Milk Bread Recipe
Soft, pillowy Japanese Milk Bread. This fool-proof recipe is unbelievably soft and fluffy. If you’ve seen this recipe all over the internet but it’s always intimidated you, then you’re in the right place. Consider this your ultimate guide to all things milk bread.
Why you'll love my milk bread recipe
Quick and easy preparation
Directions are very straightforward and easy to follow. You will be blown away at how amazing it will turn out on your first try!
Extremely soft
I mean, this loaf doubles as a pillow and midnight snack. Need I say more?
Healthier than store bought
Did you know a typical store bought bread has over 10-15 ingredients?! Most of which contain additives, emulsifiers and preservatives. My recipe contains 6 wholesome and fresh ingredients. Never any extra stuff.
What is milk bread?
Japanese Milk Bread, also called shokupan, is a fluffy, slightly sweet white bread that’s perfect for sandwiches, toast or just eating plain with butter. It’s made with an enriched dough containing butter, eggs and milk with a key component – Tangzhong.
What is Tangzhong?
If you ever wondered how Japanese bakers achieve that soft, cloud-like texture in their loaves, the secret is in the Tangzhong method. It’s a traditional bread-making technique that involves cooking a portion of the flour and liquid into a thick paste. When added to the dough, it increase the breads moisture retention, creating an ultra-soft texture that lasts for days.
Ingredients and substitutes
Whole milk: This recipe has not been tested with other milks.
Flour: Bread flour is preferred and works best. Substitute with all-purpose if needed.
Salt: I rarely ever use table salt in my recipes. When you see salt, think sea salt. Table salt often contains additives and anti-caking agents, which affects quality of your baked goods. Table salt is also saltier and is not an equal substitute for other salts.
Yeast: This recipe uses instant yeast but you may use active dry yeast instead. See my notes in the recipe for special instructions. Read more about the different types of yeast here.
Eggs: This is what adds richness.
Butter: Adds moisture, richness and creates a soft crumb.
Honey: Honey has many important jobs in this recipe. It contributes to the golden crust, adds flavor and helps naturally slow down mold growth.
For the rest of the ingredients, please see the recipe index card below!
What type of yeast should I use?
Instant yeast can mixed directly with dry ingredients and active dry yeast must be dissolved in warm liquid first to be “activated” or proofed before use. First, heat up your milk or water until its lukewarm, about 110°F. Stir in the active yeast and a pinch of sugar. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until its foamy or bubbly.
Can I make dinner rolls with this dough?
Yes! This recipe can make 36 small rolls, about 40 grams each or 30 medium rolls, about 50 grams each. If you want less rolls, half the entire recipe.
Shape the dough into equal pieces, shape into round balls and place them in a buttered 9″x13″ baking pan until doubled in size and bake at 350°F for 22-25 minutes until golden brown. Depending on the strength of your oven and number of rolls in the pan, baking time will vary. The rolls are done baking when the tops are deep golden brown. In some cases, it may need 28 minutes and other times, 22 minutes.
What is the best loaf pan to use?
I used 1lb. loaf tins for my milk bread but a 1.5 loaf pan works best. It’s also the same tins I use for my Easy Sandwich Bread recipe and Cozonac recipe too. (Shop my affiliate link here)
How to shape Japanese Milk Bread
Step 1
Punch the dough down and divide into 6 equal pieces. Three pieces for each loaf.
Step 2
Use a rolling pin to roll each piece into a thin rectangle, double the length of the loaf pan. Roll again with the rolling pin to reinforce the seams.
Step 3
Then, fold the sides towards the center and roll up like a jelly roll. Pinch the seam together. Place three pieces in each buttered loaf pan.
How to make Tangzhong
Step 1
In a small saucepan, whisk together flour and milk.
Step 2
Cook over medium heat, for 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously until thick and smooth like pudding.
Step 3
Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature before using in the dough.
How to make Milk Bread
Make the Tangzhong
See above for photos and step by step directions how to make Tangzhong.
Prepare the dough
In a large stand mixer bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt. Make a well in the center and add the cooled Tangzhong, milk, honey, heavy cream and eggs. Mix until most of the flour is absorbed, then add the butter, a tablespoon at a time.
Knead for 10-12 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth and elastic. It will be slightly tacky. Oil your fingertips to make the dough manageable.
First rise
Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let it rise for about 1.5 to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Shape the bread
See above for photos and step by step directions how to shape the loaf.
