Pork Floss Braided Bread ❤️ Savory Pork Floss in Every Bite

🍞 Ingredients: (Makes 2 large loaves or 4-6 smaller individual buns)

Bread flour 320g, Icy cold milk 180g (hold back 30g and add gradually as needed; my flour absorbs a lot of water and I live in a dry climate, so I tend to need more liquid), Sugar 20g, Salt 4g, Egg 30g, Instant dry yeast 4g, Softened room-temperature unsalted butter 25g

🍞 Instructions:

1️⃣ Mix all ingredients except the butter on low speed until a rough dough forms, then cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

2️⃣ Remove the dough from the fridge and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes until it pulls into a thick membrane. Add the softened room-temperature butter and mix on low speed until fully absorbed. Switch to medium speed for 3 minutes, high speed for 1 minute, and finish on low speed until the dough reaches about 90% gluten development and feels very smooth and non-sticky.

3️⃣ Since I am making 2 large braided loaves, divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and give them a 15-minute bench rest. Roll out, fill with pork floss, and braid following Photos 3, 4, and 5.

4️⃣ Proof for the second proof for about 40 minutes, then brush the tops with beaten whole egg wash right before baking.

5️⃣ Bake at 180°C for about 20 minutes. (Because I shaped this batch into 2 large loaves, they take a bit longer to bake; if you divide the dough into 4 to 6 smaller individual buns, shorten the baking time to about 16 minutes.)

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If you shape these into 6 smaller buns, they are super convenient to grab and eat on the go, though shaping takes a bit more time. Shaping them into 2 large loaves like I did is much faster, and when you slice into them at the table, seeing every slice packed with savory pork floss is so satisfying.