milk bread recipe

Try this milk bread recipe if you love soft, springy bread with a hint of sweetness. It’s perfect for sandwiches or toast.

Milk Bread Recipe

milk ((60 milliliters))

bread flour

bread flour ((330 grams))

milk ((105°F to 110°F) (120 milliliters))

sugar ((50 grams))

salt

(0.25-ounce 7 grams) envelope instant yeast

unsalted butter

eggs (room temperature, divided)

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 Tangzhong:

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 9x5-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 10x6-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.

For the Milk Bread:

Made this tonight and wow!! Turned out perfect. I was a bit worried because 1st rise wasn’t super promising (I live in FL, temp is not the issue 😂), but the second rise shined. This was delicious and recipe well written. Will make again!!

Made this delicious bread for Father’s Day sandwiches. Big hit!  Refrigerated for ten hours overnight after shaping.  It was quite sticky (humid day), so I couldn’t shape it very well. The bread is flavorful, soft, and cuts nicely. Highly recommend!

oh wow where do i begin! i’ve made this my weekly bread bake for about a month now and to be honest…it’s some of the best bread i’ve EVER had/made. It has a great texture, long shelf life, and literally goes great with anything…like i’m obsessed! i’ve also baked a loaf for my mother-in-law and i’ve got her hooked too! thank you for such a great recipe :-)

The best recipe ever! If you are looking for fluffy, delicious buns this is the recipe for you. I will definitely be making this multiple times in the future

Delicious, airy and healthy milk buns that I will make many more times! The best recipe that I’ve found and tasted!

This is the Japanese sandwich bread shokupan, also known as the Hokkaido milk bread. It uses an Asian tangzhong method and produces the softest, lightest, and airiest slice of bread you will ever make.  Amazing on its own, perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and of course, sandwiches.

Shokupan Sandwich Bread Recipe

Milk

Water

Bread flour

Warm milk (100°F)

Instant dry yeast

Sugar

Milk powder

Unsalted butter (room temperature)

Bread flour (or 50/50 bread and all-purpose)

Kosher salt

g Milk

g Water

g Bread flour

300 g Warm milk ((100F))

g Instant dry yeast

g Egg

Butter

Salt

egg wash)

Water egg wash)

In a saucepan, combine water and flour with a whisk until no lumps. Add the milk and combine well again. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook this mixture for 2 to 3 minutes. Keep stirring constantly to prevent lumps.

Take it off the heat and transfer it to a bowl or plate. Cover and let cool to almost room temperature. Make sure the plastic touches the surface of the tangzhong to prevent skin.

At first, the mixture will take a while to thicken, but then it does get thicker quickly. So, keep a close eye and remove it just when it reaches almost a paste consistency, similar to a pudding (see video).

Tangzhong

In a bowl of a stand mixer, add the lukewarm milk (no warmer than 110°F) and the yeast. Combine well with a whisk. Then, add the sugar, milk powder, egg, and cooled tangzhong.

Add the flour and salt. Turn the mixer on medium-high speed. Once all the flour has been incorporated, knead for 5 to 6 minutes by hand on a well-dusted surface or in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment for about 4 to 5 minutes on medium speed. Then, gradually add the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Once all the butter has been incorporated, knead for 3 minutes more.

When the dough is soft and shiny but still slightly sticky, shape it into a ball. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, seam side down. Coat the surface with oil to prevent drying. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth or plastic wrap.

Leave in a warm place. Let rise for 60 to 90 minutes until it doubles in volume.

Dough

When the dough is doubled in volume, transfer it to a well-dusted floured surface, degas, and reshape into a ball.

Roll the dough into a cylinder and divide it into four portions. Weigh the portions to ensure they are similar in size. Mine was about 200 to 215 grams each.

Shape each portion into a tight roll. To do this correctly, flatten the dough on an unfloured surface. Fold the top and two sides in. Then roll towards you into a sausage shape.

Shape the loaf

Place the shaped portions in a 9 x 4 loaf pan. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth or plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about 45 minutes until almost doubled in size.

When the bread is almost doubled in volume at about 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C / Gas Mark 5

Brush the rolls with egg wash, milk, or cream.

Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes until lightly golden on top. If the top of the sandwich bread is getting too dark, tent it with aluminum foil. When baked, brush with melted butter.

Take it out of the pan and cover it with a clean kitchen cloth for at least 30 minutes to keep it soft.

Proof and bake

Great recipe and thanks for the many different measurements. I have the 13 and the 9 inch so both options work great for me. Its a delicious bread too.

I really need to ask you.  Can this recipe be baked in a 13x4x4' Pullman bread pan with the lid on?  In one continuous loaf perhaps?

Well I made the bread again and it's perfect. Pretty sure I made a mistake measuring liquid the first time. I did use a wider pan and like the shape of the loaf a little better for our needs.

I also realized today that since I can slice a whole loaf any thickness I want, I might just have to try your french bread recipe with this bread.

My bread is delicious, but I have a couple of questions. First my dough was too wet and thus unworkable. It was so loose and sticky that I could not really make the rolls. I just separated the dough into four blobs and put those in the pan. Next time, if I see the dough is staying too soft can I add a couple tablespoons of flour during kneading in my mixer? 
Even after the butter goes in?

The other issue is that the loaf was sort of concave on the sides. This could be related to the wet dough I'm sure. The oven spring on this bread is huge so the loaf is really tall, but with sunken in sides. This could be my fault again as I used my pullman pan (without the lid) and it is a bit skinny and has perfectly straight sides. I want to try a wider pan to get a more broad loaf.

What do you think about my proposed solutions? More flour and a wider pan might help?
My wife wants me to solve these small issues because she already loves this bread!

Shokupan is one of my favorite breads to bake at home, such a good bread for sandwiches! Your tips are great!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/Yv3zWBPI.mp4

This sandwich bread recipe is the Japanese sandwich bread shokupan, also known as the Hokkaido milk bread. It uses an Asian tangzhong method and produces the softest, most light and airy slice bread you will ever make.

Hokkaido Sandwich Bread Recipe - Shokupan

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Milk Bread Recipe

Shokupan Sandwich Bread Recipe

Top 2 milk bread recipe recipes from across the web

The most viewed milk bread recipe recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Milk Bread Recipe

Shokupan Sandwich Bread Recipe

The most viewed milk bread recipe recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine