This bread can also be called milk bread because there is a lot of milk in this recipe which is one of the secrets to its fluffiness. If you have been intimidated by bread making, trust me, this recipe is very forgiving, give it a go and you will have success.

The very first thing you should make is ten milk roux, this is the secret to the softness and fluffiness of the milk bread, it’s super easy. Add whole milk in a pot and to that add some flour and you will be using bread flour which is high in gluten it will allow you to create that chewiness in the bread.

Mix it up and turn in on while mixing the mixture all the time until it starts to get thicker. Once super thick, turn off the heat, in order to have fluffy and soft bread, you need a lot of moisture content in the bread. By making a roux, you turn the liquid milk into a thick paste that will be able to force that much liquid into the dough without making the dough too wet.

Add the roux to the wet ingredients and give that a quick stir. Add in bread flour to the stand mixer, add in the instant yeast and give it a quick mix then add in the liquid. Mix the dough just until the dry flour is absorbed then let the dough rest in the stand mixer for 20 minutes.

This process allows hydration of the flour and for gluten development without kneading. Once the bread has rested, continue kneading the dough on low speed then add some salt and sugar. Keep kneading it until its smooth.

Once smooth, you will add the butter, adding the butter at the begging if the process will interfere with the gluten development and your bread won’t have as much extensibility. As the machine is running, add in the butter just a little at a time until well combined and the dough is nice and smooth.

Brush a large bowl with oil then place the dough proof at room temperature for one hour or until it doubles in size. Once rested, take the dough out of the bowl and press in on your working surface removing all the air in the dough.

Shape the dough in whatever shape you want, for this, we will do the pull apart, so put the buns in a round cake pan and once baked, you can just pull them apart. Bake in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for about 20 to 25 minutes

Ingredients;

  • ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk
  • 20g + 320g bread flour
  • 2 tsp instant yeast
  • ½ cup (120 ml) evaporated milk
  • ¼ cup (56 g) softened butter, unsalted
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2–4 Tbsp sugar

Instructions;

Make the milk roux;

  1. Combine the whole milk with 20 g of bread flour in a small pot and stir until there are no more lumps.
  2. Heat the mixture over high heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, it will get thicker and thicker until it becomes a very thick, sticky paste. Remove from heat.
  3. Transfer the tangzhong into a bowl and add evaporated milk; stir to mix briefly to cool the tangzhong down.
  4. Stir in the egg to combine, the mixture will be lumpy, that is okay.

Kneading by machine;

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the remaining 320g of bread flour and the yeast.
  2. Add the evaporated milk mixture and mix on medium-low speed, with a dough hook attachment, just until there is no more dry flour is left in the bowl, 1-2 minutes.
  3. Once no more dry flour is left in the bowl, stop the mixer and let the moistened flour rest, covering the bowl with a towel, for 20 mins.
  4. After resting, turn the mixer back on low speed and gradually sprinkle in salt and sugar.
  5. Keep kneading until the dough is smooth, about 7-8 minute, stopping and pulling dough off the hook to “redistribute” the dough every minute or so.
  6. Once dough is smooth, add butter little at a time while machine is running.
  7. Knead the dough until all the butter is absorbed, stopping to scrape the bowl and pull dough off hook every minute or so.
  8. Once all butter has been absorbed and the dough is smooth, transfer the dough only a clean work surface and finish kneading by hand a few times.
  9. Form the dough into a ball and place is in a well-oiled bowl.
  10. Turn the dough around to coat the dough in oil on all sides, the cover and let proof at room temp for 1 hour or until double in size.

Kneading by hand;

  1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the remaining 320g of bread flour and the yeast.
  2. Add the evaporated milk mixture into the middle and stir with a wooden spoon just until there is no more dry flour. Let it rest, covered with a towel, for 20 minutes.
  3. After resting, flatten the dough and sprinkle salt over it, then knead it just until incorporated. Repeat with the sugar, 1 Tbsp as a time.
  4. Continue knead ingthe dough by hand until the dough is smooth.
  5. Once dough is smooth, flatten the dough again and add the butter onto the dough.
  6. Knead the butter into the dough until the butter is all absorbed and the dough is super smooth.
  7. Form the dough into a ball and place is in a well-oiled bowl.
  8. Turn the dough around to coat the dough in oil on all sides, the cover and let proof at room temp for 1 hour or until double in size.
    Shaping and Baking:
  9. Turn dough onto a clean work surface and press it down to deflate. At this point shape the dough as desired.

For buns;

  1. Divide into 11 pieces (65g each) and form into balls .
  2. You can bake as free form buns, or put them into a greased cake pan and bake as pull-apart buns.

For loaf;

  1. Divide into 3 or 4 equal pieces, form each into a ball and put in a buttered or parchment-lined loaf pan.
  2. Once shaped, proof again for another 45 mins to 1 hour, covered with a kitchen towel at room temp.
  3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 °F or 190 °C.
  4. Once proofed, bake in the over on the middle rack, and as soon as you put the bread in turn the temp down to 350°F (175°C).
  5. Bake until browned (14-15 mins for free form buns, 20-25 mins for round cake pan, 30-35 mins for loaf pans.)
  6. Once done, let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes then flip out onto a rack and let cool completely.