Posted byAjay MartinPosted inBaked Goods, CookTags:asian milk bread, Brioche, Chinese milk bread, Japanese milk bread, milk bread, Sandwich Bread, Tangzhou, White Bread
Yes, you read that right. In my humble opinion, Japanese Milk Bread results in a fluffier, softer, more texturally enjoyable bread than its superstar relative, brioche. Sure, you may think this is crazy talk, but honestly, just try it out!
I had never actually made Milk Bread before, but this recipe from Caroline’s Cooking seemed so approachable and straightforward. If you haven’t checked out her website yet, it’s full of awesome recipes!
What Makes Japanese Milk Bread Different Than Brioche?
Milk bread originated in Japan and varies from it’s American counterparts by using tangzhong to achieve its springy, brioche-esque texture. Tangzhong is just a water and flour paste, that’s heated through and added in the kneading stages. This process develops the gluten strands in the dough making it more elastic and stretchy. More elastic and stretchy means a more pleasant texture when the end product is complete! It seems odd, but it works!
Ingredients
Tangzhong mixture
- 2tbspbread flour
- 6tbspwater
- 1 egg
The loaf
- 300gbread flour
- 2tspyeast
- 120mlmilk (slightly warmed)
- 30gunsalted butter (melted)
- 1tspsalt
- 3tbspsugar
Method
- Heat bread flour and water in a pot over medium heat
– You’re wanting to make a paste. So keep on stirring until you have one and make sure not to burn it! - Once a paste has been made, take it off the heat and let the tangzhong cool for about 5 mins
- Mix in egg into the tangzhong paste, and mix until incorporated
- In a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix all the ingredients for the loaf and the tangzhong
– In Caroline’s recipe, she doesn’t bother blooming the yeast in the warmed milk. At the end of the day, if your yeast is fresh it shouldn’t be a problem at all. But if you’re not sure, bloom the yeast in the warm milk until it foams - When the dough is smooth and no longer sticky, form it into a ball, grease bowl, and let it rest (covered) for 1-2 hours
- When dough is doubled in size, cut it into 3 pieces. Roll each piece into a rough rectangle, fold sides into the middle and roll it up like a burrito. Repeat with other two piece
- Place rolled dough into a loaf pan (side by side), cover, and let rest for another 30 mins
- When rested, place dough into a 350ºF oven and bake for 30 mins
– If you wish, you can glaze with a scrambled egg for a shiny end product. I forgot…whoops. - That’s all! Enjoy!
Japanese Milk Bread is definitely a dough that you should have in your back pocket. If you really wanted, you could likely utilize this dough in cinnamon buns, monkey bread, or any number of other applications. It’s straightforward and definitely worthwhile!
