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Rainbow Bread
5 from 3 votes

Rainbow Bread

As a Japanese milk bread, this rainbow bread is a soft, slightly sweet loaf perfect for a rainbow grilled cheese sandwich. Roll it into a rainbow swirl bread, or try your hand at designing a rainbow out of bread! It's a fun twist on classic white bread.

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
1 hr
Rising times (does not include cooling time for the starter)
3 hrs
Total Time
5 hrs
Servings: 36 slices
Calories: 105 kcal
Course: Bread
Cuisine: International

Ingredients

Tangzhong (roux starter)
  • ⅓ cup bread flour 45 grams
  • ½ cup milk whole; 120 ml
  • ½ cup water
Dough
  • 4 ⅔ cup bread flour plus more as needed, 600 grams
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar 100 grams
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 egg large
  • ¼ cup milk plus more as needed, whole, 60 ml
  • roux starter
  • ½ cup unsalted butter plus more for greasing the loaf pan, 8 tablespoons (113 grams), softened and cut into cubes
  • Food Coloring

Instructions

Tangzhong (roux starter)
    Cup of Yum
  1. Make the roux starter (tangzhong). In a small pot, combine the flour, milk, and water. Over low heat, whisk until smooth and continue stirring until the whisk leaves a clear, thick track at the bottom of the pot.
  2. Remove from heat, scrape into a glass measuring cup, and cover the starter with plastic wrap, pressing down the wrap onto the surface of the tangzhong to prevent a skin from forming (see photo). Let cool.
Dough
  1. In the bowl of a mixer, use the paddle to combine the flour, sugar, and yeast and mix on low speed briefly. Add the salt and mix for about 10 seconds.
  2. Add the egg, milk, and the starter. Mix on low speed.
  3. When the dough starts to come together, switch to the dough hook. (If the dough doesn't come together, add an additional tablespoon of milk at a time).
  4. Add the butter cubes a one at a time, waiting until the butter has been incorporated before adding another.
  5. Increase the speed to medium and knead for 7 to 10 minutes. At the end of kneading, the dough should be soft and tacky but not sticky and it should pull and stretch easily.
  6. Divide the dough in half, and place one half into a greased bowl and cover it with plastic.
  7. Divide the remaining dough into sixths. Because the amount of dough is so small, it is easiest to work the food coloring in by hand (although you may want to wear a glove to prevent the coloring from getting on your hands). Once you've worked all of the color in as evenly as possible, form the dough into a ball. Leave the rainbow colored balls on a tray or plate and cover with plastic wrap to rise until doubled in size, about 60 minutes.
  8. Lightly butter a 13" by 4" by 4" Pullman loaf pan, including the lid or two standard loaf pans.
  9. There are multiple ways to shape the rainbow bread. To make a rainbow swirl bread, use a rolling pin to roll out the white dough into a rectangle. Then roll out the rainbow dough, starting with purple. After each addition, use the rolling pin to seal the dough together. After you have added the red, roll up the loaf starting with the short end and place it in your prepared pan or pans.
  10. Put the lid on the pan or cover your loaf pans with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free location until it is nearly up to the lid, about 2 hours.
  11. Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F.
  12. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the internal temperature is 190°F.
  13. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then cool on a rack completely before slicing.

Notes

  • This rainbow bread recipe will make one large Pullman loaf or two regular sized sandwich loaves.
  • The dough balls are too small for most mixers to effectively work the colors through. Use kitchen gloves to keep the food coloring off your hands.
  • Use gel food coloring for bright, vivid colors without altering the texture of the dough. I've used various rainbow food colorings with different trials and they all work. Play around until you get the rainbow colors you want.
  • It's easiest to knead the dough balls in a small bowl. I recommend doing the following order: yellow, orange, red, purple, blue, and then green. Knead each portion of dough well to evenly distribute the color and avoid streaks.
  • Rolling the layers of dough together will minimize the chance of trapping air, which would give you gaps in your dough.

Nutrition Information

Calories 105kcal (5%) Carbohydrates 16g (5%) Protein 3g (6%) Fat 3g (5%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g (6%) Monounsaturated Fat 1g (5%) Trans Fat 1g (50%) Cholesterol 16mg (5%) Sodium 136mg (6%) Potassium 36mg (1%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 101IU (2%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 11mg (1%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 36 slices

Amount Per Serving

Calories 105

% Daily Value*

Calories 105kcal 5%
Carbohydrates 16g 5%
Protein 3g 6%
Fat 3g 5%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g 5%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 16mg 5%
Sodium 136mg 6%
Potassium 36mg 1%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 3g 6%
Vitamin A 101IU 2%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 11mg 1%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.