Japanese milk bread sliced 1-inch thick makes the best cinnamon toast ever.
When we lived in Japan I loved the soft, fluffy white bread sold at neighborhood bakeries and supermarkets. Sometimes the loaves were completely square, like an old pullman loaf, while other times they were crowned with a beautiful arch. The texture was pillowy soft, almost melting in your mouth. The crust was extremely thin and tender, which made this bread a dream to cut. In Japan, however, these loaves came pre-cut in slices twice as thick as ordinary American bread. I often bought this bread for sandwiches and French toast. When we returned to the U.S. I could find this bread only at the Japanese supermarket about an hour from my house. So, I learned how to make my own version of what I have since come to learn is called “Japanese Milk Bread.” Here’s a blog post I wrote several years ago featuring this light and airy bread used as the foundation of the world’s best BLT.
Milk bread is the basis of panko, that light and crispy bread flake that has swept the world of bread-coated foods. Making panko is easy with this bread, but we’ll do a recipe for panko another time.
I began my version of Japanese milk bread from my basic white bread. The basic white just wasn’t tasty and fluffy enough and the crust was too thick. I’ve played with additions, subtractions, and alternate methods of preparations. What I’ve come up with is the closest to what I remember of milk bread from my years in Japan.
You’ll find this recipe a bit more complex than most bread recipes in its use of an autolyze step prior to mixing the dough, but those who bake bread regularly will recognize the chemistry that happens during this step. Autolyze allows the flour to soak up the liquid and expand to its fullest capacity before the ingredients are added (salt, for instance, can inhibit the development of yeast). Some Japanese milk bread recipes call for a roux of flour and milk cooked on the stovetop, but honestly I could not tell a difference in the outcome of the breads when using that process.
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Ingredients
AUTOLYZE STEP:
3/4 c warm milk
2 1/2 c white bread flour
2 tbl dry active yeast (not quick acting)
DOUGH
4 tsp butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp salt
EXTRAS
1/2 tsp softened butter to grease 9 x 5 inch loaf pan
1/4 c milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F about 15 minutes before placing bread into oven.
- Warm milk in microwave or on stovetop, being careful not to overheat. Optimum temperature is between 105-110°F for yeast to activate. (If you’re using a bread machine, you can skip this step, as the bread machine will heat the dough to activate yeast.)
- AUTOLYZE
- In large mixing bowl or bread machine pan, add warm milk to flour and yeast. (Alternate method is to dissolve the yeast in the milk water until frothy, then add flour.) After mixing completely into a shaggy dough, allow to rest for a minimum of one hour before moving on to the dough step.
- DOUGH
- Add remaining ingredients to the autolyze mixture in the order listed, either in a bread machine, stand mixer, or a large baking bowl. Knead dough for about 10 minutes (or complete dough cycle in bread machine). Dough will be smooth, glossy and elastic.
- Let dough rest in a lightly greased bowl, covered loosely with a cloth, for about 60 minutes, or until the dough roughly doubles in size.
- Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with butter and set aside.
- Remove dough to countertop and deflate. Divide dough into three equal lumps. Press out each lump into a rectangle. Fold the rectangle in half, then roll from the short edge into a roll about four inches in diameter. Pinch the edges of the bread closed and place roll into the loaf pan. Repeat with remaining two lumps of dough.
- Allow to rise for another 60 to 90 minutes. Dough will double in size and puff over the edges of the pan.
- Brush top of dough with milk prior to placing in the oven. This steps gives the crust a shine and crunch that isn’t achieved with any other method.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until bread has an temperature of 205°F. The bread will have three crowns, golden brown and silky.
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I hope you enjoy one of my fondest food memories.