Japanese milk bread, also called Hokkaido milk bread, or simply milk bread in English, is a soft white bread commonly sold in Asian bakeries, particularly Japanese ones. Although bread is not a traditional Japanese food, it was introduced widely after world war II, and the style became a popular food item. It is probably the lightest, most tender bread you will come across. It’s the perfect everyday loaf, from sandwiches to toast.
New York times food writer Julia Moskin describes it as ”miracle of engineering: moist but not gummy, rich but light, balanced between sweet and salty”. It is soft and slightly sweet, with a dense, delicate crumb and chewy texture. It is generally softer and sweeter than typical commercial sandwich bread displayed in supermarket bread aisles but not as sweet as brioche. The Guardian called it ”the anti-sourdough”. According to food anthropologist Annie Sheng, the bread is unique for ”the texture and the mouthfeel when you first bite into it, and the sweetness” and that in Japan, it is described as fuwa fuwa, which translates to ”fluffy and like a cloud”.
Ingredients
For the water roux (tangzhong)
- 4 Tbsp. water
- 4 Tbsp. whole milk
- 4 Tbsp. bread flour
For the dough
- 1 packet active dry yeast (7g.)
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 sweetened condensed milk
- 2/3 cup evaporated milk
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 1/4ntsp kosher salt or salt
- 4 Tbsp. butter, cubed, softened( 56g.), plus more for pan
For the Egg wash
- Reserved 1 tbsp. egg
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp water
Procedure
To make this super fluffy and chewy Japanese milk bread, a very important aspect is making the tangzhong also known as the water roux or yudane. It is a paste of flour cooked in water or milk.
- Make the tangzhong: In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, whisk together water, milk, and flour until completely smooth. Whisking constantly, continue cooking mixture until thickened into a soft, springy paste, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together 1/2 cup lukewarm whole milk, 1 tablespoon condensed milk, and yeast and let stand until foamy, about 15 minutes.
- Remove 1 tablespoon of egg from the beaten egg and reserve for egg wash. Add to mixer bowl the rest of the beaten egg, the cooled tangzhong, remaining 7 tablespoons condensed milk, flour, evaporated milk, and salt, and mix on low speed until a loose dough forms.
- Increase mixer speed to medium until a smooth dough forms, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, increase mixer speed to medium-high, and mix for 3 minutes more. Continue beating on medium-high speed and begin to add in butter gradually. Continue beating on medium-high speed until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, 12 to 15 minutes mores, scraping bowl down twice more (be careful- you might have to hold your mixer in place to avoid it sliding off the counter!).
- Cover bowl and let rest until almost doubled in size, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes.
- Punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into three equal pieces. Flatten each piece of dough with your hands into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle, then press into a letter fold: starting with the short end, take the top 1/3 of the rectangle and fold towards the middle, then take the bottom 1/3 of the rectangle and fold towards the middle. Turn dough 90° degrees, press dough out into a large rectangle again, and repeat the letter fold. Finally, starting with the shorter side of the rectangle, roll each dough into a tight coil.
- Butter a 9-x-5nloaf pan. Place each piece of the dough seam-side down into prepared pan and let proof until slightly more than doubled in size, aboutb1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375° 20minutes before baking. In a small bowl, whisk together egg wash ingredients. Brush top of proofed loaf evenly with egg was.
- Bake until deeply golden brown on top and internal temperature of loaf reaches 195° , 45 to 50 minutes. (If the top of the loaf is getting too dark, cover loosely with foil after 25 minutes)
- Let cool in pan for 10 minutes , then turn out onto cooling rack. Let the loaf cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Enjoy!
