Salt Bread (소금빵)

Dough:

• Bread flour: 200 grams (2 cups + 2 tbsp)

• Sugar: 15 grams (1 tbsp)

• Salt: 4 grams (1 tsp)

• Instant Yeast: 4 grams (1 tsp)

• Warm milk (preferably whole or 2%): 30 g (2 tbsp)

• Warm water: 90 g (6 tbsp)

• Room temperature salted butter: 12 g (3/4 tbsp)

Inside and topping before baking:

• Salted butter, cut into six thin rectangular prisms: 30 g (2 tbsp)

• Coarse salt for sprinkling, to taste

• Optional: nuts, cinnamon, matcha powder, jams, or chocolate bits for filling

Step One:

In a large bowl, add the bread flour. On top of the flour, add the sugar, salt, and yeast in the three furthest spots from each other, so that the yeast does not touch either the sugar or salt. This helps avoid premature fermentation/reactions!

(2 cups.+ 2 tbsp bread flour, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp instant yeast)

Step Two:

Cover the three sugar, salt, and yeast mounds with some of the flour from the middle of the bowl. Then, drizzle the warm milk and water in a circular motion into the bowl.

(2 tbsp warm milk, 6 tbsp warm water)

Step Three:

Mix with a spatula until well combined, for about 5-10 minutes. The dough will be quite sticky -- this is normal! Add 3/4 tbsp butter and continue to mix. Once the butter has mostly combined with the dough, knead with hands for 5-10 more minutes, or until the dough is elastic and smooth.

It will still be moist and slightly sticky, but bits of dough should not stick to your hands when pressed. If too sticky, toss a little flour onto your kneading surface and knead for a few more minutes.

Step Four:

Cover the bowl with a damp, clean towel and let rest for 50 minutes to an hour, or until the dough has roughly doubled in size. A small hack: turn your oven on to the lowest possible heat setting, and store the bowl inside to ensure a warm environment for your yeast to activate!

Step Five:

After letting the dough rise, uncover the bowl and test whether the dough is ready by using the 'window pane' test -- gently stretch the dough thin between your hands to create a slightly translucent 'window' (it should not tear!) If it does not pass the windowpane test, knead for 5-10 more minutes and let rest for 15 more minutes.

After checking, divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Cover and rest with a damp cloth again for 15 mins.

Step Six:

Now, divide the cold salted butter into six equal rectangular wedges. Separately, uncover the dough balls and shape each ball into a conical, teardrop shape. (Like this: 💧) Flatten and roll out the dough in that same thin teardrop shape. The thinner your teardrop, the more 'rolls' your saltbread will have!

Place a wedge of the cold butter on the largest end of each rolled dough, and roll up the dough towards the least-wide end (elongated part of the teardrop). Pinch the ends of the 'croissant' shape to enclose.

Step Seven:

Next, place the shaped doughs on a baking tray and cover with a damp cloth again. Allow to rest for 45 minutes again. After this, uncover and brush each with warm milk, followed by sprinkling coarse salt on top.

Step Eight:

Bake at 200 degrees Celsius (around 392 degrees Fahrenheit) for 5-10 minutes, or until the tops of the rolls are golden brown. Let rest for a ten minutes.

Your fluffy, delicious salt rolls are complete! 잘먹겠습니다, enjoy!