Milk Bread (Cotton Soft) - Milk Bread Recipe - Rasa Malaysia (2024)

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The best Japanese-inspired milk bread that is cotton soft, fluffy and sweet. This easy milk bread recipe uses a roux starter to make the dough and stay fresh for days!

Milk Bread (Cotton Soft) - Milk Bread Recipe - Rasa Malaysia (1)

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Milk Bread Recipe

Milk bread is a cotton soft, sweet and fluffy Japanese-style bread made famous by bakeries in Japan.

It’s called Shokupan in Japanese language. I believe it originated from Hokkaido in Japan as Shokupan is also called Hokkaido milk bread.

The bread uses a simple Asian bread baking technique called “tangzhong” or 汤种. It’s a roux starter.

First part of the dough is cooked first, producing cottony soft, fluffy and tender bread.

This is the best, softest bread ever!

Once you have tried the bread, you will never go back to regular white bread.
These soft and cottony milk bread recipe is perfect for dinner tonight, holidays or any day!

This milk bread applies a roux technique to make the dough.

First part of the dough is cooked first.

This roux starter technique yeilds soft, puffy and absolutely amazing bread that stay soft for days.

Milk Bread (Cotton Soft) - Milk Bread Recipe - Rasa Malaysia (3)

Milk Bread Ingredients

This fail-proof, homemade and easy recipe calls for simple ingredients:

  • Bread flour
  • Heavy cream
  • Honey
  • Dry milk powder
  • Yeast
  • Unsalted butter
  • Sugar and salt

It’s important that you have an active dry yeast that is alive so please check the expiration date of the yeast before baking.

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What Pan to Use for Milk Bread?

You can bake this bread using a regular 9X5″ loaf pan.

You can also use a baking tray for split-up dinner rolls or buns.

I made them into these cute clover-shaped buns using a big muffin pan.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Bake Milk Bread Ahead?

Yes, you can.

This bread can be baked 5 days ahead. Tightly wrap the rolls with aluminum foil and place in a plastic bag before storing in the refrigerator.

Reheat the rolls in a toaster oven before serving.

Can I Store the Bread at Room Temperature

Yes, you sure can. Cover or wrap the rolls and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.

How Many Calories per Serving?

This recipe is only 329 calories per serving.

What to Serve with This Recipe?

Serve these soft milk bread with main dishes of steak, chicken, fish or pasta. For easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

Filet Mignon

Pasta Recipes – One Pot Pasta

Parmesan Baked Chicken Breast

Baked Cod

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Milk Bread

The best Japanese-inspiredmilk breadthat is cotton soft, fluffy and sweet. This easymilk bread recipeuses a roux starter to make the dough and stay fresh for days!

4.74 from 19 votes

Print

By Bee Yinn Low

Yield 6 Rolls

Prep 20 minutes mins

Additional Time 2 hours hrs

Cook 30 minutes mins

Total 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 5 1/3 cups bread flour (divided, plus more for surface)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
  • 2 tablespoons active dry yeast (from about 3 envelopes)
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter (cut into pieces, room temperature (4 tablespoons))
  • nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • flaky sea salt

Instructions

  • Cook 1/3 cup flour and 1 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a thick paste forms, about 5 minutes. Add cream, honey and cook, whisking until honey dissolves.

  • Transfer mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and add milk powder, yeast, kosher salt, 2 eggs, and 5 cups flour. Knead on medium speed until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes.

  • Add butter, a piece at a time, fully incorporating into dough before adding the next piece, until dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic, about 4 minutes.

  • Coat a large bowl with nonstick spray and transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

  • Lightly coat a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan with nonstick spray. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and divide into 6 pieces. Divide each piece into 3 smaller pieces. Place 3 pieces of dough side-by-side in each muffin cup. Let rise again in a warm place until doubled in size and puffing over top of muffin pan), about 1 hour.

  • Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Beat the remaining egg with 1 tsp. water. Brush top of dough with egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until bread is deep golden brown, about 25–35 minutes. Let milk bread cool slightly in pan before turning out.

Notes

Recipe Source: Bon Appetite. This recipe makes 6 rolls or one 9x5" loaf.

