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Shio-pan pull apart bread (Japanese salt bread)

My mom's shio-pan, made pull-apart and baked in the Vermicular Oven Pot 2.0. Buttery, salty, crispy on the bottom. My おふくろの味!
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Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 10 bread rolls

Ingredients
  

  • 325 g bread flour
  • 6 g instant dry yeast
  • 50 g sugar
  • 50 g egg (roughly 1 egg)
  • 120 g milk
  • 30 g water
  • 5 g salt
  • 40 g softened butter (in the bread dough)
  • 100 g butter cubes (to roll into the dough balls)

Instructions
 

  • Heat the milk and water mixture until it's between 41°C and 46°C (105°F to 115°F). This is the sweet spot for activating yeast, so don't let it go hotter than 46°C or you risk killing the yeast before it even gets started.
  • Measure out your bread flour and split it evenly between two bowls. We'll call them Bowl A and Bowl B.
  • In Bowl A, add half the bread flour, the instant dry yeast, the sugar, and the whisked egg. In Bowl B, add the other half of the bread flour, the salt, and the butter.
  • Pour the warm milk and water mixture into Bowl A and mix thoroughly until there are no more clumps.
  • Add Bowl B into Bowl A and mix right in the bowl until everything comes together into one large dough. Fair warning, it'll be sticky!
  • Turn the dough out onto a clean countertop and knead for at least 15 minutes, until it passes the windowpane test (stretch a small piece thin, if you can see light through it without tearing, you're there). If you are using a stand mixer, follow the same steps but just start checking after about 5 minutes!
  • Let the dough proof for about an hour at room temperature, or until it roughly doubles in size. My personal shortcut: 25 minutes at 40°C (about 100°F) if you want a faster, more controlled rise, totally up to you!
  • Lightly punch the air out of the dough and divide it into 10 even dough balls, about 60g each. Let them rest on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Roll each dough ball into a circle with the center slightly raised. Place pieces of butter around the edges, then roll it up toward the center, pinching the bottom well to seal. Arrange the rolls in an oven-safe pot lined with parchment paper. I highly recommend the Vermicular Oven Pot 2.0 here for the crispy bottom!
  • Let the dough proof for another 30 minutes at room temperature, or 15 minutes at 40°C. This is a good time to start preheating your oven.
  • Brush the tops of your dough balls with egg wash, and if you'd like, sprinkle on a little sesame seeds or salt.
  • Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are a deep golden brown.
  • Once out of the oven, let the bread rest in the pot for at least 15 minutes. This lets the crust re-absorb all that buttery goodness that oozed out during baking, so you get that perfectly crispy, delightful crust.
  • Once the butter is fully absorbed back into the crust, remove from the pot and dig in!