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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Dana says
I am fairly new at bread baking.....I am a “ breadbaker wannabe”.
This is my 1st time making this recipe. Took a long time in the first rising and since there was egg in the dough, after 2 hours, had to refrigerate it. Wasn’t sure of the dough rising in the refrigerator, but it slowly did. We haven’t yet sliced into the bread. I want to make it again, but not divide into 3 parts. Any advice for me on this?
Thank you for this recipe and what is the pronunciation for tangzhong?
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad it seemed to work in the end - the tie it takes to rise depends a lot on temperature, amongst other things. While you typically form it in three parts, they join together as they bake so you can still slice it as a regular loaf in slices, you don't need to split it into three. But if you'd rather have it as one piece, you can roll it in one piece a bit like a jelly roll and then put that in the pan for the second rise. On the pronunciation, it's relatively phonetic with the "zh" being like the French "j" as in "jus", if that helps.
Isaiah Treadwell says
Hi! I made this bread last night and the inside of my bread looks kinda strange. It’s more crumbly then flaky and soft. How do I fix this?
Caroline's Cooking says
It's a little hard to tell without a little more detail as there are always a number of variables making bread. But as a guess, it sounds like it may either be a little too dry (so possibly too much flour) or maybe did you cut it while still warm, as that can make it look a little strange when you cut it? Did you weight the ingredients or use the volumes, as the volumes are less accurate so you may need to adjust to get the right 'feel' to the dough. If possible, it's always best to weigh if possible. Try not to add too much flour when you are kneading as well - it can be tempting to add more flour to make it less sticky, but you really want to avoid adding too much, it does become smoother with kneading. Hope these help.
A says
Hi,
Is it possible to use this recipe in the bread machine or do I need to adjust it?
Thank you!
Caroline's Cooking says
I don't have a bread machine so haven't been able to test myself, but I see from other comments, someone mentioned they did 1hr 55min rapid bake and it came out well.
Kenya says
Hi can I substitute all purpose flour ??
Caroline's Cooking says
I have yet to try but yes, it should work fine. You may not need quite as much liquid and the dough may be slightly less easy to work with or slower to rise. Just be careful not to be tempted to add a lot of extra flour as you knead - try to work with it a little first.
Ciara Quintero says
will any kind of butter work?
Caroline's Cooking says
I typically use unsalted - if you use a salted butter it may make a slight difference in the flavor of the bread, but you are not using all that much so it won't be too significant.
Lori says
Can this be frozen? And can this recipe be doubled? Thanks
Caroline's Cooking says
I haven't frozen this myself but there's no real reason why it wouldn't work as long as it is well wrapped. And yes, you can certainly double it. If you divide and bake in two pans there's no need to adjust cook time, just double all the ingredients. It may need slightly longer to rise. If you are making a very large loaf then it will need longer to cook.
Abi says
Delicious! I made this this evening and during the folding steps I added some cheese and garlic butter to make cheesy soft garlic bread and it is heavenly! Can't wait to make it again plain and possibly try other fillings! I thought adding ingredients to an enriched style dough might prevent rising but it still worked at treat!
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad you enjoyed, and the filling sounds tasty too! Yes I can see some fillings working but probably not too much and nothing too heavy.
Sona says
This is the best bread. I made it yesterday and my kids LOVE IT! I will definitely be making it again soon. Thank you for sharing this. =)
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you all enjoyed!
Pete says
Love it!
Caroline's Cooking says
Great, glad to hear!
Berta Pauly says
I have made this bread and love it!!
It is so soft.. thanks for giving out this recipe..💞
Caroline's Cooking says
That's great to hear! And yes, I do love how soft it is.
Imelda says
Thanks for sharing this beautiful fluffy bread. I made the exact amount of engredients as stated. The result is as perfect for a small serving. I love it.. Next time I plan to Add more sweeter taste. Let u know the result.
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
G.L.Cantrell says
Can it be frozen? It is so soft, and delicious toasted, or for sandwiches. I just love it.
