This Japanese Milk Bread is a perfect bread for the holidays! It makes delicious french toast and is so good, we gobbled it up by the next day! We have heard so much about this pillowy bread that we were excited to try it when we were gifted this recipe (with a holiday twist) from a friend. This is a special kind of bread because it only contains milk (there is no water in this recipe) which makes it light and fluffy. This is a softer bread too because of the tangzhong roux method which is the filling that we put inside.
Japanese Milk Bread dates back to 1862 and was made popular again as a response to rice shortages after the second World War.
There are a few steps, but it is well worth the extra effort! Let’s get started!
Combine yeast, 1 tsp sugar and warm milk. Let stand until proofed, about 5 minutes. Then add flour, remaining sugar, salt, condensed milk and melted butter.
Stir well until you get a sticky dough. You can add up to 5 tablespoons of extra flour if you need to, until the dough comes together.
Dough will be sticky. Flour the counter. Knead the dough for 6 to 10 minutes. Try not to add too much flour because it will dry out the dough.
Place in greased bowl, cover and let rise for 1-1/2 hours.
Here is the dough after it has risen. It looks beautiful!
Combine butter and condensed milk for the filling. It will be thick like a paste. Roll dough out. Spread filling.
Cut lengthwise into 3 strips. Stack, then cut into 8 pieces. I forgot about pictures because this part was so messy!
Take each stack and place standing up in well greased loaf pan so you can see the cut edges. Let rise 45 minutes. The dough pieces were sliding around a bit – it is quite messy!
After 45 minutes, the dough has risen nicely. It is almost ready to bake, but first we need to add toppings.
Scatter a few raisins and maraschino cherries over top. You can also sprinkle with sliced almonds or chopped walnuts if you like or even chocolate chips. Time for the oven! Bake at 325F for 30 minutes and then lower the oven to 300F for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
I cooked this bread for 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool 10 minutes, then place on cooling rack to cool completely. It looks and smells divine!
When it finally cooled, we sliced into it and it is the most soft and tender bread I have ever made! It was like slicing a cloud… absolutely divine!
Here is the recipe you will want to make at every holiday!
Japanese Holiday Milk Bread
Dough:
1-1/2 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp traditional yeast
2/3 cup warm milk
2 tbsp condensed milk
2 tbsp melted butter
Condensed Milk Filling:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp condensed milk
Topping:
8 to 10 maraschino cherries
2 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp sliced almonds
Combine 1 tsp sugar with the milk and yeast. Let sit 5 minutes.
To the yeast, add flour, the rest of the sugar, salt, condensed milk, and butter. Stir. Add up to 5 tbsp extra flour until dough comes together. Dough will be sticky. Flour the counter. Knead dough for 6 to 10 minutes. Try not to add more flour otherwise it may dry out the dough. Place in greased bowl, cover and let rise 1-1/2 hours.
Grease loaf pan. Combine butter and condensed milk for the filling – it will be like a paste. Roll dough out. Spread filling. Cut into 3 pieces lengthwise. Then stack. Cut into 8 pieces. Arrange in loaf pan, cut sides down so you can see all the dough layers. Cover. Let rise 45 minutes.
Top dough with raisins, almonds and cherries. Bake at 325F for 30 minutes then lower to 300F and bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden.
This bread makes the best French toast! It was like custard – so yummy! I served it with maple bananas.
For the maple bananas, place butter in skillet. Once melted, add 2 sliced bananas. Lightly brown on both sides. Add a few spoons of brown sugar and 1/3 cup maple syrup. Stir for a few minutes – syrup will slightly thicken. Add 2 tbsp heavy cream. Stir and remove from heat. Serve while warm. Best eaten fresh as the bananas brown and are not as good the next day.
enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours