Hokkaido Milk Bread - Ultimate Guide

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Hokkaido Milk Bread - This Japanese style milk bread with a light, fluffy, tender crumb is so delightful to eat that you will get obsessed with it. It is the perfect everyday bread loaf recipe, use it from sandwiches to french toast, and is the one you need to try NOW!!!

This recipe walks you through every little step with tips, tricks and things to avoid so you can enjoy this light white bread at home.

The aroma of freshly baked bread..

That comforting, mouth-watering, snow white, pillowy little loaves and rolls..

Soft, squeezable slices that pull apart in feather-like layers.

Imagine that melt in your mouth feel like a cotton candy...

This Hokkaido Milk Bread recipe is what you need..

Have you ever wondered what makes certain Bread so fluffy and light? 

It is a Tangzhong technique. Also known by Yudane method. 

A technique wherein the starch in the flour is gelatinised which keeps the moisture inside the bread, making it softer and also helps it to last longer.

This post covers all the techniques and steps you need to make the Tangzhong Milk Bread at home.

Here is,

How to make Japanese Milk Bread  from scratch in a step by step format:

Step 1: Preparing the Tangzhong starter (Roux)

You might have made this roux several times before especially to thicken soups, gravies the most common being pasta sauces.

The same technique is used in this bread too.

So we start by adding flour, 3tbsp water and 3 tbsp milk to the saucepan (image 1).

Combine until the flour is dissolved.

Put the saucepan on heat and whisking continuously cook until the starch is gelatinised.

In lay man words simply until the flour thickens a bit (image 2).

Take it off the flame and immediately add the rest of the milk+cream and mix, to cool the Tangzhong starter quickly

Set it to aside and start with rest of the steps.

Step 2: Prepare the Dough.

In a bowl of your stand mixer combine the rest of the ingredients - salt, flour, yeast, sugar and milk powder. Finally crack open an egg (image 3). 

And in goes the prepared roux but before adding the roux make sure that it is cooled down a bit and is not super hot.

Using the dough hook of your stand mixer (image 4) combine everything on med speed until it comes together as a dough (say around 2 mins).

After that start feeding the dough with butter a  little at a time (step 5) and finally knead for 8 mins on high speed until the dough is ready. 

When you lift the hook of your stand mixer, you would see a blob of dough sticking to the base of the pot (image 6).

Step 3 : First Proofing

Once the dough is ready, tip it off onto your counter-top.

Knead for few seconds and try to give it a round shape.

Transfer to a greased bowl and proof it for 1 hour. 

How to Proof Dough in Instant Pot?

Rather than proofing in a bowl, you can also choose to proof in your Instant Pot if you have one. 

To proof in an Instant Pot too, the steps remain the same that is to grease the inner pot with some oil.

Only catch is that you need an Instant Pot with Yogurt setting

My Instant Pot is over a year old now and it has all the features that you need. 

I like to use a Cooking Spray these days as it is much easier if you had seen me use it in our No-Knead Bread Loaf post.

Then place it in the Instant Pot (image 7), choose the Yogurt setting (image 8) and set the timer to 30 mins (image 9).

For this recipe, the dough would not necessarily double in size but there will be considerable yeast activity (image 10).

Since I absolutely love proofing in my Instant Pot I have a separate post on 

How to proof dough in Instant Pot which might be a good read for you. 

Step 3 : Shaping

Once proofed tip it onto your work-top lightly dusted with some flour.

Eyeball and divide it into three equal portions or you can also weigh them and divide which is the way I prefer to be precise. 

So weigh it into 3 equal portions of 205 gms using a kitchen scale.

Take each portion, roll it into a ball by tucking the sides to the base, cover with a tea towel and then intermediate proof for 10 mins. 

Intermediate Proof : 10 mins

Meanwhile, grease the baking pan with some butter and keep ready.

I prefer to use 9x5 inches cake pan for this recipe.

You want to have a deep and large pan to get that tall effect.

After 1o mins, take each portion flatten it out and roll lengthwise (image 11).

Fold it into thirds (image 12 and 13).

Turn it around (image 14), and again roll lengthwise (image 15).

Start folding from one end (image 16) (in a way like swiss roll cake).

OR watch the video for a clear understanding

Place it in the baking pan (image 17).

Step 4 - Second Proofing

Cover the cake pan with a tea towel or cling wrap and allow for second proofing.

This would take anywhere between 1 hour to 1.5 hours (image 18).

Second Proofing : 1 to 1.5 hours

Do not go by the time here, what you are looking for is that the bread dough should have risen to the very brim as seen in the pictures or video.

Step 5 - Baking

Even though you can see me brushing the top of the proofed dough with milk in the video, I would not recommend it.

That is because, I felt the dough darkened a lot while baking which I did not prefer.

Had it been a regular day I would have repeated the process to show you the difference.

But even I am running short of yeast at the moment so decided to go with this video footage itself.

So if you prefer you can milk or egg wash the dough or just go ahead and bake it.

Bake in a preheated oven of 180°C (352°F ) for 30-35 mins.

Let it cool in the pan itself for 5-8 mins and then invert it on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and enjoying this with some jam or butter.

This bread is a bit sweet and has a soft, chewy and melt in your mouth feel.

Here are certain tips that would help you nail it in the very first attempt.

My Top 7 Tips to bake this Fluffy Milk Bread

1. Do whisk the roux (step 1) continuously to avoid the formation of lumps and also from it getting burned.
2.  Make sure that the Tangzhong culture or Tangzhong starter is cooled down before you add it to the rest of the ingredients or else the yeast would die due to the heat from the starter.
3. To cool the starter quickly add the rest of the milk immediately and mix.
4. Start feeding the butter after 2 mins, that is, when it forms into a dough (step 2) as the fat might retard the yeast activity and we do not want that so adding at a later stage is advisable.
5. I would recommend a 9x5 inches bread pan for this recipe.
6. Do remember to keep the dough covered at all times to avoid drying of the dough.
7. Once baked, leave the bread in the baking pan itself for 5-8 mins as the bread bakes in the cooling process too. So don't rush to take it off from the pan immediately.

But wondering,

Why do I have to make Roux in the first place?? What is this Tangzhong Technique?

This Tangzhong starter is also referred to as Yudane Method and in some parts, it is also known as Hokkaido.

That's how it gets its name Hokkaido Milk Bread it seems.

So whatever may be its name.. the idea is that we are gelatinizing the starch in the flour by cooking it.

This method traps the moisture content in the dough.

So while baking the steam tries to escape which causes the bread to rise but in turn, gets trapped by the gluten strands or the crust and creates air pockets.

That's how the bread gets the characteristic texture and remains fluffy.

As the starter also aids in hydrating the dough, the end result is a moist bread loaf giving us the characteristic melt in the mouth, feel, unlike a regular white bread recipe.

These Japanese Milk Bread are a class apart making it the lightest, fluffiest, most tender bread you'll ever come across.

Addressing few of the questions that I often get asked..

Can I make Japanese Milk Bread Rolls using this recipe?

Yes absolutely. Instead of dividing the dough into 3 after first proofing, divide it into 16 equal parts.

Shape them into rolls and place it in the baking pan and allow it to proof until doubled.

You can refer my eggless dinner roll post for a detailed video on how to shape dinner rolls.

If you do not wish to make the roux and get into additional steps, then this recipe of making an enriched dough for the softest dinner rolls is all you need.

Can the Bread Flour in this recipe be replaced with All Purpose Flour.

Yes but it won't be as tall as the ones made with Bread Flour.

As explained in the tangzhong starter the steam escapes while baking which gets trapped by gluten strands.

So more the protein in the flour, more the stronger strands and more it would be able to fluff up.

In simple terms, yes you can substitute but it won't be as tall as the one made using Bread Flour.

I am not able to find Milk Powder at this time. Can I replace it?

