Seraphina’s So Salty

Seraphina’s So Salty!

By Seraphina Chung

May 26, 2026

Bowman Courier commissioned Seraphina Chung to concoct something, anything to show off her baking chops.  The result: sinful salt bread!

Ingredients:

400 g (3 ¼ cups) bread flour

120 g (1 cup)  cake flour

365 g (1 ½ cups) water (ice water)

26 g (2 tablespoons) sugar

10 g (2 teaspoons) salt

30 g (¼ cup) non-fat milk powder

40 g (3 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, straight from fridge (if you have been having a hard time with your dough being too sticky even after following all the instructions, try using 30 g (2 tablespoons) of butter instead 

7 g (¾ tablespoons) instant dry yeast

butter chunks (I cut 1 stick of butter into 8 pieces so you’ll need around 1.5 stick of butter)

pretzel salt

Preparation:

  1. Shape the dough into a smooth ball by rolling it taut.
  2. Place into a bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size.
  3. Takes around an hour for me in a 78° F house, but will depend on your environment
  4. Test readiness by poking the dough with a floured finger — if the hole stays without springing back, it’s ready.
  5. While the dough rises, cut 1.5 sticks of salted butter into 12 even sticks (~15 g each, 1 stick of butter = 8 chunks).
  6. Portion and bench rest
  7. Degas the dough and divide into 80 g portions.
  8. Roll each into a smooth ball, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes (starting from the first ball you shaped).
  9. This rest allows the gluten to relax for easier shaping.

Shape the rolls

  1. Roll each ball into a long teardrop shape, keeping the top wider and the bottom narrower.
  2. Start with the bottom half of the tear drop shape (narrower part.) Use a rolling pin to flatten the bottom half while using the other hand to slightly pull downward. Do the same for the upper half to flatten the wider end into a triangle base about the same width as your butter stick.
  3. The dough should look like a long, skinny, upside-down isosceles triangle.
  4. Place a butter stick at the wide end and roll down toward the point, gently tugging for tension.
  5. Keep the seam side down on the tray.

Final proof

  1. Place rolls on a non-stick baking tray (no parchment paper) with space between them.
  2. Make sure to use a non-stick baking pan! If you use a plain aluminum pan your bread may stick
  3. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
  4. Test by gently pressing the edge: if it leaves a dent that slowly springs back but still shows a slight indentation, they’re ready to bake.

Bake

  1. Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C).
  2. Spray rolls lightly with water and sprinkle pretzel salt on top.
  3. Just before baking, spray each roll generously (about 20 pumps) for added steam.
  4. Lower oven to 400°F (204°C) and bake for 12 minutes, rotating the tray halfway if needed for even browning.

Serve

  1. Brush the butter spilled out on the pan on the outside of the rolls.
  2. Enjoy hot out of the oven. The bottoms will be crisp and buttery, the insides fluffy and soft.

[Note: the above recipe is based on the one found in Erin’s Cozy Kitchen and incorporates baking tips from Little Bbang House.]