Celebrating World Bread Day gave me the opportunity to
audition a new bread recipe, using one of my favorite techniques. The bread is Japanese Chocolate Milk Bread
from King Arthur Baking Co. I love the
tangzhong technique because the texture of the bread is soft and lovely, and
you can’t go wrong with chocolate. They
were so good, that they never made it to the freezer for future enjoyment! I would enthusiastically recommend adding
this bread to your baking repertoire.
Japanese Chocolate Milk Bread
Prep 35 mins
Bake 30 to 35 mins
Total 6 hrs
Yield one sandwich loaf
Ingredients
Tangzhong
Tangzhong additions
- 4
tablespoons (57g) butter
- 1/3 cup
(76g) whole milk
- 1 large
egg
- 1
tablespoon (8g) instant yeast
Dough
Topping
Instructions
1. To
make the tangzhong: Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently
spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.
2. Combine
the flour, milk, and water in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until
thickened.
3. Transfer
the tangzhong to a large bowl. Add the butter and whisk until melted, then add
the milk and egg, whisking until smooth.
4. Add
the yeast and stir to combine. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes.
5. To
make the dough: Combine the tangzhong mixture with the
remaining ingredients (except the chocolate chips), then mix and knead — by
mixer or bread machine — to make a smooth, elastic dough; this could take
almost 15 minutes in a stand mixer.
6. Stir
in the chocolate chips; some hand kneading in the bowl may ease incorporation.
7. Shape
the dough into a ball and let it rest in a lightly greased bowl, covered, for 1
1/2 to 2 hours, until puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk.
8. Gently
deflate the dough and divide it into four pieces; if you have a scale each
piece will weigh about 180g.
9. Flatten
each piece of dough into a 5" x 8" rectangle, then fold the short
ends in toward one another like a letter. Flatten the folded pieces into
rectangles again (this time about 3" x 6") and, starting with a short
end, roll them each into a 4" log.
10. Place the
logs in a row of four — seam side down and side by side — in a lightly greased 9"
x 5" or 9"
x 4" x 4" pan.
11. Cover the
loaf and allow it to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until puffy and risen to
roughly 1" from the top of the pan.
12. Toward the
end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
13. To
bake the bread: Brush the loaf with the egg/water (egg wash)
and sprinkle with the sparkling sugar or pearl sugar.
14. Bake the
bread for 30 to 35 minutes, until it's firm on top and a digital thermometer
inserted into the center reads at least 190°F.
15. Remove the
loaf from the oven and cool it briefly in the pan, just until you can transfer
it safely to a rack to cool completely.
16. Storage
information: Store leftover bread, well wrapped, at cool room
temperature for 5 to 7 days; freeze for longer storage.
This year’s celebration is hosted by Zorra at 1xUmruhren Bitte aka Kochtopf. I’m looking forward to seeing all the other
breads that were baked and submitted.
