Recipe Overview
This Japanese milk bread is made with a dough maker. The finished bread has a soft, delicate texture, rich milky flavor, and a fluffy, pull-apart crumb. The key steps are kneading all ingredients except butter until a thick gluten film forms, then adding softened butter and continuing to knead until the dough reaches about 90% thin gluten film development. Keep the dough temperature under 75°F during mixing. After shaping, place the dough into loaf pans, proof until 90% full, then bake.
Ingredients
Bread flour: 8.8 oz
Water: 1.4 oz
Condensed milk: 1.1 oz
Egg: 1 piece
Instant yeast: 0.12 oz
Iced milk: 3.4 oz
Butter: 1.1 oz
Instructions
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Weigh all ingredients except butter into the dough maker. Turn on Mix mode and knead for about 8 minutes until a thick gluten film forms.
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Add 1 oz softened butter and continue kneading for a total of around 25 minutes, until the dough develops about a 90% thin gluten film.
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Note: The dough combining speed is affected by room temperature. In hot summer weather, turn on the air conditioner or refrigerate the mixing bucket midway to cool it down. The dough temperature after kneading should not exceed 75°F.
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Divide the dough evenly into 4 portions. Dust with flour to prevent sticking. Gently pat the dough to release air, flatten it from left to right, flip it over, then roll it up from top to bottom.
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Finish rolling all four dough pieces in order. Start with the first one for the second rolling and stretching.
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Roll the dough to a length of 10–12 inches with a rolling pin, flip it over, thin the bottom edge, then roll up the dough tightly.
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Place the dough with the sealed side down into 8.8 oz square loaf pans, two pieces per pan.
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Proof in the oven at 95°F for 1 hour and 20 minutes, until the dough reaches 90% full.
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Preheat the household oven to 340°F top heat and 355°F bottom heat. Bake for 30 minutes.
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Demold immediately after baking, and slice once completely cooled.
Tips
In summer, freeze the liquid ingredients into slush to control the dough temperature.
Fermentation time is for reference only; always judge by the actual dough state.
