4.7 from 18 votes
Vegan Japanese Milk Bread
Hokkaido-inspired coconut milk buns. Just a simple, fluffy, soft vegan milk bread with no weird ingredients. Great recipe for impressing your friends and fam.
Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Additional Time
2 hrs 10 mins
Total Time
3 hrs 30 mins
Servings:
8
buns
Calories:
312 kcal
Course:
Snacks, Bread
Cuisine:
Asian, Japanese
Ingredients
Tangzhong (Water Roux)
- ½ cup water (120 g)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour 45 g
Hokkaido Milk Bread Dough
- ½ can coconut cream 200 g; see Notes, or full-fat coconut milk
- 3 tbsp butter 40 g, vegan; or margarine
- ¼ cup sugar (50 g)
- 1 tsp salt (6 g)
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour 325 g; see Notes
- 2½ tsp instant yeast (10 g)
"Egg" Wash *optional
- 1 tsp water warm
- 2 tsp brown sugar or syrup
Instructions
- Add tangzhong ingredients to a small saucepan. Set it on the stove at low heat and whisk until smooth. I used chopsticks but you can use, you know, an actual whisk. Once smooth, let it heat for about 5 minutes or until thickened (see video below), whisking occasionally.
- Add tangzhong and coconut cream to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Keep the saucepan going on low heat. Add the vegan butter or margarine and let it melt, then turn off the stove.
- Add the melted butter and the rest of the ingredients except the yeast to the bowl, then start mixing in the stand mixer using the dough hook.
- When the ingredients are roughly mixed but haven't yet started coming together, add the yeast. We want to add it last to avoid the hot butter and tangzhong from killing any yeast.
- Now let the stand mixer knead the dough for 12 to 15 minutes. (See Notes.)
- The dough should now be soft and smooth. Shape into a ball and let it rest in the bowl, covered, for 1 1/2 hours.
- After rising, the dough should be about 1.5x its original size. Take it out of the bowl and flatten into a big circle, pressing out any air pockets.
- Slice the circle into eight equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball (see video) and place into a round baking pan. Or a square one. Whatever you have.
- Cover and let rise. After 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
- Optional: Mix the "egg" wash ingredients together in a small cup and gently brush onto the risen rolls.
- Put your rolls into the oven at the 40-minutes mark. (My oven takes 10 minutes to preheat from cold. If yours takes longer, start the preheat a bit earlier.)
- At 25 minutes, the rolls should be lightly golden. Turn off the heat and let the rolls sit in the oven for 10 minutes before removing to cool. Let rolls cool in pan for another 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Cup of Yum
Nutrition Information
Calories
312kcal
(16%)
Carbohydrates
45g
(15%)
Protein
6g
(12%)
Fat
12g
(18%)
Saturated Fat
9g
(45%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
(6%)
Monounsaturated Fat
2g
(10%)
Trans Fat
0.02g
(1%)
Sodium
327mg
(14%)
Potassium
146mg
(3%)
Fiber
2g
(8%)
Sugar
7g
(14%)
Vitamin A
191IU
(4%)
Vitamin C
1mg
(1%)
Calcium
12mg
(1%)
Iron
3mg
(17%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 8 buns
Amount Per Serving
Calories 312
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 312kcal | 16% |
| Carbohydrates | 45g | 15% |
| Protein | 6g | 12% |
| Fat | 12g | 18% |
| Saturated Fat | 9g | 45% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Trans Fat | 0.02g | 1% |
| Sodium | 327mg | 14% |
| Potassium | 146mg | 3% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 7g | 14% |
| Vitamin A | 191IU | 4% |
| Vitamin C | 1mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 12mg | 1% |
| Iron | 3mg | 17% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.