Matcha & Black Sesame Marbled Milk Bread from “Mooncakes and Milk Bread”

Makes 1 loaf

This loaf is swirled with matcha, the earthy stone-ground green tea powder, and nutty black sesame paste for a striking and delicious combination. In this recipe, adapted from “Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries” (Harper Horizon), Kristina Cho demonstrates how to layer two bread doughs together to achieve a marbled effect. Only slightly sweet, it’s a strong breakfast choice. Cho recommends it smeared with salted butter, cream cheese or peanut butter with honey.

Tangzhong

¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons milk 2 tablespoons bread flour

Milk bread dough

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon warm (110 degrees) milk

1 teaspoon active dry yeast ¼ cup granulated sugar, plus a pinch

cups bread flour, plus more for work surface

½ teaspoon coarse salt

1 large egg

¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened teaspoons food grade matcha powder teaspoon canola or other neutral flavored oil, for bowl tablespoon black sesame paste, store-bought or see recipe

Egg wash

1 1 large egg tablespoon heavy cream

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the milk and flour and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened to a paste, 2 to 3 minutes. (The texture should resemble smooth mashed potatoes.) Immediately transfer the paste to a small bowl, scraping the sides of the saucepan with a flexible spatula; let cool until warm, 5 to 10 minutes.

In a small saucepan, scald the milk over medium heat, bringing it to a gentle simmer, about 1 minute (watch carefully, as milk tends to boil over). Pour the milk into a small bowl and cool until warm to the touch (about 110 degrees). Stir in the yeast and a pinch of sugar, and set aside until the surface of the mixture is foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the sugar, flour, salt and egg. Add the tangzhong and milk/yeast mixture and mix on low until shaggy. Add the softened butter, one piece at a time, mixing until fully incorporated before adding the next. Remove half of the dough (about 355 grams if using a digital scale) and transfer to a medium mixing bowl. Add the matcha powder to the bowl of the electric mixer and continue to knead on medium-high speed until the dough is tacky and slightly sticky, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Wet your hands to prevent the dough from sticking, and pinch and pull the ends of the dough to form a smooth ball. Coat a medium mixing bowl with ½ teaspoon oil. Add the dough to the bowl, gently turning it to cover with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot to proof until doubled in size, about 2 hours (or place in the refrigerator to proof for at least 8 hours or overnight).

In the bowl of the electric mixer (no need to clean), add the remaining dough and the black sesame paste. Repeat the previous kneading, pinching and proofing step with the black sesame dough.

Once both the matcha and black sesame doughs have proofed, punch them down to deflate them, then transfer them to a lightly floured work surface. Pinch and pull the ends of the two doughs to form two smooth balls.

Line the bottom and long sides of a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. (If baking in a pullman pan, no need to line with parchment paper.) Divide each dough into three equal pieces. Form each piece into a smooth ball. Roll out a piece of matcha dough into a 5- by 8-inch oval. Top with black sesame dough and roll it out into a 5 by 8-inch rectangle. Fold the long edges of the dough over by ½ inch and then roll into a 4-inch log, starting at one of the short ends. Place the dough, seam-side down, in the loaf pan. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough (alternating the matcha and black sesame dough in one segment, for contrast), placing them side by side in the pan. Cover the pan loosely with a damp, clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow the dough to proof in a warm spot until it reaches just above the rim of the pan (just below the rim for a pullman pan), 60 to 90 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To make the egg wash, whisk together the egg and heavy cream in a small bowl. (Omit the egg wash if using a pullman pan.)

Brush the top of the dough with egg wash. Bake on the center rack of the oven until the top is golden brown, 30 to 33 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer the bread to the rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container (a resealable bag works great) for up to 4 days.

BLACK SESAME PASTE

Makes 1 cup

1 cup roasted black sesame seeds

2 tablespoons sugar

¼ cup canola or other neutral

flavored oil

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the sesame seeds and sugar until the mixture is coarse and sandy. While the food processor is still running, add the oil and blend until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 month. 2 2 2 9 teaspoons smoked paprika (2-inch) thyme sprigs (2-inch) rosemary sprigs small bird’s eye or Thai chiles cup olive oil

In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients and heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the oil starts to sizzle and the paprika has completely dissolved. Immediately remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Transfer the mixture to a small jar or bottle, seal and refrigerate for a few days before using. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Courtesy Kristina Cho