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I am nearing the end of a batch of homemade red miso I harvested last May 2023.  Fortunately I have a full batch that has been fermenting for just over a year now so I decided to celebrate that with another bread using miso.  There rolls are delicious, soft, fluffy and super buttery, maybe not for those on a diet unless you do as I do and share most of the rolls with others.  The dough is a my standard formula that I use for sweet rolls with 15% whole wheat (or other whole grain) that is also the flour used for the tangzhong.  The tangzhong as you know helps slow the bread’s staling and also ensures that this bread is soft and tender yet shreddable. The tangzhong also allows you to increase the hydration of your dough but allows the dough to handle like a lower hydration dough.

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Miso Garlic Butter Filling for 9x9” pan

Butter very soft 141 g

Miso (red) 20 g

Dash of pepper and paprika to taste

4 garlic cloves minced

2 scallions minced

½ tsp garlic powder (optional to taste)

Minced chives and parsley (optional to taste)

Black sesame seeds (optional to taste) can be sprinkled on after the filling is spread onto the dough

Egg wash - 1 egg 1 tbsp milk pinch of salt

Instructions

Levain

Mix the levain ingredients in a jar or pyrex container with space for at least 300% growth. 

Press down with your knuckles or silicone spatula to create a uniform surface and to push out air.

At a temperature of 76ºF, it typically takes up to 10-12 hours for this sweet stiff levain to be at peak.  For my starter I typically see 3-3.5 times increase in size at peak.  The levain will smell sweet with only a mild tang.

Tangzhong 

In a sauce pan set on medium heat, stir the milk and flour until blended. Then cook for several minutes until well thickened, stirring regularly with a spoon or heat-resistant spatula. Let cool in the pan or, for faster results, in a new bowl.  Theoretically it should reach 65ºC (149ºF) but I don’t find I need to measure the temperature as the tangzhong gelatinizes at this temperature.  You can prepare this the night before and refrigerate it, ensure that it is covered to prevent it from drying out.

If you plan on using a stand mixer to mix this dough, set up a Bain Marie and use your stand mixer’s bowl to prepare the tangzhong.

Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the milk (consider holding back 10 g of milk and adding later if this is the first time you’re making this), egg, tangzhong, salt, sugar and levain.  Mix and then break up the levain into many smaller pieces.  Next add the flours.  I like to use my spatula to mix until there aren’t many dry areas.  Allow the flour to hydrate (fermentolyse) for 20-30 minutes.  Mix on low speed and then medium speed until moderate gluten development this may take 5-10 mins.  You may want to scrape the sides of the bowl during the first 5 minutes of mixing.  Next add room temperature butter one pat at a time.  The dough may come apart, be patient, continue to mix until it comes together before adding in more butter.  Once all the butter has been added and incorporated increase the speed gradually to medium. Mix at medium speed until the gluten is well developed, approximately 10 mins.  You will want to check gluten development by windowpane during this time and stop mixing when you get a good windowpane.  You should be able to pull a good windowpane, not quite as good as a white flour because the bran will interrupt the windowpane somewhat.  Next add the zest of two oranges, that way they do not interfere with the gluten development. Mix until they are well incorporated in the dough.

On the counter, shape the dough into a tight ball, cover in the bowl and ferment for 2-4 hours at 82ºF.  There will be some rise visible at this stage.

Optional cold retard overnight or just 1.5 hours to chill the dough for easier shaping.

Prepare your pan by greasing it or line with parchment paper.  

This dough is very soft. Act quickly to roll, spread the filling, and cut before the dough warms and softens further. If it begins to soften, place it in the fridge to firm.

Remove your bulk fermentation container from the fridge, lightly flour your work surface in a large rectangle shape, and the top of the dough in the bowl. Then, gently scrape out the dough to the center of your floured rectangle. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour, and using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 15″ x 15″ square or larger rectangle.

Spread miso garlic butter filling onto the dough.   Sprinkle green onions and black sesame seeds if using.

Starting at one of the long sides of the rectangle in front of you, begin rolling up the dough as you move across. Be sure to tightly roll the dough by gently tugging on the dough as you roll.

Once finished rolling up the dough, divide it into nine 1 1/2″ pieces using a sharp knife or dental floss which is my preference. Transfer the pieces to the prepared baking pan and cover with a large, reusable bag, place in a warm spot.  I use my proofing box set to 82°F.  Final proof may take 3-6 hours, be patient and wait until the dough passes the finger poke test.  Using my aliquot jar the dough should reach a total rise of 120-140%.

Be sure to start preheating your oven about 30 minutes before you feel the rolls will be fully proofed. For me, the final warm proof time was about 3 hours at 77°F (25°C).

Bake

Preheat your oven, with a rack in the middle, to 400°F (200°C). After the warm proof, uncover your dough and gently press the tops of a few rolls.  The fully proofed rolls will look very soft. The texture of the dough will be almost like a whipped mousse. Be sure to give them extra time in warm proof if necessary. If the dough needs more time to proof, cover the pan and give the dough another 15 to 30 minutes at a warm temperature and check again.

Once your oven is preheated, remove your pan from its bag, brush the rolls with the egg wash, then slide it into the oven, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes rotating partway through.

The rolls are finished baking when the tops are well-colored and the internal temperature is around 195°F (90°C). Remove the rolls from the oven and let the rolls cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan.  Brush with some butter while still warm.  Sprinkle some dried parsley after brushing with butter (optional).  Then remove from pan and transfer to rack to cool.

