Soboro Bread

The recipe divides both the 70 g of sugar and the 70 g of unsalted butter between those two components. For the bread dough, 280 g of bread flour is mixed with 5 g of dry yeast and 30 g of the sugar. The 160 ml of milk and one egg are added before 20 g of the butter is kneaded into the gathered dough. Kneading continues until the surface becomes smooth. The topping uses the remaining 40 g of sugar and 50 g of cold butter with 90 g of cake flour and 30 g of almond flour. These ingredients are rubbed together with fingertips only until a mixture of coarse and smaller crumbs forms, then chilled so the butter remains firm. After the first proof, the bread dough is pressed gently to release excess gas, divided into six equal portions, and rounded with a slightly taut surface. The portions begin a second proof on the tray. Before they become over-expanded, the cold soboro is pressed lightly onto each top. Enough pressure is needed for the crumbs to attach, but not enough to flatten the risen dough. Baking takes place at 180°C until the topping has cracked and turned golden. Moving the buns to a rack after baking lets steam leave the bottoms instead of collecting beneath them. The finished cross-section therefore shows two separately prepared elements: the bread made with the egg and milk, and the almond-flour crumble attached across the top.