Way back in 2020 around the start of quarantine, I was one of the millions of people who decided to learn how to bake bread. One of the breads I tried, at the time, was a Japanese milk bread. It turned out super light, fluffy, delicious, and a hilariously photogenic loaf.
Because of how good it looked and tasted, my partner cajoled me into making this blog. I was skeptical at first, but it’s been years now, and I’ve been enjoying how it has led me to try a whole lot of new baking projects, and I’ve even made some friends along the way.
And yet, despite all of that, somehow I never actually went back and made that same milk bread again. I made a different one, but it wasn’t quite the same, even if it was delicious.
It’s finally time, to go back to the bread that started it all.
The key to a Japanese milk bread is the yu-dane. You may have heard it referred to as a tangzhong before, but you know, using the Chinese word for Japanese bread doesn’t feel quite right, right? It’s a roux, made of water, flour, and milk. You cook it, and use it as an ingredient for the bread dough.
I’ll admit, I’m not fully sure of the chemistry of a yu-dane or why it works. From a bit of research, one of the big draws is that it helps keep the bread moist and fresh longer, and keeps it from going stale, but I wouldn’t know; the bread never lasts long enough to go stale around here.
What I DO know is, it makes some super tasty bread. Just be warned; this is quite a project, with several rises, a bunch of kneading, and of course making the roux in the first place. Good things take time and effort, though, so let’s get to it.
Japanese Milk Bread
Equipment
- Whisk
- Rubber Spatula
- Mixing Bowls
- Sauce Pan
- Stand Mixer With dough hook.
- Plastic Wrap
Ingredients
For the Yu-Dane (Tangzhong) ((Roux))
- ¼ Cup Water
- ¼ Cup Milk
- 2 Tbsp Bread Flour
For the Bread Dough
- ½ Cup Milk Room temp
- 2¼ Tsp Active Dry Yeast
- ¼ Cup Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Dry Milk Powder Optional
- 1 Egg
- 2⅔ Cups Bread Flour
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 4 Tbsp Butter Softened
Instructions
Make the Yu-Dane (Tangzhong)
- Whisk your water and flour in a small sauce pan until it's smooth. Then, add in the milk and mix it all together.¼ Cup Water, ¼ Cup Milk, 2 Tbsp Bread Flour
- Heat this mixture and whisk or stir with a rubber spatula constantly. This will cook and thicken like a pudding as the flour gelatinizes. Once it reaches this consistency, transfer it to a bowl to cool to room temperature. Place plastic wrap over the top, touching the surface, so it doesn't form a skin as it cools.
Make and Bake the Dough
- In your mixer's bowl, add the milk and sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Then, add in the yeast and carefully mix it together. Cover this and let it sit for 15 minutes to bloom the yeast.½ Cup Milk, 2¼ Tsp Active Dry Yeast, ¼ Cup Sugar
- Add the yu-dane/tangzhong/roux, milk powder, egg, flour, and salt to the yeast mixture, and stir this with a rubber spatula until it's roughly mixed and a dough starts to form.2 Tbsp Dry Milk Powder, 1 Egg, 2⅔ Cups Bread Flour, 1 Tsp Salt
- Using your mixer's dough hook, start to work the dough on medium for about five minutes.
- Once the dough has kneaded for a while, start adding the butter one tbsp at a time, mixing for at least 30 seconds in between each pat. Scrape the sides of the bowl down when all the butter is added and incorporated.4 Tbsp Butter
- Continue kneading, bumping up the mixer speed. On my Kitchenaid, I had it at around 7 for this part. You want to knead for at least 5-10 more minutes, scraping the bowl down as necessary.
- Once the dough can be pulled from the bowl cleanly, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and form it into a ball. Put it in a clean mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel, and let it rise for 1-2 hours or until it's doubled in size.
- After this rise, grease your loaf pan with butter and a light coat of flour. Set this aside.
- Drop the dough onto your floured surface again, and divide it into 4 equal parts. Roll each part into 6" squares and fold in the corners and roll almost like a cinnamon roll, then seal the edges with a pinch.
- Places these seam-side down in the loaf pan next to one another, then cover and let rise again, once more until doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven to 350℉. When preheated and ready to go, brush the top of your bread with either an egg wash or some milk, then bake for 30 minutes. If it seems like it's browning too much at around 25 minutes, tent some foil over it.
- Remove from the oven, let cool, and enjoy!