Caroline's Cooking says
I haven't frozen it myself (we always get through it pretty fast!) but I don't see why not - I'd put it in a freezer bag, making sure you get the air out before sealing.
Carl says
I just made it this morning and it is perfect . I will be making again and again!
Caroline's Cooking says
That's great, glad to hear you enjoyed and will be making again!
Asuka says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I've made it a few times and follow the measurements exactly, but the dough always comes out super sticky and I end up adding a lot of flour while kneading. Should I use less milk or less tangzhong, or both? My loaf also comes out not nearly as fluffy as I'd like. Maybe it's because I'm using 2 tsp of active dry yeast (after proofing in milk) instead of instant yeast?
Thanks!
Caroline's Cooking says
It sounds like you are adding too much flour which is making it more dense. I wouldn't recommend less liquid, as that's basically going to give you the same just in a different way. I'd say as you are kneading, try to just dust the work surface, a little over the top of the dough and on your hands to start and knead a few times. If it sticks to you, don't worry, just keep working it a bit and only add a small amount more as you go. The stickiness will become less as you work the dough without you needing to add lots of flour. It is a soft dough, but as I say the stickiness largely goes down through kneading rather than needing lots of flour, if you can try to hold off adding too much. Hopefully this will also help with the fluffiness, but if by fluffiness you mean it hasn't risen enough, it may be that you need to leave it to rise slightly longer during the two rising periods. Hope it works out a little better!
Elda says
I think it depends on the kind of flour too...
Caroline's Cooking says
Yes different flours absorb liquid slightly differently. But this is typically a slightly stickier dough than some to start with, so while you may need to add some extra flour, whichever kind you use, you still need to resist adding too much.
Jenna P Toff says
I found kneading longer helps with the stickyness. As you work it more it becomes less sticky, so might want to work it more before adding more flour.
Caroline's Cooking says
Yes, thanks for expressing in a different way - that's part of what I meant by saying to try to resist adding flour as you knead 🙂
Madeleine Fuchs says
Thank you for this wonderful bread recipe. We just had it with our Sunday dinner.
It is delicious. Also it it great to have a bread recipe that is just right
for a small family.
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you enjoyed! And I know what you mean, I often find many bread recipes too big so I often adjust down to what we more realistically use.
Emily says
Can I use all-purpose flour, or does it have to be bread flour?
Caroline's Cooking says
Yes, it should work fine with all purpose, you might just need to adjust the amount slightly as flours can react differently, so I'd hold back slightly in case you need less, or if it's wet you can add a little more. You may also need to leave it slightly longer to rise as AP is typically slightly lower in gluten-forming protein so may need a bit longer to rise.
Emily says
So I bought bread flour but it says « yeast included » Do I still use the sachet or dry yeast as well since it is in a different step?
Caroline's Cooking says
I've never heard of bread flour containing yeast already. I'd check on the flour packet to see whether it says you don't need to add additional yeast or not. You may not need to (or maybe some but much less), but being unfamiliar with it, it's very hard to say, I'm afraid.
Lynn says
Can the dough be pre made and refrigerated overnight if I wish to bake early in the morning?
Thank you!
Caroline's Cooking says
I haven't done it with this particular bread but I think it should work - I'd suggest just giving it part (say up to half) of the second rise out at room temperature then do the rest in the fridge overnight.
Skelli says
I found this recipe while looking for a soft bread recipe to try (I've only just started baking bread and I am SO excited to try this one!). I only have margarine and lightly salted butter, which one would be better to use or would either ruin the bread?
Caroline's Cooking says
I think either would probably work, but I'd certainly go with the lightly salted butter out of the two. You might want to reduce the salt ever so slightly as a result, though if it's just lightly salted it is probably not so necessary. Enjoy!
Kaylee says
Can I use super fine sugar instead of caster sugar? I’m in the US and don’t know where to get caster sugar.
Caroline's Cooking says
In the US, the regular sugar is pretty fine so work, or super fine is great if you have it. You just want it to be relatively fine so that it dissolves easily.
Maike says
Thanks for sharing this recipe. My kids and I made it today and it was amazing. It reminds me a bit of brioche.
