How to Make the Softest Japanese Milk Bread

This recipe is part of the series The Recipe I Mastered This Year

I love bread. A few years ago, I began experimenting, and found the process of baking bread extremely therapeutic. I am a graphic designer, and find myself constantly drawing parallels between the creative process and cooking. Like design, I find cooking to be an iterative process; one that gets better with time.

One of my favourite breads is a simple Hokkaido Milk Bread. I spent a few weeks in Japan earlier this year, and was blown away by their baked goods. Like everything else that is Japanese, their breads are simple, but perfect. Kyoto has a lot of tiny quaint bakeries tucked away in every corner, and they serve milk breads with a bit of melted cheese and a drizzle of honey. It is incomparably delicious.

This Japanese Milk Bread is very easy to make, and is like eating a cloud. The method used (ie, a tangzhong starter) is what gives this bread its light texture.

Recipe adapted from The Little Epicurean, with a few simple improvisations

Japanese Milk Bread by Seema Seth

Ingredients
Starter
22 g bread flour
60 ml whole milk
60 ml water

Dough
2 1/2 cups (325 g) bread flour
1/4 cup (60 g) granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (7 g) active dry yeast
1 tbsp milk powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 egg, lightly whisked, room temperature
1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk, room temperature
1/4 cup (60 g) butter, softened
Cream/ butter/ milk, for brushing

Method

To make the starter, first whisk together the flour, milk, and water. Now place the mix in a pan, on medium flame and stir. Cook until the mixture thickens to the texture of mashed potatoes (about 5 minutes or so).

Now, remove from the stove, and transfer to a bowl. Cover with cling film and set aside.

To make the dough, first whisk together flour, sugar, yeast, milk powder and salt.

Next, add in the cooled started mixture with egg and milk and knead for about 5 minutes. If you are using a stand mixer, knead on low, and scrape down the bowl so the dough is evenly mixed.

Now add in the butter and knead for another 10 minutes or so, until the butter is well incorporated. On a mixer, you can increase the speed to medium for the last 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Next, transfer the dough to a bowl. Remember to grease the sides of the bowl. Cover with cling film and allow to rest for an hour. At the end of an hour, the dough should have doubled in volume.

Using parchment paper, line and grease a loaf tin.

Move the dough to a lightly floured surface, and divide into four equal parts and roll them in too balls. Cover three with cling film to prevent drying out.

Take one ball, flatten and roll out to about 8X4 inches. Then fold in one inch of the sides. From the end closes to you, roll the dough into a log. Please this lot into the loaf tin, seam-side down.

Repeat with remaining dough balls.

Now cover the loaf tine with cling film and allow to rest for 45 minutes. The dough will again double in volume.

Brush the top of the dough with heavy cream, and bake in an oven pre-heated to 180 degree C until the top turns a golden brown.

Allow the loaf tin to cool, then unfold the bread on a wire rack. When cool, slice the bread and eat with honey or butter.

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