Shio pan(or salt bread) is one of those Japanese pastries that I had a more recent relationship with, but one that I adore greatly. Soft, fluffy, vaguely croissant-shaped bread with a salty flavor, this was a great concept for me to use Horacio, my sourdough starter, in. Unlike with my previous shio pan recipe, this one uses sourdough starter to fully leaven it. Because of that, it is important that you use an active starter(i.e. fed for at least 5 days), or else your final shio pan will be dense and thick. I wrote up an entire article on sourdough starter, so you are free to either reference that or just use another sourdough starter recipe as well! What I personally love about the sourdough in this specific recipe is that the savory tang plays off the saltiness of the salted butter that is baked inside of the dough, making these a distinctly savory bread recipe. These little shio pan are still light and fluffy from being baked with a tangzhong, and enriched with butter, making this similar to both a brioche and a sourdough, all in one! The combination of both the starter and the tangzhong creates a distinctly soft and tender bread, taking in the best parts of both sourdough and Japanese milk bread, while the butteriness of the crumb plays off the flaky, crunchiness of the Maldon salt to make for a beautifully addictive combination!

Makes 8 shio pan:
For the tangzhong:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
a pinch of salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1 egg
1 tbsp canola oil

In a pot, heat up the flour, milk, and salt, stirring everything on medium heat until the flour fully mixes into the milk and the mixture thickens into a gel-like substance. Take the pot off heat and stir in the butter, mixing it until it fully melts into the flour-thickened milk. Then mix into it the egg, and finally, the canola oil.

For the dough:
Tangzhong
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4oz sourdough starter

In a bowl, mix together your tangzhong with the flour and starter until a dough forms. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 2 hours before allowing the dough to sit in the refrigerator for another 4 hours.

For assembly:
4 tbsp salted butter, cut into 1/2 tbsp-sized rectangles
1 egg, beaten
Maldon salt

Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll the dough pieces to elongated ovals. Place on one end the butter rectangle and roll up the dough to form a crescent turnover shape. Place the pastries onto a parchment-lined sheet tray, spacing them 2 inches apart. Brush the tops of the dough with beaten egg, then sprinkle Maldon salt on top of the doughs. Allow the shaped pastries to rest at room temperature for another hour before baking at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes. Allow the shio pan to fully cool before attempting to eat. Store the baked pan in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to two months.