Fluffy Crispy Salt Bread/Shio Pan

In a pot, add bread flour and water.

Mix well before turning on the flame, then cook over low heat, stirring constantly until it reaches a thick consistency.

Once thickened, turn off the flame. Cover the surface with cling wrap to prevent a skin from forming and set aside to cool.

In a stand mixer bowl, combine '00' pizza flour, white sugar, milk powder, and salt.

Add the egg, water, cooled Tang Zhong, and instant dry yeast to the bowl.

Knead on medium speed for 8 minutes until the ingredients come together.

Add the softened salted butter to the dough.

Knead for another 8 minutes until the gluten is well-formed and the dough passes the windowpane test.

Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a bowl, cover it, and let it proof in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until it has tripled in size.

After the first proof, punch down the dough and remove it from the bowl.

Portion the dough into 7 pieces, each weighing around 70g.

Shape each portion into a ball, place them on a tray, cover, and let them rest for 5-10 minutes.

Take one dough ball and roll it out into a rough 11cm square.

Flip the dough, fold it into thirds, and roll one side to create a cone shape.

Gently roll the dough into a log about 11cm long and pinch the seam to seal it.

Repeat with all dough portions, cover them, and let them rest for 15 minutes.

Take a rested dough log with the seam side up and roll it into a long triangle, about 38cm long with an 8cm base.

Cut a slit about 6cm long in the middle of the wide base.

Place a 23g butter block at the top of the cut, roll the two strips over the butter, and then roll the dough up like a croissant.

Gently pinch the tips of the roll, but do not seal them completely to allow butter to leak out during baking.

Place the shaped rolls on a baking tray. Spray with water, cover, and let proof for about 2.5 hours at 24-27°C, or until almost tripled in size.

Preheat the oven to 240°C. Generously spray the proofed rolls with water and top with flaked sea salt.

Place the tray in the preheated oven and immediately turn the oven off. Leave the rolls in the oven for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, turn the oven on to 160°C and bake for 6 minutes, or until the rolls are deep brown.

While the bread is still hot, brush the crust with the melted butter from the tray and transfer to a wire rack.