Salt Bread (Shiopan)

Ingredients

• 250 g bread flour
• 50 g cake flour
• 5 g salt (for the dough)
• 10 g milk powder
• 20 g sugar
• 4 g instant yeast
• 190 ml cold water (essential to keep dough temp below 78°F)
• 20 g unsalted butter (room temperature, for the dough)
• 1 stick unsalted butter (cold, cut into 8 chunks for filling)
• flaky sea salt (for topping)
• melted butter (for brushing)

Steps

1. 1

   In a stand mixer bowl, combine the bread flour, cake flour, salt, milk powder, sugar, and yeast. Whisk briefly to distribute the dry ingredients.

2. 2

   Add the cold water to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until a cohesive dough ball forms and no dry flour remains.

3. 3

   Add the 20g of room temperature butter to the dough. Increase the mixer speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and passes the windowpane test. This may take 14-20 minutes depending on your mixer; do not add extra flour even if the dough seems tacky.

4. 4

   Shape the dough into a tight, smooth ball. Place it in a bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 to 1.5 hours.

5. 5

   Punch down the risen dough and divide it into 8 equal pieces, approximately 80g each. Shape each piece into a smooth ball.

6. 6

   Cover the dough balls and let them bench rest for 15 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.

7. 7

   While the dough rests, cut one stick of cold butter into 8 equal chunks (about 14g each). Keep these in the refrigerator until the moment you are ready to shape.

8. 8

   To shape, roll a dough ball into a teardrop shape. Use a rolling pin to flatten it into a very long, thin isosceles triangle, gently tugging the dough as you roll to elongate it.

9. 9

   Place a cold butter chunk at the wide top end of the triangle. Roll the dough down toward the point tightly, ensuring the tail end finishes at the bottom of the roll.

10. 10

    Place the shaped rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let them rise a second time until doubled in size and jiggly, about 45-60 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) during the last 25 minutes of rising.

11. 11

    Lightly brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter or water and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

12. 12

    Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown and the butter has created a crispy bottom.

Notes

Using cold water is critical to keep the dough temperature around 78°F; if the dough gets too hot (above 80°F), the gluten will weaken and become a sticky mess. For storage, freeze in a ziploc bag and reheat in an air fryer at 350°F for 5-8 minutes.

Nutrition per serving

• bread
• baking
• shiopan
• salt bread
• breakfast
• snack
• yeast bread