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad to hear you enjoyed! And yes it is definitely similar to brioche in texture/flavor.
Bella R says
I've been baking bread a lot recently, and I made milk bread for the first time with this recipe (I chose this one because it had less butter than other recipes). It was absolutely STUNNING! Just like pictures and videos show of this incredibly fluffly bread. I used an egg yolk for the top, and it was super shiny and golden. Today I am make pirogi stuffed with cabbage and hamburger buns with this recipe, with reduced sugar. Thank you so much for this perfect recipe!
Caroline's Cooking says
I'm glad to hear it worked out well and you enjoyed! It is such a lovely soft bread.
Anu says
Can I bake without egg? If so, what would be the replacement?
Caroline's Cooking says
You can omit the egg glaze from the top (as you'll see some others have and use eg milk) but I'm afraid I can't think of a good replacement for within the bread itself. The egg adds a level of richness that isn't easy to replace. You could miss it out, and you should still get a nice soft bread, but it will be a little different.
rhona foyn says
Canned CHICK PEA WATER is used instead of egg in a lot of vegetarian recipes so perhaps you can use it in the bread.
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks for suggesting - yes chick pea water/aquafaba can be used as a replacement but generally for egg white, as it has a similar consistency especially when whisked up. It can help recreate that stickiness and lift, so can work in eg macarons (though I have heard it's tricky in those, but then they are tricky in general). What it doesn't have is the richness you get from egg yolk, which is part of what the egg here is for. So it may work to a point, but probably not in full.
nicole says
I just made it and I was wondering if you can freeze the dough? Thanks!
Caroline's Cooking says
Do you mean uncooked? I haven't tried and not sure if it would still rise OK if you did. However if you bake it then you can wrap it in foil then in a freezer bag and freeze it like that.
Amateur Baker says
I made it. it's so soft and fluffy. It tastes perfect. I didn't glaze it with eggs. Instead, I sprinkled it with corn starch. I made it into 8 round balls. Also, I baked it only for 17 minutes so that it's not too dark. Thank you for this recipe!
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad to hear you enjoyed, and yes great as rolls as well.
Grace Paul says
Loved it! Glad I found this recipe. I use this recipe for Mexican coffee buns and Indian aloo buns( potato stuffed buns). It comes out amazing every time.
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you enjoyed! I like the idea of using it fr aloo buns as well.
Sally says
Fabulously easy and a pleasure to make. Made first yesterday and almost finished it. Today have tried substituting the tangz.... with 6 dessert spoons of sourdough starter instead of throwing some away before feeding it. Will let you know tomorrow what happens.
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad you enjoyed. Will be interested to hear how the sourdough worked out.
Christa says
Hi
Is this 175C in fan forced oven? To be safe I put it to 170 c in fan forced oven. It turned out good but didn’t rise much in the oven.
Thanks
Caroline's Cooking says
It's with a fan oven - without you'd probably want slightly higher. It's not a bread that rises as much in the oven as some, though it will definitely rise a bit - but glad it turned out well either way!
Emily says
I know your recipe calls for caster sugar, could I substitute this for regular granulated sugar? Will it have any effect on the texture?
Caroline's Cooking says
Regular granulated should be fine (especially if you are in the US where the 'regular' sugar is finer anyway). The main reason for caster is it will dissolve more easily. If you use a coarser sugar I'd suggest adding it to the milk and stirring a minute to help it dissolve before adding the other ingredients.
Dom says
is it possible to over knead the dough?
Caroline's Cooking says
I tend to knead by hand where it's less likely for that to happen but yes, I think you could over-knead this as you could with almost any dough. You want it to be soft and come together into a smooth ball. If it becomes very firm it's probably over-kneaded. IF so, it may rise slower so you'll want to give it a bit longer to rise, then try to work it as little as possible after.
Joann says
I'm new to baking bread and only have made 2 loaves with a 50% success rate, so I'm both nervous and excited to try this one. Does it freeze well and if so, do you have a suggestion on how to freeze bread?
