Sausage Pan (ソーセージパン, Sōsēji-pan)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Kitchen scale
• •Bench scraper
• •Rolling pin or your palms for rolling dough ropes
• •Parchment-lined baking tray
• •Pastry brush

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the dough

   In a bowl, whisk together the bread flour, sugar, salt, and instant yeast. Add the lukewarm milk and about half the beaten egg, saving the rest for glazing. Mix until no dry flour remains. The milk should feel warm, not hot, because yeast wakes gently and sulks when scalded.

2. 2

   Knead with butter

   Knead until the dough begins to smooth out, then work in the softened butter a little at a time. At first it will look slippery and wrong. Keep kneading. The butter coats the flour and tenderizes the crumb, but it needs time to disappear into the dough so the bread can rise properly.

   Stop when the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. If it tears at once, knead a few minutes longer.
3. 3

   Let it rise

   Shape the dough into a ball, cover the bowl, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 60 to 75 minutes. Press it lightly with a floured finger. If the dent fills slowly, it is ready. If it springs back at once, give it more time.

4. 4

   Divide and rest

   Turn the dough out and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll each into a small ball, cover, and rest for 10 minutes. This rest matters. Dough that has just been divided is tight, and tight dough fights the shape.

5. 5

   Wrap the sausages

   Roll each rested piece into a rope about 30cm long. Pat each sausage dry so the dough grips it, then wind the rope around it in a neat spiral, leaving the ends of the sausage just visible. Pinch the dough seam underneath. A loose wrap gives the bread room to rise; a strangled wrap bakes up dense.

6. 6

   Proof the buns

   Set the wrapped sausages on a parchment-lined tray with space between them. Cover lightly and proof until puffy, 30 to 40 minutes. They should look fuller and soft at the edges, not collapsed. Heat the oven to 190 C while they finish rising.

7. 7

   Glaze and bake

   Brush the dough with the reserved beaten egg, keeping the sausage mostly bare. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the bread is deep golden and the sausage edges look glossy. The egg wash gives color and a thin shine, which is why bakery buns look awake rather than pale.

8. 8

   Finish modestly

   Let the buns cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then pipe or spoon a thin line of ketchup over each one. Scatter sesame or parsley if using. Use less than you think. The sausage has already seasoned the bread from inside, and too much topping turns a neat bun into a small argument.

Chef Tips

• •Use small Japanese wieners if you can find them. They are lightly smoky, snappy, and sized for the bun, which matters more than a dramatic sausage with too much salt.
• •Pat the sausages dry before wrapping. Moisture on the outside makes the dough slide, and the spiral opens as it proofs.
• •If your kitchen is cold, proof the dough in the oven with only the light on. Warmth helps, heat hurries. Enriched dough wants patience, not bullying.
• •For a picnic, cool the buns completely before packing. Warm bread trapped in a box turns damp, and all that careful browning softens.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can complete its first rise in the refrigerator overnight. Chill it after mixing and kneading, then bring it back toward room temperature for 30 minutes before dividing.
• •Baked sausage pan keeps one day at room temperature. Refresh in a low oven until the bread feels soft again and the surface regains a light gloss.
• •For packing, leave off the ketchup until the buns are cool. It keeps the top from softening.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 105g)