Salt Bread (Shiopan)

Ingredients

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

Steps

1. 1

   In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread flour, cake flour, salt, milk powder, sugar, and instant yeast.

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 softened 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 minutes or longer depending on your mixer). The dough should be tacky but not sticking to your hands.

4. 4

   Shape the dough into a tight ball and place it in a bowl. Cover and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.

5. 5

   Degas the dough and divide it into 8 equal pieces, approximately 80 grams 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 a stick of cold butter into 8 equal chunks. 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 roll it out into a very long, thin isosceles triangle, gently tugging the bottom as you roll.

9. 9

   Place a cold chunk of butter at the wide top end of the triangle. Roll the dough down toward the point, keeping it relatively tight. Ensure the tail end of the dough is tucked underneath the roll.

10. 10

    Place the shaped rolls on a baking sheet. Let them rise a second time until doubled in size (about 45-60 minutes).

11. 11

    Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) about 25 minutes into the final rise.

12. 12

    Gently brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

13. 13

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

Notes

Dough Temperature: Using cold water is critical to keep the dough temperature around 78°F. If the dough gets too warm (above 80°F), the gluten can weaken and become permanently sticky. Storage: Best eaten fresh. To store, freeze in a ziploc bag. Reheat in an air fryer at 350°F for 5-8 minutes.

Nutrition per serving

• bread
• shiopan
• baking
• snack
• breakfast
• Japanese
• vegetarian