This foolproof Japanese milk bread recipe is a must-try for a loaf that is unbelievably tender, soft, and just a little sweet. Milk bread is honestly so rich and delicious you can slice it up and eat it plain! But I share lots of ideas below for how to serve it.
The best milk bread starts with a cooked flour mixture called tangzhong and then gets mixed into an enriched dough containing pantry staples like butter, eggs, and milk. With a little patience, you will be a milk bread-making pro in no time! For more homemade bread recipes, try my white bread, brioche bread, and potato bread.
What is Milk Bread?
Japanese milk bread (also called shokupan and Hokkaido milk bread) is a fluffy, slightly sweet bread popular in parts of Asia. It is known for its signature texture, which is both chewy and incredibly soft.
Milk bread is made with an enriched dough containing butter, eggs, and milk and a key component–Tangzhong, a special Chinese flour paste. This gives the bread its wonderful soft-yet-chewy texture and addictive fluffiness.
Ingredients
Tangzhong — this paste is easy to make with flour, whole milk, and water.
Flour — use bread flour for a tall milk bread that has just enough structure and chewiness. All-purpose flour can be substituted if needed, but the baked bread won’t have quite the same chewiness.
Milk — warm milk activates the yeast and also tenderizes the milk bread’s crumb.
Sugar — granulated sugar feeds the yeast and sweetens the loaf.
Yeast — use instant yeast, which does not need to be bloomed in advance. Make sure it has not expired.
Butter — use unsalted butter to prevent the milk bread from becoming too salty. Bring the butter to room temperature before starting on this recipe.
Eggs — you’ll need 1 egg for the enriched dough and 1 for an egg wash.
How To Make Milk Bread
1. Make the tangzhong in a small saucepan by whisking together the milk, flour, and ¼ cup water until smooth.
2. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, whisking frequently, until the mixture forms a thick paste. Remove from the heat and whisk until smooth. Transfer the tangzhong to the bowl of a stand mixer. Let it cool for 15 minutes until the tangzhong is just barely warm.
3. Add bread flour to the bowl containing the tangzhong.
4. Then add warm milk, sugar, salt, instant yeast, and 1 egg.
5. Scrape the tangzhong from the bottom of the bowl and stir everything together to create a shaggy dough. Attach the dough hook attachment to the stand mixer and knead the dough on low speed for 5 minutes until it starts to ball up around the hook. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix for another 5 minutes on low.
6. While mixing, add 1 to 2 pieces of butter at a time. Once all of the butter has been added, continue to mix on low speed for another 5 minutes until the dough is cohesive and smooth. Scrape the dough into a ball and oil the top of the dough and sides of the bowl. Flip the dough over and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot (75°F) until it has doubled in size. Once the first proof is complete, use butter or baking spray to lightly grease a 9x4x4-inch Pullman loaf pan or a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
7. Punch down the dough to remove some of the air and turn it out onto a lightly oiled countertop. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. I recommend weighing the dough for the most accurate measurements.
8. Stretch each piece of milk bread dough into a rectangle with dimensions of about 10×6 inches and ¼-inch thick. Fold each long side into the center of the rectangle so that both sides meet in the middle. Pinch the seam where the two sides meet. Press and stretch the rectangle to be the width of the baking pan that you are using.
9. Beginning with the short end closest to you, roll each piece of dough into a log.
10. Place the 3 logs width-wise, seam side down in the prepared pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for a second time in a warm place until doubled in size. After 15 minutes of proofing time has passed, preheat the oven to 350°F.
After the second proof is done, use the remaining egg to make an egg wash with 1 tablespoon of milk or water and brush the top of the loaf. Bake for 32 to 35 minutes until the bread is golden brown on top. Let the loaf cool for a few minutes in the loaf pan, then remove and cool on a wire rack until just warm before slicing and enjoying.
