← Nouns Cooking · Japanese

Ingredients

• 240 g Strong bread flour
• 60 g plain or cake flour
• 30 g Sugar
• 5 g Salt
• 10 g Milk powder (optional)
• 5 g dried yeast
• 200 ml lukewarm milk
• 30 g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt, to glaze

Method

1. Stir the yeast into the warm milk with a pinch of the sugar and leave for 5 min until foamy.
2. Mix both flours, the remaining sugar, salt and milk powder in a large bowl. Add the milk and mix into a shaggy dough, then knead for 10 min until smooth.
3. Work in the soft butter and knead for 5 min more until the dough is silky and stretches thin without tearing.
4. Cover and leave somewhere warm for about 60 min, until doubled in size.
5. Knock back the dough, divide it into 8 and roll into balls. Cover and rest for 10 min.
6. Flatten each ball into an oval, fold the top third down and the bottom third up, pinch the seam and roll gently into a 14 cm log. Space them seam side down on a lined tray, cover and prove for 40 min until puffy.
7. Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Brush the buns with egg and bake for 12–15 min until golden brown.
8. Cool on a rack under a clean tea towel to keep the crust soft. Split along the top to fill.

Tips

• Classic fillings: yakisoba, egg salad, red bean paste with butter, or jam with margarine.
• They freeze well; warm through for a few minutes in a low oven.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Japanese Cooking 101 Chopstick Chronicles