by Lisa Atkinson

I love learning about cooking techniques and cuisines from all over the world. One day I might crave an unctuous butter chicken with crispy-edged naan, and the next day I may feel like gazpacho (which is what I made today) with a drizzle of olive oil and homemade croutons. Almost every day, though, I dream about fresh bread. Perhaps it’s a lingering side effect from my year living near a boulangerie in France, but for whatever reason, the smell of yeast bread makes me swoon and salivate simultaneously. Since moving to Hilo, I have been trying to learn more about local specialties from the many cultures that call Hawaii home. I had learned about Japanese Milk Bread from watching old episodes of “Iron Chef America,” and I’d seen it at a few stores in town, so I was intrigued when I recently came across a recipe for milk bread rolls. Ingredients seemed pretty straight forward (although I didn’t have any bread flour), so I gave it a go.

Wow. These will definitely go into the roll rotation at my house.