Japanese Milk Bread Recipe

Milk Bread Starter

1. 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.
2. Heat the mixture over medium heat, continuously whisking until you have a thick, pudding-like consistency.
3. 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.
4. Cool the starter to room temperature.

Milk Bread Dough Mix

1. 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.
2. Once the yeast has become activated you can add in the rest of the sugar, the starter, egg, and flour.
3. Use a spatula to mix the dough and combine the ingredients, forming a raggedy dough.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. The dough should become smooth, satiny, and pull cleanly from the bowl sides.
8. 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.
9. 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

1. 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.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly flour-dusted surface and press all of the excess air out of the dough.
3. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions.
4. Roll out each portion into an approximate 6-inch square.
5. Fold the opposite corners into the middle.
6. Roll or shape each piece of dough into a small loaf shape.
7. Once the dough has been rolled to the top, fold the pointed edge in and pinch the seam to seal.
8. Place the rolled dough into the pan, with the seam side facing down. There will be four rolls in the pan.
9. Repeat with all the dough portions and place them in the loaf pan.
10. 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

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. 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.
3. If the bread begins to brown too much in the oven, place a piece of foil on the surface to keep it from burning.
4. If using a thermometer, bake until the internal temperature is about 190°-205°F.
5. Remove the loaf pan from the oven and cool for a few minutes.
6. Turn the dough out onto a cooling rack to continue cooling.
7. The bread will cut easier when completely cool.