Kuromitsu and Saikyo Miso Sticky Buns

Introduction

In Kyoto, baking is not traditional shojin practice, yet the meditative spirit of fermentation speaks across culinary boundaries. In this creation, soft cushions of dough enriched with house amazake are swirled with toasted kinako and roasted sesame, baked over a slow-simmered pool of Okinawan kuromitsu and Saikyo sweet white miso. It is warmth, seasonality, and quiet mindfulness captured in a single pull-apart loaf.

Ingredients

• 350g Japanese bread flour
• 7g active dry yeast
• 120ml unsweetened organic soy milk, lukewarm
• 80g sweet rice amazake
• 30ml untoasted sesame oil
• 4g fine sea salt
• 100g Okinawan kuromitsu (black sugar syrup)
• 60g Saikyo white miso
• 40g melted vegan cultured butter or virgin coconut oil
• 2 tbsp stone-ground kinako (roasted soybean flour)
• 1 tbsp freshly toasted and cracked black sesame seeds
• 50g toasted walnut pieces
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh yuzu zest

Instructions

1. Whisk lukewarm soy milk, active dry yeast, and amazake together in an earthenware bowl; allow to sit for 7 minutes until soft foam forms on the surface.
2. Add bread flour and sea salt, mixing until a rough dough pulls together; knead in the untoasted sesame oil for 10 minutes until the dough becomes silky, smooth, and supple.
3. Form into a round ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl covered with a damp linen cloth, and rest in a calm, warm corner for 65 minutes until doubled in size.
4. Whisk kuromitsu, Saikyo miso, and melted vegan butter over low heat until a thick, uniform glaze forms; pour directly across the base of an 8-inch round ceramic baking dish and scatter toasted walnuts evenly over the top.
5. Gently turn proofed dough onto a lightly floured surface, press into a 10x14-inch rectangle, and dust evenly with kinako, cracked black sesame seeds, and grated yuzu zest.
6. Roll dough snugly into a cylinder from the long edge, cut into 8 equal rounds with a sharp knife, and nestle each spiral into the prepared dish over the miso-caramel.
7. Cover lightly with linen and allow a second proof for 35 minutes until buns expand and gently touch.
8. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 25 minutes until deep golden brown; immediately invert the pan onto an imperfect ceramic platter so the glossy molasses glaze flows over the tops.

Pull each bun apart gently while steam still curls from the center. The contrast between deep earthy molasses, toasted sesame, and the mellow saltiness of long-fermented Saikyo miso offers a moment of gratitude for grain, heat, and patient craftsmanship.

Hiroshi