Most of my bread recipes call for Milk Powder as it makes the bread softer and I always mention that you can skip it and use flour instead and replace water with milk.

But this Japanese Milk Bread recipe as the name suggests needs both the milk and milk powder to get the cloud-like bread texture.

So you cannot leave out the milk powder in this recipe.

How to Store Homemade Bread?

As mentioned in our No-Knead Bread Loaf post, the best way to store bread is in the bread containers or bread bags wrapped in an aluminium foil.

But I always store my bread in a simple airtight container.

Due to the hydration process, this recipe stays good for up to a week.

But trust me, it won't last that long.

Never store your homemade bread in the refrigerator as it dries up faster.

And yes this also freezes well.

Many Asian multinational companies hold patent for this recipe and technique so I just want to share that I am not the one who came up with the recipe.

I got to know about this recipe from a Youtube video and then I researched a lot and learnt the science behind by reading hundreds of blogs and also by personal experience 🙂

Also, I just want to make another thing clear that this is not like an effortless No Knead Bread recipe.

There are few additional steps but everything will be worth it when you first bite into it.

This Hokkaido milk bread, a lightly-sweetened Japanese white bread that’s so incredibly soft, fluffy and light that you would get obsessed with it.

Imagine a classic supermarket white bread slice but a more lighter, superior, buttery, rich and more flavourful version of it.

In short, this bread recipe would put any other bread to shame!!

Enjoy it plain with some butter, as a toast or with some homemade Jam.. either way you are going to love it..

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4.6 from 20 votes

Hokkaido Milk Bread

This Japanese style Hokkaido milk bread with a light, fluffy, tender crumb is so delightful to eat that you will get obsessed with it.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Japanese

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Proofing Time 2 hours

Servings 14 slices

Calories 141kcal

Author Sushma Iyer

Ingredients

Tangzhong Starter

• 2 tbsp (14 g) Bread Flour
• 3 tbsp (43 g) Milk
• 3 tbsp (43 g) Water

Ingredients to make the Bread Dough

• 30 ml Milk (cold)
• 45 ml Cream (cold)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 275 gms Bread Flour
• 6 gms Instant Yeast
• 40 gms (2 tbsp) Sugar
• 18 gms (1.5 tbsp) Milk Powder
• 43 gm (1) Egg
• 56 gms (1/4 cup) Butter

Instructions

Step 1 - Prepare the Roux

• In a saucepan, dissolve the flour in milk and water (mentioned under the roux ingredients). Place it on the gas stove and cook till until the flour thickens whilst stirring continuously.
• Once thickened, take it off the flame and immediately add the remaining milk and cream. This is done to reduce the temperature of the roux quicker.

Step 2 - Prepare the Dough

• In the bowl of your stand mixer, add rest of the ingredients (except for butter) - salt, flour, yeast, sugar, milk powder and egg.
• Add the roux.. before adding the roux make sure that it is slightly cooled and not hot as if it is too hot it would kill the yeast.
• Attach the dough hook and combine everything on med. speed for 2 mins until it comes together as a dough.
• Then start feeding the dough with butter a little at a time. Once incorporated knead the dough for 8 mins.
• After which take the dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Step 3 - First Proofing

• Give the dough a round shape making the top smoother.

How to Proof on Counter-top.

• Grease a bowl with some oil. You can use the same bowl in which you kneaded the dough
• Place the dough in the bowl and dab the remaining oil from your hands on top of the dough so that it doesn't dry out while proofing.
• Cover it with a tea towel and allow it to proof in a warm place for 1 hour.

How to Proof in an Instant Pot?

• Grease the inner pot of your instant pot with some oil.
• Place the dough into it and dab the top of the dough with the leftover oil so that it doesn't dry out.
• Place the iiner pot into your Instant Pot and choose the Yogurt Setting.
• Set the time to 30 mins.