Tangzhong Is The Key To Fluffy Milk Bread
For this milk bread recipe, I use the tangzhong method for the fluffiest, softest loaf. Tangzhong is a Chinese technique involving cooking a paste made out of flour and liquid. The hot liquid gelatinizes the flour and locks in moisture.
The flour paste’s ability to trap liquid is so important because it adds moisture to the dough without making it too sticky and wet. When tangzhong is added to bread dough, it creates a pillowy, tender loaf that also stays soft for longer and won’t go stale as quickly.
When using the tangzhong method to bake bread, make sure it is almost completely cooled down before you mix it into the dough. To speed up the cooling process, you can refrigerate the cooked tangzhong and stir it occasionally until it is barely warm to the touch.
What’s The Best Pan To Bake Milk Bread In?
I like using a 9x4x4-inch Pullman pan for a tall, dramatic loaf. This type of bread pan will result in a loaf with straight, square sides. However, if you do not have one, a regular 9×5-inch loaf pan or 8½x4½-inch loaf pan will work very well, too.
Can I Make Rolls With This Same Recipe?
Yes, you can make milk bread rolls using this recipe. Divide the dough into 9 equal pieces and shape them into balls. Grease an 8-inch square or round baking pan and place the dough balls in it, equally spaced apart. Cover with plastic wrap, allow the dough to rise for the second time, then uncover and bake at 350°F. The baking time will likely reduce to 20 or 25 minutes.
How to Use Milk Bread
While this bread is soft and flavorful enough to enjoy on its own, there are so many delicious ways to use it. Here are some of my favorite ways:
- Generously smear it with butter and strawberry jam.
- Toast it and enjoy it with honey butter to lean into the sweetness of the bread.
- Cut the loaf into thick slices and make French toast.
- Turn the dough into rolls as I described above and use them for ham and cheese sliders, or swap them for dinner rolls on your holiday table.
- Use it in place of sandwich bread to make your favorite sandwiches.
How to Store
Freshly baked milk bread will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Alternatively, you can freeze it to make it last even longer. Once the bread is completely cooled, store it whole or sliced in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Reheat it for a few seconds in the microwave or toast it from frozen.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Use room temperature eggs and butter: They are easier to blend into a cohesive dough.
- Weigh the flour: Weighing flour with a scale is the easiest way to avoid accidentally using too much. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, fluff the flour up in its container, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level off the top with a knife.
- Weigh the dough. Before dividing the dough into three pieces, pop it onto a scale so you know exactly how much the whole dough ball weighs, then divide that by three. This way, you know each piece will be the same size for an evenly risen and baked loaf.
- Dough texture: The dough will feel moist but shouldn’t be sticky. You do not need to flour the surface that you roll on. If it is sticking to your counter, you can lightly oil it with nonstick spray or by putting a few tablespoons of vegetable oil on a paper towel and rubbing it onto your work surface. Use a bench scraper and moist hands to stretch and shape the dough. Adding flour during shaping can dry out the dough and inhibit the bread from being as soft and fluffy as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use active dry yeast, but you will need to activate it before using it. Do this by adding the yeast to warm water (105°F to 110°F when checked with an instant-read thermometer) and a little sugar to feed it. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes, until foamy. Make sure the yeast has not expired, or the bread will not rise properly. Your rise times may be a bit longer since active dry yeast is slower rising than instant or rapid-rise yeast.
If you use instant yeast as called for in the recipe, you do not need to bloom it first. Simply add it in with the other dry ingredients.
Yes! Shape the dough, place it in the loaf pan, and cover it tightly with plastic wrap (skip the second rise). Refrigerate it for up to 12 hours. It should start the second rise while chilling, so you may see it grow while it’s in the fridge. When you are ready to bake it, set it out at room temperature for 1 hour. Then, preheat the oven and bake as directed.
