Milk Bread

For the yudane, combine the flour and boiling water in a bowl and stir until completely mixed. Cover and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours, or up to overnight.

Once the yudane is ready, heat the milk until lukewarm (around 35°C) and stir the sugar and yeast into it. Whisk together and let sit for 5 mins.

Pour the milk mixture into a large bowl, tear the yudane into it, then add the butter, flour and salt. Stir until a dough forms, then tip onto a clean surface. Knead the dough for 20-30 mins until smooth – the dough will be very tacky and sticky at first, but trust the process and it will transform itself. You know it’s ready when you can gently stretch the dough until it goes so thin you can see shadows through it. Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a greased bowl. Cover and prove for 1-1½ hrs until doubled in size.

Tip the dough out and split it in half, then roll each half out into a long rectangle. Take a dough half and fold the long sides in so the seams meet in the middle, then starting from the short side furthest from you, tightly roll into a thick log. Repeat with the other half.

Grease a 2LB (see notes) loaf tin and place both logs into it, seam-side down so they touch in the middle. Cover and prove for another 45 mins until puffy – test by gently poking it with a wet finger (if it slowly bounces back leaving an indentation, it’s ready). Halfway through proving, heat the oven to 185°C.

Bake for 25-30 mins until golden brown. Once baked, brush the top of the loaf with some melted butter, if you like. Allow the bread to cool for at least 30 mins before eating.