Hokkaido Milk Bread (Japanese Bakery Bread)

This pillowy soft Japanese milk bread is extremely fluffy, delicious, and feels like you are eating a cloud!

Course Bread, Breakfast

Cuisine Japanese

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 30

Total Time 2 30

Servings Loaf

Calories 550kcal

Author Takes Two Eggs

Pour water and flour in a small saucepan and whisk until no lumps left. Heat over medium heat while whisking constantly until the mixture thickens into a paste.
Let cool in a bowl to room temperature. Alternatively, you can refrigerate overnight, and leave at room temperature for 1 hour before using.

In a stand mixer with the hook attachment, mix the flour, sugar, yeast, milk powder and salt.
Add warmed milk, tangzhong, and egg and knead on low until ingredients are combined for 5 minutes.
Once the dough has formed, add the softened butter. Increase speed and kneed until combined around 5-7 minutes. The dough should be tacky but not sticky.

Shape the dough and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Proof in a warm place for 1-2 hours until doubled.

When the dough has doubled, remove it from the bowl and divide it into three equal portions.
Shape into balls and cover and rest for 15 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball into an oval. Bring the two sides of the oval towards the middle. Turn 90 degrees then roll dough and seal at the seam.

Place the logs seam side down in an 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan. Next, proof in a warm place for another 30 min.

Use a scale! Bread-making is a science that needs to be extra precise to produce a consistent loaf.
Yeast: you can use active yeast instead of instant yeast, but make sure to activate the yeast in a warm 110-115°F for about 5 minutes before mixing the ingredients.
Butter: Soften the butter and add to the dough AFTER it has formed a ball to prevent the oil and fat from melting into the gluten formation.
Standard Loaf Pan: I used a standard 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5-inch bread pan.
Proofing: typically, bread with more hydration takes longer to prove. It can take between 1-2 hours. The dough will rise in a warm place around 75-100°F. After shaping, make sure to proof the bread again to get that fluffy cloud-like texture.