Step 1

In a small sauce pan, whisk together 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup water until smooth. Cook the paste on medium heat for 4 minutes, stir occaisionally. As soon as the paste thickens slightly, lower the heat and continue to stir until the mixture resembles mashed potatoes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Step 2

Into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add 1 egg. Warm the milk in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and add it to the mixing bowl. Add 3 1/4 cup of flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast. Knead on low speed until fully incorporated.

Step 3

Add the tangzhong mixture from step one and butter and knead for 15 minutes, stopping as needed to scrape down the contents of the bowl and to add 1-2 tablespoons of flour as needed to form a soft dough. Set aside remaining flour for dusting your work surface later.

Step 4

Brush the oil around a large mixing bowl and then transfer the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm draft-free location for 45-60 minutes (I usually put it in my oven with the oven light on).

Step 5

While the dough rises, cover the raisins with water and soak for 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels, set aside. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl with 1 teaspoon of water. Set aside the remaining 1/4 cup of flour in a small bowl for shaping the raisin bread later.

Step 6

After 45-60 minutes of rising, check on the dough. It should be slightly puffier but doesn't need to be doubled in size. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured large cutting board or work surface and pat down gently into a rectangle. Spread half of the raisins onto the dough and roll it up along the width. Spread some of the raisins on top of the log and roll it up along the length and it will look like a rolled up coil.

Step 7

Pat the dough down into a rectangle again. Use a floured knife to cut the dough into 4 pieces and use floured hands to shape the dough into long lengths. If the dough is too tight, let it relax and work on another piece. I hold the ends and swing it around gently like a jump rope to stretch the dough a bit, fold in half and then twist the two ends together. Pinch the two ends together and tuck them under and place the shaped dough on the parchment lined sheet, cover with plastic wrap and continue to shape the remaining pieces

Step 8

Allow the shaped and covered dough to rise for 45 minutes and then preheat the oven to 350°F. Right before baking, remove the plastic wrap and brush the shaped raisin breads with the beatened egg mixture and bake for 27-30 minutes, until golden brown.

Step 9

When ready, take the baking sheet out of the oven and use tongs to transfer the loaves to a cooling rack. The bread is ready to eat and serve warm right out of the oven. Wait until it cools completely (at least 1 hour) before storing in a container or plastic bag. To warm and serve later, wrap a piece of bread with a paper towel and microwave for 10-20 seconds.