Japanese Cheese Bread

Instructions

1. Prepare the dough
   In a large bowl, combine bread flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the warm milk and egg. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until a rough dough forms. Add the softened butter and knead for about 10-12 minutes until smooth and elastic.
2. First rise
   Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
3. Prepare the cheese filling
   While the dough is rising, mix the softened cream cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, and honey in a bowl until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Shape the bread
   After the first rise, punch down the dough and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a disc about 5 inches in diameter. Place about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture in the center of each disc. Fold the edges of the dough over the filling and pinch to seal completely. Place the dough balls, seam side down, in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan.
5. Second rise
   Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise again for about 45 minutes, or until puffy.
6. Bake the bread
   Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush the top of each dough ball with milk. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown on top. If the bread browns too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil.
7. Cool and serve
   Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for another 15 minutes before serving. The cheese inside will be hot, so be careful when first breaking open the bread.