Rose Strawberry Milk Bread Bouquet

Ingredients:

Bread Flour: 300g

Sugar: 50g

Fresh milk: 190ml

Pureed strawberry: 50g

Instant dried yeast: 3g

Unsalted butter: 30g

Salt: 5g

Caster sugar

Rosemary

Tools:

Cast iron 20-cm pan

Food Mixer

Method:

In a mixer add 300g of bread flour, 50g sugar, and 3g instant dry yeast. Pour 190ml cool milk into the mixture and add the strawberry puree before mixing well with a spatula.

Then using the mixer, mix at Level 1 for 1 minute, then Level 2 for 3 minutes, and finally Level 4 for 1- 2 minutes.

Next add 30g of unsalted butter at room temperature and 5g of salt to the mix. Mix at Level 2 then up to Level 4 for 10 minutes, and then Level 6 for 2 minutes. The total mixing time should be between 20 and 25 minutes until the dough is well blended.

Place the dough onto a sturdy flat floured surface, and start to fold the dough in. Turn it clockwise on the kneading board to form a round shape, then roll the dough away from you, then grab and slap and fold it a few times. Next, make a round ball again.

Use a cutter to test if the dough is stretchy enough -- it should be thinly stretched and not break -- then form a round ball again, tuck the edges underneath, and place the dough in a ball, and covered with food wrap and put in the fridge for the first fermentation for about 3-4 hours, until it doubles in size.

Next take the dough out from the fridge and leave for 30 minutes. Then press a finger into the dough; if it doesn't fill the hole back, then the dough is good.

Use your fist to knead the dough so that all the air bubbles are released, then roll and fold again, then cut one 90-g piece, and six 70-g pieces, and roll all the dough into small round balls.

Place a damp towel over the dough and let rest for a further 10 minutes.

Roll the small ball out to make a thin layer, flip lengthwise and roll again, then fold to make a rose bun. Do the same with the rest of the dough.

Use a brush to add more strawberry puree to each rose bun, and place them in a lined cast iron pan, well-spaced between each other for the second fermentation of 40 min with the lid on.

Cook Nguyễn Lê Quỳnh Anh

Baking

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celcius and put the pan with a lid on in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then take out the lid and bake for 10 minutes more.

Let cool and use parchment paper to wrap around, as with a bouquet of roses. Place some rosemary leaves around the buns to decorate.

Sprinkle some icing sugar on top.

Bon appetit!

Follow this step-by-step guide from Nguyễn Lê Quỳnh Anh, a home cook who lives in Japan.