Second rise
While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F. Let it rise for 50-55 minutes until doubled in size and expands in the loaf pan.
Bake
In a small bowl, whisk together egg with a splash of water. Brush over the tops and bake for 30-33 minutes until golden brown on top. Remove from the pan and place the bread on a wire rack to cool. Brush the tops with butter while the bread is still warm.
Can I make rolls or buns instead of a loaf?
Yes! Divide the dough into equal pieces, shape into round balls and place them in a buttered baking pan covered with plastic wrap until doubled in size. You will need to use more than one baking tray but only bake one at a time. Brush the tops with egg wash and bake at 350°F for 22-25 minutes until golden brown. Depending on the strength of your oven and number of rolls in the pan, baking time will vary.
Can I make this without a standmixer?
You can knead by hand. It’ll take a bit longer to knead, about 15-20 minutes. The dough should be soft and stretchy.
Should I add more flour if my dough is sticky?
A little stickiness is normal. If you weighed your ingredients, there is less room for measuring incorrectly and needing more flour. Lightly oil your hands if needed. The dough should be smooth and elastic as it kneads. It becomes less tacky and more mangageable after the first rise.
Expert tips from my test kitchen
Add butter gradually
Butter enriches the dough but must not be mixed at the same time as the other ingredients. Once the wet and dry ingredients have been mixed and absorbed, add a Tablespoon of butter at a time.
Shape properly
To achieve that iconic milk bread pull-apart texture, you must shape the right way. See my extended directions and pictures above.
Measure flour by weight
Flour and milk are easily over-measured. For best accuracy, use a kitchen scale. Shop my exact scale here. (affiliate link)
Why is my dough not rising?
There is nothing more frustrating than dough that refuses to rise. Below are four common reasons why your dough is not rising and practical solutions to get your dough back on track.
Yeast issues
The problem
Yeast is the driving force behind the rise but if it’s expired, stored improperly or not activated correctly, you dough won’t rise.
How to fix it
Check freshness. Store yeast in a dry cool place and check the expiration date. Opened yeast should be stored in the refrigerator. Mix your yeast with warm milk or water and a pinch of sugar. Within 5-10 minutes, it should foam. No foam? The yeast is dead – replace it!
Temperature problems
The problem
Dough is sensitive to temperature. If it’s too cold, the yeast slows down or stops working entirely.
How to fix it
Create the ideal environment for the dough to rise. Typically, your kitchen counter should be just fine! If your kitchen is drafty, use the oven method. Place the bowl wrapped in plastic wrap and covered with a tea towel in the oven with the light turned on and the oven off. It usually gives off enough warmth in the oven to create the ideal environment for proofing.
Too much sugar or salt
The problem
Excess sugar can dehydrate yeast and too much salt can inhibit yeast activity.
How to fix it
Follow the recipe and measure precisely. Mix the salt and sugar in the dry ingredients before adding the yeast. This helps the yeast avoid direct contact with the salt during activation.
Undeveloped gluten
The problem
In order for the dough to rise, it requires a well-developed gluten network to trap air and rise. Insufficient kneading results in flat dough.
How to fix it
Knead properly and be patient. Enriched doughs with eggs and butter take longer to knead, My recipe requires 8-10 minutes of kneading. Knead until the dough is smooth, elastic and tacky but not too sticky. And most importantly, give the dough enough time to rise. Sometimes dough simply just needs more time.
How to store leftover Milk Bread
Typically, homemade bread should be consumed within a few days for many reasons. The first reason is obvious. Fresh bread tastes better the day it was baked. Homemade bread will also go bad quicker because it doesn’t contain additives that extend shelf life like most bread at the grocery store. Below are a few ways we like to store leftovers.
Freezing slices
Once cooled, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a resealable bag. Reheat in the oven to restore softness and freshness.
Paper bag, kitchen towel and plastic wrap
I like to store my leftover bread in a paper bag and for extra measure, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
Do not store in the refrigerator
This will cause your bread to become stale and dry faster. It holds well at room temperature with the right precautions.
I hope your family loves this recipe! As a recipe developer, your feedback is valuable to us. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments. If you try my recipes and love them, please take a moment to leave a five star rating. Thank you for being part of the Bake Cook Repeat community! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Subscribe on YouTube for more new recipes.
