Water-Flour-Milk Mixture

• Place the water in a small saucepan. Add the bread flour and whisk until you have a smooth mix with no lumps. Add the rest of the milk and whisk to combine. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and then cover with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap is touching the surface of this mixture to prevent a skin from forming on top. Allow the tangzhong to cool to room temperature.
• St Giovanni Petit Pain (Soft Rolls)
• In your mixing bowl, place the lukewarm milk and dissolve about 1 tsp of the sugar or honey in the liquid. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and stir gently to mix. Allow the milk + yeast mixture to stand for about 10 - 20 minutes until the yeast is activated. The mixture should become foamy and frothy on the surface.
• Once the yeast is activated, add the milk powder (if using), the rest of the sugar, the water-milk-flour mixture we made earlier, the egg, flour, and finally the salt.
• Using a spatula, mix the dough to combine the ingredients and to help form a shaggy dough.
• With the dough hook attached to your mixer, knead the dough for about 5 minutes on a low speed (speed 2 or 3). The dough will be very sticky and stick to the sides, but continue mixing and the dough will start to come together.
• After 5 minutes of kneading, add the butter pieces in 3 - 4 additions, mixing for about 20 seconds in between. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl to make sure the dough mixes everything well.
• Once all the butter is incorporated into the dough, turn up the speed to 4 - 5 (medium speed) and knead for a further 5 - 7 minutes. Scrape the bowl once or twice while kneading.
• The dough should become smooth, satiny and pull off cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and shape the dough into one big ball. Then place the dough back in the mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let it rise to double in size (1-2 hours) in a warm, dry place.
• Optional Step: When the dough has proofed you can transfer it to the fridge for a couple of hours or over night to develop flavor or just to make it a little easier to handle.
• Once the dough is proofed and you’re ready to shape the dough, prepare the soft rolls molds by buttering and dusting them with flour.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut it into equal pieces- 40 grams each.
• Shape the Rolls: Roll up each piece of dough into logs or cylindric shape, starting from the pointed end. Make sure you roll up the dough firmly, and a little tightly. Seal the ends and place the rolls in the molds seam side down.
• Cover the rolls with a clean tea towel and let the dough proof in a warm place, until doubled in size. This can take about 1 - 2 hours depending on the ambient room temperature. The dough should rise to just below the top of the loaf pan.
• Baking the bread: When the bread is proofed, preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C. Brush the top of the bread dough with egg wash (for a glossy crust). Bake in the preheated oven for 30 - 35 minutes. If the bread starts to caramelize too much in the oven, place a piece of foil over the surface of the bread to prevent it from burning.
• If you have a thermometer, bake until the internal temperature is about 190 - 205°F (88 - 96°C).
• Remove the rolls molds from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a wire rack and let it cool down further.
• Storage: Store the bread in a container, covered with a clean tea towel for 1 day or in ziplocks in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze in an air-vacuumed ziplocks in the freerzer. Reheat it in a preheated oven or toaster for 3-5 minutes at 320 F°.