Japanese milk bread is probably the lightest, fluffiest, most tender bread you'll come across. It's the perfect everyday loaf, from sandwiches to toast, and is one you need to try!
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I'll admit, when I have seen lines of similar-looking white bread any time I have been in Asia, I haven't felt inspired. I've always been more of a fan of artisan-style loaves, whether that's something like a sourdough rye bread or with 'bits' in it like my fig walnut bread.
However, when I heard about Japanese milk bread I knew I needed to give it a try. It might be about all you can find if you are in Japan, but when it's such a wonderfully soft and light loaf, it really doesn't matter.
This loaf is perfect for everyday use as well. It's a great base for sandwiches and toasts beautifully too. The method might seem a little unusual, but it's the combination of that less typical method and ingredients that makes this bread so wonderfully light and soft.
What is the tangzhong method?
One of the things that makes this loaf so soft is the fact you start by making a roux with flour and water. This warming starts to activate the gluten in the flour before you even mix it with the rest of the ingredients which helps create the soft texture. And while this loaf didn't get a chance, apparently it helps preserve the bread better too.
The method was apparently developed in Japan, but named in China and used in many breads around the region. If you are used to Western bread, it might seem strange, but it's not difficult and believe me, you want to give it a try.
The other aspect of the light, soft texture and flavor is using milk as an ingredient. Dairy in it's many forms can really add to the flavor and texture of a dish, as well as the nutrition, and using milk definitely helps this loaf become something special.
How to make Japanese milk bread
If you have made other breads, most of this will look familiar. Only the tangzhong and how the dough is folded is a bit unusual. The steps are:
- Put water and small amount of flour in a small pan. Mix until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Warm the flour paste gently until it thickens, stirring, then set aside to cool (this is the tangzhong).
- Measure out remaining ingredients (flour, yeast, milk, melted butter, sugar, salt and egg) and add cooled tangzhong. Mix all the ingredients together then knead, either in mixer or by hand.
- Once the dough is no longer sticky, transfer to an oiled bowl and let rise until doubled.
- Knock back the dough, divide into three pieces and roll each piece into an oval.
- Fold one side of dough over to halfway across the remaining dough then fold the other side on top so you have three layers (see photos). Gently roll slightly, if needed, then roll up the piece of dough as you would a cinnamon roll.
- Repeat with the other pieces of dough then put all three rolls of dough in an oiled loaf pan.
- Cover and leave to rise again then brush with egg wash.
- Bake for approx 30 minutes until golden brown. Turn onto a cooling rack to cool.
It can be a little difficult to describe exactly how to fold the bread, but hopefully the pictures below make it clearer:
Additional tips
You don't have to fold the pieces of dough in this traditional way - some recipes form small rolls, for example - but it's kind of fun to do and gives a lovely appearance to the finished loaf. If you form rolls, try using a round pan instead.
As you are making it, you may find it much softer than other bread doughs. You may need to add slightly more flour as you are kneading so it is not too sticky, but it should stay soft. It is closer to a brioche in texture but without that slight sweetness. To me, this is a more versatile bread.
Make sure you oil your bread tin to help the bread come out without sticking. Use a knife to help ease it away from the side before turning onto a cooling rack.
Once you have baked the bread, try to avoid the temptation to slice it immediately. It's hard, I know, as it smells so good! However this is a pretty soft loaf and it will slice better when cooler.
You can either cut the loaf as a whole or break off one of the chunks and slice that, as I did here. Either way, once you slice you'll see the wonderfully light crumb.
We got through this loaf in one meal, we all enjoyed it that much (true, we had a couple extra helpers). We particularly liked it spread with pate or soft cheese. If you do have some leftover, it's a great bread for toasting.
Japanese milk bread might look a little unassuming, but this is one special loaf. While perfect for every day use, it's so light and fluffy, you'll have everyone back for more.
Try these other bread recipes:
- Pain de campagne (French country bread)
- Anadama bread (a New England bread with molasses and cornmeal)
- Caramelized onion sourdough bread
- Fig and walnut bread
- Plus get more bread recipes in the archives.
Japanese milk bread
Ingredients
For the tangzhong
- 2 tablespoon bread flour (2tbsp is approx 20g)
- 90 ml water
For rest of loaf
- 300 g bread flour (300g is approx 2 cups plus 2 tbsp)
- 7 g fast acting yeast (technically a little under but can use 1 sachet, ¼oz/ 7g)
- 120 ml milk (lukewarm or room temp, but not hot)
- 28 g unsalted butter melted but not hot
- 5 ml salt
- 42 g sugar (caster sugar/fine)
- 1 egg
To glaze
- 1 egg (lightly beaten - won't need all)
Instructions
For tangzhong - made slightly ahead
- Put water and flour for tangzhong in a small pan. Mix until smooth and no lumps remain - do this before turning on the heat.