Step 4 - Shaping

• Once proofed, punch and tip the dough onto your work top and divide into 3 equal portions. Either eyeball or use a kitchen scale and divide it into 3 portions of 205 gms each
• Roll it into a round shape by tucking the sides to the base.
• Cover the 3 balls with a tea towel and allow for an intermediate proofing of 10 mins.
• Meanwhile grease the baking pan with some butter and set aside.
• After 10 mins, take each portion and roll it lengthwise. Fold it into thirds.
• Roll again lenthwise and then starting from the corner near you roll it like we roll for a swiss roll cake. (Refer the step by step pictures in the post from above paragraph or refer the video in the recipe card).
• Place it in the greased baking pan, cling wrap and allow it for second proofing.

Step 5 - Second Proofing

• Allow the dough to rise in the baking pan for around 1 to 1.5 hours.
• What you are looking for is that the bread dough should have doubled in size and reaches the brim of the baking pan.

Step 6 - Baking

• Bake this in a preheated oven of 180°C (355°F) for 30-35 mins until the top is golden brown in colour and the bottom sounds hollow.
• Allow the bread to cool in the pan itself for 5-8 mins then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Video

Notes

1. Do whisk the roux (step 1) continuously to avoid the formation of lumps and also from it getting burned.
2.  Make sure that the Tangzhong culture or Tangzhong starter is cooled down before you add it to the rest of the ingredients or else the yeast would die due to the heat from the starter.
3. To cool the starter quickly add the rest of the milk+cream immediately and mix.
4. You can use active dry yeast in place of instant yeast. Just make sure to activate it first before proceeding with the recipe.
5. It is always advisable to check for the expiry of the yeast before beginning to make the bread.
6. For baking cakes and breads, it is always advisable to weigh out the flour and other ingredients. However, if you do not have a scale yet (though I highly recommend investing in one if you plan to bake regularly; doesn’t cost much and lasts a lifetime) just watch this video on Focaccia Bread recipe where I show you how to measure the ingredients the right way.
7. Start feeding the butter after 2 mins, that is, when it forms into a dough (step 2) as the fat might retard the yeast activity and we do not want that so adding at a later stage is advisable.
8. Greasing the baking pan with some oil helps in easy unmoulding of the bread once baked. Though I would recommend a 9×5 inches bread pan for this recipe.
9. Do remember to keep the dough covered at all times to avoid drying of the dough.
10. Please note the first proofing time is Either 30 mins in the Instant Pot or 1 hour on the Counter-top and not 1.5 hours.
11. Once baked, leave the bread in the baking pan itself for 5-8 mins as the bread bakes in the cooling process too. So don’t rush to take it off from the pan immediately.
12. Check out the post for additional details on how to store the bread, the right tools and equiments that can help you master bread baking, tips on how to perfect your bread baking skills, the right Instant Pot settings and much more.

Yield:

This recipe yields 1 (9x5 inches) loaf bread. This can be further divided into 14 to 18 slices.

Can I substitute All Purpose Flour for Bread Flour?

Yes you can but the bread won't be as tall as the one made with bread flour. Read the post for additional details on this concept.

Can I skip Milk Powder?

In this recipe both milk and milk powder is a vital ingredient so unfortunately you cannot skip.

Is it possible to make this Hokkaido Milk Bread recipe without yeast?

No you would need yeast for this recipe

Can I use this recipe to make Milk Bread Dinner Rolls?

Yes absolutely. Instead of dividing the dough into 3 like we did for this recipe, divide the dough into 16 equal portions.

Please feel free to refer to our dinner rolls recipe for a detailed instructions.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 97mg | Potassium: 52mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 181IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

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Conclusion:

Hokkaido Milk Bread - This Japanese style milk bread with a light, fluffy, tender crumb is so delightful to eat that you will get obsessed with it.

It is the perfect everyday bread loaf recipe, from sandwiches to french toast, or simply with homemade JAM..

A recipe that you need to try NOW!!!

Learn the Tangzhong roux method which helps create the tender crumb in a step by step picture and video format. 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe.

Will see you soon with yet another one

Until then

Hugs

Sushma