Hokkaido Milk Rolls

Directions

Before You Begin:

1. Bring the butter for the dough up to room temperature
2. Bring the egg for the dough up to room temperature

Tangzhong:

1. Add the flour, water, and milk over medium heat.
2. Whisk constantly until the mixture forms a sticky paste (should be just able to scoop it all up at once).
3. Remove from hot pan and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Dough:

1. Warm the milk to an appropriate temperature for your yeast (105-115F for dry active, 95F for fresh)
2. Mix the warmed milk and yeast and set aside to proof for about 10 minutes (if using instant yeast, you can skip the wait period)
3. Dump all the dry ingredients into a stand mixer bowl.
4. Add the milk + yeast mixture, and the room temperature egg and Tangzhong.
5. Mix at low speed (1-2 on a KitchenAid), scraping sides of bowl as needed.
6. As the dough starts to come together, increase speed to medium (no more than 4 on a KitchenAid) and slowly add the room temperature butter over a 5 minute period.
7. Once everything is incorporated and no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl, remove from the mixer and roll into a tight ball
8. Let rise for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
9. Punch down the dough and divide into 9, 75g pieces.
10. Lightly grease a 9x9 baking dish, and form dough pieces using the method described in Sourdough Sandwhich Bread or whatever your favorite method is, and place in 3 rows of 3 in the baking dish.
11. Cover and let rise for another 1-2 hours.
12. Near the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 350F.

Egg Wash

1. Make the eggwash by beating the egg and milk together.
2. Just before placing the rolls in the oven, brush with the egg wash.

Bake:

1. place rolls in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until desired doneness (note that the egg wash causes these to come out a lot darker than golden brown).

Garlic Butter: (While the rolls are baking)

1. Finely chop the garlic.
2. Add garlic and butter to a cold pan.
3. Turn on heat to medium and sweat the garlic for roughly 30 seconds and immedialte remove from the heat. (you don’t want to “cook” the garlic, but rather infuse the butter with the garlic flavor)

Serve:

1. Immediately after removing the rolls from the oven, brush with garlic butter and sprinkle with flaky salt if desired.
2. Serve warm or cooled.
3. Enjoy.