Black Sesame Marble Milk Bread

Up close of marble bread freshly sliced.

Black Sesame Marble Milk Bread

This easy Black Sesame Marble Milk Bread is made with a soft and fluffy Hokkaido milk bread flavored with toasted sesame seeds, braided together to create a nutty and beautifully intricate loaf. Wow, all of your friends with your bread-making skills with this easy marble bread recipe!

Course Japanese

Cuisine Japanese

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 35

Total Time 3 20

Servings loaf

Calories 2023kcal

Author Takes Two Eggs

Ingredients

Tangzhong

3 tablespoon (25 g) bread flour
½ cup (120 g) water

Black Sesame Paste

3 tablespoon (21 g) toasted black sesame seeds finely ground
1 ½ tablespoon (20 g) granulated sugar
1 ½ tablespoon (20 g) unsalted butter

Japanese Milk Bread

2 ¼ cup (325 g) bread flour
2 tablespoon (30 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (5 g) instant yeast
1 tablespoon (10 g) milk powder
½ teaspoon (5 g) salt
½ cup (125 g) whole milk 105°F-110°F warmed
1 large egg ~50 g, room temperature
2 tablespoon (25 g) unsalted butter softened room temperature

Egg wash

1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

Tangzhong

In a small saucepan, combine the bread flour and water and whisk to remove all lumps. Cook over medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes until the roux starts to thicken and reaches 150°F or 65°C, while constantly whisking. The roux should have a pudding-like consistency. Remove from heat, place in a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until cooled about 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Before baking remove from refrigerator and bring to room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Drain any excess water.

Black Sesame Paste

Finely grind the black sesame seeds in a small food processor. Add the sugar and softened butter. Pulse to make a paste. Transfer to a small bowl, cover, and set aside.

Make the Two Doughs

Create the Dough. In a stand mixer with the hook attachment, mix the flour, sugar, yeast, milk powder, and salt until combined. Then add warmed milk (105°F-110°F), tangzhong, and egg and knead on low until ingredients are combined for 5 minutes.
Add the butter. Once the dough has formed, add the softened room temperature butter. Increase speed and knead until combined around 5-7 minutes. The dough should be tacky but not sticky. It should not be overly sticking to the bottom of the bowl. If it is too wet, add 1-2 more tablespoons of bread flour.
Divide the dough into 1/3 and 2/3 portions. Using a scale and a bench knife, separate the dough into 1/3 and 2/3 portions.
Make the sesame dough. Place the smaller 1/3 portion of dough back in the mixer, add the sesame paste, and knead until combined. About 3-4 more minutes.
Proof the Doughs. Shape the doughs into balls and place in two lightly greased bowls cover with plastic wrap and proof in a warm place for 1-2 hours until double in size.

Shape The Dough

Roll out the doughs. When the doughs have doubled, remove them from the bowl. Using a rolling pin, roll out the larger plain dough into about an 8 x 12 in (20 x 30 cm) rectangle. Roll out the smaller sesame dough into a 8 x 6 in (20x15 cm) rectangle. Place the sesame dough on top of the plain dough and fold the plain dough over the sesame dough.
Cut the dough in half and roll out 3 times. Using a bench scraper, pizza cutter, or knife, cut the dough in half on the longer side of the dough then stack the two pieces on top of each other. Then roll the dough back into an 8 x 12 in (20 x 30 cm) rectangle. Continue to cut in half and roll out a total of 3 times.
Cut the dough into 3 strips and braid. Using the bench scraper, pizza cutter, or knife, slice the dough lengthwise into 3 equal 12-inch strips. Roll each strip into a log/rope shape and braid the ropes together.
Second Proof Dough. Fold the ends of the braided dough so the bread fits in the bread pan. Next, proof in a warm place for another 45 min to 1 hour until doubled in size.
Bake. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush with egg wash, bake for 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for about 5-10 minutes. Then remove the loaf from the pan and cool on a wire rack completely before slicing and serving.

Notes

Use a scale! Bread making is a science that needs to be extra precise to produce a consistent loaf. I currently use this scale and I love it!

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.
The texture of the dough. The dough should be slightly tacky and not overly sticky. If the dough is too sticky, slowly add in more bread dough 1 tablespoon at a time while the mixer is kneading the dough. Alternatively, if the dough is too dry add warmed milk into the dough 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the right consistency. The texture of the sesame dough will be a little more wet considering it has more butter in it!
Standard Loaf Pan: I used a standard 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5-inch bread pan. If you use a bigger loaf pan the height will be smaller.
Proofing: typically, bread with more hydration takes longer to proof. It can take between 1-2 hours. The dough will rise in a warm place around 75-100°F. I have a proofing setting in my oven that sets my oven temperature to 100°F. If you don't have a proofing setting you can place a pan or cup of boiling water in the oven with your dough to create a humid and warm environment. After shaping, make sure to proof the bread again to get that fluffy cloud-like texture.

Nutrition