- Warm the flour paste gently over a medium-low heat until it thickens, stirring constantly. You should see trails left by the spoon/whisk as you stir it. Set the pan aside to cool.
To make bread
- Measure out the remaining ingredients into a large bowl (flour, yeast, milk, melted butter, sugar, salt and egg). Add the cooled tangzhong - I gently beat the egg into the tangzhong first to both save the tangzhong being too thick and help egg to mix better but you don't need to, just make sure you mix it well. Mix all the ingredients together then knead, either in mixer or by hand on a floured surface. Add a little more flour if needed.
- Once the dough is no longer sticky, transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and leave to rise in a relatively warm place until doubled - around 1 hour.
- Once it has risen, knock back the dough, divide into three pieces. Set the other pieces to one side and roll one piece into an oval.
- Fold one side of dough over to halfway across the remaining dough then fold the other side on top so you have three layers (see photos above). Gently roll slightly, if needed, then roll up the piece of dough as you would a cinnamon roll.
- Repeat with the other pieces of dough then put all three rolls of dough in an oiled loaf pan - 9x5in (22x12cm) or slightly smaller.
- Cover and leave to rise again until the loaf is just reaching the top of the pan. Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Lightly beat the egg and brush the top of the loaf with egg wash.
- Bake the loaf for approx 30 minutes until golden brown. If it browns too fast, tent with foil for the last part of cooking. Turn onto a cooling rack to cool before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store.
Recipe draws on a few sources, with my own tweaks, particularly King Arthur Flour's milk bread rolls and Beautiful Life and Home's Japanese milk bread.
This post was created in partnership with the dairy farmers of New England. For further information, including school nutrition, and health and wellness topics, please visit New England Dairy.
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Shan says
Hi! I only have active dry yeast... How should I adjust the liquids and sugar accordingly?
Caroline's Cooking says
You can use the same amount of everything, just active dry yeast should be dissolved in liquid before adding to everything else, so dissolve it in the milk which is best to be lukewarm, let it sit for around 5-10 minutes to help it activate, so I'd suggest you do that first, then make the tangzhong, let it cool while you measure the flour etc then mix them all together.
Frank says
Hi Caroline. Thanks much for this recipe! Only been baking bread for three months, so I'm very much still a newbie at it. Anyway I've read instant yeast is stronger than active dry, so if it calls for 1 tbsp of active dry, you'd use 2.4 tsp of instant. I haven't even tried active dry yet, much less pro Baker's favorite yeast, fresh yeast because no grocery stores I've tried carry it. Thanks again.
Caroline's Cooking says
Appreciate the comment. Yes fresh yeast is definitely different (and I can never find it either - I remember my grandpa used to get it from the local homebrew shop!). In terms of active v instant, I haven't seen recommendations to use a slightly different amount, more if anything you may want to adjust the rise time such as in this article: https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-active-dry-yeast-and-instant-yeast-54252. I imagine with the quantity here, it wouldn't make a huge difference but you could adjust the amount slightly if you prefer.
QCB says
Love the bread!!
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear!
Becky says
This bread sounds delicious. I want to make it for a Japanese friend. I have sourdough starter that I need to use. Do you think I could use it in this recipe?
Caroline's Cooking says
I haven't tried it with sourdough and in theory, you probably could use a little but to be honest, this loaf is all about being soft, light and fluffy and so not sure a sourdough flavor is necessarily the best fit. I'd suggest maybe try using the sourdough for something else (I have recently shared both sourdough pizza dough and sourdough pancakes which are a great fit!)
Ellen says
Recipe works like a charm! Can you substitute flour? Today I'm trying with all purpose because it's what I have. But curious about white whole wheat or 100% wheat flours? Thanks!
Caroline's Cooking says
Great, glad you enjoyed! So the main things when it comes to substituting flour is the different level of gluten-forming protein and how much they absorb liquid, as well as texture. Since you've made it as original, you have a sense for the texture you are looking for so can hopefully make a good guess if you need more or less of the flour you are substituting by the feel of the dough, as it can vary. All purpose and bread flours are relatively similar so it usually works fine to swap, the bread may just not rise quite as well with AP flour. White whole wheat has a similar texture but lower protein, so I'd generally suggest you just swap in a third and see how it goes rather than any more. Other whole grain flours are generally a coarser texture so the bread is likely to not be anything like as soft, and also typically lower protein - again I'd suggest maybe swapping just a bit to see how it goes.
