Sourdough Milk Bread – Homemade Happiness

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This soft sourdough milk bread is enriched with milk and egg and uses a tangzhong method to make it extra soft.

This sourdough bread recipe makes the naturally leavened version of Japanese milk bread or Hokkaido milk bread. Milk bread is a super tender white bread that originated in Japan and uses a tangzhong method in the dough.

The result of this method is a longer-lasting bread that stays softer and fresher for longer.

soft milk bread.

What is Tangzhong Technique?

in one Tangzhong method, a small amount of flour is boiled in milk or water to form a thick paste. This pre-gels the starches in the flour, allowing them to absorb more water.

Flour can hold twice as much hot liquid as cold liquids. The consistency of this thick paste is gelatinous and thick, and it’s a great way to add extra moisture to a bread dough without losing structure.

Japanese milk sourdough bread

In this Sourdough Hokkaido Milk Bread, a sourdough starter will leaven the bread. This gives the milk bread a slightly spicy taste. The bread takes longer to make than if it were made with commercial yeast. This is because natural yeast has a much slower fermentation process.

The times shown in the baker’s schedule can be adjusted to suit your schedule. The bread uses one fortified doughwith egg, milk and butter for tenderness and taste.

milk bread close up.

ingredients

You can find the exact ingredient amounts for this sourdough milk bread in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. Here is an overview of what you need.

  • all purpose flour (with a protein content of at least 11%) or bread flour
  • whole milk
  • milk powder (optional but adds extra flavor)
  • egg
  • granulated sugar
  • Salt
  • sourdough starter
  • Butter. This can be salted or unsalted butter. Using salted butter can reduce the salt in the recipe.

Baker’s schedule

  • The night before – Feed sourdough starter
  • 9 a.m. the next day – Make the tanghzong and let it cool.
  • 9:15 a.m – Mix the dough
  • 9:45 o clock – Ferment in bulk at warm room temperature for about 4 hours, then allow to set slightly in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  • 14 o’clock – Shape
  • 2.30 – Let rise at warm room temperature until doubled in volume.
  • 6 p.m – Bake.

accommodation

After the first bulk fermentation is complete and given the initial dough rise, the dough can be refrigerated overnight or up to 24 hours before molding. This can give more flexibility with times, but keep in mind that the longer fermentation time will enhance the sourdough flavor.

The milk bread can take up to 8 hours after forming to double in volume when cold proofed.

gear

  • blender. fFor the easiest results, use a stand mixer with a dough hook. The dough will be very sticky, especially when the butter is incorporated.
  • 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
Bread on a wooden board.

sourdough starter

To make this sourdough bun recipe, you will need an active starter. If you don’t have one, here’s how to do it Make your own sourdough starterright

If you have one, keep feeding and throw away regularly to keep the acidity in the starter low. Too much acid can affect the structure of the bread.

sourdough starter.

method

The night before

In a bowl, mix all the starter ingredients until well combined. Pour the mixture into a clean jar and cover with a loose lid or plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to double overnight.

The next morning

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the flour and milk for the tangzhong. Place this over medium-high heat and continue beating until the mixture is cooked into a thick paste. Remove from the heat and place in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Pour the cold milk over the tanghzong in the blender to cool it down. Add the sugar, the main dough flour, the milk powder, the egg, the salt and the mature sourdough. Turn the mixture to low speed and combine into a shaggy batter.

Set the mixer to medium speed and mix for 5 minutes until the dough starts to gain some strength.

Add the softened butter a few cubes at a time and knead another 10-12 minutes until the dough is set and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then break off a piece and see if it stretches really thin without tearing. This is called a windowpane test and is a good way to see if the gluten has developed sufficiently.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover.

Put the dough in a warm place (preferably approx 25°C) for about 4 hours until it has inflated by about 50%.

If you have a cold kitchen, create a warm and humid spot by placing the dough in a turned-off oven next to a bowl of simmering water. Replace the water as needed when it cools.

