Hand-kneaded Japanese Milk Bread 手揉日式牛奶面包

I have tried different Japanese milk bread recipe. The interesting factor that attracted my attention was the hand-kneading pattern of this recipe. The recipe really gave a nice and springy texture bread 😀

Yield: 3 loaves of bread in a 26x10x7.5cm narrow base pan

Raw dough weight: 446g

Ingredients

240 (300)g Japanese bread flour

25 (25)g fine sugar

3 (3)g fine salt

2 (4)g instant dry yeast

80 (220)g fresh milk*

75 (0)g water

30 (0)g natural yeast, 100% hydration

20 (30)g unsalted butter

Original recipe quantity in green.
* Original recipe uses low-fat milk

Directions

1. Mix fresh milk, water and natural yeast together. In a mixing bowl, mix Japanese bread flour, fine sugar, fine salt and instant dry yeast together. Dig a well in the dry ingredients, and pour in the milk mixture.

Stir the ingredients in one direction till they formed into a lump that pulls away from the wall of the mixing bowl.

Knead the dough till smooth.

2. Spread out the dough and add 20g of unsalted butter to it. Take a 5-minute break to let the butter softened.

Combine the softened butter to the dough

and knead into a smooth dough.

3. Place the dough into a mixing bowl, spray some water over,

cover and let it proof for about 1 hour or till it double in volume.

4. Turn out the dough to a floued work top, flatten the dough, and divide into 3 portions. Shape the doughs into balls, cover and let them rest for about 15 minutes.

5. Take a dough and roll it into about 1 cm thick.

Fold the two longer sides to the centre.

Roll up the dough, starting from the shorter end, and pinch at the end to seal.

Place the rolled dough into a 26x10x7.5cm loaf pan, pre-coated with butter. Spray some water

cover with a tea towel, and let it proof for about 40~50 min,

or till the dough reaches the rim of the loaf pan.

6. Start to pre-heat the oven to 180°C, and dust some bread flour over the dough

7. Bake at lower rack of the oven at 180°C for 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 170°C and bake for 25 minutes.

End of baking.

8. Invert out the bread immediately after leaving the oven.

Let the bread cool down completely before cutting. Enjoy 😋