Milk Bread- Extra Fluffy (No Machine Needed!)

I get asked to share my mom’s homemade Milk Bread at least five times a day; my most HIGHLY requested recipe is FINALLY here!

Today I am showing you how to make my mom’s fluffy Fail-proof Milk Bread that will blow your mind. Soft, tender, rich, smooth, and super buttery, this homemade Milk Bread recipe is one of my favorite recipes from my mom.

You can pair it with my Homemade Strawberry Syrup for breakfast, or my Japanese Egg Salad for lunch, or even eat it on its own because this milk bread will be the most rewarding and satisfying recipe you will ever make. 

The secret to fluffy, soft, and tender Milk Bread is “Tangzhong.”

Do you ever wonder why Asian bread is always so soft yet slightly chewy? It is because of Tangzhong. What is Tangzhong? It is a roux made with flour and water, which helps keep the bread extra moist and soft.

Adding in Tangzhong, it is guaranteed that your Milk Bread will come out perfect every time. Make sure after you make your Tangzhong it is completely cooled down before adding it into the rest of the ingredients; I recommend making it the night before to help you save time. 

Most of us don’t have a stand mixer lying around, and I wanted to make this Milk Bread recipe accessible to everyone so that we will be using our hands throughout the process.

Not going to lie; this bread takes ALOT of love and patient. It is not hard, but there are alot of resting times between and alot of hand kneading. My mom and I practiced without a stand mixer EIGHT times before filming our recipe, so I promise this recipe is fail-proof and ready for you to try. However, if you have a stand mixer at home, just follow the below tips, which can help you save some time. 

We shared our recipe last week with our family in Taiwan to see how “successful” and “fail-proof” it is before sharing it with you.

So this weekend, my mom, grandma, aunt, and I all made Milk Bread together virtually. It was so much fun to connect with all the fantastic home cook chefs from our family and learn from everyone’s tips and tricks.

We wanted to point out that the Tangzhong makes the dough VERY sticky, but this is NORMAL. Keep kneading until it becomes smooth; trust the process! I wrote a REALLY detailed recipe below and included it in alot of pictures. I can’t wait to see your Milk Bread! 

Here are some EASY recipes you can enjoy with your HOMEMADE Milk Bread- 

• Japanese Egg Sandwich – Tamago Sando (CREAMY)
• Taiwanese Breakfast Sandwich – 5 Minutes and 5 Ingredients ONLY
• Fresh Strawberry Syrup (Korea Cafe Style)

1. In a pot, mix 3 tbsp of Bread Flour and 200 ml of water. Once everything is combined, bring it to the stove and turn the heat to medium. Keep stirring until it becomes a thick consistency; this process takes around 3-5 minutes.

You want the paste to be thick enough so it isn’t runny and sticks to the sides. Refer to the photo below.  Let the flour in the fridge until it’s completely cooled down (at least 30 minutes). You can prepare this step the night before to save time. 

2. In a big mixing bowl, add 2 ½ cups of bread flour, 3 tbsp of sugar, salt, and 1 tsp of yeast and flour mixture from earlier. Mix everything till combined. 

3. Add in 1 egg and 75 ml of Milk. Stir until flakey and knead until it forms into a ball. It will be sticky, but that is normal; as long as you can form it into a ball, you can move on to the next step. 

4. Lightly dust flour on a clean surface and keep kneading the dough until smooth. A method that helps speed up this process is to stretch the dough forward and then fold it back. Repeat this process until the dough is no longer sticky (around 10 minutes). 

5. Cut butter into small pieces and fold it into the dough. The dough will become sticky again; keep kneading until it is smooth and no longer sticking to your fingers. A method that works well is throwing the dough on the floured surface to eliminate air bubbles. Refer to the video tutorial for more information. This process may take another 10 minutes. 