Caroline's Cooking says
I haven't frozen this myself, but I don't really see any reason why you couldn't since bread generally freezes fine. Just make sure it cools completely first, then wrap it in plastic or foil, put in a freezer bag then freeze.
Lee says
Thank you for sharing your recipe. This is the first time I have made Japanese Milk Bread and tried it. It’s the bee’s knees. This is all the way from Australia 🙂
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you enjoyed! (I'm actually in Australia myself at the moment, too :))
Ana says
This bread looks so good! I’m very partial to milky and fluffy breads myself, so I’m biased!
I intend to prepare the dough to bake in the morning - so we can have a nice warm bread at breakfast - do you think is ok to let this dough rest overnight in the fridge for the first rise? I usually do this with more “dense” type loafs, so I’m not sure how well this fluffy type will “behave”.
Caroline's Cooking says
I haven't tried it that way, but I think it probably should work fine - will be interested to hear how it goes!
McKenzie says
I did an overnight refrigerator rise twice and both times worked great. Had fresh baked bread in the morning and is always a great way to start the day.
I let the dough sit out on the counter with a towel on top to warm up before baking. Followed the recipe from there and had beautiful loads both times.
I also used AP flour and it worked fine. Took a lot longer to knead vs using bread flour for me. I’m sure everyone’s flour will be different, this was my experience.
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad to hear it worked out well with overnight rises!
Connie says
Love this recipe from this first time baker! Made it 4 times already during this quarantine! But I have a question...my bread turns out beautifully like your pictures but it’s more yellow than white on the inside. Any ideas why that might be? I make my own bread flour adding in wheat gluten but otherwise follow it exactly. Thanks!
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you enjoyed! It may be the flour, but it could also be your egg may have a darker yolk.
Cristinathebaker says
Love the bread. I will never buy soft bread ever. Thank you!
I doubled the recipe and made a loaf (with cream cheese sauce from Cookist) and hamburger buns topped with sesame seeds.
And it freezes well!
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad you enjoyed, and sounds good as burger buns too.
Mags says
Hi! Can i use instant dry yeast? And milk should be lukewarm?
Caroline's Cooking says
Yes instant dry yeast is another name for fast acting yeast and so just use the amounts as above. And yes, the milk is better to be lukewarm or room temperature to save the butter solidifying, and to be slightly better in helping the yeast activate, though the tangzhong will be slightly warm and help with that too. Thanks, I'll update recipe to reflect that.
Julia says
This looks tasty! We are trying to reduce our sugar intake. Has anyone tried making it without sugar? In theory, would it affect the structure too much?
Caroline's Cooking says
I understand you would prefer to reduce sugar, and some breads work better than others for that. This one is a little tricky as the texture and flavor is definitely impacted by having sugar in there. You could reduce it, but I don't really think the bread would be quite the same with none at all. I do have a few other bread recipes which I think would work better to have no sugar in than this - my fig and walnut bread, for example, just uses a little honey : https://www.carolinescooking.com/fig-and-walnut-bread/
Katie says
This bread is delicious! Perfect recipe. Would it work to double the recipe to make 2 loaves?
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad you enjoyed! Yes, you could make two, just double everything.
Becky says
I make and sell bread every week for our local Farmer’s Market and I’ve been looking for a new one.... found it! So darn good! I tested it today and my husband and I definitely agreed that it’s one of our favorites! So tender, wonderful crumb and rose like a dream.
Caroline's Cooking says
I'm so glad to hear you are enjoying this so much - I agree it has such a wonderful texture.
Alice says
Can I use my breadman bread machine to make this bread?
Caroline's Cooking says
I haven't got a bread machine myself to be able to advise for sure - I'd say you would at least need to still make the tangzhong ahead of time to get the benefit of that, and then you may be able to let the machine do the mixing, proofing and cooking. It won't give the same shape, obviously, but may otherwise work. I'd suggest referring to the instruction manual to see if there is general advice on adapting regular bread recipes.
anthony day says
Just did in my breadmaker 1Hour 55 mins on rapid bake Perfection
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks for sharing, glad to hear it worked out well!