Hokkaido Milk Bread using the Tangzhong Method

This Hokkaido Milk Bread using the Tangzhong Method is the softest fluffiest bread you will ever produce. It's very different than most of the artisan style breads that I usually make. 

This Hokkaido Milk Bread is reminiscent of Hawaiian bread, and it seems to stay fresh and soft for a long time. The oven spring is amazing. 

Hokkaido milk bread is a favorite in Asian bakeries. It's super soft and slightly sweet. The bread includes something called a a tangzhong, which is a roux of flour and water, which is cooked, cooled, and then added to the bread dough. It has magical properties that turn the resulting loaves into fluffy cloud-like bread. While not the most scientific explanation, it's pretty amazing. 

You'll be craving slices of this bread fresh from the oven and slathered with butter.

Equipment recommended:

1. You can use a stand mixer or bread maker for the initial mixing of the dough and first rise. You might be able to hand knead it, but the dough is really sticky and it will take you a very long time. I used this stand mixer with the dough hook. It's a workhorse. 
2. A kitchen scale. They are inexpensive and take the guesswork out of baking with flour. They are also great for dividing the dough into four parts. 
3. An instant read thermometer to tell when the roux has reached 149 degrees. If you don’t have one, cook the roux until the spoon you are using to stir it leaves a trail. 

Note: The recipe calls for caster sugar. If you don't have it on hand, you can just whirl some granulated sugar in your food processor or blender to grind it more finely. 

 The explanation of how to shape the dough may seem confusing, so I've tried to take some photos of the steps. 

Starting with the top left, and moving row to row from left to right, here are the steps:

1. Form the dough into four balls.
2. Roll each out into a long piece.
3. Fold the dough over from the top like an envelope.
4. Fold the bottom over the top fold.
5. Flip the dough over. 
6. Roll it out into a long piece again, and flip it over again
7. Begin to roll the dough into a cylinder lengthwise. 
8. Finish rolling the cylinder.
9. Turn the cylinder to seam side down, and place in the bread pan. 

 Here they are, all nestled together. 

Or, you could use my well worn hand written cheatsheet (I'm a visual learner)!

If you've never tried Hokkaido Milk Bread, or bread using tangzhong, you must. Here are more recipes using tangzhong:

1. Sourdough Hokkaido Milk Bread with Tangzhong
2. Japanese Milk Bread with Furikake
3. Tangzhong Whole Wheat and Rye Bread
4. Tangzhong Whole Wheat Bread
5. Checkerboard Tangzhong Rolls
6. Black Sesame Shokupan (using Yudane)

Yield: 1 loaf

Hokkaido Milk Bread Using the Tangzhong Method

ingredients:

Tangzhong (enough for two loaves)

• 50 grams (1/3 cup) bread flour
• 1 cup water

Final loaf

• 350 grams (2 1/2 cups) bread flour
• 55 grams (3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons caster/superfine granulated sugar (see note above)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon milk powder
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 120 grams (about 1/2 of the recipe) tangzhong

Egg Wash

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• Pinch of salt

instructions:

To make the tangzhong:

1. Whisk the flour and the water together until there aren't any lumps. 
2. Place the mixture into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches 149 degrees F. If you don't have a thermometer, cook until the spoon leaves a trail in the mixture. 
3. Immediately dump the mixture into a heatproof bowl, and let cool. When it has cooled, cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap against the mixture, and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours. 

To make the bread:

1. Whisk the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. You can also use a bread maker for mixing the dough (don't use the bread maker for baking the bread). 
2. Add the egg milk, and the tangzhong, and mix and knead until a dough forms. Add the butter pieces, and knead on medium high speed for 15 to 20 minutes, until a piece of the dough can be stretched into a very thin membrane. 
3. Place the dough into an oiled bowl or dough rising bucket, and let rise in a warm spot in your kitchen until doubled in size, about 40 minutes. If your kitchen is cold, this could take longer. 
4. Once risen, deflate the dough, and divide it into four equal pieces and form them into balls. Cover with oiled plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
5. Take each piece and, using a rolling pin, roll out into a long oval shape. Fold the shorter sides of each oval over like an envelope, into sort of a square. Flip the squares over, and roll out into an oval again. Flip them back over, and roll each oval into a roll/cylinder, from one end to the other. 
6. Arrange the rolls in an oiled 9 inch by 5 inch bread pan, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise about 3/4 of the height of the bread pan, about 40 minutes. 
7. Brush the loaf with the egg wash and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. If the top gets too brown, tent the loaf with foil while baking. 
8. Remove the loaf from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Let it cool completely. 

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2012/07/hokkaido-milk-bread-using-tangzhong.html

Recipe adapted from Christine’s recipes.

March, 2018: I am updating this post to give you some step-by-step photos of the shaping of the bread, as well as give you a printable version of the recipe.