Japanese – Dinner Rolls

This bread is made using the tangzhong method. It’s a Japanese technique that involves cooking a portion of the flour and water to form a pudding like consistency and then mixing it with the rest of the dough. The resulting bread is incredibly soft, light, airy, fluffy and delicate. 

Makes – 20 rolls

Ingredients

Flour paste
6 tablespoons bread flour
1 cup water

Dough
1 cup cold milk
2 large eggs
4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
1/4 cup sugar (4 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 cup), softened;

Glaze
1 tablespoon butter (melted)

Instructions

1. FOR THE FLOUR PASTE: Mix water and flour together using a fork until the flour dissolves. Microwave, mixing every 20 seconds, until mixture thickens to a smooth pudding like consistency about 60 to 80 seconds.
2. FOR THE DOUGH: Transfer the flour paste to the stand mixer bowl. Add milk, egg, flour and yeast. Fit stand mixer with a dough hook and mix on low speed until combined about 1 – 2 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes.
3. Add sugar and salt and mix on medium  speed for 4 minutes. Add softened butter and continue to mix on medium speed, for 8 – 10 minutes.  The dough will be sticky. 
4. Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl; Cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled in volume, about 60 to 90 minutes. 
5. DIVIDING THE DOUGH: Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable oil spray. Dust the counter lightly with flour and deflate the dough. The dough will be sticky so keep flouring your hands.  Pat and stretch the dough to form a 12 by 9-inch rectangle. Cut the dough breadthwise into 4 equal strips and cut each strip crosswise into 5 equal pieces. (refer to picture)
6. SHAPING INTO ROLLS: Working with 1 cut piece at a time, stretch the dough to form 8 by 2-inch strip. Starting at the short end, roll the strip to form a tight cylinder. Place the rolls seam side down in the cake pan (9 rolls around edge of pan, pointing inward, and remaining 1 roll in center). Repeat the same steps for the other cake pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour. 
7. BAKING THE ROLLS: Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat to 375 degrees. Bake rolls for 22 to 24 minutes until they are deep golden brown. Let rolls cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes; invert rolls onto rack, then reinvert.  Brush the rolls with melted butter.