Then place the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up.

layout

Knead the dough and remove from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Weigh the dough and then cut it into 3 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball.

On a work surface, using a rolling pin, roll out each ball of dough into a long oval about 8 inches (20 cm) long. Roll up each piece like a Swiss roll. Place each roll in a greased or parchment-lined 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.

a rolled up piece of dough.

Final Proof

Let the bread rise in a warm place, ideally around 77°F/25°C, until about doubled in size. Proofing time will vary, but typically takes around 3-4 hours in a warm room.

Bake

Preheat the oven to 180°C

Mix an egg with a tablespoon of water and brush the surface of the dough with this egg wash.

Bake the bread for about 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top. If you find the bread is browning too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil. When you take the bread out of the pan and tap the bottom, it should sound hollow. The internal temperature of the loaf should be around 200°F/94°C.

After baking, let the bread cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

storage

Store leftover bread in an airtight container or tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 1 week. Leftover milk bread makes amazing French toast!

The bread can also be frozen for long-term storage of up to 3 months.

Milk bread close up on wooden cutting board.
sourdough milk bread

sourdough milk bread

Yield:
1 bread

Preparation time:
25 minutes

Cooking time:
35 minutes

Extra time:
1 day

Total time:
1 day 1 hour

This soft sourdough milk bread is enriched with milk and egg and uses a tangzhong method to make it extra soft.

ingredients

Starter

  • 35g flour

  • 35 grams of water

  • 15 g sourdough starter

Tangzhong

  • 24 g all-purpose flour or bread flour

  • 120 g whole milk

Dough

  • 300 g strong all-purpose or bread flour

  • 100 g whole milk

  • 40 grams of granulated sugar

  • 12 g milk powder

  • 1 large egg

  • 6g salt

  • All mature sourdough starters

  • 55g unsalted butter, room temperature

instructions

The night before

  1. In a bowl, mix all the starter ingredients until well combined. Pour the mixture into a clean jar and cover with a loose lid or plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to double overnight.

Tangzhong

  1. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the flour and milk for the tangzhong. Place this over medium-high heat and continue beating until the mixture is cooked into a thick paste. Remove from the heat and place in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Dough

  1. Pour the cold milk over the tanghzong in the blender to cool it down. Add the sugar, the main dough flour, the milk powder, the egg, the salt and the mature sourdough. Turn the mixture to low speed and combine into a shaggy batter.
  2. Set the mixer to medium speed and mix for 5 minutes until the dough starts to gain some strength.
  3. Add the softened butter a few cubes at a time and knead another 10-12 minutes until the dough is set and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
  4. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then break off a piece and see if it stretches really thin without tearing. This is called a windowpane test and is a good way to see if the gluten has developed sufficiently.
  5. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let the dough rise in a warm place (ideally around 25°C) for about 4 hours until it has risen by about 50%.
  6. If you have a cold kitchen, create a warm and humid spot by placing the dough in a turned-off oven next to a bowl of simmering water. Replace the water as needed when it cools.
  7. Then place the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up.

Shape

  1. Knead the dough and pull it out of the bowl onto a floured surface. Weigh the dough and then cut it into 3 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball.
  2. On a work surface, using a rolling pin, roll out each ball of dough into a long oval about 8 inches (20 cm) long. Roll up each piece like a Swiss roll. Place each roll in a greased or parchment-lined 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
  3. Let the bread rise in a warm place, ideally around 77°F/25°C, until about doubled in size. Proofing time will vary, but typically takes around 3-4 hours in a warm room.

Book

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Mix an egg with a tablespoon of water and brush the surface of the dough with this egg wash.
  3. Bake the bread for about 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top. If you find the bread is browning too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil.
  4. When you take the bread out of the pan and tap the bottom, it should sound hollow. After baking, let the bread cool completely on a wire rack before slicing

Nutritional Information:

Yield: 8th
Serving size: 1

Amount per serving:
Calories: 235total fat: 2gSaturated Fatty Acids: 1gTrans fats: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 33mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 7g

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