Yield: 4 Servings

Adapted from Joshua Weissman

Homemade super soft and fluffy dinner rolls, bt with an amazing Japanese technique to make them 100x better. I used a Japanese Milk bread dough (also known as hokkaido milk bread) with a Tang Zhong to make these beautiful bread rolls. Oh, and they’re brushed with garlic butter so that helps too. Best part is that these are way easier to do than you think. You can totally start these earlier in the day and then have them ready by dinner. Or you can just make them because they’re so incredible.

Tang Zhong:

• 2TBS (20g) bread flour
• 2TBS (27g) water
• 4TBS (60g) whole milk

Bread dough:

• 2½cups (320g) bread flour
• 1TBS (9g) active dry yeast (instant works as well)
• ¾tsp (3g) fine sea salt
• ½cup (120g) whole milk
• ¼cup (56g) granulated sugar
• 3TBS (42g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1whole egg, room temperature

Egg wash:

• 1egg
• splash of whole milk (about 2 TBS)

Garlic butter (optional):

• 1-2cloves garlic
• ¼cup (56g) unsalted butter

Tang Zhong: In a small sauce pan add 2 TBS bread flour, 2 tbs water and 4 tbs whole milk. Heat and constantly whisk until it is super thick (30 seconds to 1 minute).

Yeast: Add 1 tbs yeast to ½ cup whole milk at about 95°F. Mix and set aside for 10 minutes.

Bread dough: To the mixer bowl add 2½ cups bread flour, ¾ tsp fine sea salt, ¼ cup sugar. Mix on slow and add Tang Zhong, milk and yeast mix and 1 room temperature egg. Mix until well incorporated and dump in 3 tbs softened butter. Scrape down bowl and mix until the butter is incorporated then mix on medium for 5 to 7 minutes, until nice and smooth.

Roll with your hands on a dry surface until it is a nice smooth bowl.

Add to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel and rest for 1 to 2 hours until doubled in size. Cut into 9 equal pieces.

Lightly spray or butter a 9-inch square pan. Roll each piece of dough into a nice ball, place in the pan and cover with a damp towel. Allow to proof for 1 to 2 hours until doubled in size.

Brush with milk and bake at 350°F for 28 to 30 minutes.

Optional:

Garlic butter: Mince 1-2 cloves of garlic and place in a small cold pan with ¼ cup butter. Heat on low until the butter is melted and the garlic is just barely cooked.

Remove rolls from oven and immediately brush with garlic butter and sprinkle with Maldon salt.