Japanese Milk Bread
This recipe is our take on Japan's Hokkaido milk bread, a loaf so light it's often described as feathery. The technique to make it involves pre-cooking some of the flour and milk into a soft paste called tangzhong. (See "tips," below to learn more about its origins.) This simple step yields a loaf that’s tender, moist, and stays fresh longer than loaves prepared the standard way. Bread made with tangzhong is far and away superior to the pre-sliced, plastic-wrapped loaves that you'll find on grocery store shelves. Trust us: Once you bake and familiarize yourself with this loaf, you’ll never want to buy sandwich bread again!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
- 2 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
- 2 tablespoons King Arthur Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- 1
To make the tangzhong: Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan, and whisk until no lumps remain.
- 2
Place the saucepan over low heat and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until thick and the whisk leaves lines on the bottom of the pan, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- 3
Transfer the tangzhong to a small mixing bowl or measuring cup and let it cool to lukewarm.
- 4
To make the dough: Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Combine the tangzhong with the remaining dough ingredients, then mix and knead — by mixer or bread machine — until a smooth, elastic dough forms; this could take almost 15 minutes in a stand mixer.
- 5
Shape the dough into a ball, and let it rest in a lightly greased bowl, covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk.
- 6
Gently deflate the dough and divide it into four equal pieces; if you have a scale each piece will weigh between 170g and 175g.
- 7
Flatten each piece of dough into a 5" x 8" rectangle, then fold the short ends in towards one another like a letter. Flatten the folded pieces into rectangles again (this time about 3" x 6") and, starting with a short end, roll them each into a 4" log.
- 8
Place the logs in a row of four — seam side down and side by side — in a lightly greased 9" x 5" loaf pan.
- 9
Cover the loaf and allow it to rest/rise for 40 to 50 minutes, until puffy.
- 10
Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- 11
To bake the bread: Brush the loaf with milk and bake it for 30 to 35 minutes, until it's golden brown on top and a digital thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 190°F.
- 12
Remove the loaf from the oven and cool it in the pan until you can transfer it safely to a rack to cool completely.
- 13
Storage information: Store leftover bread, well wrapped, at cool room temperature for 5 to 7 days; freeze for longer storage.