Scallion and Sesame Milk Bread (Sesame Shoku Pan)

Tangzhong

1. Place the water in a small saucepan. Add the bread flour and whisk until you have a smooth mix with no lumps. Add the rest of the milk and whisk to combine.
2. Heat over medium heat while whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. The resulting mixture should have a thick, pudding-like consistency.
3. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and then cover with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap is touching the surface of the tangzhong to prevent a skin from forming on top.
4. Allow the tangzhong to cool to room temperature.

Japanese milk bread dough

1. In your mixing bowl, place the lukewarm milk and dissolve about 1 tsp of the sugar in the liquid. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and stir gently to mix. Allow the milk + yeast mixture to stand for about 10 - 15 minutes until the yeast is activated. The mixture should become bubbly and frothy on the surface.
2. Once the yeast is activated, add the milk powder (if using), the rest of the sugar, tangzhong, the egg, flour, spice powder, and finally the salt.
3. Using a spatula, mix the dough to combine the ingredients and to help form a scraggly dough.
4. With the dough hook attached to your mixer, knead the dough for about 5 minutes on a low speed (speed 2 or 3). The dough will be very sticky and stick to the sides, but continue mixing and the dough will start to come together.
5. After 5 minutes of kneading, add half of the butter, and the sesame seeds, and knead those in for about 2 minutes or until the butter is mixed through.
6. Next, add the second half of the butter, along with the roasted sesame oil. Knead for about 2 minutes until the butter is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl to make sure the dough is mixing well.
7. Once all the butter is incorporated into the dough, turn up the speed to 4 - 5 (medium speed) and knead for a further 10 minutes. Scrape the bowl once or twice while kneading.
8. The dough should become smooth, satiny and pull off cleanly from the sides of the bowl. Take a piece of the dough and stretch it gently to see if it passes the window pane test. If the dough tears before you can create a thin “window”, knead the dough for a further few minutes until you can create the “window pane” with the dough.
9. Once the dough is sufficiently kneaded, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball. Brush the inside of the mixer bowl with oil or butter, then place the dough ball back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
10. Keep the bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to double in size (about 1 - 2 hours, depending on the weather / ambient room temperature).
11. When the dough has proofed in a warm place, you can transfer it to the fridge for a couple of hours just to make the dough a little easier to handle. THIS IS AN OPTIONAL STEP.
12. ALTERNATIVELY, place the bowl in the fridge and let it slow proof for about 12 hours. The dough will be easy to handle when chilled.
13. Once the dough is proofed and you’re ready to shape it, prepare the loaf pan. Butter 1 - 4.5 x 8.5 inch loaf pan and dust the pan with flour.
14. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press all the excess air out of the dough.

Japanese milk bread loaf (four portioned dough loaf)

1. Weigh the dough, and divide it into 4 equal portions.
2. Roll out each dough portion into a six inch (approximately) square.
3. Fold two opposite corners of the square towards the middle (see pictures in the post for a visual illustration).
4. Sprinkle about 2 - 3 tbsp of the finely chopped spring onions over the dough.
5. Roll up this piece of dough, starting from one pointed end towards the other. Make sure to roll up the dough firmly, and a little tightly. If it’s too loose, it may create air pockets and you might end up with large holes in your baked bread.
6. Once you’ve rolled up the dough, fold in the pointed end and pinch the seam to seal.
7. Place the rolled up dough in the dough pan, seam side down.
8. Repeat with the 3 other dough portions and place them in the loaf pan. You'll end up with 4 portions of rolled dough in the pan.
9. Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap and let the dough proof in a warm place, until doubled in size. This can take about 1 - 2 hours depending on the ambient room temperature.

Japanese milk bread loaf (standard loaf)

1. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to form a 16 x 12 inch rectangle.
2. Spread a thin layer of the finely sliced spring onions in the center of the rolled out dough (see pictures in the post). Fold over the long edges of the rectangle to meet in the middle, and then gently press down on the dough. You should end up with a dough that is about 8 x 12 inches, with spring onions sandwiched inside.
3. Tightly roll up the dough rectangle along the 12 inch edge. This way you'll end up with a dough that is about 8 - 9 inches in length. Pinch the seams to seal.
4. Place this inside the prepared loaf pan.
5. Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap and let the dough proof in a warm place, until doubled in size. This can take about 1 - 2 hours depending on the ambient room temperature.

Baking the bread

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C, while you proof the bread loaf.
2. Once preheated, AND the bread is proofed, brush the top of the bread dough with a milk wash (for a matte crust), or an egg wash (for a glossy crust). OPTIONAL - sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 - 35 minutes. If the bread starts to caramelize too much in the oven, place a piece of foil over the surface of the bread to prevent it from burning.
4. If you have a thermometer, bake until the internal temperature is about 190 - 205°F (88 - 96°C).
5. Remove the loaf pan / baking pan from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.
6. Turn the dough out onto a wire rack and let it cool down further.
7. This bread is easier to slice when at room temperature, but can be enjoyed warm too.