Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Hokkaido Milk Bread


Hokkaido Milk Bread


The Hokkaido milk bread is a type of Japanese bread that is much softer and smoother in texture than other breads. It's similar to the way Chinese pastries are made, where a starter is made separately and later added to the dough. The starter makes the bread more soft and pillow-y. It doesn't have the crumby and grainy texture like other breads. Personally, I much prefer milk breads over regular breads, but they're difficult to find unless you live near an Asian grocery store. An even then, a fresh piece is quite rare. If you love milk breads, I recommend making your own batch for the freshest quality! I was very happy with the results. It came out perfect!

This recipe was adapted from Food52's recipe. I switched up a few ingredients, but still found good results with what I used. I also tried another recipe from the New York Times, but I found better results for Food52. 


Serving: 1 9x4 inch loaf pan

Ingredients:
  • Starter:
    • water, 6 tbsp
    • all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp
  • The Dough:
    • whole milk, 1/4 cup
    • active dry yeast, 1 & 1/2 tsp
    • all-purpose flour, 2 & 3/4 cup
    • salt, pinch
    • powdered sugar, 1/4 cup
    • evaporated milk, 1/4 cup
    • eggs, 2
    • softened butter, 2 tbsp

Directions:
  1. For the starter, simmer water and flour in a small pot until it becomes thick.
  2. Add warm milk and yeast. Stir and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
  3. For the dough, sift flour, salt, and sugar together and mix.
  4. Add 1 egg and evaporated milk into the starter. Mix. Then add milk and mix.
  5. In the dry ingredients bowl, make a hole in the center and add the wet ingredients. Mix all. 
  6. Knead for 5 minutes. 
  7. Add 1 tbsp butter and mix.
  8. Repeat #7.
  9. Knead for 5-10 minutes while adding 1 tbsp of flour.
  10. Cover and let the dough rise for 2 hours.
  11. Punch the dough and cut the dough into 3 pieces. Roll up the pieces at let it rise for one hour.
  12. Roll the pieces and put it into a 9x4 loaf pan.
  13. Use an egg wash over the dough.
  14. Bake for 350F for 25 minutes.
  15. Cool for 30 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!


Links:
Food52
http://food52.com/recipes/30962-hokkaido-milk-bread

New York Times recipe (alternate recipe)
http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016275-japanese-milk-bread