Shio pan—or “salt bread”—is a beloved staple in Japan that balances a soft, slightly sweetened, enriched milk bread interior with a crisp, buttery base. While the dough is simple to prepare, the magic happens during baking as the butter filling melts into the dough, creating a rich, sumptuous center and a beautifully golden-brown, crackly bottom.
And since they’re so stinkin’ cute, we’ll just call them chubby rolls. 😁
The perfect chubby roll will have a nice balance of textures and flavors. A generous sprinkling of coarse, flaky salt on the crust cuts through the richness of the butter, providing a savory finish that makes these rolls addictive. They are best enjoyed warm, ideally shortly after coming out of the oven, when the contrast between the soft interior and the crispy outside is at its peak. And when you squeeze a roll, they’re supposed to crackle a bit. That’s when you know you’ve got the recipe right.
Today’s recipe inspiration comes from Erin’s Cozy Kitchen. Thanks, Erin! 🙏🏻
*Note: because this is a Japanese recipe and they tend to be quite precise, all measurements are stated in grams, so you get the exact outcome you want.
Shio Pan, or Chubby Rolls Stuffed with Butter
Equipment
- 1 Digital kitchen scale
- 1 Stand mixer with dough hook or a large mixing bowl for hand-kneading
- 1 whisk
- 1 Bench scraper or dough cutter
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Large baking sheet or two half-sized
- 1 Pastry brush
- 1 Cooling rack(s)
- 1 Plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel for covering during rise
Ingredients
For the dough
- 480 g Bread Flour
- 120 g Cake Flour
- 45 g Granulated Sugar
- 30 g Nonfat Dry Milk Powder
- 10 g Fine Salt
- 8 g Instant Yeast one packet
- 360 g Cold Water
- 45 g Unsalted Butter softened
For Filling and Topping
- 180 g Unsalted Butter cut into 12 sticks, approximately 15 g each, 2 inches long
- Flaky Salt e.g., Maldon or pretzel salt: For sprinkling
- Water for spritzing
Instructions
1. Mix and Form the Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the bread flour, cake flour, sugar, milk powder, salt, and instant yeast. Add the cold water and mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms.
- Add the softened butter and increase the mixer speed to medium. Knead for 15–18 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, elastic, and passes the windowpane test (where a small piece of dough can be stretched thin enough to allow light through without tearing). Note that the dough will warm up during this process due to friction.
2. First Proof
- Shape the dough into a smooth ball, place it in a lightly greased bowl, and cover it. Let it rise in a warm, cozy environment for 1–2 hours, or until doubled in size. The dough is ready when a gentle indentation made with your finger remains and does not spring back.
3. Divide and Rest
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide it into 12 equal pieces (approximately 80–85 g each). Shape each piece into a small log or "tadpole" shape. Cover and let them rest for 15 minutes to relax the gluten, which makes final shaping easier.
4. Final Shaping
- Roll each piece into an elongated, tapered shape (like an isosceles triangle). Place a 15 g stick of butter at the wide end, fold the dough over the butter to encase it, and roll it up tightly toward the pointed end. Place each roll, seam-side down, on an ungreased baking sheet.
5. Second Proof
- Cover the shaped rolls and let them proof for 45–60 minutes, or until they have puffed up significantly. Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C) during this time.
6. Bake
- Lightly spritz the rolls with water and sprinkle generously with flaky salt. Bake at 400°F (205°C) for 12–15 minutes, or until they are a deep golden brown.
7. Finish and Serve
- Immediately after removing from the oven, brush the tops of the rolls with any butter that has melted onto the baking pan for added richness. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 5–10 minutes before serving.