I’ve seen Japanese milk bread (also known as Hokkaido milk bread) many times on Instagram, and I finally decided to give it a try. I cannot believe I waited as long as I did! This pull apart bread is so fluffy and soft. The tangzhong method that makes milk bread special helps keep it light and springy for longer too! This recipe can also make rolls as well, which are even better for sharing. Have you ever tried Japanese milk bread?
Japanese Milk Bread
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 3 tbsp water (43g)
- 3 tbsp whole milk (43g)
- 2 tbsp bread flour (14g)
Dough
- 2 1/2 cups bread flour (298g)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 2 tbsp nonfat dry milk (14g)
- 1/2 cup whole milk (113g)
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (57g), room temp
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp instant or active dry yeast
Instructions
- To bloom the yeast, gently heat up the 1/2 cup whole milk for the dough until 90°F-100°F. Add the yeast to the milk and stir until mixed, and let sit for 10 minutes.
- While the yeast is blooming, start on the tangzhong, which is the secret to what makes Japanese milk bread so fluffy. Combine the tangzhong ingredients in a small saucepan and whisk together until completely mixed. Place the saucepan over low-medium low heat and whisk constantly. The tangzhong will start to thicken. You know you're done when it's thick enough that the whisk leaves lines in the bottom of the saucepan. This should take 3-5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the tangzhong! Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Once the tangzhong has cooled for a few minutes, add the bloomed yeast and milk to the saucepan and whisk together. Once whisked together, add the egg to the saucepan and whisk to mix. If the tangzhong is still too hot (130°F+) it could harm the yeast and cook the egg, so make sure it's cooled enough! Once mixed, set aside and prepare the dry ingredients for the dough.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread flour, dry milk, sugar, and salt. whisk together to mix, and then in the stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, stream in the tangzhong mix with the mixer on low speed.
- Once the tangzhong has been added, stream in the melted butter. Gradually increase the mixer speed up to medium-medium high, pausing to scrape down the sides as necessary with a rubber spatula. Allow the dough to knead until elastic and smooth, and no longer sticking to the sides. This could take a while, depending on your mixer (I had to knead mine for over 10 minutes!). If it's not coming together don't worry, give it a bit more time. If you stop early, you won't get a good final product.
- Once the dough is kneaded, scrape it out onto a counter and shape into a ball, and then place it in a bowl lightly greased with butter, cover it with a damp towel, and let it rest for 60-90 minutes. The dough will puff up, but may not double in size. If you poke it and the dough doesn't spring all the way back, you know it's proofed enough.
- After the dough has risen, carefully scrape out onto the counter and separate into 4 equal pieces. I use a kitchen scale to make sure I'm as close as possible. Shape each piece into a small ball. While working on one, cover the other three with a damp towel. Roll out the dough ball into a rectangle, and then fold the short ends together like a letter. Flatten it out again and once again fold the short ends together like a letter. Roll it out again, and this time from one of the short ends, roll the dough up tightly and place seam-side down in a lightly greased 9"x5" loaf pan. Repeat for the other three pieces of dough. Cover the dough with the damp towel and let rise again for 30-40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- When ready to bake, brush the dough with an egg wash and bake for ~30 minutes, until golden brown on top, and at least 190°F at the center. Check it halfway through baking and if browning too quickly, cover with tinfoil for the rest of the bake. Once done, remove it from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
- Enjoy!
