Description
The best milk bread with an incredibly soft and fluffy texture and a light sweet, buttery flavor which can be enjoyed on its own or as a base for different bakes and desserts
Ingredients
- Tangzhong: 15g bread flour (2 tbsp), 80g whole milk (1/3 cup)
- 160g whole milk (2/3 cup)
- 50g sugar (1/4 cup)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
- 325g bread flour (2.5 cups)
- 15g milk powder (2 tbsp)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 60g unsalted butter, softened (1/4 cup)
- Egg wash: 1 egg yolk, 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Tangzhong: Mix the bread flour and milk in a nonstick saucepan until there are no lumps. Place on low heat and stir and cook for a few minutes until the mixture forms a thick paste
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the hot tangzhong with milk and mix to create a warm mixture. Add the yeast, sugar, bread flour, milk powder, egg and salt
- Using the dough hook attachment, stir and then knead the mixture at medium-high speed for 5-7 minutes until it forms a sticky dough that starts to pull away from the edges of the bowl
- Add the softened butter and knead for another 5-7 minutes until a soft, smooth and stretchy dough is formed. It should no longer be sticky and you should be able to stretch it quite a bit without breaking
- Transfer the dough to a clean bowl sprayed with oil, cover with cling wrap and place in a warm, humid spot for 60-90 minutes until it doubles in size
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide into 3 equal portions. Working one piece at a time, roll into a ball, then roll out into a 9" diameter circle on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin. Fold the circle into thirds, creating a thin long rectangle. Then roll it along the length to create a cylindrical roll, as neatly as you can
- Grease a loaf pan with some butter, and place the 3 rolls of dough in it side by side, with their rolled edges on the sides of the pan
- Mix the egg yolk and milk for the egg wash, and use a pastry brush to generously brush the egg wash on the dough rolls inside the pan
- Let the dough rise for a second time, for 30-45 minutes, until it looks puffed up
- Towards the end of the second rise, preheat your oven to 350F (conventional)
- Once the second rise is done, give the bread another coating of egg wash, being gentle as the dough is quite sensitive at this time
- Bake the bread for ~25-30 minutes until it becomes a deep golden color
- Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 15-20 minutes before gently removing it
- Serve it straight away, or wrap it in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can always toast it up to make it fresh again
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Japanese