Curry Bread

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• 1¼ cups bread flour
  Ingredient note

  Source: 1¼ cups bread flour
• 50 g cake flour
  Ingredient note

  Source: 50 g cake flour
• 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use half the amount or the same weight for table salt)
  Ingredient note

  Source: 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use half the amount or the same weight for table salt)
• 15 g sugar (1 Tbsp + ½ tsp)
  Ingredient note

  Source: 15 g sugar (1 Tbsp + ½ tsp)
• 125 ml whole milk
  Ingredient note

  Source: 125 ml whole milk
• 1 tsp instant yeast (to use active dry yeast, see Notes at the end of the recipe)
  Ingredient note

  Source: 1 tsp instant yeast (to use active dry yeast, see Notes at the end of the recipe)
• 10 g unsalted butter (a bit less than 1 Tbsp 14 g; ; at room temperature)
  Ingredient note

  Source: 10 g unsalted butter (a bit less than 1 Tbsp 14 g; ; at room temperature)
• 1½ cups Japanese curry of your choice
  Ingredient note

  Source: 1½ cups Japanese curry of your choice
• 1 each large egg (50 g each w/o shell) (for coating the bread with panko)
  Ingredient note

  Source: 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) (for coating the bread with panko)
• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
  Ingredient note

  Source: 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 4 cups neutral oil
  Ingredient note

  Source: 4 cups neutral oil

1. Gather all the ingredients. Leave the unsalted butter and Japanese curry at room temperature. I highly encourage you to weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale for this recipe. For weights, click the Metric button above to convert the measurements to grams. If you‘re using a cup measurement, please follow the “fluff and sprinkle“ method: Fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle the flour into your measuring cup, and level it off. Otherwise, you may scoop more flour than you need.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together 1¼ cups bread flour, 50 g cake flour, 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and 15 g sugar.
3. Microwave 125 ml whole milk until warm to the touch, about 95ºF (35ºC). Then, add in 1 tsp instant yeast to the warm milk.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the flour mixture. Using a silicone spatula, combine together until it becomes a rough dough, about 1–2 minutes.
5. Once the dough becomes a ball, add 10 g unsalted butter to the center of the dough and combine until the butter is well incorporated, about 2–3 minutes. At first, the dough will be sticky, wet, and oily and you might want to add more flour, but wait and try mixing it a little longer.
6. Once you don’t see any big chunks of butter, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and pliable, about 5 minutes. Read the tip on kneading below.
7. Tip on kneading: Using the lower part of your palm, push out the dough. Then, roll back up as if you’re drawing the number “8” with your hand. Rotate the dough 90 degrees every time you finish drawing a figure 8.
8. After drawing a figure 8 a few times, bang the dough onto the work surface and fold it over away from you. This helps develop the gluten (elasticity). Turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat drawing the number 8 again. Continue this process until the dough is smooth, supple, and silky.
9. When the dough is moist, smooth, and pliable, form it into a ball. Place the seam side down on the working surface and twist the ball a few times to close the seam.
10. Place the dough back in the bowl, seam side down. Cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise at 100ºF (38ºC) for 60 minutes, or until doubled in size. I used the proof setting in my oven. Tip: See my Shokupan post for tips on creating a warm environment for your dough.
11. To use the finger test, dust your finger with flour and poke the center of the dough. If the hole doesn’t close up, it’s ready to divide. If the dough closes up immediately, proof the dough a little longer and test again.
12. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and gently punch/press it down.
13. Fold the dough into thirds widthwise.
14. Fold the dough into thirds lengthwise.
15. Turn upside down so the seam is facing down. Twist the dough to form a nice ball shape.
16. Weigh the dough on a kitchen scale and divide the number by 8. Roughly cut the dough into 8 pieces.
17. Weigh each piece of dough and cut off any extra if it weighs more than you calculated.
18. Add the extra dough to the smaller dough piece(s). Hide the extra dough in the center of the ball by pulling down the dough from the sides.
19. Twist the dough to seal the seam on your hand. Place the dough balls on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.
20. Working on one dough ball at a time, place the dough seam side up and flatten it with your hand. Fold in thirds widthwise.
21. Fold in thirds lengthwise, and then turn it upside down so the seam side is on the bottom.
22. Flatten again, and flip so the seam side is up.
23. With a rolling pin, roll it out into a 3½-inch (9-cm) circle. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
24. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes. One by one, pick up the dough circles. Pinch the edges with your fingers to thin them out while leaving the center thicker, to about 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter.
25. Working on one dough circle at a time, place it seam side up. Gather 1½ cups Japanese curry of your choice. Add 1 to 1½ Tbsp curry sauce to the center of the circle. Do not overfill. Remember, KEEP THE CURRY AWAY from the edges! It’s the most crucial part. If you didn’t read my blog post, read tip #2 now in the post.
26. Gather the opposing edges of the circle and fold the dough in half. Tightly pinch and press the edges to seal well so the seam does not open up during proofing and deep-frying.
27. Next, to double secure the seam, fold the edges over to one side at least once, like folding a brown paper lunch bag. Press the edges again to secure.
28. Place the bread, seam side down, back onto the tray with the silicone mat. Cover with a damp towel while working on the rest of the dough.
29. Once you‘ve formed all the curry bread, crack 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) into a bowl and whisk well. Place 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) in a shallow bowl/tray. Using a pastry brush, coat them with beaten egg and then panko.
30. Cover the bread with plastic wrap and let rise at 100ºF (38ºC) until 1½ times its size, for 45–60 minutes (I used the proof setting in my oven). If you touch the dough with your finger and the indentation remains, it‘s ready.
31. If you‘re new to deep-frying, please read my post on how to deep-fry food at home for tips on safe and successful frying. In a deep-frying pot (I use a 2.75 QT Staub), heat 4 cups neutral oil to 320ºF (160ºC). Place 2–3 pieces of the curry bread into the oil, seam side down. After a few seconds, flip it over so the seam side is now up. You may need to hold it with a pair of tongs. Keep turning them while they deep-fry, until they cook to a golden brown, about 2–3 minutes. Drain the oil well and transfer to a wire rack or some paper towels to drain while it cools.
32. Serve hot or at room temperature. Keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for 3–4 weeks. To reheat, bake at 350ºF (177ºC) until warm inside.