6. Once the dough is smooth and no longer sticky, form it into a ball, cover with a damp towel, and let it rest for 1 hour or until it doubles in size. 
7. After 1 hour, cut it into 3 even pieces. 
8. Roll out each piece until there are no longer any air bubbles. Fold in the sides and roll the dough from the top down. Repeat for all 3 pieces. 

9. Place the dough into a bread container and let it rest for 40 minutes 
10. After 40 minutes in a small bowl, mix 1 egg yolk and 2 tbsp of milk. Brush the egg yolk mixture on top of the bread. 

11. Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes. Keep an eye to ensure the top doesn’t burn. After removing bread from the pan and letting it rest on its side for 10 minutes, it stays fluffy. 

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5 from 3 votes

Milk Bread

I get asked to share my mom’s homemade Milk Bread at least five times a day; my most HIGHLY requested recipe is FINALLY here! Today I am showing you how to make my mom’s fluffy Fail-proof Milk Bread that will blow your mind. Soft, tender, rich, smooth, and super buttery, this homemade Milk Bread recipe is one of my favorite recipes from my mom. You can pair it with my Homemade Strawberry Syrup for breakfast, or my Japanese Egg Salad for lunch, or even eat it on its own because this milk bread will be the most rewarding and satisfying recipe you will ever make.

Prep Time5 mins

Active Time3 hrs

Total Time3 hrs 5 mins

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Dessert, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Asian, Japanese

Keyword: Asian Food, Asian Recipes, Breakfast, Easy, Easy Recipes, Japanese Food, VEGETARIAN, Vegetarian Recipes

Yield: 1 Milk Bread

Materials

TANGZHONG

• 3 tbsp of Bread Flour
• 200 ml of Water

BREAD

• 2 ½ cups of Bread Flour
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of Yeast
• 1 Egg beaten
• 75 ml of Milk
• 2 tbsp of Butter

YOLK MIXTURE

• 1 Egg Yolk
• 2 tbsp of Milk

Instructions

• In a pot, mix 3 tbsp of Bread Flour and 200 ml of water. Once everything is combined, bring it to the stove and turn the heat to medium. Keep stirring until it becomes a thick consistency; this process takes around 3-5 minutes. You want the paste to be thick enough so it isn’t runny and sticks to the sides. Refer to the photo below. Let the flour in the fridge until it’s completely cooled down (at least 30 minutes). You can prepare this step the night before to save time.
  
• In a big mixing bowl, add 2 ½ cups of bread flour, 3 tbsp of sugar, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of yeast and flour mixture from earlier. Mix everything till combined.
  
• Add in 1 egg and 75 ml of Milk. Stir until flakey and knead until it forms into a ball. It will be sticky, but that is normal; as long as you can form it into a ball, you can move on to the next step.
• Lightly dust flour on a clean surface and keep kneading the dough until smooth. A method that helps speed up this process is to stretch the dough forward and then fold it back. Repeat this process until the dough is no longer sticky (around 10 minutes).
  
• Cut butter into small pieces and fold it into the dough. The dough will become sticky again; keep kneading until it is smooth and no longer sticking to your fingers. A method that works well is throwing the dough on the floured surface to eliminate air bubbles. Refer to the video tutorial for more information. This process may take another 10 minutes.
• Once the dough is smooth and no longer sticky, form it into a ball, cover with a damp towel, and let it rest for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
• After 1 hour, cut it into 3 even pieces.
• Roll out each piece until there are no longer any air bubbles. Fold in the sides and roll the dough from the top down. Repeat for all 3 pieces.
  
• Place the dough into a bread container and let it rest for 40 minutes
• After 40 minutes in a small bowl, mix 1 egg yolk and 2 tbsp of milk. Brush the egg yolk mixture on top of the bread.
• Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes. Keep an eye to ensure the top doesn’t burn. After removing bread from the pan and letting it rest on its side for 10 minutes, it stays fluffy.

Video

Notes

We wanted to point out that the Tangzhong makes the dough VERY sticky, but this is NORMAL. Keep kneading until it becomes smooth; trust the process!