My friend wouldn't stop talking about salt bread while we were planning our Korea trip. Every conversation somehow circled back to these buttery rolls she'd been seeing at Seoul bakeries. I kept seeing the photos - golden rolls with flaky sea salt on top - and I couldn't wait anymore. I love anything bread, and if it looks that good, I'm baking it.
Turns out salt bread (shio pan) is easier than I expected. The dough is a simple milk bread base. The move is rolling a small chunk of cold salted butter into each piece of dough before baking. As it bakes, the butter melts, the bottom gets crispy and golden, and the inside stays soft and pillowy. Finish with flaky sea salt and you've got bakery-quality rolls at home.
No bread machine needed. No complicated laminating. Just mix, knead, shape, bake. I made a batch before the trip and I'm already planning the next one.
If you've rolled Spanish Bread or a classic Filipino pandesal, this will feel familiar. Same idea, just with cold butter tucked inside instead of sweet filling.
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What Is Salt Bread (Shio Pan)?
Salt bread, or shio pan in Japanese, is a soft milk bread roll with a twist: salted butter is rolled inside the dough before baking. The result is a roll that's buttery throughout, with a crispy, almost croissant-like bottom and a soft, fluffy interior. It's finished with flaky sea salt on top, which is where the name comes from.
It became popular in Japan in the early 2000s and has since spread to Korean bakeries and beyond. The appeal is simple - it tastes indulgent but it's not sweet, so it works as a breakfast roll, a side for soup, or just a snack on its own.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easier than it looks - The shaping seems tricky at first, but after the first couple rolls, you'll get the hang of it. No special equipment needed.
- Buttery without being greasy - The butter is sealed inside the dough, so it melts as it bakes and creates that signature crispy bottom without making the rolls oily.
- Bakery texture at home - That crispy-chewy bottom and soft, pillowy inside is exactly what you get at a good Japanese bakery, and you're making it in your own kitchen.
- Minimal ingredients - Bread flour, cake flour, milk, butter, yeast, sugar, salt. That's it. No fancy additives or hard-to-find imports.
- Great for meal prep - These freeze well and reheat beautifully. Make a batch, freeze half, and you've got fresh-tasting rolls whenever you want them.
Ingredients
Dough
- Bread flour - Gives the dough structure and chew. This is what creates that pull-apart texture.
- Cake flour - Softens the crumb. The combination of bread flour and cake flour mimics Japanese bread flour, which has a lower protein content than American bread flour.
- Sugar - Feeds the yeast and adds a subtle sweetness. Not enough to make these dessert rolls, just enough to balance the salt.
- Instant yeast - The leavening agent. Make sure it's fresh - old yeast won't rise properly.
- Salt - For the dough itself. The sea salt on top is separate.
- Milk - Adds richness and keeps the bread soft. Whole milk works best.
- Salted butter - Goes into the dough. Adds flavor and helps keep the bread tender.
Filling
- Salted butter (84 g, cut into 12 pieces at 7 g each) - The star of the show. This gets rolled into each piece of dough. Keep it cold until you're ready to shape.
- Maldon sea salt flakes - For topping. Regular table salt won't give you the same texture or flavor.
Total butter: 113 g (1 stick)
See recipe card for quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the Dough
- Activate the yeast: In a small bowl, combine milk, yeast, and 4 grams of the sugar. Stir and let sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.
- Mix the dough: In a large bowl, combine the bread flour, cake flour, and remaining 30 grams sugar. Add the milk and yeast mixture and stir until no dry flour remains. Mix in the salt and 29 grams softened salted butter, then knead until smooth and elastic, about 15 to 20 minutes by hand or 10 minutes in a stand mixer. The dough should feel soft and slightly tacky, not sticky.
- First rise: Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Don't let it overproof - if it rises too much, the texture will be off.
Shape the Rolls
- Divide the dough: Punch down the dough gently to degas it. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces (about 55-60 grams each). Form each piece into a rough ball. Cover the dough balls with a towel and let them rest for 10-15 minutes. This relaxes the gluten and makes shaping easier.
- Roll and fill: Take the first dough ball you formed (it will be the most rested). On a lightly floured surface, roll it into a long oval or rectangle, about 6-7 inches long and 3-4 inches wide. Place one piece of cold butter (7 grams) at the end closest to you. Roll the dough tightly around the butter, starting from the butter end and rolling away from you. Pinch the seam and ends to seal completely - you don't want butter leaking out during baking.
- Arrange on baking sheet: Place each roll seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Second rise: Cover the shaped rolls loosely with a towel and let them rise for 30-40 minutes, until puffy but not doubled. They should look noticeably larger but still hold their shape. While the rolls are rising, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Right before baking, brush the tops of the rolls lightly with milk or melted butter (optional, but gives a nice sheen). Sprinkle generously with Maldon sea salt flakes.
- Bake: Bake for 18-22 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown on top and deeply golden and crispy on the bottom. The butter inside will bubble and create that signature crispy base. If the tops are browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 5 minutes. Let the rolls cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm. The butter inside will still be melty and the bottoms will be at peak crispiness.
Variations
- Garlic butter salt bread - Mix minced garlic into the softened butter before rolling it into the dough. Brush the tops with garlic butter before baking.