Karen says
I made this bread today and it was absolutely delicious. I have not made bread before, so I am very proud of myself and thankful to you for sharing your recipe.
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad you enjoyed and well done on your first loaf!
mia says
This bread is the best!
I made it with a BIG portion of flour "glue"
no eggs, and just a little butter.
It tasted like some buns my turkish neighbour gave me in 1989 (how did she make them...?)
Now I know.
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad to hear you enjoyed! The egg does definitely add a nice richness, but yes you can make without.
MALLORI watson says
This may sound crazy but a restaurant I love makes complimentary milk bread to serve to guests. They also make cinnamon rolls with the milk bread and it is divine. Like no cinnamon roll I’ve ever had. I was trying to replicate the recipe and in the process discovered Japanese milk bread which probably the same as the milk bread they serve. Any chance this recipe can have the dough made the same but you add the gooey layer and roll as you would cinnamon rolls. Any feedback would be appreciated.
Caroline's Cooking says
Not crazy at all! I haven't tried using this dough to make cinnamon rolls, but in principle I can see it working - just instead of splitting the dough into three pieces and folding each, keep it as one and roll it flat and add the filling (I'd suggest the mix I use in my eggnog cinnamon rolls would be good, if you don't already have a preferred filling mix), roll up and cut in slices as you would other cinnamon rolls.
Sara says
This was surprisingly very simple to make and tastes amazing. I used my stand mixer with the dough hook because I was feeling extra lazy. I only had active dry yeast, so I mixed that with 1/4 cup of warm water first, then used slightly less milk in the recipe. Turned out perfect! We started eating it when it was still warm and almost ate the entire loaf- it’s that good!
Caroline's Cooking says
Great, glad to hear it worked out well and you enjoyed! And yes, a stand mixer is a great way to make the kneading that bit easier (I just quite like doing it by hand, I find it relaxing!)
Donna says
Please could you tell me how long to mix in a machine and on what speec?
Caroline's Cooking says
You're best to use a medium-low speed to knead on a mixer, with a dough hook, and probably just 1 - 2 minutes, though it may depend on the machine.
Mary Borges says
I have tried numerous recipes with varying degrees of satisfaction.Assuming I’d never get the hang of making yeast bread I was about to give up when I found your recipe.I am SO happy I did,it’s exactly what I had been looking for..I would encourage every bread lover to try it.The only modification I made was to reduce the sugar to one teaspoon.
Thank you so much for sharing and making lockdown in Scotland tolerable.
Stay safe everyone.
Caroline's Cooking says
That makes me very happy to hear! I understand, it's a tough time right now in so many places and glad baking this helped make things that little bit better!
Mary Egbert says
I just made this and had my doubts it would rise, but it made me look like a baking super star! Thank you for sharing. I will def be making this again!
Caroline's Cooking says
I'm so glad it both worked well for you and that you enjoyed!
Maria Samonte says
Hello!
Can you pls. help me? can I use APF instead of bread flour? I do not have any bread flour stock here because of covid-19.
What are the adjustments in flour or water?
Caroline's Cooking says
Yes, as I mention to someone else, I believe this should work with AP flour, it may just not rise quite as well. All flours (even of the same type) can be different but I'd start with around the same weight as the bread flour, and then adjust flour/water slightly depending how the dough feels. It is a relatively soft dough, but shouldn't be too sticky.
Jacq Henderson says
Lovely bread! Been making the classic white loaf, and had been wanting to try this - Glad I did! Husband and daughter loved it. Thank you for this recipe. Only question I have is can I use milk instead of egg wash?
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad to hear you enjoyed! Yes, I'd think milk should be good, too, maybe just not quite as glossy.
KRISTINE says
I’m planning on making this bread however every grocery store is out of bread flour. Would it come out fine with just regular all purpose flour?
Caroline's Cooking says
I've been having challenges getting bread flour as well. Bread flour has a higher level of gluten than all purpose, so the structure of the dough tends to hold a little better, but I think it should still work with AP, you may just need a little more flour and the texture may not be quite as fluffy.
bella says
I'm new at making bread so far it's been good.Excited to try this bread...My only problem is my husband is on a low sodium diet Can I reduce the amount of sodium in this bread
thank You From Ontario Canada
Caroline's Cooking says
Salt in bread serves a couple purposes, partly for flavor but also it helps with the texture of the bread. So you can reduce it a little, but be aware it will probably impact both of these.