Dough that hasn’t been proofed properly will result in dense, hard bread. Both under-proving and over-proving dough can cause milk bread to turn out dense. Under-proofed bread has not risen enough, which means the yeast hasn’t produced enough carbon dioxide to create a fluffy texture. After the first rise, the dough should double in size, and it should double in size once again during the second rise.
Over-proofed dough (i.e. dough that has been allowed to rise too much) means the yeast has over produced, and the bread will deflate in the oven, resulting in a loaf that loses its fluffy texture.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this milk bread recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Milk Bread Recipe
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook
- 9x4x4-inch Pullman loaf pan or 9×5-inch loaf pan
- Bench scraper
- Plastic wrap
Ingredients
For the Tangzhong
- ¼ cup whole milk (60mL)
- 3 tablespoons bread flour
For the Bread
- 2¾ cups bread flour (330g)
- ½ cup warm whole milk (105°F to 110°F) (120mL)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 (0.25-ounce/7g) envelope instant yeast
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed and softened
- 2 large eggs room temperature, divided
Instructions
For the Tangzhong:
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the milk, flour, and ¼ cup water until smooth. Place over medium heat and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, whisking frequently, until the mixture turns into a thick paste (like mashed potatoes). Remove from the heat and whisk until very smooth.
- Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer. Let it cool for 15 minutes until it’s just barely warm.
For the Milk Bread:
- To the same bowl with the cooled tangzhong, add the flour, warm milk, sugar, salt, yeast, and 1 of the eggs. With a rubber spatula, scrape the tangzhong from the bottom of the bowl and stir the mixture together to create a shaggy dough.
- Place the bowl on the stand mixer and attach the dough hook. Knead on low speed for 5 minutes until the dough is combined and starts to ball up around the hook. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Mix for another 5 minutes on low speed. While mixing, add 1 to 2 pieces of butter at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed so that the butter is fully incorporated between each addition.
- Once all of the butter has been added, continue to mix on low speed for another 5 minutes until the dough is cohesive, smooth and balls up around the dough hook. (Some of it may still stick to the side of the bowl, but some should ball up around the hook).
- Scrape the dough into a ball and lightly oil the top of the dough and sides of the bowl. Flip the dough over, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm, draft-free spot (75°F) for 40 to 50 minutes, until doubled in size.
- Once the dough is risen, lightly grease a 9x4x4-inch Pullman loaf pan or a 9×5-inch loaf pan with butter or baking spray.
- Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces (235g each). Stretch and shape each piece into a rectangle about 10×6-inches and ¼-inch thick. Fold each long side into the center of the rectangle so that both sides meet in the middle. Pinch the seam where the two sides meet. Press and stretch the rectangle to be the width of the baking pan that you are using.
- Beginning with the short end closest to you, roll each dough piece into a thick log. Place the logs width-wise, side by side, seam side down in the prepared pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot (75°F), until doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes.
- After 15 minutes of proofing, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Once the loaf has finished rising, in a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of milk or water until smooth. Brush the top of the risen loaf with the egg wash.
- Bake for 32 to 35 minutes until golden brown on top. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove and cool on a wire rack until just warm before slicing.
Notes
- Use room temperature eggs and butter: They are easier to blend into a cohesive dough.
- Weigh the flour: Weighing flour with a scale is the easiest way to avoid accidentally using too much. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, fluff the flour up in its container, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level off the top with a knife.
- Weigh the dough. Before dividing the dough into three pieces, pop it onto a scale so you know exactly how much the whole dough ball weighs, then divide that by three. This way, you know each piece will be the same size for an evenly risen and baked loaf.
- Dough texture: The dough will feel moist but shouldn’t be sticky. You do not need to flour the surface that you roll on. If it is sticking to your counter, you can lightly oil it with nonstick spray or by putting a few tablespoons of vegetable oil on a paper towel and rubbing it onto your work surface. Use a bench scraper and moist hands to stretch and shape the dough. Adding flour during shaping can dry out the dough and inhibit the bread from being as soft and fluffy as possible.
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