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This light and moist Japanese Milk Bread is the perfect pairing for just about any meal. I absolutely love it with soup. It is the ultimate comfort food.
Finding the Perfect Comfort Food
I was reminded today that we are actually in the fall season. The leaves are starting to turn colors and thoughts of Halloween and cooler nights have been creeping in. Fall food is something that I look forward to all year long. There is nothing better than a warm bowl of soup sitting on the table next to the fire.
One of my absolute favorite soups is this Potato Soup that I make in my beloved Instant Pot. This recipe is loaded with potatoes, cheese, and bacon and is the ultimate in comfort food soups! But every great soup needs some warm, soft bread to go along with it. I LOVE bread and have had all sorts of great bread from all around the world. One of my friends recently told me about Japanese Milk Bread.
Japanese Milk Bread
Japanese Milk Bread, also known as Hokkaido Milk Bread, is known for it’s slightly sweet flavor and very soft interior. One of the key ingredients is tangzhong. This is a starter that you get by cooking flour and water together until the flour completely dissolves.
The resulting bread isn’t nearly as sweet as the title implies and it goes great with just about any meal, but especially soup. It has a perfect golden brown crust and is so warm and soft out of the oven. It is perfect for a chilly Fall day!
We love to make a few loaves of the Asian Sweet Bread at a time so that we have some whenever we need it. It does freeze well so you can think about doubling the recipe and having it available for a quick meal paired with your favorite soup!
I wasn’t familiar with Asian Sweet bread at the time but now it has become one of my families favorite homemade bread. I hope you enjoy this Japanese Milk Bread recipe and use it with your favorite soup.
Asian Sweet Bread
Author: A Mom's Impression
Prep Time 2 hrs
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 2 hrs 30 mins
This simple Asian Sweet Bread recipe is light and fluffy and perfect to pair with your favorite cup of soup or salad.
Ingredients
- 5½ cups bread or all purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup of milk
- 4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 6 tbsp butter
- tangzhong recipe
- For the tangzhong:
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup of water
Instructions
Make the tangzhong by mixing the water and flour together in a small saucepan. After completely dissolving the flour, cook on medium heat until mixture thickens enough to see a line when putting a knife through it. Remove from heat.
Combine the flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast in a bowl.
Add wet ingredients and kneed for about 30 minutes. I used my Kitchen Aid dough hook and ended up doing it by hand after about 20 minutes. I added some flour as I went to make sure the dough wasn't too sticky.
Place dough in greased bowl, cover and let rise for about 40 minutes.
Separate the dough into 4 balls, cover and let rise for another 20 minutes.
Create shapes and place them into greased pans. I made a loaf and about 18 rolls from one recipe. Let dough rest in pans and rise for 50 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
Brush a beaten egg over the top of the bread and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Sharing of this recipe is encouraged and appreciated. Copying of full recipe to any social media is prohibited.
Created by Mom
Kat Hodson is the founder of A Mom's Impression, a wife to a handsome man, a mom to a beautiful girl, a sweet boy, and a first grade teacher. She loves to shop, cook, read, take photos, and hang out with her family. Her life may be hectic, but it is an exciting ride!
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FAQs
What is milk bread's main difference from traditional bread? The only liquid used in milk bread is milk. In most yeast bread recipes, the liquid is usually water. There are also no eggs in most yeast breads.
What is the history of Japanese milk bread? ›
Japanese Milk Bread Was Shaped By Trade And War
Tangzhong, the warm flour-and-water paste used to make milk bread, was already used to make springy Chinese-style steamed buns, so a combination with white bread at some point was only natural.
What does Japanese milk bread taste like? ›
Shokupan (食パン), or simply Japanese milk bread, is the Japanese version of sandwich bread or Pullman loaf. The characteristics of this bread are its delicate texture and subtly sweet taste. It has an exterior golden crust and an interior white crumb that's light as a cloud and fluffy as cotton!
How do you eat Japanese milk bread? ›
If you pull it apart, eat it as-is or slather it with vegan compound butter, jam, almond butter, or my Insanely Delicious Cookie Butter. Sliced vegan Japanese milk bread makes amazing toast, peanut butter and jelly, plant-based grilled cheese, and it's an excellent base for just about any sandwich.
What bread is most similar to Japanese milk bread? ›
It's a very similar recipe to Jewish challah bread or brioche but it's just slightly fluffier that both and the reason for this is the roux-like tangzhong 'starter' that does something 'sciency' to the bread.
What is so special about milk bread? ›
Milk bread dough is an enriched dough, which means it has dairy (milk, cream, and/or butter), eggs, oil, and/or sugar added to it. It is softer and richer than regular breads, which are made with primarily flour, water, salt, and yeast.
How do you keep Japanese milk bread fresh? ›
Store leftover bread, well wrapped, at cool room temperature for 5 to 7 days; freeze for longer storage.
Why is my Japanese milk bread dense? ›
Why is my milk bread dense? If your milk bread is dense, mostly likely, the dough is under-kneaded. The dough needs to develop enough gluten to expand and become soft and fluffy. A sure way to ensure that the dough is kneaded enough is using the window pane test.
Why is Japanese bread so chewy? ›
Most milk bread recipes use bread flour because of the higher protein content, which gives the bread that irresistible chewy texture. Tang zhong is a technique of heating flour and water into a roux that is then added to the bread dough. This gelatinises the starch in the flour so it can absorb more water.
Why is my milk bread gummy? ›
Too much water can also produce a damp loaf. Try less water with your flour. Uneven heat in your oven can be the culprit – if you loaf is nicely golden on the outside but gummy or moist in the inside, it's baking too quickly on the outside. Trying reducing the temperature you're baking at and bake for a bit longer.
Because of the retained moisture from the tangzhong, these rolls will stay soft and fresh for up to 4 days at room temperature. If you want to freeze the rolls, let them cool completely after they have been baked. Then, store the rolls in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
How long does Japanese milk bread last? ›
But I've found that this bread begins to lose its softness after about 3 days. If you aren't going to eat it all within a few days, I recommend freezing one of the loaves. Slice the bread and store it in a freezer bag for up to three months.
What makes Japanese bread different? ›
Fat, sugar and a Japanese-invented dough named tangzhong make a world of difference to bread textures. Unless they're softer varieties like brioche, traditional European breads have a harder crust and a drier, saltier crumb while Asian style buns are soft, springy and sweet.
What is the difference between Japanese bread and American bread? ›
The Difference Between Western and Asian-style breads
The key difference lies in the dough's chemistry: Western-style bread has zero fat – its main [components] are flour, salt and water while Asian-style bread contains 15 per cent fat and 25 per cent sugar to give that soft texture.
Is milk bread different from bread? ›
Milk bread contains milk in the dough, giving it a softer texture and slightly sweet flavor. White bread is made with refined flour, water, yeast, and salt, resulting in a light and fluffy texture with a mild taste.
What is the difference between Japanese white bread and American white bread? ›
But this plush bread is distinctly different from American sandwich bread; it boasts a superlatively fluffy texture and a unique shaping method. A staple in Asian bakeries, the loaf is composed of portions of dough rolled thin and formed into tight spirals.
