the 25 g flour with the 125 ml of water in a small saucepan.
• 2 heat mixture over medium-low heat while stirring constantly until it thickens enough that your stirring leaves 'lines' or 'trails' on the surface, and then remove from heat immediately and scrape into a small bowl.
• 3 cover bowl with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying on the surface and cool to room temperature.
• 4 put milk, egg and cooled tangzhong in mixer bowl or bread machine pan.
• 5 add remaining ingredients except butter and turn on machine to begin mixing.
• 6 mix until ingredients just come together and then add butter.
• 7 knead until dough is smooth and elastic and will form a windowpane when stretched.
• 8 proof dough, covered, until it doubles.
• 9 deflate dough and divide into 4 equal portions, trying to make them as equal as possible (weighing is the best way).
• 10 cover and rest 15 minutes.
• 11 roll out each portion into an oval shape.
• 12 fold each side of the oval to the middle and roll again to flatten the seam.
• 13 by hand, roll up each portion of folded dough starting at the unfolded end, so it resembles a swiss roll.
• 14 place all four rolls into a greased 9" x 5" bread pan with the ends of the rolls facing the long sides of the pan.
• 15 cover and proof until doubled.
• 16 at this point you can apply an egg-wash by beating an egg and lightly brushing it over the top of the dough (optional).
• 17 bake in preheated 350 degree f oven for about 30 minutes, until a deep golden brown.
• 18 remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
• 19 if you didn't use an egg wash, you can brush tops of hot bread with melted butter if desired.
• 20 note: for those of you who do not have a scale, the measured ingredients would be: tangzhong=2 tbsp + 2 tsp flour, 1/2 c water, recipe=2 1/2 c bread flour, 2 tsp instant yeast, 4 t sugar, 1 tsp salt, 4 tsp milk powder, 1 egg, 1/2 c milk, 3 t butter.