Gerikiru Banas

This gerikiru banas or condensed milk bread is super fluffy and soft, with a delightful milky sweet flavor. It is perfect with a side of tea or coffee, or as a simple sweet dessert.

For our recipe, we have used the Ambassador Condensed Milk provided to us by one of our partners, Standard & Origin (S&O). This sweetened condensed milk is ideal for coffee, tea, and  desserts. It has a nice balance of milky taste without being overly sweet.

Serving size: 1 loaf (9.5x5.5-inch)

Ingredients:

For making the dough

• ½ cup lukewarm full cream milk
• 1 ¼ tsp instant yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp Ambassador Condensed Milk
• 1 egg
• 290g flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp softened unsalted butter
• 1 tsp flour (to dust the surface)
• ½ tsp olive oil (to grease the bowl)
• 1-2 tsp olive oil (to grease the surface and rolling pin)

For the egg wash

• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp full cream milk

For the condensed milk glaze

• 1 tbsp softened unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp Ambassador Condensed Milk

Instructions:

1. Into a large bowl, add ½ cup lukewarm full cream milk along with 1 ¼ tsp instant yeast and 1 tbsp sugar. Mix together with a fork and let it sit for 10 minutes, until the yeast is activated and frothy.
2. Then, add 3 tbsp Ambassador Condensed Milk and 1 egg. Mix again with a fork for around a minute, or until fully mixed.
3. Now, add in 290g flour and ½ tsp salt. Using a spatula, mix everything together until a rough dough forms. Then, add 1 tbsp softened unsalted butter and continue to mix and fold using the spatula for around 1-2 minutes, until the dough fully comes together and smoothens (it will be a soft, slightly sticky dough).
4. Dust your kneading surface with 1 tsp flour and transfer the dough onto it. Using your hand, knead the dough for 3 minutes or until smooth and elastic. The dough will be softer than normal roshi dough (it is fully kneaded when you poke it, and it bounces back to shape without sticking to your finger).
5. Spread ½ tsp olive oil in a large bowl using your hand and place the dough in. Lightly coat the dough with the remaining oil on your hand. Then cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it proof in a warm place (like inside a turned off oven) for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
6. Once the dough has been proofed, uncover the bowl and punch a couple of times to let the excess air out. Transfer the dough onto a flat surface (grease the surface and the rolling pin with 1-2 tsp of olive oil) and equally divide the dough into 2 balls.
7. Then, using your fingers, evenly flatten one dough ball to a 2x6 inch rectangle. Roll out the dough, using the rolling pin, to about 11 inches long and 4-5 inches in width.
8. From the edge closest to you (from the long 11-inch side), fold in about ½ inch of the dough and tightly roll the dough till the end. It should be in a long log shape at this point.  Pinch the seam and using a knife equally divide the dough roll into 7 pieces. Repeat the same process for the other dough ball as well.
9. Place the divided doughs in a loaf tray (grease the tray with a thin layer of unsalted butter, we used a 9.5x5.5-inch loaf tray). While placing them, leave out around ½-inch from the edge of the tray, so that the dough can expand nicely when proofing. Cover the loaf tray with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest in a warm spot for 45 minutes.
10. In the meantime, prepare the egg wash. For this, add 1 egg and 1 tbsp milk to a small bowl. Using a fork mix till fully combined and set aside. Then preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.
11. When the second proofing is done, brush the dough balls with the egg wash and bake them at 180 degrees Celsius for 20-22 minutes. It should be golden and lightly crispy on top when baked, and soft and fluffy inside.
12. To prepare the glaze, add in 1 tbsp softened unsalted butter into a small pan and melt it on low heat for 45 seconds. Then add in 3 tbsp Ambassador Condensed Milk and cook for 1-2 minutes, while mixing with the melted butter until combined.
13. Once the bread is baked, pour the glaze on top of the bread and let it sit for around 10 minutes. Enjoy!