Julie Clark
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Milk Bread Recipe
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Our soft, pillowy milk bread recipe is perfect for slicing and toasting or serving as sandwiches. It has the soft white bread texture you know and love!
Just like our homemade sourdough bread, this bread uses a starter called Tangzhong. It is a popular Asian baking technique that works a cooked roux into the dough. It gives the bread a cloud-like texture and incredible softness.
And by using an egg wash on top before baking, it gives the shiny crust a croissant-like flakiness.
Never Bake White Bread Without This 5-Minute Extra Step
We’re making bread almost on a daily basis around here. It is good for my soul. Homemade bread is truly comfort food for me.
Although we love our standard country white bread and egg twist bread, sometimes I get anxious to learn something new.
This bread is made with a baking method popular in Asia. It’s an extra 5-minute step that is 100% worth it. The tangzhong method, making a “starter” with flour, water and half and half and then working it into the enriched dough, creates a fluffy texture that is almost “shreddy”.
After the first taste it will quickly become one of your favorite ways to make bread. There’s no going back!
Use leftover bread for oven French toast, French toast muffins, pumpkin french toast casserole or French toast casserole.
See Chopstick Chronicles for an authentic Shokupan Japanese Milk Bread!
Enjoy! -Julie
Ingredients Needed
- All-purpose flour: It is common to use either all-purpose flour or bread flour (also known as strong flour). I have only ever used all-purpose flour for this milk bread recipe because I want to keep it soft and fluffy.
- Half and half: You can also use ¼ cup cream + ¼ cup milk if you don’t have half and half available. You can also use whole milk if that is all that you have available.
- Active dry yeast: You can use either rapid rise instant yeast or active dry yeast. Read all about baking with yeast here.
- Dry milk: If you don’t have this ingredient, I think you could leave it out and the bread would work just fine. But if you do buy some, you can use the rest in my hot chocolate recipe or chai latte mix. Nonfat dry milk or whole dry milk will work.
See the recipe card for full ingredients and amounts.
Soft & Fluffy Milk Bread Recipe
Our soft, pillowy Milk Bread recipe is perfect for slicing and toasting or serving as sandwiches. It has the soft white bread texture you know and love!
Servings 10
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Rise Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Ingredients
For the Tangzhong:
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup half and half
- ¼ cup water
For the Dough:
- ½ cup half and half 115ºF
- 1 packet instant yeast or active dry yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon dry milk powder
- 1 large egg (beaten, room temperature)
- ¼ cup salted butter (softened)
- 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the egg wash
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Whisk starter ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly for 4 minutes until it is thick and the whisk leaves lines in the pan. Put starter on a separate plate or bowl and let cool. I like to spread it thinly on a plate in order for it to cool faster.2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, ¼ cup half and half, ¼ cup water
- Add the warmed half and half to the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let it sit for 2-3 minutes to get a little frothy. Then add the sugar, milk powder, egg, butter, flour and salt to the bread machine. Mix just until barely combined.½ cup half and half, 1 packet instant yeast, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon dry milk powder, 1 large egg, ¼ cup salted butter, 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add in the cooled starter. Put on dough hook attachment on the stand mixer and knead on low for 7-10 minutes. The dough should feel very greasy at this point. Don't be tempted to add more flour. The dough should be tacky to the touch. Not dry at all.
- Transfer into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.
- Transfer dough to a clean surface and divide it into 4 equal sections. Roll each piece out into about 8×5 inches. Fold the long sides into the center and then roll it up like a cinnamon roll (see pictures above for this step).
- Place each piece into a lightly greased 8×4 (or 9×5) inch pan. Cover and let rise for an additional 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF Fahrenheit.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Brush the top of the risen dough lightly with the egg wash. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. The inside should be 190º Fahrenheit.1 tablespoon water, 1 large egg
- Remove bread from the oven and allow it to sit in pan for 5 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut or pull apart bread to serve.
Notes
Store milk bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5-7 days. It can also be frozen for up to 6 months. I prefer to slice it before freezing so that I don’t have to wait for it to thaw before cutting it. I pull it straight from the freezer and toast it.
The calories shown are based on the recipe being cut into 10 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of bread. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**
Nutrition
Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 300mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 276IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg
How to Make Milk Bread: Step by Step
Make the starter. Whisk starter ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly for 4 minutes until it is thick and the whisk leaves lines in the pan. Put starter on a separate plate or bowl and let cool.
Mix the dough. Add the warmed half and half to the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let it sit for 2-3 minutes to get a little frothy. Then add the sugar, milk powder, egg, butter, flour and salt to the bread machine. Mix just until barely combined.
Knead the dough. Add in the cooled starter mixture. Put on dough hook attachment on the stand mixer and knead on low for 7-10 minutes. The dough should feel very greasy and pull away from the sides of the bowl. It may stick slightly to the bottom of the bowl and thats ok. Don’t be tempted to add more flour. The dough should be tacky to the touch. Not dry at all.
First proofing. Transfer into a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.
Shape the dough. Transfer dough to a clean work surface and divide it into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough out into about 8×5 inch rectangle. Fold the long sides into the center and then, starting on the short end, roll it up like a cinnamon roll.
Rise for the second time. Place each piece seam-side down into a lightly greased 8×4 (or 9×5) inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise for an additional 45 minutes.
Bake. Preheat oven to 350ºF Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Brush the top of the dough lightly with the egg wash. Bake the milk bread for 30-35 minutes or until the top crust is dark-gold in appearance. For a lighter top, brush with melted butter before baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
My bread won’t rise. Why is that?
The most important part of using a yeasted bread is to use fresh yeast. Follow the package storage instructions and check the expiration date before making this milk bread. I usually have more luck using the individual packages of yeast, even though it’s not as cost effective as buying in bulk.
Put your dough in a warm place to rise. I like to let my dough rise in the oven with the oven light on (make sure no one turns on the over while it’s inside!!). This is helpful especially in the cooler winter months.