Course: Baking Recipes

Cuisine: Japanese

Keywords: honey, Milk Bread, milk powder

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Milk Bread

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 329Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Fat 15g23%

Saturated Fat 6g38%

Cholesterol 102mg34%

Sodium 2413mg105%

Carbohydrates 103g34%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 22g24%

Protein 18g36%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

Milk Bread (Cotton Soft) - Milk Bread Recipe - Rasa Malaysia (2024)

FAQs

Why is my milk bread not fluffy? ›

If your milk bread is dense, mostly likely, the dough is under-kneaded. The dough needs to develop enough gluten to expand and become soft and fluffy. A sure way to ensure that the dough is kneaded enough is using the window pane test.

What country is known for milk bread? ›

Milk bread was developed in Japan in the 20th century, using tangzhong, a warm flour-and-water paste traditionally used in China to make buns with a soft, springy texture and tiny air bubbles. Surprisingly, milk bread with an incomparable crumb and buttery taste is a snap to make at home, using supermarket ingredients.

What is special about milk bread? ›

What is milk bread's main difference from traditional bread? The only liquid used in milk bread is milk. In most yeast bread recipes, the liquid is usually water. There are also no eggs in most yeast breads.

What is the difference between white bread and milk bread? ›

Milk bread contains milk in the dough, giving it a softer texture and slightly sweet flavor. White bread is made with refined flour, water, yeast, and salt, resulting in a light and fluffy texture with a mild taste.

What is the secret to a soft and fluffy bread? ›

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

What makes bread rise and fluffy? ›

Once reactivated, yeast begins feeding on the sugars in flour, and releases the carbon dioxide that makes bread rise (although at a much slower rate than baking powder or soda). Yeast also adds many of the distinctive flavors and aromas we associate with bread.

What is another name for milk bread? ›

Other names for it are Hokkaido milk bread, shokupan, and pai bao. Shokupan translates to "eating bread" or "food bread" or "plain bread"; in Japan the style is considered the standard bread of the country, where it is a common breakfast meal or eaten as a snack. It is carried in many bakeries in Asian countries.

Is milk bread good for health? ›

Adding nutrients: Milk is a good source of calcium, protein, and other essential nutrients. Soaking bread in milk can help add some of these nutrients to your diet, making it a hea.

Is milk bread the same as brioche? ›

Brioche is a much richer bread than Japanese milk bread. It uses a lot more butter than shokupan dough, giving brioche a sweeter and more buttery taste. Brioche is also made with eggs. This helps give brioche its signature golden color and a denser, chewier texture than shokupan.

How do you know when milk bread is done? ›

Give the bottom of the loaf a couple firm taps with your thumb. The bread will sound hollow when it's done. If you're new to this technique, try doing this every five minutes toward the end of baking and you'll hear how the sound changes.

Why is milk bread so soft? ›

Part of what makes milk bread so satisfying to eat is that feathery softness, which many bakers attribute to tangzhong, a roux that's incorporated into the dough.

What is milk bread in USA? ›

Beth Goldowitz. Baking tasty bread, cookies, and pies for over 50 years. · 3y. Milk bread is white bread. It uses the same ingredients as a white sandwich bread, but it includes milk in the dough.

What bread is similar to milk bread? ›

It's a very similar recipe to Jewish challah bread or brioche but it's just slightly fluffier that both and the reason for this is the roux-like tangzhong 'starter' that does something 'sciency' to the bread.

Is buttermilk bread the same as milk bread? ›

Taste wise the milk bread was slightly sweeter than a regular loaf made with water would be. Buttermilk and yogurt loaves had a slightly more intense flavour with hints of acidity but also sweetness. The sour cream bread had the richest taste and mouthfeel.

Can you over knead milk bread? ›

While underworked dough can simply be fixed by a little more kneading, severely overworked dough cannot be fixed. Instead, the overworked dough will result in a hard loaf that will likely not be eaten. It's important not to overwork your dough and continually check for overworking throughout the kneading process.

Why is my bread not poofing? ›

8 reasons why your bread dough is not rising:

Yeast should be stored in a cool, dry place. Yeast is too hot Yeast may have been dissolved in water that was too hot, or the liquid ingredients in the recipe may be too hot, causing the yeast to die. Yeast needs to be warm - not too hot, not too cold.

What happens when you add more milk to bread? ›

In the finished product, milk will make bread that has: Greater volume (improved capacity to retain gas) Darker crust (due to the lactose in the milk)

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