Published Jan 11, 2017 Updated Sep 10, 2024
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. For more bread recipes, check out my brioche.
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
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients. It’s important that you have an active dry yeast that is alive so please check the expiration date of the yeast before baking.
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.
What To Serve With Milk Bread
Serve these soft milk bread with main dishes of steak, chicken, fish or pasta. For easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes. I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