- Cheese salt bread - Add a small cube of mozzarella or cream cheese along with the butter before rolling. The cheese melts into the bread as it bakes.
- Honey butter version - Brush the warm rolls with honey butter (equal parts melted butter and honey) right after they come out of the oven.
- Herb salt bread - Mix dried rosemary, thyme, or Italian seasoning into the dough. Top with herbs and sea salt before baking.
- Sweet version - Reduce the salt slightly and add a teaspoon of cinnamon sugar on top instead of sea salt. Works as a breakfast pastry.
Rose's Top Tips
- Use cold butter for the filling - If the butter is too soft, it will leak out during shaping and baking. Cut it into pieces and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to roll.
- Don't skip the rest after dividing - Letting the dough balls rest for 10-15 minutes makes them much easier to roll out. If the dough springs back, it needs more rest.
- Seal the seams tightly - Pinch the dough well where it overlaps. Any gaps will let butter escape, and you'll lose that crispy bottom effect.
- Roll tightly but not too tight - You want the dough snug around the butter, but if you roll it so tight that you stretch and thin the dough, it might tear during the second rise.
- Don't overproof the second rise - These rolls should be puffy but not doubled. Overproofed rolls will collapse in the oven and lose their structure.
- Use Maldon or another flaky sea salt - Table salt or fine sea salt won't give you the same texture or visual appeal. The large flakes are part of the experience.
- Bake until the bottoms are golden - The bottoms should be deeply golden and crispy, not pale. If they look pale, give them another 2-3 minutes.
Storage
Room temperature: Store in an airtight container or resealable bag for up to 2 days. The bottoms will soften slightly, but they're still good.
Reheat: To bring back the crispy bottom, reheat in a 350°F oven for 5-7 minutes, or toast cut-side down in a skillet over medium heat.
Freeze: These freeze beautifully. Let the rolls cool completely, then freeze in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and reheat in the oven.
Recipe FAQs
You can, but the texture will be chewier and less tender. The cake flour softens the crumb and mimics the lower-protein Japanese bread flour. If you only have bread flour, the rolls will still taste good, just slightly denser.
The seam wasn't sealed tightly enough, or the dough tore during shaping. Make sure to pinch the seam and ends firmly, and don't roll the dough so thin that it stretches or tears.
Yes. After the first rise, punch down the dough, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. The next day, let it come to room temperature (about 30-45 minutes), then shape and proceed with the second rise.
Any flaky sea salt works - like Jacobsen or even kosher salt in a pinch. Just don't use table salt. The large flakes are part of what makes these taste and look like shio pan.
You can, but you'll need to adjust the salt in the dough and on top. Salted butter is traditional and gives the rolls the right flavor balance without having to measure extra salt.
The dough may have been overproofed, underproofed, or not kneaded enough. Make sure the dough is smooth and elastic after kneading, and that the first rise doubles the dough without going past that. Also check that your yeast is fresh.
The tops should be golden brown and the bottoms should be deeply golden and crispy. If you lift one up, the bottom should look caramelized, almost like a croissant.
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Salt Bread (Shio Pan) - Buttery Japanese Rolls
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook (or large mixing bowl)
- Kitchen scale (optional but recommended)
- Rolling Pin
- Baking sheet
- parchment paper
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 240 grams (2 cups) bread flour
- 120 grams (1 cup) cake flour
- 34 grams sugar divided (4g for yeast activation, 30g for dough)
- 6 grams (2 teaspoons) instant yeast
- 5 grams (1 teaspoon) salt
- 230 grams milk room temperature
- 29 grams salted butter softened
For the Filling:
- 84 grams salted butter cut into 12 pieces (7g each), kept cold
For the Topping:
- Maldon sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Activate the yeast: In a small bowl, combine warm milk, instant yeast, and 4g sugar. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.34 grams sugar, 230 grams milk, 6 grams (2 teaspoons) instant yeast
- Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine bread flour, cake flour, and remaining 30g sugar. Pour in the milk-yeast mixture and stir until a shaggy dough forms.240 grams (2 cups) bread flour, 120 grams (1 cup) cake flour, 34 grams sugar
- Knead: Add salt and softened salted butter. Knead until smooth and elastic - 15-20 minutes by hand or 10 minutes in a stand mixer with dough hook. The dough should be soft, slightly tacky, and pass the windowpane test.5 grams (1 teaspoon) salt, 29 grams salted butter
- First rise: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Don't overproof - it should exactly double, not triple.
- Divide and rest: Punch down the dough to degas. Divide into 12 equal pieces (about 57g each). Form each piece into a smooth ball. Cover and let rest for 10-15 minutes.84 grams salted butter
- Shape the rolls: Working with the first ball you formed (while others rest), roll it into a long rectangle or oval about 4-5 inches long. Place one piece of cold butter (7g) at one end. Roll tightly toward the other end, like a mini jelly roll. Pinch the seam firmly to seal. Repeat with remaining dough balls in the order you formed them.
- Second rise: Place shaped rolls seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Cover loosely and let rise for 30 minutes until noticeably puffy.
- Prep for baking: Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush/ Spray rolls with water or milk and sprinkle with Maldon sea salt flakes.Maldon sea salt flakes
- Bake: Bake for 12-15 minutes until deep golden brown on top. The rolls should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Cool and serve: Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm - tear one open and watch that butter pool out.
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