Jeevan Sukumaran says
Tried this recipe. Flowed your recipe down to the letter. And it turned out perfectly. Had to leave it in just a wee bit longer. About 45 mins. But it was fantastic. And so easy to make. Thanks for a fantastic recipe.
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad to hear you enjoyed!
Anh says
Hi, I dont have fast acting yeast, would I be able to replace ut with instant yeast ? And how much would you recommend? Thanks!
Caroline's Cooking says
Fast acting yeast and instant yeast are the same thing, so just use exactly the same amount (and in fact if you had active dry yeast, the other kind of dry yeast, it would also be the same amount it just needs to be dissolved in water first while that doesn't really matter with fast-acting/instant). Hope you enjoy!
Frankie says
I just made this bread and it is wonderful! I have never used yeast before and was a little anxious but this recipe was so easy to follow. I doubled the recipe and will be making it again tomorrow. Maybe I will try and sprinkle a little cinnamon before I “roll!” Get it?
Since this was such a success, I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
God Bless
Caroline's Cooking says
That's great to hear that it was such a success, and yes please try some of the other recipes - there are plenty to choose from 🙂
Angie says
Is it possible to replace the bread flour with whole wheat flour to make it more healthy ?
Caroline's Cooking says
I haven't tried and as I think I replied to someone else, the challenge with regular whole wheat flour is it tends to be more coarse so I don't think the end loaf would have that lovely soft texture. However I have found whole wheat pastry flour a pretty good alternative in other recipes and can see it working here to still keep a good texture - you just may need a bit more/less flour as different flours react a bit differently.
Rob says
Hi Caroline. My first run is rising in the oven with the light on now I’ll be using a pain de mie pan. Any cautions?
Caroline's Cooking says
Only that I'd suggest probably not using the lid, if it has one, so you get the nice rounded shape etc, but otherwise I hope it worked out!
Loretta says
This sounds yummy! Can wheat flour be used instead of white?
Caroline's Cooking says
This is very much a soft textured loaf, and I think regular whole wheat flour would be too dense a texture. However if you can find whole wheat pastry flour, it is much more fine and I think it should work fine - you may just need to adjust the exact amount as different flours react a little differently.
Zara says
Hi Caroline, thanks so much for sharing a brilliant recipe with step by steps.
I made this loaf last night for the first time and wasn't sure how it would turn out as first I've never made bread in my life and second I wasn't too confident as it looked a lot of work ie kneading. But I must admit I am pleasantly surprise with the outcome. I brushed milk on the bread before baking and not an egg and then brushed a bit of butter on the top after taking it out.
The bread is soft, fluffy and crumbly...and we loved it.... This is now going to be my 'go-to' recipe and one I'd like to master...
I did, however, want to ask the bread looked a tiny bit dense at the bottom - not sure why? Could it be that it needed a few more minutes more in the oven? I also wanted to ask should the bread be left to cool down completely before slicing it?
Thanks again.... ❤️
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear it worked out well and you enjoyed! In general yes, it is best to let bread cool down completely before slicing - this is mainly because when it's still warm, the knife can pull a bit and cause dough-like clumps. I admit, I am very bad at waiting that long and normally slice it when it's still slightly warm so sometimes get slight clumps but not too much. On being dense in the bottom, it could be that the bread needed slightly more space or time to rise on the second rise. So when you put the dough into the baking tin, try to make sure you don't press it down so there's a little space. If it was dense-looking more into the middle (which may be more towards the bottom but more or less the middle of the loaf) then yes I imagine it may have needed slightly longer to bake.
Lisa says
Thank you for this recipe. Can i replace bread flour with all purpose flour? Thanks
Caroline's Cooking says
Yes you can, the bread flour just gives a softer texture. Enjoy!
Vanessa says
This is my new favorite white bread receipe! Wow! Absolutely delicious!! I didnt have fast acting yeast so I just use the standard one with 1/4 cup of water for it to rise and 1/4 cup almond milk. I will make another one tomorrow so I can hopefully last the week! But it's so tasty, I doubt it!
Thanks for a delicious go-to bread!
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you enjoyed! I agree it's such a wonderful bread.
Mel Bernard says
How long do I knead the bread with my mixer? Just enough for ingredients to be incorporated or the typical 5-7 minutes?
