Japanese Milk Bread (Hokkaido Milk Bread ) Recipe

My local grocery stores only sell bread that’s dry and rock-hard!😒

When I have spare time, I always spend hours on making this soft, milky, and fluffy Japanese Milk Bread ~😍

Yes, this recipe is going to take you hours. But good food takes time!

To make things easier, we are going to use the pre-fermented method, which allow you to do some works the night before. In this way, it won’t take you too much time on the second day, so that you can make this Japanese milk bread after work or school!

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What’s Japanese Milk Bread?

Compared with traditional European breads which have a hard crust, Asian style breads are generally softer and sweeter.

Among all the soft Asian breads, Japanese milk bread is famous for its incredibly cloud-soft and cotton-fluffy texture and the subtle sweet milky aroma.

Has its origins in Hokkaido region of Japan, Japanese milk bread is also known as Hokkaido milk bread.

Hokkaido milk is famous worldwide “for its excellent quality and delicious flavor, often considered the country’s best milk“. Therefore, strictly speaking, we can’t make authentic Hokkaido milk bread without Hokkaido milk.

Just kidding~😜

As long as you have a great recipe and cooking enthusiasm, you can turn ordinary ingredients into extraordinary! The good news is you’re currently reading the best Japanese milk bread recipe on the internet!👍

Pre-fermented dough method (biga)

There are 2 popular methods to make soft Japanese milk breads:

• Tangzhong method: You cook “1 part of bread flour in 5 parts of water to 65°C” (Christine Ho) to make a thick gel-like flour milk paste as a starter for the bread. As explained by Christine Ho, “at 65°C, the gluten in the flour and water mixture would absorb the moisture and become leavened.” The more water in the dough, the softer and fluffier the bread will be. But strictly speaking, Tangzhong is a Chinese method.

Biga method:  The pre-fermented dough method (biga method) we are going to use in this recipe is a more traditional Japanese method of making milk bread. 

What’s Biga?

According to BAKERpedia , “biga is a type of preferment or yeast starter” that’s made of “flour” (100%), “water” (or milk, 50% – 60%), and “yeast” (0.8–1.5% ).

Biga needs to be rest in the fridge for “at least 8-12 hours”, and “preferably overnight” (Bite My Bun). The second day, tear biga into small pieces and mix them with the rest of the ingredients to make the bread dough. 

Due to the long-time fermentation, biga method allows you to make the fluffiest milk bread with the minimum amount of yeast. At the same time, the preferment dough can also bring out an extra aroma and flavor of the bread.

Some important tips for making Japanese milk bread:

• Plan ahead

    For many times I was in the mood of making some Japanese milk bread, but I had to give up the idea because I can’t wait for 13 hours to eat it.

    I’m not saying that you will be busy in the kitchen for the entire 13 hours. You will: spend 5 minutes to add ingredients to the stand mixer – let it work for 5 minutes – put the dough into the fridge – let it rest for 8 hours – add more ingredients to the stand mixer – let it work for half hour …

   For the majority of the time, both you and the bread dough are resting. 

    You don’t have to be a skillful or experienced baker to follow this recipe, but you have to be a very patient person.

• Proof yeast

    Before making the dough, you need to “wake up” the yeast! Simply microwave the milk for about 30 seconds (the goal is to make it similar to your body temperature 100°F/38°C).

    If you don’t have a thermometer, simply dip your finger in to feel. Once it is slightly warmer than your fingertip, it is ready for you to add yeasts in to activate them.

• Bread flour vs all purpose flour

    It would be more ideal if you can use bread flour for this recipe, however, all purpose flour can be a substitute in case you don’t have bread flour at home.

    The main difference between the two is that bread flour contains a higher portion of protein than all purpose flour (about 3-4% more). Just like in our bodies, protein plays a similar role in flour, the more protein, the more gluten, the “stronger” the flour.

    As you knead the dough, the protein in the flour will be developing “a network of gluten strands that trap air and produce the airy holes” in the bread. Flour with more protein, such as bread flour, can build a stronger “network”, produce more airy holes, and make the bread chewier. 

    All purpose flour contains a mid-range of protein, which allows you to use all purpose flour to substitute most other flours (bread flour, cake flour… ) – “it won’t produce quite the same texture, but it’ll be close enough” (CLAIRE SAFFITZ, bon appetit, 2017).

• Window pane test

      Take a portion of the dough and gently stretch it into a layer that look like a window pane, and keep stretching it until it is so transparent that you can see the light through it without breaking it.

    Then keep stretching the membrane until it breaks, check out the opening – if it shows a smooth edge (instead of a jagged edge), then the dough has passed the window pane test and is ready for the next step!

• Dough proofing environment

    During the final proofing, the shaped bread dough will expand double in size within 1 hour. We need to provide the yeasts with a warm and humid environment to fermenting.

    An ideal place for the final proofing would be the oven. Simply set the oven to 95°F (35°C), and place a large bowl of hot water by the loaf pan to provide the humid air. Close the oven door and allow the dough to proof for about 1 hour until it’s doubled in size.

• Prevent from burnt surface

     Successfully made Japanese milk bread should have a shiny golden caramelized color.

    To prevent the bread surface from over-coloring, we should put the loaf pan at the lower level of the oven if you have a multi-layer oven.

    Since my oven is a small one, I need to cover the bread with a foil, once it has reached the desired color.

• Video Instructions

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