Ingredient
Beetroot powder
This is the product I used to colour the bread. P.S. you can adjust the amount for a stronger or softer colour... but remember it is not flavourless: you can taste the beetroot! Open link ↗ (affiliate link)
Antipastini · Soft coral-pink buns for shrimp rolls
Pink buns for shrimp rolls 🦐
Super soft pink Shokupan buns made with tangzhong and beetroot powder, perfect for toasting in butter and filling with shrimp.
Prep40 min
RisingAbout 2 hours
Baking18–22 min
DifficultyMedium
Quantity
Watch on Instagram ↗ 1
01
Make the tangzhong
Mix 20 g of bread flour with 100 g of whole milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it turns into a thick cream, ideally reaching about 65 °C. Cover and let it cool slightly.
Keep stirring to get a smooth cream and stop it sticking to the bottom.
02
Activate the yeast
Mix the 150 g of lukewarm whole milk with the sugar, honey and dry yeast. Leave it for 10 minutes. Dissolve the beetroot powder in some of this milk so no lumps form.
Dissolving the beetroot separately helps the colour spread evenly through the dough.
03
Start kneading
Add the egg, the slightly cooled tangzhong, the bread flour and the milk powder. Knead for about 5 minutes, then work in the salt.
The tangzhong should be lukewarm, not hot, when you add it to the dough.
04
Work in the butter
Gradually add the soft butter and keep kneading for another 10–12 minutes, until the dough is elastic and very soft. Do not correct the texture by adding more flour. Finish with 5 final slaps on the counter.
Add the butter a little at a time, waiting for each piece to be absorbed before adding the next.
05
First rise
Cover the dough and let it rise for about 50–70 minutes, until visibly bigger.
Check the volume after 50 minutes: the actual time depends on the temperature of the room.
06
Divide the dough
Divide the dough into 8 portions of about 102 g. Round each one, cover them and let them rest for 15 minutes.
Weighing the portions gives you even buns that bake at the same rate.
07
Shape the buns
Roll each portion into a small rectangle. Fold the two long sides into the centre, close the dough and pinch the seam well. Roll gently into a log about 12–13 cm long.
Seal the seam carefully so the buns do not open while rising.
08
Arrange them in the tin
Place the buns seam side down in a buttered tin of about 30 × 20 cm. Make two groups of four and leave very little space between the buns.
Keeping the buns close helps them rise upwards and keeps the sides extra soft.
09
Second rise
Cover and let the buns rise for another 45–60 minutes. They should become puffy and almost touch each other.
Start checking after 45 minutes so they do not over-rise.
10
Brush and bake
Gently brush the tops with a little milk, without using egg. Bake in a conventional oven preheated to 175 °C for 18–22 minutes. The ideal internal temperature is 92–94 °C.
Do not go above 175 °C: a higher temperature makes the crust darker and dulls the pink colour.
11
Keep the crust soft
As soon as they come out of the oven, brush the buns with a little melted butter and cover them with a tea towel for 15 minutes. This keeps the crust especially soft.
Cover the buns while they are still hot to hold in some of the moisture.
12
Make the shrimp rolls
Once the buns are cool, slit them from the top without cutting all the way through. Briefly toast the sides in butter, then add the shrimp filling.
Make a deep cut but leave the base intact, so the bun holds the filling well.
What I used
Equipment
The exact reference images, so there is no “wait, which one should I buy?” moment.
Good to know
Tangzhong – what is it?
Tangzhong (also known in the West as water roux) is an Asian bread-making technique where a small part of the flour and liquid (water or milk) is cooked first in a 1:5 ratio up to 65 °C. This gelatinises the starches, so the dough holds more moisture and turns out incredibly soft and keeps longer.
✦Small details,
Sofi’s tips
Small details,
great result.
01Do not add more flour even if the dough seems very soft: as you keep kneading it becomes elastic.
02Use 8 g of beetroot for pastel pink, 10 g for coral pink, and do not go above 12 g.
03Avoid brushing the buns with egg and do not go above 175 °C, to keep the colour better.
04The internal temperature of the baked buns should be between 92 and 94 °C.
05Brush the hot buns with melted butter and cover them for 15 minutes for a very soft crust.
Keep cooking
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