Japanese Milk Bread (Hong Kong Pai Bao or Hokkaido Milk Bread)
Japanese milk bread is a type of bread which has its origin in Japan. It is a staple in most Asian bakeries. It has a brown flaky crust and a soft buttery “pillowy” melt- in-your-mouth interior. This bread gets its soft crumb structure from a method called “Tangzhong” or “water roux.” Tangzhong involves cooking water and/or milk with flour for about 6 to 10 minutes until a soft paste is formed. Unlike some traditional breads which take hours to rise, this bread has 3 rising periods which take an average of 2 hours. This is an adaptation of a recipe by Julia Moskin.
INGREDIENTS:
Tangzhong:
(1) 44 Grams Bread or All Purpose Flour (1/3 Cups)
(2) 1 Cup Water (Or 1/2 Cup Water + 1/2 Cup Milk)
Bread:
(1) 325 Grams Bread Flour (2-1/2 Cups) (See Note 1)
(2) 1/2 Cup Tangzhong
(3) 7 Grams Active Dry Yeast (2 Teaspoons)
(4) 1 Teaspoon Salt
(5) 50 Grams Granulated White Sugar (1/4 Cup/ 4 Tablespoons)
(6) 1 Large Egg
(7) 1/2 Cup Milk. More for Brushing.
(8) 56 Grams Unsalted Butter (1/4 Cup/4 Tablespoons). More for Brushing. (See Note 2)
NOTES:
(1) You can use either all purpose flour or bread flour. Bread flour will however give you a more stretchy dough.
(2) The butter should be very soft. This can be achieved by keeping the butter at room temperature for about an hour. This process can be hastened by heating the butter in the microwave at 10 second intervals. Your goal here is to soften the butter and not to melt it.
PROCEDURE:
Tangzhong:
(1) Place flour and liquid in a small sauce pan and place pan on medium heat.
(2) Stir the mixture until a thick paste forms. This takes about 6 to 10 minutes. You will know when the roux is ready when the spoon leaves tracks on the bottom of the sauce pan. Allow it to cool before using. The water roux thickens as it cools down. You will need half cup for this recipe.
Bread:
(1) In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, put the flour, salt, yeast and sugar. Mix for some seconds to combine all the ingredients together.
(2) Add the milk, egg and 1/2 cup of tangzhong to the flour mixture and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
(3) Switch to the dough hook and knead mixture at medium speed for 5 minutes.
(4) Add the soft butter and continue kneading for another 10 minutes. The dough will be very smooth and elastic. You will know the dough is ready when it wraps itself around the dough hook and slaps against the sides of the bowl.
(5) Form dough into a ball, transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, keep in a warm place and allow to double in size. About an hour.
(6) After an hour, divide dough into 3 equal parts. Use a kitchen scale for accuracy if need be (I do). Shape each part into a ball, cover and allow the balls to rest for 15 minutes. This will relax the gluten.
(7) On a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball into an oval about 5 inches wide and 10 inches long. Fold in the ends of the loaves and roll it up into a log.
(8) Place the logs into a loaf pan, cover and allow the loaf to rise again for about an hour. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
(9) Brush the top of the loaf with milk and bake in the bottom third of the oven for 35 – 40 minutes or until golden brown and puffed.
(10) Brush the crust of the loaf with some melted butter. This will soften the crust. Allow bread to cool down on a cooling rack before slicing.
(11) Slice or tear bread apart to eat. It can be used like regular sliced bread to make toasts, sandwiches or french toast.
Terry Adido is passionate about showing people how easy it is to recreate restaurant quality meals in the comfort of their kitchens. With a style of cooking he refers to as Afro-European Fusion, his meals are influenced greatly by French and Italian Cuisine with a West African twist. If you love good food, you are in for the ride of your life.
Now aint that some bread! Yummy…thanks for sharing Terry. Pls Terry I find it difficult to visit ur other posts and recipes. For example, I wanted to check for the Cho Mein recipe coz I wanted to prepare it but I can’t see it. Pls help…
Hi. You should be able to search for recipes using the search window on the right side of pages. Alternatively, you can click on recipes on the main menu. That will lead you to a lot of options. To see all my recipes, click on “A-Z” I hope this helps.
And pls Terry, what’s #Thangzhong, and how do I get it?
thanks Terry for this detailed recipe, now I can put my bread flour to good use…
Thanks a lot Terry, I appreciate that a lot.
You are welcome.
Excellent
Thanks
Thanks terry for your wonderful receipes. However,i havenot been successful in baking bread,i dont seem to get the fluffy texture. could it be my yeast or the dough not rising properly the second time
It could depend on the recipes you use or how active your yeast is. Get fresh yeast and follow recipes on this website. You should be good.
Thank you Mr. Terry, tried it and it was deliciousssss. I wrapped the dough around some hotdogs,my Kids ate everything immediately it was out of the oven. Thank you once again.
I’m glad you loved it. The hot dog twist is a great idea.
You are awesome
Thanks Alimat.
thanks Terry for the posts. God bless youx
Thanks.
tanks Terry
You are welcome.
tanks Terry,i wil give it a try
I’m sure you will love it.
Great id try it out
You should Eunice.
Looks yummmy…one more recipe to try out during the holiday.Thanks terry
You are welcome Ruky.
This is awesome. Thanks for sharing Terry
Will surely give it a try.
You should Roseline.
Hi Terry,
I am sure my son would love it. But, could I use a regular food processor, it doesn’t have the hook, just the paddle
Hi. I am not sure the paddle will be strong enough or well equipped to knead a bread dough of this nature. I will rather knead with my hands.
okay,
Another question, will margarine do the same job as the butter?
so, after I mix, I should knead with my hands?
I have not tried with margarine, but it should work. Yes to your second question.
Done. It came out really good. I loved it. This might be my go-to recipe for bread.
Thanks for the recipes!
You are welcome Cindy.
My friend just told me about your website and this milk bread will be my first try…I’m a beginner tho..no mixing bowls or baking pans. But I’m excited to try
Glad to have you around Bulky. I hope you enjoy it.
Pls, what is tangzhong?
Abiodun, the post shows you what Tangzhong is and how to make it.
Hi Terry, I just it now and it came out soft,beautiful, and the taste hmnmm.,,.. It was really work 4 me cus I had 2 improvise alot, 1. had 2 use mag in place of butter 2. had 2 mix and knead with hand cus I don’t have a mixer yet(trust me the process was really messy lol) 3. had 2 bake it on stove(cus there was no lite(naija) but at the end it was worth it. Have what do i do with the remaining Tangzhong or ow do you store it. Thanks alot.
I’m glad all the improvisations worked well for you. Yes, it is a lovely bread. As for storing, you can place a cling film on it and keep in the fridge. It will last for 2 to 3 days.
Thanks alot Terry
You are welcome.
God bless u Terry for sharing this.pls wht is ur web address cuz i want to like it
Thanks. gratednutmeg.com
Hello Terry. I tried this recipe and it came out superb that my baby begged for more! your the greatest.
I’m glad to hear that. Thanks for your feedback Juliana.