← Nouns Cooking · Japanese

Ingredients

• 250 g Strong bread flour
• 25 g Sugar
• 4 g instant dried yeast
• ¾ tsp Salt
• 160 ml lukewarm milk
• 25 g unsalted butter, softened
• 50 g unsalted butter, softened
• 60 g Sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 150 g plain or cake flour
• ¼ tsp Baking powder
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar, for coating

Method

1. Make the cookie crust: beat the butter and sugar until pale, then beat in the egg a little at a time with the vanilla. Mix in the flour and baking powder to a soft dough, wrap and chill for at least 30 min.
2. Make the bread: mix the bread flour, sugar, yeast and salt, add the milk and knead for 10 min. Work in the butter and knead for 5–8 min more, until smooth and elastic.
3. Cover and leave somewhere warm for 1 hour, until doubled.
4. Divide the bread dough into 8 balls and rest them for 10 min. Divide the cookie dough into 8 and roll each piece between sheets of baking paper into a 10 cm circle.
5. Drape a cookie circle over each bun, smoothing it about two-thirds of the way down the sides. Press the tops into the sugar, then score a criss-cross pattern with a dough scraper or the back of a knife.
6. Set on a lined tray, cover loosely and prove for 30–40 min, until about 1½ times the size. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
7. Bake for 13–15 min, until the buns are cooked and the crust is pale golden but not brown. Cool on a rack.

Tips

• Keep the cookie dough cold so it is easy to roll and drape; if it cracks, just pinch it back together.
• Contains wheat, egg and dairy. Best on the day they are baked.

Sources

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

Just One Cookbook Japanese Cooking 101 Chopstick Chronicles