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What is Japanese milk hearth bread ?
The Japanese milk hearth bread took inspiration from the traditional hearth bread. Hearth bread, often referred to as “hearth-style bread,” is a type of artisanal bread known for its rustic and traditional preparation methods. The name “hearth bread” is derived from the way it is typically baked in the hearth of a wood-fired oven, which gives it its distinctive characteristics. Hearth bread is popular for its robust flavor, chewy crust, and open crumb structure. The Japanese version has a rustic look from the outside (like a hearth bread), but the dough is enriched with heavy cream and sugar. It yields a loaf that is crusty on the outside but with soft and milky crumbs
This Japanese milk hearth bread was very popular among Indonesians a few years back. It was called mirukuhasu. When I used google translate to translate what mirukuhasu meant, it said “milk lotus”. This mirukuhasu sure went viral on Instagram and it sure piqued my curiosity so I decided to give it a try. The first time I baked a hearth bread and I instantly fell in love with how the bread turned out. To me, it’s like a cross between shokupan and European artisanal bread. That crusty outside and soft creamy crumbs on the inside are just to die for!
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Use the hook to stir everything around a bit so when you turn the machine on, the flour won't fly around and wet ingredients won't splash. Start with the lowest speed to mix things up and then increase to speed 2 and knead for about 5 minutes or until it forms a dough. If the dough is too dry to come together, you can add a bit of water one teaspoon at a time
- Knead at speed 4 for about 7 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. If you slowly stretch a small amount of dough, it will not break and light can pass through, like a window pane. Proceed to first proofing
- Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and proof at a warm place until double in size. If you use commercial yeast, this may take about 1-2 hours. When you poke the dough with your lightly-floured finger, the indentation stays and the dough has clearly almost doubled or doubled in size
- Punch the dough down and give it a knead for a few times. Divide into 4-5 equal -size smaller dough. You can do just one big loaf too. Round up each dough to roughly form a ball. Cover and let them rest for 5 minutes
- Work with one dough at a time. I shape some into round shape and some into oval shape. For the oval shape, roll the dough out into an oval shape, about 8-inch long and then roll on the long side to form an oval, pinch the seam to seal. For the round shape, flatten the dough slightly and then pull the edge towards the center to form a tight round dough ball
- Put them on a baking pan, lined with parchment paper, about 2 inches apart
- Cover the shaped buns with a clean cloth or plastic cover and let them proof again at a warm place until they are puffy and almost double in size. This may take 45 minutes to 1 hour or longer depending on the temperature.
- When you gently push on the dough, the indentation bounces back very gradually and may leave a bit of indentation.
- 10 minutes before the end of final proofing, preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).
- Sprinkle some bread flour evenly on the surface of the bread. Use a bread lame or a very sharp knife to score the bread in the middle and then two more scores on each sides. These scores are for decorative purposes only. You don't have to score too deep
- Place the baking sheet in the middle rack. Lower the temperature to 375 F (190 C). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. If you bake one big loaf, you may need 40-45 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking. A digital thermometer inserted into a bread should be at least 190 F (88 C)
- Remove from the oven and let the bread cool on a cooling rack completely
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
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How to bake Japanese pumpkin milk hearth bread
1. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Use the hook to stir everything around a bit so when you turn the machine on, the flour won’t fly around and wet ingredients won’t splash. Start with the lowest speed to mix things up and then increase to speed 2 and knead for about 5 minutes or until it forms a dough. If the dough is too dry to come together, you can add a bit of water one teaspoon at a time
2. Knead at speed 4 for about 7 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. If you slowly stretch a small amount of dough, it will not break and light can pass through, like a window pane. Proceed to first proofing
3. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and proof at a warm place until double in size. If you use commercial yeast, this may take about 1-2 hours. When you poke the dough with your lightly-floured finger, the indentation stays and the dough has clearly almost doubled or doubled in size
4. Punch the dough down and give it a knead for a few times. Divide into 4-5 equal -size smaller dough. You can do just one big loaf too. Round up each dough to roughly form a ball. Cover and let them rest for 5 minutes
5. Work with one dough at a time. I shape some into round shape and some into oval shape. For the oval shape, roll the dough out into an oval shape, about 8-inch long and then roll on the long side to form an oval, pinch the seam to seal. 
6. For the round shape, flatten the dough slightly and then pull the edge towards the center to form a tight round dough ball
7. Put them on a baking pan, lined with parchment paper, about 2 inches apart
8. Cover the shaped buns with a clean cloth or plastic cover and let them proof again at a warm place until they are puffy and almost double in size. This may take 45 minutes to 1 hour or longer depending on the temperature. When you gently push on the dough, the indentation bounces back very gradually and may leave a bit of indentation.
9. 10 minutes before the end of final proofing, preheat oven to 400 F (190 C). Sprinkle some bread flour evenly on the surface of the bread. Use a bread lame or a very sharp knife to score the bread in the middle and then two more scores on each side. These scores are for decorative purposes only. You don’t have to score too deep
10. Place the baking sheet in the middle rack and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. If you bake one big loaf, you may need 40-45 minutes or longer, depending on your oven. Rotate the pan halfway through baking. A digital thermometer inserted into a bread should be at least 190 F (88 C)
11. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool on a cooling rack completely
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How to store
1. Let the bread cool down completely and then keep it in a zipper bag, and push all the air out. They can be kept at room temperature for about 3 days
2. For longer storage, keep them in a freezer-friendly bag. You can also wrap each in aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. They can be kept in the freezer for up to one month. Simply thaw at room temperature and then reheat in the oven at 350 F (180 C) for 10 minutes or until warm through
Did you make this Japanese pumpkin milk hearth bread recipe?
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