Freshly Baked Japanese Anpan

I've caught the bread making bug. Can't stop baking buns. I've even bought a few bread making books like Yvonne C.'s 65°C Tangzhong Bread, 孟老师100道面包, Alex Goh's Magic Bread and Rose Levy Beranbaum's Bread Bible. Have been analysing and experimenting the different methods of bread making and studying the ingredients' proportion to flour. I love the Tangzhong method because the bread can stay soft and fluffy longer.

This Japanese anpan bread is taken from Yvonne C's 65°C Tangzhong Bread. I'm thrilled and happy with the look and taste of the buns. The ingredients and method here can be used as a base to most types of buns with sweet or savoury fillings.


Ingredients:
(A)
210g bread flour
56g cake or plain flour
20g milk powder
42g sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6g instant yeast

(B)
30g eggs
85g water
84g tangzhong

(C)
22g unsalted butter
Fillings - 150g cooked red beans (can be bought from supermarket in can forms)

Egg wash
Black sesame seed for decoration

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Add ingredients in (A) into a mixing bowl and whisk gently to distribute the ingredients evenly.
3. Add ingredients (B) to above. Start on low speed to mix the dry and wet ingredients. Change to medium speed after the dry and wet ingredients are moistened evenly.
4. Change to low speed and add in ingredients (C) after the above comes together into a smooth dough.
5. Once all the butter has been incorporated into the dough, increase to medium speed and knead until the dough leaves the mixing bowl, becomes smooth and shiny. At this point, do a“window pane” test. Take a small portion of the dough and stretch it thin until you can see light shining through it. Once it has reached this stage, you can stop.
6. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and shape it into a round ball. Place it in a greased bowl big enough to hold it.
7. Cover tightly with plastic wrap over the bowl. Let it proof at room temperature for 40 minutes or until doubled.
8. To test if the dough has risen to the right state, sprinkle some flour onto your finger an d dip your finger vertically into the centre of the dough. If the dent you have created stays, it is ready. If the dent bounces back, proofing is not complete yet.
9. Remove the dough from the greased bowl and divide it into 9 equal pieces of 60g each.
10. Shape into round balls and proof them for another 10 minutes at room temperature.
11. Divide the red bean fillings into 30g each.
12. Flatten the rounded dough using your palm or a rolling pin. Turn it over and place the red bean filling into the centre of the dough.
13. Seal the dough and shape it into a round ball.
14. Proof for 40 minutes at 38°C environment.
15. Brush the top of the bread with egg wash and decorate the centre of the dough with black sesame seeds.
16. Bake at about 180°C top heat and 150°C bottom heat for about 15 minutes.