MATCHA MILK BREAD TURTLES

Step 1

FOR THE TANGZHONG:

Step 2

In a small saucepan, whisk together the water, milk & flour - whisk until no lumps remain

Step 3

Heat this mixture over medium low heat, stirring constantly. The mixture will thicken & streaks from your whisk will appear, this usually takes about 3-5 minutes

Step 4

Remove from the heat & transfer the mixture from the saucepan to a clean bowl - let cool to room temperature

Step 5

FOR THE DOUGH:

Step 6

Whisk together the flour, sugar, matcha, instant yeast, salt & milk powder in the bowl of your stand mixer

Step 7

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla, egg & the cooled tangzhong

Step 8

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients & with the dough hook knead blend for a few minutes until just combined (scraggy dough is okay)

Step 9

Add the melted butter & knead the dough for about 7-10 more minutes - it will feel elastic & slightly sticky

Step 10

Knead the dough into a ball shape & place into a greased bowl. Cover & place in a warm place to rise for 1 1/2 hours

Step 11

MAKING THE TURTLES:

Step 12

After dough is done rising, weigh your dough & divide it into 8 equally sized pieces (mine weighed about 72g each)

Step 13

Reserve 2 of the pieces for the heads & feet of the turtles

Step 14

Flatten each piece of dough into about a 4-5" circle & add 15g of chopped white chocolate to the flattened dough, pressing the chocolate into the dough. Fold the dough up & around the white chocolate, pressing the dough together to ensure it is well sealed

Step 15

Flip over the dough so the sealed side is facing down - repeat with the other 5 pieces of dough & the turtle bodies are done

Step 16

Place the turtle bodies on a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving 2" in between each turtle

Step 17

Take 1 of the reserved balls of dough & divide it into 6 equally sized pieces (mine weighed about 12g each) - Roll each piece into a sphere & gently pinch one end of the sphere, slip the pinched end under the turtle body & press the body down at their meeting point, repeat until all of the bodies have heads

Step 18

Take the other reserved ball of dough & divide it into 6 equally sized pieces (mine weighed about 12g each) & then divide each of these pieces into 4 small pieces (my small pieces weighed about 3g each) leaving you with 4 small balls of dough per turtle for the feet (24 total small pieces)

Step 19

Shape each of the 4 small balls of dough into an oval, pinching one end of each oval. Slip the pinched ends under the turtle body placing them where the turtle's feet need to be

Step 20

Once all turtles have heads & feet, make the eyes by taking 2 black sesame seeds & place them onto each head, gently pressing them into the dough with a toothpick

Step 21

Cover the completed turtle rolls with plastic wrap & put in a warm place to rise for about 30 minutes

Step 22

While the turtles are rising make the dutch crunch

Step 23

In a small bowl whisk together the dutch crunch ingredients until smooth. Cover with plastic & leave to rise while the turtles are rising

Step 24

When turtles are done rising, pre-heat oven to 350F - Stir the dutch crunch topping until smooth & then coat the top of each turtle body with the dutch crunch topping, spreading it evenly with a spoon until all of the topping is used up

Step 25

Sprinkle the dutch crunch coating with sugar & then bake the rolls for 20 minutes

Step 26

Remove from oven & place turtles on a rack to cool for about 10-15 minutes

Step 27

Enjoy turtles while still warm from the oven - this is when they are at their best - otherwise, store in an airtight container & re-heat in the microwave for about 20 seconds