Japanese Milk Bread Recipe

Homemade bread is wonderful, but as days go by, it doesn’t always stay soft, with that “just out of the oven” flavor that we love. This Japanese milk bread recipe really keeps that freshly baked flavor. It is a white bread that owes its texture to its starter Tangzhong.

Another particular feature is its layered folding technique, which is somewhat reminiscent of puff pastry techniques.

INGREDIENTS

Tangzhong

• 70 grams bread flour
• ½ Bowl Whole milk
• ½ Bowl Water

Dough

• 390 grams bread flour
• 28 grams Sugar
• 7 grams Fast active yeast
• 4 grams Salt
• 23 Bowl Milk
• 4 tablespoons Unsalted butter melted
• 1 part Egg
• 1 tablespoon Unsalted butter Without melting, to lubricate

INSTRUCTIONS

• To prepare the tangzhong starter, mix the flour, milk, and water in a small pot. Cook over medium heat while stirring constantly until mixture thickens like mashed potatoes, about 2 minutes.

• Cover with plastic wrap, pressing against the surface of the mixture so no “skin” forms. Let it cool at room temperature for 10 minutes.

• To prepare the dough, mix the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large bowl.

• In a small bowl or measuring cup, add the milk and melted butter. Separate 1½ tablespoons of the mixture into another bowl to apply to the loaf at the end.

• Add the rest of the butter and milk mixture to a bowl with the flour. Add the Tangzhong starter and the egg. Mix vigorously until a dough forms, about 2 to 3 minutes.

• Knead in bowl until a ball forms, about 30 seconds.

• If the dough is still sticky, put some flour on your work table. Expand the dough on the table and knead again until it has the right texture, about 5 minutes. If the dough continues to stick to your hands or the table, add flour. It should not be necessary to add more than 2 or 3 tablespoons of flour.

• Lightly grease a large bowl with the butter. Add the dough and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Let it rest in a warm place until it doubles in size. Between 1 to 1½ hours.

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan with butter.

• Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Flatten them into 6-by-10-inch rectangles without adding flour. Starting with the short side facing you, fold the dough in three.

• Turn the dough once clockwise, and roll it out into 4-by-10-inch rectangles. Roll each piece into a cylinder.

• Arrange each roll of dough in the pan. Cover it with a towel with a little flour, let it rest in a warm place until it doubles its size. About 30 minutes.

• Using a kitchen brush, apply the milk and butter mixture to the top of the dough in the pan. The butter has probably hardened by now, but it doesn’t matter, it’s fine to apply it to the dough like this. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes until the dough looks golden

• Transfer the bread to a wire rack and let it rest for 20 minutes in the pan. Then remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on the rack before slicing. And to enjoy!

GRADES

It is possible to store the bread in a bag with a zip or tightly closed, for 5 days