This Japanese Milk Bread recipe creates the softest, fluffiest loaf of bread you’ve ever tried, with a slightly sweet flavor and golden crust. A simple, straightforward recipe that anyone can make!
What You’ll Need
This milk bread recipe is made with milk (obviously), yeast, and a few pantry staples. Scroll down to the recipe card below for measurements.
- Water
- Bread flour – Bread flour helps to create a softer, more tender dough as it contains more yeast than regular flour.
- Milk – A key ingredient in milk bread. It helps the bread fluff up like a cloud and have a softer texture. We use whole milk.
- Sugar
- Egg – Room temperature.
- Active dry yeast – Double check the expiration date, as yeast does expire!
- Egg white – For brushing the bread. You can also use additional warm milk.
- Salted butter
How To Make Milk Bread
Making milk bread is a bit time-consuming but the good news is that most of that time is hands-off proof time – a total of 2 to 4 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen. Scroll down to the recipe card below for measurements.
- Make the bread starter. Whisk 1/3 cup of bread flour with 1/2 cup of water until there are no lumps then whisk in 1/2 cup of milk. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it reaches a thick, pudding-like consistency. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic. Cool to room temperature.
- Activate the yeast. Dissolve a teaspoon of sugar into 1/2 cup of lukewarm milk. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and gently mix. Let stand for 10-20 minutes, until bubbly and frothy.
- Make the dough. Add the rest of the sugar, the bread starter, egg, and flour to the yeast. Mix with a spatula until a dough forms then knead for 5 minutes using a dough hook attachment. Add the butter in 3-4 increments, mixing for about 20 seconds between each addition. Turn the speed to medium and knead for 5-7 minutes more, until smooth and satiny.
- Let rise. Form the dough into a ball on a lightly floured surface. Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic. Keep in a warm place until it doubles in size, approximately 1-2 hours.
- Form the loaf. Butter and flour the sides and bottom of the loaf pan. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and press the air out of the dough. Divide into 4 portions and roll each one into a 6-inch square. Fold the opposite corners into the middle. Shape each piece into a small loaf then fold the pointed edge in and pinch to seal. Place each roll in the pan, seam side down.
- Let rise. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to double in size, approximately 1-2 hours. The dough should be just slightly below the top of the pan.
- Bake. Brush the top of the bread with an egg wash made of egg white and water. (Use milk for a non-glossy crust.) Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool in the pan for a few minutes then turn out on a cooling rack until cooled completely.
Ingredients
Milk Bread Starter
- ½ cup Water
- ⅓ cup Bread flour
- ½ cup Milk
Milk Bread Dough Mixture
- 2 ⅔ cup Bread flour
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 1 large Egg room temperature
- 1 pkg Active dry yeast
- ½ cup Warm milk
- ¼ cup Warm milk or 1 egg white (for brushing bread)
- 4 tbsp Salted butter
Instructions
Milk Bread Starter
- Fill a small saucepan with 1/2 cup water. Add the 1/3 Cup of bread flour and whisk until smooth with no lumps. Add in the 1/2 cup milk and whisk together until combined.
- Heat the mixture over medium heat, continuously whisking until you have a thick, pudding-like consistency.
- Pour the mixture into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the plastic wrap to touch the surface of the starter so that skin doesn’t form on top.
- Cool the starter to room temperature.
Milk Bread Dough Mix
- In a mixing bowl pour ½ Cup lukewarm milk and dissolve 1 tsp of the sugar in the liquid. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and mix gently until combined. Allow the mix and yeast mixture to stand for about 10-20 minutes to activate the yeast. The mixture should be bubbly and frothy on the surface.
- Once the yeast has become activated you can add in the rest of the sugar, the starter, egg, and flour.
- Use a spatula to mix the dough and combine the ingredients, forming a raggedy dough.
- Using the dough hook attachment on your mixer, knead the dough for about 5 minutes at a low speed. The dough will be very sticky, but if you keep kneading it will come together.
- After 5 minutes of kneading the dough, add in the butter in 3-4 increments. Mix about 20 seconds between each addition. Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl to make sure it is mixing well.
- Once all of the butter has been added, turn the speed on the mixer up to a medium speed and continue kneading for 5-7 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl once or twice while kneading.
- The dough should become smooth, satiny, and pull cleanly from the bowl sides.
- Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Put the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
- Keep the bowl in a warm place and allow it to double in size. This will take approximately 1-2 hours depending on the temperature of the room.
Form the Milk Bread Loaf
- Once the dough is proofed, prepare the loaf pan. Using a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, butter, and flour the sides and bottom. Or you can use a non-stick cooking spray and flour lightly.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly flour-dusted surface and press all of the excess air out of the dough.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal portions.
- Roll out each portion into an approximate 6-inch square.
- Fold the opposite corners into the middle.
- Roll or shape each piece of dough into a small loaf shape.
- Once the dough has been rolled to the top, fold the pointed edge in and pinch the seam to seal.
- Place the rolled dough into the pan, with the seam side facing down. There will be four rolls in the pan.
- Repeat with all the dough portions and place them in the loaf pan.
- Cover the pans with plastic wrap and allow to proof in a warm place, until doubled in size. This will take approximately 1-2 hours. The dough should be just slightly below the top of the pan.
Baking the Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Once the oven has preheated and the dough has proofed, brush the top with an egg white and 1 tbsp. water wash (for a glossy crust). You can choose to use milk for a crust that is not glossy. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
- If the bread begins to brown too much in the oven, place a piece of foil on the surface to keep it from burning.
- If using a thermometer, bake until the internal temperature is about 190°-205°F.
- Remove the loaf pan from the oven and cool for a few minutes.
- Turn the dough out onto a cooling rack to continue cooling.
- The bread will cut easier when completely cool.
