How to Make the Best Japanese Milk Bread

What is Japanese Milk Bread?

Japanese Milk Bread is a milk-based white bread that is wonderfully soft, fluffy, and light. It is great for toast, sandwiches, and just enjoying on its own. It goes by numerous names and is also referred to as shokupan, Korean milk bread, and Hokkaido milk bread.

Many Asian bakeries, including 85° Bakery, Tous Les Jours, and Paris Baguette, sell them. They can be baked in Pullman pans for a rectangle shape ideal for sandwiches or in open loaf pans to display a rich, brown crust.

The traditional method for making Asian milk bread uses “tangzhong” or “yuddane,” a roux or starter produced by cooking water and flour together. Dough improvers are tools that professional bakers use to produce bread that is soft, light, and fluffy and that lasts a long time. 

Tangzhong vs Dough Enhancer

Although employing tangzhong or dough enhancer can both result in soft, fluffy milk bread, dough enhancer is favored by professional bakers because it is considerably more stable and dependable than tangzhong.

Making tangzhong can be challenging for the amateur baker since there are many variables to consider, including the type of flour, humidity level, and cooking time. The amount applied to the dough enhancer, on the other hand, is based on the weight of the flour and is precisely prepared, making it simple for the home baker to determine.

Milk bread with a soft, elastic texture that is easy to pull apart with your hands, like in the image above, is a hallmark of properly baked milk bread. The crumb should have a correct gluten development and be light, fluffy, and delicate. For detailed instructions on how to do this, keep reading!

Let’s see first how to make this Tangzhong

The following ingredients are required to make Tangzhong.

• Bread Flour 40g
• Water 70g
• Whole Milk 130g

Here’s how to make Tangzhong.

Place a bowl on the stove and add Bread Flour 40g of, Water 70g of, and Whole Milk 130g of. Mix well until it becomes a thick paste. Set aside to cool (ideally overnight).

Ingredients to make Japanese Milk Bread Dough

• Instant yeast 14g
• Warm Whole Milk 250g
• A bit of Sugar  ( 50 g reserved sugar )
• Bread Flour 600g ( Rest of the Sugar )
• Salt 10g
• Milk Powder 15g
• 1 Egg
• Butter 75g ( Softened )

Milk And Egg Wash

• 1 Egg
• 2-3 tbsp Milk

How to make Japanese Milk Bread step by step

• Put warm whole milk in a bowl and add instant yeast to it. Add a bit of sugar. (50 g reserved sugar) Mix well and let it bloom for about 15 minutes.

• Add bread flour, sugar, salt, and milk powder to the mixing bowl and mix well. 
• Add the yeast mixture that was left to bloom earlier.
• Add the Tangzhong mixture.
• Add 1 egg. 
• Beat for about 10 minutes. 
• Add 75g butter little by a little while beating.
• Take the dough out of the bowl and make the dough like a ball.

• Now put the dough in a bowl and cover it with a plastic wrap / wet tea towel and let it rise for about an hour. (Double the size of the dough)

• After the dough has risen well, separate it into 6 equal pieces. Make a piece weighing 215-220 grams.

• Make the dough like a fat roll as shown in the picture.

• Transfer the 6 prepared dough into 2 loaf tins

• loaf tins of plastic wrap/cover with a wet tea towel and let it rise for about a 1/2 hour.

• Mix the milk and egg together and brush the surface with the mixture.

• Now bake in a preheated oven at 180C/350F for about 30 minutes.

• Apply a thin layer of the Milk And Egg Wash mixture with a pastry brush. The egg will be cooked by the bread’s heat, giving you a crust that is beautiful and golden.
• The bread should be taken out of the pan and left to cool on a cooling rack. Japanese Milk Bread is ready. Enjoy!

Japanese Milk Bread Recipe Guide

• The windowpane test should show that the dough has developed its gluten properly.
• When making bread, use dough enhancer for consistently soft, fluffy results.
• When handling the dough, use careful movements to prevent tearing. The crumb will be uneven if the dough is torn, and there won’t be enough oven springs.
• Make sure the dough doubles in size and don’t rush the proving procedure.
• Spirals should be tightly formed in order to bake with the necessary oven spring.

We have published many cake recipes as baking recipes. If you like baking, check out these recipes.

• Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe
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• Awesome Cheese Cake Recipe
• Best Soft Butter Cake

Try to make this Japanese Milk Bread which is very popular in the world. We published the article Best Cake-baking tips for beginners to give a little basic knowledge to those who want to learn baking. There is also much to learn for those who love baking.

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