Who would have thought that Japanese Milk Bread would be the answer to my sandwich-bread dilemma? Wonderful hard-crusted bread is readily available from a myriad of sources in large cities. Quality soft sandwich bread, on the other hand, is nearly impossible to find any longer. The supermarket varieties are insufferable: too sweet, too spongy, and too many preservatives.
Many local bakeries in New York City used to make very decent white bread, but those that are still open have bought into the notion that “white bread is bad” and thus opted for whole-grain and other trendy varieties.
Thus my many-years search for the perfect white sandwich bread began. Almost any recipe for this type of bread produces a very decent product, and that’s especially true for the excellent French pain de mie, baked in a covered pan. However, all of these breads seem to go dry and stale within a day or so, suitable then only for toast. I find that a loaf lasts me at least five or six days, and I have virtually no tolerance for dry bread.
Then I discovered Japanese Milk Bread. Interestingly, there is nothing specifically Asian about this bread. It’s only in its preparation that there is a difference.
Sliced Japanese Milk Bread.
There are many conflicting tales of how the Japanese and other Asian countries , particularly Taiwan, have developed this superior bread. Most have to do with French or other European ex-patriots having brought their recipes to Asia, but no one knows for certain.
There are many methods for making Japanese Milk Bread, but all use some form of a starter. The two most traditional are Tangzhong and Yudane. Tangzhong (Chinese origin) cooks flour and milk or milk and water to a paste, and cools it for use in the recipe at once; Yudane (Japanese origin) pours boiling water over the flour, which then sets for several hours or overnight. Some Asian bakers have experimented with a European starter, called Poolish. Poolish mixes equal parts of flour and water (no cooking), with a small amount of yeast, which also sets for several hours. I’ve tried all three versions, and all are excellent.
I have a preference for the Poolish because it adds a bit more yeasty flavor to the bread, and seems to stay fresh longer. That is the method I use in this recipe. (I suppose you could make the argument that it no longer should be called Japanese Milk Bread.)
There are also so many variations in the other ingredients used: honey, sweetened condensed milk, instant powdered milk, and cream. Most Japanese Milk Bread is too sweet for my taste, so I have halved the amount of sugar generally used. If you prefer a sweeter bread, you can double the amount. Also, the general Japanese baking method is to make two or three rolls of dough fitted into a single pan, and then baked covered with a lid. Here are photos of that version.
I’ve somewhat Americanized my version by baking it as a single piece of dough in a regular open pan. This recipe makes three loaves of bread. If you’re going to put in this much work, you may as well get an abundance of bread. The extra loaves freeze beautifully. Also, this bread makes extraordinarily fine toast.
For the Starter
You must use high-gluten bread flour for this recipe. All-purpose flour will not work. Put 3⁄4 cup of 110° water in a medium-sized bowl. With a spoon, stir in 3⁄4 cup of bread flour and 1⁄4 teaspoon of yeast. (I used instant yeast in this recipe.) Mix thoroughly, and cover with plastic wrap.
Mix the starter.
Let the mixture sit overnight at room temperature. If the room is very warm (over 75°), keep it in the refrigerator overnight, but remove it at least one hour before beginning to make the bread.
The proofed starter.
For the Bread
Heat 1 1⁄3 cups of whole milk, plus 2 tablespoons of heavy cream to 110°, and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir in 2 tablespoons of yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let the mixture proof for 10-15 minutes, until bubbles begin to form. Whisk in 3 more tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of powdered milk, and 4 large beaten eggs.
Beat in sugar, powdered milk, and eggs.
Whisk in the starter mixture a small bit at a time.
Whisk in the starter mixture.
Place the bowl onto the mixer stand and attach a dough hook. Because this recipe produces a somewhat sticky dough, mixing and kneading by hand can be tricky.
With the mixer on low speed, add 1 cup of flour. When it is incorporated, add 1 tablespoon of salt. Adding salt too early will impede the yeast.
With the mixer still running, add 1 cup of flour at a time, waiting until it is mostly incorporated before adding the next cup.
Add the flour.
As the mixture starts to come together, stop adding flour. Increase the speed to medium, and continue to mix for 5-8 minutes.
NOTE: The amount of flour needed can vary considerably, depending on whether it is a very humid and hot day, how large your eggs are, and the gluten content of your flour. It make take more or less than I indicate in the recipe. Your guide should be to use the smallest amount that produces are workable dough.
The butter should be unsalted and at room temperature, but take care that it doesn’t soften to the point of getting oily, which detrimentally affects the texture of the bread. With the mixer still running, add 1⁄2 cup of butter a few small pieces at a time.
Add the butter.
Continue running the mixer until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl. If it still seems very sticky, sprinkle on just enough extra flour until it mostly comes away from the bowl. A good test for its readiness to remove from the mixer is the windowpane test: Take a small piece of dough, and stretch it with the thumb and index finger of both hands. It should form a very thin membrane (enough so to let light through), yet still holds together. If so, it is done. If not, continue to run the mixer a few more minutes.
The dough comes together.
Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface, let it rest a few moments, and knead for a few minutes until it becomes satiny.
Rest and knead the dough briefly
Butter a large bowl, and place the dough in it, rolling it around so that it is coated in butter. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in bulk.
The risen dough.
Remove the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and cut into 3 equal pieces with a sharp knife.
Cut the dough into 3 pieces.
Let rest 5 minutes. With a floured rolling pin, roll out each piece 18-inches long and as wide as the length of your baking pans.
Roll out the 3 pieces of dough.
Cover and let rest about 20 minutes.
Butter 3 baking pans. Roll each strip into cylinders.
Roll the dough into cylinders.
Pinch the seams together with your fingers.
The formed dough.
Place in the baking pans seam-side down. Loosely cover and let rise 45 minutes to an hour.
The second rise in the pans.
Preheat the oven to 350°. To give a more golden crust, brush the top of each loaf with a little cream, melted butter, or an egg wash of milk and cream. Bake for about 30 minutes, brushing again with the wash about half way through the baking. The loaves are done when they are golden and have a hollow sound when tapped.
Remove to a wire rack, and let cool.
The finished loaves
Extra loaves will freeze nicely if wrapped in aluminum foil, then enclosed in a plastic bag.
