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Japanese milk bread is unlike any other bread out there. Extremely soft, fluffy and flakey texture that is a product of the tangzhong method. The first time I tried making it I failed terribly, but after a few tweaks to the recipe it is now perfect. I will be going through two ways to make this recipe. One will be to make the perfect dinner rolls, and the other will be to make the softest loaf of bread.
Japanese milk bread 2 ways: dinner rolls vs loaf
The only difference between how the dinner rolls are made vs a loaf is in the second proofing portion. You will need to portion them into different weights and also shape them differently.
Dinner roll
Portions: For dinner rolls we will separate the dough into 75g pieces.
Shaping: After you have separated them into 75g pieces, you will want to shape them into balls, making sure you create surface tension so that they are smooth looking.
Here is the video for dinner roll method:
Loaf
Portions: For the loaf method, you will need to separate our dough into three equal pieces which will end up being about 250g.
Shaping: After you have separated the dough into 3 equal pieces, first flatten into a rectangle, then fold the long ends towards the middle, and finally roll it up from the short side. Make sure to seal and tuck the dough on the bottom. This will create a thick roll of dough which we place into our loaf pan to proof in.
Here is the video for our loaf method:
Key steps and ingredients for Japanese milk bread
Tangzhong method: The tangzhong method uses flour, water, and milk, cooked down into a paste like substance which is then added as a dough ingredient. You want to cook it down until you can pick all of it up in a spoon. What this does is make the bread softer and more springy. This is an essential step and you definitely don’t want to skip it. Even after a few days, my bread is still really soft and springy.
Active dry yeast/instant yeast: With active dry yeast you will need to activate it in lukewarm before using. Alternatively, you can use instant yeast which does not require any activating. However, I would still add the 2 tbsp of water to maintain hydration level.
Softened butter: Make sure your butter is softened, not melted and be patient when mixing the butter in. When you initially try to add the butter, the dough will break, but after a couple minutes, you will see the butter incorporate into the dough better.
Japanese Milk Bread
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 2 tbsp flour, 20g
- 2 tbsp water, 27g
- 4½ tbsp milk, 60g
Yeast mixture
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast or instant yeast, 10g
- 2 tbsp lukewarm water, 20g
Dough
- Tangzhong
- Yeast mixture
- 2⅓ cup AP flour, 380g
- ¼ cup sugar, 60g
- 1 tsp salt, 3g
- ½ cup milk, 130g
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp softened unsalted butter
Instructions
- Add the active dry yeast into the lukewarm water, mix and allow to sit for 10 minutes. You know the yeast is active if it blooms. If you are using instant yeast, skip this step.1 tbsp active dry yeast or instant yeast, 2 tbsp lukewarm water
- In a saucepan, add the tangzhong ingredients and cook, continuing to stir over low heat until a paste forms. Should be thick and you will be able to pick all of it up with a spoon.2 tbsp flour, 2 tbsp water, 4½ tbsp milk
- Add your yeast mixture and tangzhong along with the remaining dough ingredients except for the softened butter in a stand mixer bowl. If you are using instant yeast, add the yeast and water in at this stage as well. Mix on low speed for 5 minutes or until a proper dough forms.Tangzhong, Yeast mixture, 2⅓ cup AP flour, ¼ cup sugar, 1 tsp salt, ½ cup milk, 1 large egg
- Add your softened butter, 1 tbsp at a time and mix on medium speed until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough is very smooth. If your dough is too sticky, add more flour 1 tbsp at a time until manageable.3 tbsp softened unsalted butter
- Allow your dough to proof in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap for 1.5 hours or until doubled in size.
Dinner roll method
- Portion the dough into 75g pieces and place into a 9 inch cake pan giving them 1cm of space. When shaping, you want to make sure to form surface tension on the dough balls to make sure they come out looking smooth. Allow it to rest another 1 hour
- Brush with egg wash which is just 1 beaten egg and bake in the oven at 350F for 20 minutes.
- Top with garlic butter and enjoy.
Loaf method
- Separate your dough into 3 equal pieces, it should be about 250g each.
- Flatten each piece into a rectangle.
- Fold the long sides towards the middle.
- Roll it up and seal the edge towards the bottom.
- Place into an oiled 9 inch loaf pan leaving 1 inch of space between each roll.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let proof for 1 hour.
- Brush with egg wash which is just 1 egg.
- Bake 350F for 25-30 minutes. I like to immediately brush with butter and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting into.
If you enjoyed this, check out some more bread recipes here:
Recipe came out beautifully!! I appreciate the grams measurements for accuracy.
I made this a first time and it came out amazing! I’ve been trying to make this again and i CANNO’T GET IT!!
I know it’s nothing with your recipe, it’s something i’m doing. So every time i bake it in the oven and it’s ready to come out it’s still doughy and not fluffy at all. Is this something to do with the yeast? I used the active dry yeast – not instant.
10/10 would definitely recommend. Soft, flavorful and easy to make. Gonna use this recipe a lot. Might add pineapple juice next time for a little Hawaiian roll flair.
Looks great but a couple questions. 1) Your video shows you cracking two eggs into the dough mixture. I believe your recipe calls for 1 egg. 2) is that a smaller Pullman 9”x4”x4” or the 13” length?
Hi, what kind of flour do you use? May I have the specific name if you don’t mind? Thanks!
Any all purpose flour is good
This recipe is so good! Once I found it I made the buns 4 times in one week I couldn’t get enough. They come out fluffy and taste so good and I didn’t have any problems using cup measurements rather than by weight.
Love to hear that! So glad we can share our love for this bread LOL
Hello
I’ve tried several milk bread recipes in the past and I failed at all of them miserably.. however this recipe is amazing.. the portion is just right, ingredients are well specified and prep is simple and not so tedious or super time consuming.. it’s something I hope everyone can do..
Thank you so much
So glad to hear that it turned out well for you!
my family absolutely loves this! my dad asks me to make it every weekend because he’s tired of our usual bread we keep at home haha!
i’ve been making them as dinner rolls, and today i tried to make it as a loaf. do you have any tips on making this a loaf? i kind of had trouble :/
either way this is always sooo yummy! my fav and the ingredients are super accessible <3
When I make them into a loaf, I usually portion them into 3 equal weights and roll them up into a cylinder like shape (you can probably find a lot of videos on how to shape a loaf). But I’m very glad your family enjoys 🙂
Could you please let me know an alternative for 1 Large Egg and the Egg Wash? This looks amazing, though!