Red Bean Flower Shaped Bread

I saw recipe for this pretty bread online, and have to try it. It is such a joy to see the end product - an artwork too pretty to eat.

Ingredients:

Bread flour - 300 g
Whole milk - 165 g
Large egg - 1 (for eggless: substitute with 1/4 cup yogurt, buttermilk, or oil)
Unsalted butter, soften and diced - 20 g
Sugar - 30 g
Active dry yeast - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp
(Optional) Egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 1 TBSP water
Red bean paste - about 1 cup - store purchased, or self made

Steps:

1. Microwave milk on high for 20 to 30 seconds. Then dissolve active dry yeast and sugar in milk.
2. To make the dough, you can hand-knead, or use the stand mixer, or use the bread machine.
For stand mixer:
 Add milk solution in mixing bowl, then add egg, flour, and salt. Knead on speed 2 for 12 to 18 minutes. Add soften butter, and knead another 10 to 18 minutes. Kneading time depends on the dough. The dough should pass the window panel test. It means you should be able to stretch a little piece of dough with your fingers into a really thin panel. It can be so thin that you can see through it like a window. That is why people call it window panel test. Cover the dough. Proof it until double in size. It takes 60 to 90 minutes.
For bread machine:
Put all wet ingredient in, then put all dry ingredient in, use dough program to knead it, and then stop the program. Use dough program to knead it second time and let the program cycle complete this time.
3. Transfer the dough to a well dusted pastry board. Divide the dough into four.

4, With a rolling pin, roll a piece of dough to a quarter inch in height. Spread the red bean paste evenly onto the top. Roll out another piece of dough, and place it on top of previous one. Repeat the process twice. Now we should have four layers of dough with 3 layers of red bean paste.

5. With a sharp knife, cut the edge into 16 petals, leave out the center part. I used a round cookie cutter to mark the center.

6. Twist each petal towards opposite direction twice. Seal the edges.

7. Cover and proof another 30 to 45 minutes.
8. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
9. (Optional) Brush with the top with egg wash.

10. Bake 25 to 30 minutes. Cover with a large piece of foil so that the bread doesn't get too brown in the oven. Of the two breads shown below, the one on the left is eggless, the one on right is with egg wash.

11. Cool on a cooling rack, then show off!