Japanese Sea Salt Bread Rolls

Separate the egg white and yolk. Combine the egg white with milk, ensuring the liquid amount is in a 75/100 ratio with the flour. Add it to the mixer along with salt and sugar, mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Then add the yeast, mix for 5 minutes, and finally add the butter. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes, then switch to high speed for 10 minutes until the dough forms a smooth membrane.

Take the dough out and shape it. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature until it doubles in size.

Roll out the dough to remove air, divide it into 10 equal parts, and cover with plastic wrap to rest for 10 minutes.

Flatten the dough into a teardrop shape and wrap in butter. Important: Ensure a tight seal to prevent the butter from leaking out during baking! Otherwise, you'll end up with a pan of greasy flatbread—not ideal.

After sealing, roll up the dough and place it in the oven with a bowl of hot water for the second proofing.

Let it proof until it grows to 1.5–2 times its original size.

Brush the surface with the separated egg yolk. Grind some salt onto the surface using a mill—flake salt works even better, but I skipped that out of convenience.

Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake for 20 minutes.