Soft Dinner Rolls (Overnight and Same day)
Ingredients
- 5½ cups bread flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled may substitute with all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups whole milk warm
- 2 large eggs
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 3 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 egg + 1 Tablespoon heavy cream, for the egg wash
Instructions
Before you start
- Use a kitchen digital scale for measuring flour and milk as both are easily over-measured. Use the toggle button in the ingredients section above to go between cups and grams. If you don’t have a scale, fluff the flour with a fork in its container, and then spoon it into the measuring cup before leveling off with a flat edge. Measure liquids at eye level.
Prepare the dough
- I highly recommend using a kitchen digital scale for measuring flour and milk as both are easily over-measured. In a large stand mixer bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt. Make a well in the center and add the warm milk, honey, heavy cream and eggs.5½ cups bread flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled, 1½ cups whole milk, 2 large eggs, 3 Tablespoons honey, 2 teaspoons instant yeast, 2 teaspoons sea salt, 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- Use the dough hook attachment and mix until most of the flour is absorbed, then add the softened butter, one tablespoon at a time.4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Knead on medium speed for 12-15 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth and elastic. It should release from the sides of the bowl while mixing and not be sticking on the sides as much as when you first started. Knead a few minutes longer, if needed. At the very end of kneading, increase the mixer speed to high for a few seconds to help the dough release from the sides. You might be tempted to add more flour because sticky dough is uncomfortable. Don't do it! Oil your fingertips to make the dough manageable.
First rise
- Oil your fingers. Use your hands to shape the dough into a round ball and place in a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for about 1-1½ hours or until puffy and doubled in size.
Shaping
- Punch the dough down and pour onto clean, dry surface. Do not flour. You need the resistance of the surface to shape the rolls.
- Once the dough is done rising, punch the dough and divide into 15 equal pieces for large rolls but up to 24 small rolls. Weigh the entire dough and divide that number by number of rolls you want to make. Shape into round balls and place them close in a buttered 9"x13" baking pan. Use more than one baking pan for more than 15 large rolls but bake only one pan at a time in the oven. For smaller rolls, you can fill the baking pan with more.Step 1Punch the dough down and divide into 15-24 equal pieces. Larger rolls about 85g each, smaller rolls around 50-60g.Step 2Working with one ball at a time, use your fingertips to gently flatten the dough piece into a square. Then, grab the four corners and pinch the seams together at the top, resembling a dumpling.Step 3Flip the ball seam side down and with the back of your palm or fingertips, use the resistance of the surface to move in a circular motion. This smooths out the round shape.Step 4Repeat until all the dough pieces are rolled. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a light tea towel until very puffy and doubled in size. This could take between 40 minutes to 1 hour.
Second rise
- Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for about 40 minutes to 1 hour until very puffy and almost doubled in size.Overnight optionIf making the day before, skip the second rise at room temp! Instead, after the rolls are shaped and arranged in the baking pan, cover with plastic wrap and immediately store in the fridge overnight up to 18-20 hours. After that, the yeast will run out of food and the rolls may deflate. The next day, remove from the fridge and let it sit covered at room temperature for anywhere between 1.5 to 2 hours until the dough is no longer cold to the touch, soft and fluffy. Lightly brush with egg wash and bake per directions.
Preheat the oven
- While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg with a splash of heavy cream. Remove the plastic wrap, brush over the tops with the egg wash and place the pan in the middle rack of the oven.
- Depending on the strength of your oven, bake large rolls for 35-38 minutes until deep golden brown on top. Smaller rolls may bake for 27-30 minutes.
- Let the rolls cool in the pan. Brush the tops with melted butter, honey and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Notes
- Directions to prepare the day before: once the first rise is finished, punch the dough, divide into equal pieces and shape. Place in a greased baking pan, cover with plastic wrap and immediately store in the fridge overnight up to 18-20 hours. After that, the yeast will run out of food and the rolls may deflate. The next day, remove from the fridge and let it sit covered at room temperature for anywhere between 1.5 to 2 hours until the dough is no longer cold to the touch, soft and fluffy. Lightly brush with egg wash and bake per directions.
Nutrition
The provided nutritional value above is an estimate per serving. 100% accuracy is not guarenteed. Please see Nutrition Information Disclaimer in our Privacy Policy.
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
I was hoping to make this, but I am not seeing the separate measurements for the Tangzhong. Do I just keep missing it? Could you give them to me, please? I NEED to consume this bread.
Hi Alicia! I am having some technical issues with the blog and the recipe was accidently replaced with another version. Please come back soon as we are trying to trouble shoot.