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My index of bakes.

I wanted to do a slightly different sourdough focaccia using my homemade red miso.  This bread has both miso and toasted sesame seed oil in it.  I also used 10% whole kamut along with bread flour just for a bit more complexity.  The toppings I kept pretty simple a drizzle of red miso with olive oil, rings of red peppers, yellow cherry tomatoes, onions and black sesame seeds. 

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Levain build overnight

Mix starter, water and then flour and ferment at warm room temperature 74-76°F the night before.

Method

Mix

To the bowl of your stand mixer add water, miso and honey, mix to combine and dissolve the miso.

Add the levain and break into small pieces.  Add the flours and mix until the gluten is well developed. (hold back the sesame oil until later in mixing). 

Next, turn the mixer on to a low speed and slowly drizzle the toasted sesame oil into the bowl while mixing. Once all of the olive oil is absorbed, turn the mixer up to speed 2 for 1 to 2 minutes until the dough comes back together.

Transfer your dough to a bulk fermentation container and cover.

This highly hydrated and enriched dough is  wet and loose, it won’t strengthen to the same degree as a typical bread dough.

Immediately after mixing the dough is still very wet and chunky. However, it’s not falling apart or soupy. Resist the temptation to add more flour at this point.

Transfer the dough to a covered container for bulk fermentation.

Bulk Fermentation – 2 - 3 hours

Give the dough 3 sets of stretch and folds, starting 30 minutes after mixing, and a set every 30 minutes thereafter.

Every 30 minutes for the remaining 2 hours of bulk fermentation gently stretch the dough, with wet hands, toward the corners of the rectangular container. The dough will resist stretching and spring back (especially with the oil underneath), but don’t force it—each time you stretch it’ll relax a bit more and eventually fill the container.

OVERNIGHT OPTION: After two hours in proof, cover the rectangular pan with an airtight cover and transfer to the fridge. The next day, take out the dough and let it come to room temperature, and continue with the Top & Bake step below.

Proof – 4-6 hours

Transfer the dough to a deep rectangular pan or two 9” rounds that have been greased with olive oil. If you don’t have a pan with a silicone liner, make sure to heavily oil the pan’s interior so the focaccia doesn’t stick during baking.  Do not go too heavy with the olive oil otherwise you may end up shallow frying the dough.

At 76-78°F (24-25°C), the dough will proof for 4-6 hours. This time period is flexible and dependent on the temperature: if it’s cooler, let it proof longer, and conversely, if it’s warm, you might be able to bake sooner.

Every 30 minutes for the first hour, uncover the pan and gently stretch the dough with wet hands to the pan’s edges to encourage it to fill the pan. The dough will naturally spread out during this proofing period, so it’s unnecessary to spread the dough aggressively. Once the dough is mostly spread to the edges, cover the pan and proof for 4 hours.

About 30 minutes before you anticipate the sourdough focaccia dough being ready, preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C) with a rack placed in the bottom third (a baking stone is not necessary).  Aim to bake when the dough has reached 130-150% rise.

Top & Bake

Whisk 1-2 tbsp of olive oil with 1 tsp of miso and a pinch of pepper.  We will use this to drizzle onto the dough after docking with our wet fingers.

First, dimple the unadorned dough with wet fingers. Make sure the dimples are evenly spaced and go all the way down to the bottom of the pan. Then, drizzle on 1-2 tablespoons of miso olive oil. If using other toppings, add them now and press them gently into the dough.

Bake the focaccia in the oven at 450°F (232°C) until deeply colored on top, about 30 minutes. Rotate the pan front-to-back halfway through this time. Keep an eye on it during the last 5 minutes and pull it out if it’s coloring too quickly, or leave it in longer if you’d like it a little darker.

Let the focaccia cool a few minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack. It’s fantastic warm from the oven, and best on the day of baking, but it’ll keep well for a couple days loosely wrapped in foil (reheat under the broiler before serving).

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My index of bakes.

I first saw an article about Khachapuri, the cheesy flatbread from Georgia, in a Sunday Parade newspaper insert.

https://eweck1.wordpress.com/2021/03/04/khachapuri-georgian-cheesebread/

This one was inspired by the Cheeseboard Collective’s delicious Hobrot, but has been adapted to be more similar to my usual sourdough loaves (eg the original recipe called for an egg and this has none). Love a worker-owned co-op <3

Ingredients:

• 95% T85 flour (I used cairnspring mills trailblazer)
• 5% whole dark rye
• 80% hydration
• 20% levain
• 15% coarsely grated cheese (I had cheddar and pecorino Romano on hand)
• 15% diced onion
• 3% neutral oil
• 3% curry powder
• 2.5% salt

Method:

• sauté onions in oil till translucent, dump in curry powder, take off heat, and mix into a paste
• dissolve salt into water
• add levain into salt water and break up into pieces
• add flours and mix until no dry flour clumps are left
• rest for 45 minutes
• 4 stretch and folds every half hour. Mix in the cheese and the onion-curry paste after the first set of folds.
• bulk till 1.5x in size
• preshape and rest 30 minutes
• shape and place in banneton
• cold ferment overnight
• bake at 450F in dutch oven with lid closed for 30 minutes
• remove lid and bake for another 15-20 minutes

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