What I’m reading: two books that I took out from the library, only to discover that I had already read them (I forgot to move them from “want to read” to “read”). I recommend both regardless: Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason and Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood. The former is devastatingly honest and quite moving, the latter is funny and charming.
“My father despises cats. He believes them to be Democrats. He considers them to be little mean Hillary Clintons covered all over with feminist legfur. Cats would have abortions, if given half a chance. Cats would have abortions for fun. Consequently our own soft sinner, a soulful snowshoe named Alice, will stay shut in the bedroom upstairs, padding back and forth on cashmere paws, campaigning for equal pay, educating me about my reproductive system, and generally plotting the downfall of all men.”
Patricia Lockwood, Priestdaddy
What I’m listening to: I’m Grand Mam is back! And as entertaining as ever.
What I’m eating: a tasting “flight” of ice-creams at Duck Island (below) with the girls. Best $14 I’ve ever spent and yes, they were all delicious, and no, I can’t remember what each flavour was.
Last week, I discussed tangzhong, a method of pre-gelatinising flour in order to introduce a softer, more elastic texture to your enriched doughs. I use it in my bun dough, allowing me to achieve a higher level of hydration and improved gluten development. If you can make a roux, you can make a tangzhong! I highly recommend that you give it a go.
This week, I am using tangzhong again, but this time in a more traditional Japanese bread recipe: shokupan. Shokupan, also known as Hokkaido milk bread is a bread (duh) made with milk (again, duh), that originates in post WW2 Japan. In its most traditional form, shokupan is baked in a perfectly cuboid loaf, using Pullman tins (like these) with a lid so that the bread emerges with straight edges and sides. The slices, therefore, are perfectly square, and ideal for sandwiches. It’s the sort of bread that would be perfect for a tamago sando, or Japanese egg salad sandwich. Here, however, since I don’t have a Pullman tin to hand, I’ve baked it in a regular loaf tin, shaping three boules for one tin to produce the little boulder effect on top.
recipe: shokupan
Ingredients
105g milk
35g flour
420 strong flour
170g water
8g yeast
40g sugar
½ t salt
1 egg
75g butter
1 egg, for egg wash
Method
Place the milk and flour in a saucepan over a medium heat, and whisk constantly for 2-3 minutes, until it forms a thick paste or “roux”. Place this in a bowl and allow to cool slightly.
Add the flour, water, yeast, sugar, salt and egg and mix to a rough dough. Cover and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Then knead until smooth and strong - about 8 minutes in a stand mixer with the hook attachment, or longer by hand - around 15 minutes.
Add the butter one small piece at a time, kneading between each addition until it is fully incorporated.
Place the dough in an oiled container, cover, and allow to prove until almost doubled in size - around 1-2 hours, depending on the ambient temperature.
Grease a loaf tin with sunflower oil.
Remove from the bowl, and divide into pieces: 3x200g pieces for a small loaf tin, or 3x300 pieces for a large loaf tin. Shape each one into a neat ball by pulling towards you, creating surface tension against the worktop. Place the three balls in the prepared tin, and allow to prove, covered until doubled in size.
Egg wash and bake in an oven preheated to 190C for 15 minutes, before turning down to 170C and baking for a further 8-10 minutes until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
recipe: fish finger sambo
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