The texture is perfect and the taste is even better. So good!
Thank you!
I’ve made this recipe twice and it turned out beautiful both times. It is fairly large, so I’ll probably try to half it. Froze the rolls I made and they reheated great!
Thank you for the lovely review, Cam!
This loaf turned out so delicious and delicate! I would like to make rolls next time. Can I shape the rolls and refrigerate overnight? Do they need to come up to room temp before baking?
Thank you for sharing this technique!!
Hi Rossana, yes this recipe makes great dinner rolls. You can let the dough rise overnight in the fridge. Divide the dough into equal pieces, shape into round balls and place them in a buttered baking pan covered with plastic wrap until doubled in size and the dough doesn’t feel cold to the touch. This can take 1-2 hours. You will need to use more than one baking tray but only bake one at a time. Brush the tops with egg wash and bake at 350°F for 22-25 minutes until golden brown. Depending on the strength of your oven and number of rolls in the pan, baking time will vary. I hope this helps. 🙂
I am SO excited to make this, but I would love to half the recipe for my first go at it—how do you suggest halving the required 3 eggs? Thanks so much!
This bread is sooo soft and tasty. Couldn’t stop eating it!
So glad you loved our recipe!
Haven’t tried it yet. I’m wondering if the ingredients for the Tangzhong extra or taken from the overall ingredients?
Hi Gaye, as listed on the ingredient list, the tangzhong is its own separate few ingredients, which are then added to the whole. I hope this helps. 🙂
Hi Patricia. Unfortunately, the Tangzhong ingredients no longer display separately in the ingredients list.
What displays is 660g flour and 360mL milk, each ingredient only appearing once in the list. I’m not sure if the amounts were somehow combined or if the tangzhong ingredients are hidden or deleted. Either way, I am not sure if I should take milk and flour for the tangzhong out of these amounts or if there was meant to be additional flour and milk.
I would appreciate clarification please. Last time I made this it was a massive hit!
Hi Julie, There seems to be an error on my blog and the recipe was replaced with my dinner rolls recipe. Will get this fixed. Please come back soon!
this was my first try making bread. beautiful.
you said this recipe was fool proof and I doubted you for a moment around the time I added melted butter rather than softened butter to the dough I was mixing by hand because I do not have a stand mixer. however, despite that (and many other trials) the bread turned out great
other issues with my execution include but are not limited to:
– swapping whole milk for semi-skimmed
– not enough yeast
– too much flour
– plain flour rather than bread flour
– double cream rather than heavy cream
– mid-bake supermarket trip to buy heavy cream (unsuccessful)
– phoned a friend for the honey
– never got dough to not stick to bowl. after hand mixing for an hour and a half accepted this was never going to happen
– too much honey
– used butter instead of oil to avoid bread sticking to hands
unbelievably after all of that it did double in size while rising and turned out amazing. cannot imagine how good the bread must be when made correctly. it is truly fool proof, demonstrated by two fools
Sarah, I am very impressed with your determination to stick through it despite all those obstacles!! Wow! This made our day. 🙂
I have nothing remotely negative to say about this recipe! It is soooo delicious and easy to make. Few dishes , barely labor intensive. I even forgot to warm the milk and i overkneaded the dough (making it hard to roll out) and it somehow still ended up delicious and it still rose!
Yay! We love a fool proof bread recipe and this is it. 🙂 Thank you for the lovely review.
So pillowy soft and tasty! We very much enjoyed these.
That’s exactly what we were going for when we created this recipe. 🙂
I made this recipe for my sister and she can’t stop talking about it. I’ve made it 5 more times since then. Everytime I make it, it somehow gets better. And unfortunately every time I make it I have to share with others. Really gotta get my own place so I can bake in peace. Anyways – great recipe. Easy to follow.
Thanks for the lovely review! 🙂
Such a DELICIOUS and fluffy bread! Great for gatherings and definitely a crowd favorite
Thanks Han!
So fluffy and soft! I loved it!!
Yay! Thank you!
Great recipe! Easy to follow and so so so FLUFFY!!!!! No one can resist these and they get eaten so fast!
Thank you Debbie! We’re happy you enjoyed our recipe.
Turned out delicious! Love your recipes, easy to follow and great. Husband said reminds him of childhood sweet European bakery bread!
Thank you so much! It’s our favorite recipe and it makes amazing dinner rolls too. 🙂