Anpan 🇯🇵 Japanese red bean buns. Ingredients: 1 3/4 cup bread flour 1/4 cup cake flour 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup milk (room temp) 1 1/4 tsp/ 5 grams active dry yeast 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp kosher salt 5 tbsp butter (softened) 1 egg (room temp) + more for egg wash 8 oz red bean paste (smooth or chunky, your choice) Black sesame seeds Directions: Combine flours, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl and set aside. Warm water to 115°f and add in your yeast, let it sit for 10 minutes. Whisk up 1 egg with the milk, and incorporate into the dry mix, then add in the activated yeast. Knead in the bowl for about 3 minutes until it’s come together then transfer to a work surface. Continue to knead for about 6 minutes. Spread the dough out into a rough rectangle and cover with the butter. Roll it up with the butter inside and continue to knead for another 6-8 minutes. It’s going to feel a little weird, you’re going to think there’s no way this is bread dough but trust me it will come back together into a soft supple dough. Using a bench scraper to pick it up off the counter in the beginning is helpful, and you can also slap the Dough on the counter while it’s really wet. The dough is ready when it’s very elastic and you can pick up a small corner of it and stretch it thin to create a “windowpane”. Place into an oiled bowl and let rise for 1 hour 45 minutes. While the dough is hanging out grab your red bean paste and portion it out into 30 gram- approximately 1 oz balls. When the dough has finished proofing, knock out the excess gas and portion into 8 equal size balls. To roll them out, the method is to roll just the outside edges and never reach the middle so that the middle is thicker. That’s going to be the top of the bun and it helps with the shape. Place a ball of bean paste in the center and grab the outside edges and pinch them closed on the bottom. Place the buns on a sheet tray and lightly cover and let proof for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°f/190°c whisk up an egg with 1 tbsp of water and brush all the buns. Using the end of a rolling pin, dunk into the egg wash, then into the sesame seeds, then tap into the bun. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating after 7 - @sad_papi