Square Milk Bread

makes two 4x4 inch loaves or one 9x4 inch loaf

Ingredients

Tangzhong

20 gr bread flour

50 gr water

50 gr milk

Dough

290 gr bread flour

6 gr salt

30 gr sugar

5 gr dry yeast

130 gr warm milk (100-110F)

25 gr egg, room temp

25 gr unsalted butter, softened

Preparation

One day prior

In a small pan, mix all tangzhong ingredients together until well combined.
Place the pan over low heat, mix continuously until the mixture resembles thick glue, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the starter to a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Can omit refrigeration and just let cool to room temp for about 1 hour.

The day of

Remove the starter from the refrigerator 1 hour before making the bread.
In a stand mixer, add the bread flour, sugar, salt and dry yeast together.
Using a dough hook, gently mix the dry ingredients until combined.
Add milk, egg and tangzhong.
Mix on low speed for 5 minutes until a rough dough ball is formed.
Add butter, 1 tbsp at a time. Mix the dough for about 1 minute between each butter addition to ensure the butter is evenly incorporated in the dough.
Once all butter is added, mix on high speed for 10-12 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth.
Remove the dough from the mixing bowl.
Knead and tuck the outer edges of the dough under to form a smooth ball. Refers to video for folding instruction.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Proof for 1 hour or until double in size.
Deflate and knead the dough a few times.
Cover and proof for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough in two. Use only one dough ball if making one 4x4 inch square loaf. Use both if making a 9x4 inch loaf.
For each piece of the dough, fold it in half, rotate 90 degrees and fold it in half again. Continue to do so a couple more times. Shape the dough into smooth balls again.
Proof on the counter for 15 minutes.
Roll the dough out length wise. If the dough resists too much, gently stretch it by hand until desirable length first, then roll it out.
Fold each dough letter style- fold the bottom third up and then top third down.
Turn the dough 90 degrees, roll it out until desirable length and do another letter fold.
Repeat this step once more.
Roll the dough out length wide and shape into a log. The width should be about 4 inches wide. Pinch seams together.
Place the shaped roll in the loaf pan, push dough down gently to cover all corners, cover and proof for 40-60 minutes.
Stop proving once dough rises to the last 1/2 inch of the pan rim.
Brush with milk wash, if baking without the lid.
Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350F.
Let cool for 10 minutes before removing the bread from the pan.

Good to know

The milk should be lukewarm (100-110F), if too hot it will kill the yeast. I typically microwave the milk for about 15-30 seconds.