A super soft and slightly chewy bread from Japan, Hokkaido milk bread can be easily prepared at home using minimal ingredients. Here is a foolproof recipe to make it from scratch.
Looking for more bread recipes, then you can give these also a try – Dutch Crunch Bread, Sausage Bread Rolls, Turkish Bread Simit, Pita Bread, and Bread Rolls.
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About This Recipe
Hokkaido milk bread which is also known as Japanese milk bread is an exceptionally soft and slightly chewy bread, that will be definitely your new favorite bread at home.
As the name suggests, Hokkaido bread originates from the Hokkaido region in Japan. It is one of the most popular bread in the country and is prepared for their everyday meals.
It is just like the normal bread recipes, prepared using bread flour, but has a twist that makes this bread pillowy soft, springy, and delicious.
And that twist is the use of Tangzhong (pronounced as Tang-Zong), which is a cooked gelatinous mixture of flour and liquid. It is a pudding-like mix, which is added to the dough while kneading.
Traditionally, the Tangzhong is prepared with water, just like I prepared in this recipe, but some even use milk instead of water to make the same.
This Hokkaido Milk Bread is,
- Super soft
- Milky
- Delicious
- Addictive
- Perfect for your sandwich meals
Ingredients
For the Tangzhong:
Tanzhong which is also known as water roux, is the key to this soft bread. To make this you just need two ingredients – water and bread flour.
You can even use milk instead of water, but traditionally it is prepared with water only.
For Milk Bread:
Yeast Mixture – We will make a yeast mixture, that will help the bread to rise. For this mixture, you will need milk, sugar, and active dry yeast.
Use warm milk (not hot) to make the yeast mixture, as it helps the bubbles to form.
Bread Flour – Bread flour is the best to make this bread. Use all-purpose flour if bread flour is not available. The bread will be very slightly dense in that case.
Milk Powder – This adds an extra taste and make the bread milky.
Eggs – Eggs helps to make this bread richer and softer. It also provides volume to the bread and binds the ingredients together.
If not eggs, you can use a combination of baking powder and vinegar or yogurt as a substitute to make this bread.
Butter – Soften the butter to room temperature and then add in this bread. Adding butter helps to increase the shelf life of the bread.
How to make Hokkaido Milk Bread?
Start by making the Tangzhong. Add ⅓ cup bread flour and 1 cup water in a small saucepan and whisk using a wire whisk to make a lump-free mixture.
Cook the mixture on medium-low heat until its temperature reaches 65 Degrees F (or a thick slurry is formed). Keep stirring continuously while cooking to avoid the formation of lumps.
Once the mixture reaches the desired temperature, remove the pan from heat and transfer this mixture to a small bowl.
Immediately cover the bowl tightly with a cling wrap to avoid the formation of skin over the Tangzong. Let it cool down for 30 minutes.
To make the bread, add ½ cup warm milk, 4 tablespoon sugar, and 2 teaspoon active dry yeast in a measuring cup and stir gently. Keep it aside for 10 minutes for the yeast to bloom.
Note – The milk should be warm and not hot. If it is hot, it will kill the yeast and it will not bloom. If the yeast has not bloomed, it means that either the milk was very hot or the yeast was expired or was not of good quality. Replace it with good quality yeast in that case.
Now in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine 500 g bread flour, 1 tablespoon milk powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 egg, Tangzhong that we made earlier, 4 tablespoon softened unsalted butter, and the yeast mixture.
Fit the electric mixer with a hook attachment and knead to make a super soft dough.
Knead the dough on medium speed for 6-8 minutes until a smooth dough is formed. Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and keep aside in a warm place for 1 hour until it doubles in size.
Punch the dough gently and divide it into 4 parts. I use a kitchen scale to divide the dough so that all my portions are equal in size.
Brush a 9×5 inch bread loaf pan generously with butter or oil. Now dust your hands with some dry flour and roll each part into a ball. Keep the dough on the surface and press it gently to make a rough 4-inch square.
Bring both the ends of the square in the center to make a rectangle and pinch the dough well at the joint.
