Bread and butter: the start of any great meal. The aroma of freshly baked bread is sure to excite anyone. Meld hot, fresh, pillowy dough with creamy butter and one will slip into bread and butter bliss. That being said, kick a meal off with this milk bun and butter board, and there is no guarantee you will make it to the rest of your meal. It’s just that good.
Butter boards rose in popularity after exploding on social media. Our take on this trend offers up an umami-rich variation that utilizes togarashi and black garlic. You might be asking yourself, what exactly is togarashi? Togarashi is Japanese for the genus Capsicum, which is commonly translated as chili pepper. There are a few variations of togarashi on the market, so we will be giving you the rundown on all things togarashi.
Let’s talk about terminology. We will begin with the purest and simplest form of togarashi which is ichimi. Ichimi togarashi is ground red chili pepper. It is a subtle, yet great way to spice up any meal. Next up is shichimi togarashi. In Japanese, shichi means seven, thus Shichimi togarashi is typically made from seven ingredients. Those ingredients are red chili pepper, sansho or Sichuan peppercorns, hemp seeds and/or poppy seeds, white sesame seeds and/or black sesame seeds, ground ginger, yuzu or mandarin orange peel, and nori.
Another togarashi variety, labeled as nanami, stems from shichimi. Shichimi togarashi and nanami togarashi both incorporate the same ingredients, just at slightly different ratios. The main difference is that nanami togarashi uses a lower ratio of yuzu or mandarin orange peel.
In this recipe, you can utilize shichimi or nanami togarashi. Our favorite brand of shichimi togarashi is Yawataya Isogoro Shichimi Togarashi. And when it comes to nanami, we go for S&B Nanami Togarashi. We opted to use the Yawataya Isogoro Shichimi Togarashi, for it offers up more citrus and floral notes. This pairs beautifully with the black garlic utilized in the togarashi and black garlic butter.
When togarashi and black garlic are combined, a flavor powerhouse is created. Black garlic is fresh garlic that has been aged in a low heat and high humidity environment for weeks to months, resulting in a soft texture with a rich and sweet taste. This process creates a more delicate garlic flavor, and a product that is higher in antioxidants than its raw counterpart. We opted to combine togarashi and black garlic to create a butter that was spicy, earthy, lightly sweet, and very umami.
It was only right to serve this decadent butter with bread that was perfectly fluffy. Japanese milk buns, also known as Japanese shokupan or Hokkaido milk bread, were the perfect complement. This ultralight, slightly sweet bread, starts out as an enriched dough fortified with butter and milk. It has higher hydration, ringing in at 70%. This leads to an extensible, stretchy dough that results in soft and airy buns when baked.
Many milk breads utilize a technique called the tangzhong roux method. The tangzhong roux method involves taking a portion of flour and liquid from the base recipe, and cooking it until a thick slurry or roux is formed. This is then added to the remaining ingredients which results in a dough with a more stable structure. Our milk bread is made with ingredients and techniques that mirror these results without using the traditional method.
We achieve the same feathery results produced by the tangzhong method by incorporating a higher level of fat into the dough and by ensuring that the gluten is properly developed. With that in mind, be on the lookout for the gluten window while mixing the milk bun dough. It will ensure a more stable, airy, and fluffy finished product. Once baked, feel free to tear into your milk buns with your hands or opt for the serrated bread knife.
Whether you scoop, spread, or smear, we hope you dig into this togarashi and black garlic butter board and enjoy it to the very last crumb. Happy bread and buttering!
Black Garlic Butter Board with Japanese Milk Buns
Swap the basic dinner rolls for fluffy Japanese-style milk buns with togarashi-spiced umami whipped butter. Crispy shallots and fried garlic add a welcome crunch and even more flavor. Try it as a butter board or just enjoy- this one is for true bread and butter lovers!
Recipe and Photography by SyEnna Hackbarth
Forge To Table Knives
Prep Time: 2 hours
Passive Resting Time: 12 hours
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6-8
Ingredients:
Milk Buns:
5.5 grams Active Dry Yeast
175 grams Whole Milk, 100-110F
500 grams Bread Flour
175 grams Water, Room Temperature
113 grams Unsalted Butter, Cold, Cut into Pieces
30 grams White Sugar
10 grams Kosher Salt
14 grams Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature (for greasing the baking vessel)
50 grams Egg Wash
9 grams Maldon Salt (for garnish)
Togarashi and Black Garlic Butter:
226 grams Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
4 grams Togarashi, Shichimi or Nanami
2 grams Kosher Salt
5 grams Black Garlic, Finely Minced/Paste
Garnishes:
1 each Shallot, Julienned
10 each Garlic Cloves, Thinly Sliced
2 cups Vegetable Oil
1 stalk Green Onion, Thinly Sliced On Bias
1 tablespoon Gochugaru chili flakes
Directions:
MIX DOUGH. Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix to dissolve. To the bowl add measured bread flour, water, butter, and sugar. Using the hook attachment, mix ingredients on low speed for 5 minutes to form the dough. Rest the dough for 5 minutes, then add the salt. Mix for 15 minutes on medium-high speed, or until the gluten window has formed. Remove bowl from mixer and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator and allow the dough to rest overnight.
SHAPE. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and leave it to proof in a warm spot for approximately 1 hour. Remove dough from bowl and divide into 8, approximately 125-gram pieces. Round out dough to form buns. Grease a baking vessel (a glass pie pan or 9x9 baking pan work great) with room-temperature butter. Place buns in the baking vessel, ensuring they are not placed too closely together. Coverly lightly with plastic wrap and leave in a warm area to proof for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
BAKE. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Remove plastic wrap from the buns and delicately brush them with egg wash. Sprinkle evenly with Maldon salt. Place the milk buns in the oven and bake for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, reduce the temperature of the oven to 350F degrees. Continue baking the milk buns for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown with an internal temperature of 190F degrees. Remove the milk buns from the oven and let them cool completely in the baking vessel.
BUTTER. Into a medium bowl, add room temperature unsalted butter, Shichimi or Nanami togarashi, kosher salt, and minced/pasted black garlic. Whisk until thoroughly combined, ensuring that the butter is a light, whipped texture. Place in a piping bag with a round tip and set aside.
GARNISHES. Preheat vegetable oil to 350F degrees in a medium saucepan and separately layer a few paper towels on a large plate. Carefully add in the thinly sliced garlic and cook, stirring continuously to ensure even frying. Once crisp and light golden brown, use a slotted spoon to remove all the garlic from the saucepan. Transfer to the paper towel-lined plate to remove all excess grease. Repeat with the shallots.
ASSEMBLE. Place the milk buns on a serving board or tray; they can be cut in half if desired. Add togarashi and black garlic butter to the milk buns. Piping, dolloping, or quenelle the butter can add visual interest. Sprinkle crispy garlic and shallots onto the butter.
GARNISH. Dust the togarashi and black garlic butter with gochugaru chili flakes. Finish with a sprinkle of green onions and enjoy!
Chef’s Notes:
After mixing the dough, you can rest the dough for 1 hour, cover it at room temperature, and fold it prior to resting overnight in the refrigerator. This helps develop more gluten resulting in a more stable dough.
Allow buns to cool completely prior to removing them from the baking vessel to prevent collapsing.
Increase the amount of togarashi or black garlic if you prefer more spice.
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