Homemade Milk Bread

One type of the bread that I heart is Asian-style bread. The texture is different from the western-style bread. It has a softer texture both the outside (the crust) and the inside. It does have a sweeter taste. Perfect for toasting. Crushy a little bit but still soft and chewy. One of the technique that I found when making the Asian-style bread soft is " Tangzhong Method". It's a mixture of bread flour and water, cooked on the stove to get a thick paste. This paste keeps the bread moist. So, you end up with a softer bread. It is added into the wet mixture when making. This is my first time of making this Homemade Milk Bread. I would say it's the softest bread that I have been making so far and I'm very much loving it. I got this recipe and adapted into a hand-kneadling method. It turned out very well.

Well, it's time for you to try now!

Milk Bread

(Recipe from Une-deux Senses)

2 1/2 C Bread Flour

3 Tbsp + 2 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Instand Yeast

1 Egg

1/2 C Milk

120 g Tangzhong*

3 Tbsp Butter

For Tangzhong

1/3 C Bread Flour

1 C Water

Notes:

- The original recipe uses machine-kneadling method. However, I adapted mine to hand-kneadling and it turned out so well. Just don't stop kneadle!

- All ingredient must be at room temperature.

- * I used almost all of Tangzhong that I made from the Tangzhong recipe.

To make Tangzhong:

In a small bowl, mix bread flour with water. Mix well until completely dissolve. Pour the mixture in a small sauce pan. Heat over a medium heat. Stir Well until the mixture become quite thick and the temerature of the mixture is around 150 F. Remove from the stove. Let it completely cool.

To make Milk Bread:

In a large bowl, sift the bread flour. Add in sugar, salt and yeast. Mix well with your hands. In a seperate medium bowl, mix together milk, egg, and a 120 g Tangzhong. Add in 1/3 of the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Mix well. Repeat 2 more times.** Kneadle on a clean surface for 5-10 mins or until the dough get a little bit softer and all come together.

** At this point, you might find that the mixture is too wet and stick to your hand. I ended up add 1/4-1/2 C more of the bread flour, so I'm able to work on it.

After kneadling for 5-10 mins, I added the butter a little at a time. At this point, you might find everything look so messy and greasy and feel like the butter is not incoporated into the dough. Please don't stop! Just keep kneadling it for another 15-20 mins

(My technique of kneadle the dough for this recipe is kneadle one time, and then slap (aka semi throwing) it on the surface. I just keep doing that for another 15-20 mins. The dough will become less stick and all of the butter is incoperated into the dough. I found out the if I'm not doing "slapping method", the dough will start to stick with your hand again. You can try to add a little bit of the bread flour around 1/2 Tbsp if you feel that the dough is way too wet and can't work on it. But, believe me. If you just keep kneadling it, the dough get smoother and softer. When the dough is ready, you can try to test it by stretch it. It should bread and form a circle. I tried this method but mine didn't break and form a circle. After kneadle for almost 30 mins, I felt that the the dough is soft and elastic. So, I decided to stop. It turned out to be just fine.)

After kneadle for 30 mins in total, grease the dough with butter and cover it with a wet towel in a buttered bowl. Proof it until it doubled the size around 1.5 hours. When double the size, punch the dough. Transfer on the surface. Kneadle 5 times. Cover it with a wet towel and let it sit for 15 mins.

After resting the dough, roll it into a rectangle. Roll it and place into a tin.*** Let it rise for another 30 mins. Brush with eggs wash. Bake at 325 F for 25-30 mins.

*** I made them into 2 medium loaves. The weight of the dough is approximatly 300 g each.