Keep the dough rectangle in the prepared tray with the seam side down. Prepare all the remaining 3 parts in the same way and arrange them in the bread loaf pan next to each other.
Cover the pan lightly with a kitchen cloth and keep aside for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Brush the loaf very gently with some milk and keep the pan in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the bread is nicely browned from the top.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the bread cool down for 10 minutes. Transfer it on a wire rack to cool down. Cool completely, slice, and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tangzhong, also called Water Roux is a combination prepared with water and bread flour, which is a specialty in this Japanese Bread.
This combination is mixed and then cooked to make a pudding like paste that is cooled and then added to other bread ingredients while kneading. The addition of Tangzhong creates a cushion-like and spongy texture in the bread, that is hard to resist.
To make this bread vegan, you can use soy milk instead of dairy milk or any plant-based milk that you prefer. Avoid adding milk powder to the recipe.
For the eggs, you can use a combination of baking powder and vinegar or any other commercial egg replacer. Do not opt for flax seeds mixture, as it will give a different texture.
For butter, you can use vegan butter or vegetable oil, whatever you prefer. To grease the loaf pan, you can use coconut oil too.
Storage Suggestions
You can store it at room temperature for a day or two in an air-tight container or a cake dome and then store it in the fridge for another 2 -3 days to keep it fresh.
I would recommend you freeze the Hokkaido milk bread in individual slices so that you can just take out how much you want to eat. Toast or grill the bread directly, you do not have to thaw it.
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Recipe Card
Hokkaido Milk Bread Recipe
Ingredients
For Tanzhong:
- ⅓ cup bread flour
- 1 cup water
For Milk Bread:
- ½ cup warm milk
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 500 grams bread flour
- 1 tablespoon milk powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 120 grams Tangzhong
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
Instructions
- Start by making the Tangzhong. Add ⅓ cup bread flour and 1 cup water in a small saucepan and whisk using a wire whisk to make a lump-free mixture.
- Cook the mixture on medium-low heat until its temperature reaches 65 Degrees F (or a thick slurry is formed). Keep stirring continuously while cooking to avoid the formation of lumps.
- Once the mixture reaches the desired temperature, remove the pan from heat and transfer this mixture to a small bowl.
- Immediately cover the bowl tightly with a cling wrap to avoid the formation of skin over the Tangzong. Let it cool down for 30 minutes.
- To make the bread, add ½ cup warm milk, 4 tablespoon sugar, and 2 teaspoon active dry yeast in a measuring cup and stir gently. Keep it aside for 10 minutes for the yeast to bloom.
- Note – The milk should be warm and not hot. If it is hot, it will kill the yeast and it will not bloom. If the yeast has not bloomed, it means that either the milk was very hot or the yeast was expired or was not of good quality. Replace it with good quality yeast in that case.
- Now in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine 500 g bread flour, 1 tablespoon milk powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 egg, Tangzhong that we made earlier, 4 tablespoon softened unsalted butter and the yeast mixture.
- Fit the electric mixer with a hook attachment and knead to make a super soft dough.
- Knead the dough on medium speed for 6-8 minutes until a smooth dough is formed. Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl.
- Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and keep aside in a warm place for 1 hour until it doubles in size.
- Punch the dough gently and divide it into 4 parts. I use a kitchen scale to divide the dough so that all my portions are equal in size.
- Brush a 9×5 inch bread loaf pan generously with butter or oil. Now dust your hands with some dry flour and roll each part into a ball. Keep the dough on the surface and press it gently to make a rough 4-inch square.
- Bring both the ends of the square in the center to make a rectangle and pinch the dough well at the joint.
- Keep the dough rectangle in the prepared tray with the seam side down. Prepare all the remaining 3 parts in the same way and arrange them in the bread loaf pan next to each other.
- Cover the pan lightly with a kitchen cloth and keep aside for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Brush the loaf very gently with some milk and keep that pan in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the bread is nicely browned from the top.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the bread cool down for 10 minutes. Transfer it on a wire rack to cool down. Cool completely, slice, and serve.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!