Caroline's Cooking says
The typical 5-7 minutes, so you get the gluten stretching etc. Hope you enjoy!
Angel Robertson says
I loved the recipe and I made 10 rolls from it. Filled 5 with chocolate and the other 5 with turkey bacon and cheese. Turned out great. You could also make a curry but make sure it’s more paste like not runny. 😃
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear, and the fillings sound tasty!
M says
You filled when rolling up the buns? How many buns does this recipe make ?
Caroline's Cooking says
I didn't fill them as buns, though you certainly could if you like. Just be aware some filling will mean the dough won't rise as well and may become dense in places. You can make the buns as big or small as you would like but I'd say 6 to 9 would be good, depending on how big you'd like them.
Laura says
Is the nutrition values based on per 100g or per serving? And if it’s per serving, how many grams per serving please? I’m looking for a bread that’s low salt to give my children so need to work out of it is! Thanks!
Caroline's Cooking says
So the nutrition values are calculated per serving, so it's assuming you get 16 servings, in this case. I haven't weighed the finished loaf, but adding up the ingredients, it comes out around 650g total, so about 40g per serving, but this is only approximate and doesn't really allow for much evaporation, which could well happen.
Denise Henry says
I made this bread yesterday for my daughter's birthday dinner. I have been baking bread off and on for years. My brother is a master baker(39 years of experience). I can't even come close to him. That being said neither he nor I have ever made milk bread. After trying your easy to follow directions the bread turned out wonderful. Everyone highly praised it. I know this recipe will go into my top 5 favorites. Thank you for taking the time to share it with all of us.
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you enjoyed this (and found it easy to follow). It really is a special bread, I agree!
Brianp says
Great recipe, easy as to make, cooked in a wood fired oven, sensational!
Caroline's Cooking says
Sounds wonderful in a wood fired oven, glad to hear you enjoyed!
Chen says
Have you used the dough to make buns with fillings? Will the buns turn out soft and fluff?
Caroline's Cooking says
No I haven't tried it. With any filling, you run the risk of it soaking in to the dough and weighing it down, so you just need to take care it doesn't make the dough underneath go soggy and maybe not cook. So if you try it, don't over-fill or have a filling that's too liquid. Would be interested to hear how it goes!
Angel Robertson says
I loved the recipe and I made 10 rolls from it. Filled 5 with chocolate and the other 5 with turkey bacon and cheese. Turned out great. You could also make a curry but make sure it’s more paste like not runny. 😃
Caroline's Cooking says
Great! They sound tasty!
Per says
This was great! Very easy to make. Can I add more sugar if I want it to be sweeter? or will that affect the structure of the bread? Thanks!
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad you enjoyed! I haven't tried adding more, but in theory a little more shouldn't make too much of a difference, especially since it is already a soft loaf. I have seen recipes with a little more sugar in there as well. However if you add too much it may impact the structure - to help avoid too many issues, you may need a bit more flour to balance it out and just watch it as it rises so it doesn't over-prove.
Elizabeth says
I’m going to make this tomorrow. What is over proofing? How can you tell when it’s perfectly proofed? I do t want to mess this up!
Caroline's Cooking says
Sorry for the delay in replying, internet problems! Basically you don't want it to have huge bubbles of air - if it roughly doubles that's fine, but if it's say 3 times as big as it was originally it's probably too much. Good luck, hope all works out!
Lisa | Garlic & Zest says
I've heard you describing this bread for a while now and I'm so excited to see it! It looks soft and pillowy. I can't wait to give this one a try, Caroline!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thank you, it really is so incredibly light and soft. Worth trying for sure!
Rene says
What type of milk do you recommend. Is dairy free an option?
Caroline's Cooking says
Typically I would make this with whole milk (cow's milk). I haven't made this with dairy free milk and can't say for sure how it would work since it may react differently with the other ingredients - eg you may need a little more or less since the flour may not absorb it in the same way.
Christine says
This is perfect bread. I'm a pastry chef not a baker so I was pleasantly surprised and so happy that I could pull THIS off in lieu of my regular wheat bread here at home for my husband.
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you enjoyed - I agree it's such a lovely bread!
Karlene says
Instead of putting all three in a pan, could I make mini loaves?
Caroline's Cooking says
Yes, you could - you can also make small round rolls eg baked in a skillet. Just be aware smaller loaves/rolls will generally cook quicker so keep an eye on them as they bake.
Sharon says
This Japanese milk bread looks so light and fluffy. This bread would be perfect for Sunday dinner.
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, it really is so light, and I can see it having so many uses.