Soft like a cloud, this Japanese milk bread recipe is great for toasting, making sandwiches, or just enjoying with some butter. This bread is easy to make using simple ingredients that you might already have at home.

Jump to:
What is tangzhong?
Tangzhong is a paste made of flour and water or milk (also known as a water roux) that is later added to the main dough, creating a very soft bread that stays fresh for longer.
The paste is cooked in a saucepan until gel-like in consistency, which helps to stabilize the wheat starch and lock the water inside. Added to the main dough, tangzhong gives it its stability by slowing down the water evaporation and processes that cause bread to go stale.
The tangzhong method helps to increase the amount of liquids that you use in your bread recipe without making your dough too difficult to handle. This method can be applied to any yeast bread that is meant to be soft – but not without changing the amount of liquids in the original recipe.
Looking for more delicious bread recipes? I've got you covered! Try this Challah bread, pillowy soft Dinner rolls, or a quick and easy-to-make Soda bread.
Ingredients you will need
Flour – Use bread flour to make this milk bread recipe.
Yeast – I use instant yeast, but you can replace it with active dry yeast, or fresh yeast. To learn how to do it correctly, check out our article 'Types of Yeast and How to Use Them in Baking'.
Milk – It’s called milk bread for a reason. Instead of water, we are going to use whole milk. It provides a very warm, milky flavor.
Sugar and salt – This isn’t a sweet bread but it will taste bland without salt and sugar. You can also increase the amount of sugar a little bit, if you like.
Eggs – Always use room-temperature eggs in your baking recipes.
Butter – This Hokkaido milk bread – or you may call it Japanese milk bread, or Shokupan, as the original recipe was developed on the Japanese island Hokkaido – uses a good amount of butter which creates a buttery flavor and even softer texture. Don’t forget to use softened unsalted butter, so it mixes with the dough easily.

Cooking tips
Don’t overcook the tangzhong. The water roux doesn’t require a long cooking time so, once the mixture becomes like thick white glue or pudding-like, remove the mixture from the heat.
Don’t add all the butter at once. If you add everything at once, the butter will melt from the friction in the mixing bowl, creating a puddle on the bottom. Add a little bit at a time instead.
Knead the dough enough to perform the windowpane test. You should be able to stretch it without tearing it apart so that light can pass through. Check your dough every 2 minutes during the final kneading to see if it’s at the right consistency.
How to make Japanese milk bread
For the tangzhong
- In a small saucepan, add the milk and flour. Cook for about 1 minute over medium heat until the mixture has thickened and resembles thick pudding.
- Place the mixture into a small bowl, cover it with plastic wrap so it touches the surface, and leave to cool down to room temperature, or until just lukewarm.

The main dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, milk, egg, and the tangzhong mixture. Knead on medium-low for 2-5 minutes or until the dough has formed and doesn’t stick to the walls of the bowl.
- Add the butter one tablespoon at a time and knead on medium until fully incorporated.
- When all butter is in, knead for 10-12 minutes on medium until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and you can stretch a small piece of it into a square, creating a film thin enough for light to pass through (windowpane test).
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place to proof for 1 hour.

Shaping and baking
- When the dough has risen and is jiggly, knock it down and place it on a working surface. If it sticks to the surface, dust it with a little bit of flour.
- Grease an 8" by 5" (20cm by 13cm) loaf pan with butter.
- Divide the dough into 4 even parts.
- Roll one piece of the dough into an oval or rectangular shape. Then, fold the right and left thirds over the center and gently press to seal.
- Roll it up and seal the seam by pinching. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Place all 4 rolls in the prepared loaf pan, seam side down. Cover with a kitchen towel and proof for 40 mins at room temperature or until well-risen and jiggly.
- When the dough has risen, brush with an egg wash made by whisking the egg with milk. Bake in the lowest third of the oven preheated to 350F (180C) for 20 minutes. Then, rotate the pan and cover it loosely with a piece of foil. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the top turns deep golden brown color and the bread will sound like it’s hollow inside when you tap on it.
- Remove from the loaf pan onto a cooling rack right away and let your Japanese milk bread cool down before serving.

Possible variations
Add-ins – You can put crushed nuts, seeds, raisins, or other dried fruit inside your bread by folding them into the dough during the shaping stage.
Toppings – My favorite topping will always be flaky sea salt, but you can sprinkle the top of your Japanese white bread with sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds like I did with my Pumpkin buns, or any other toppings you can think of before baking Japanese milk bread.
Different shapes – You don’t have to shape it into a loaf. Instead, you can make buns of any size and shape. Make sure you adjust the baking time if you’re baking buns.
FAQ
Incorporate the butter into the dough and knead to achieve the right consistency. Then, transfer the dough into a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it sit in the fridge overnight. The next day, remove it from the fridge and shape your bread. Proof for the last time and bake.
Store a completely cooled loaf (wrapped tightly in plastic wrap) at room temperature for up to one week. Never store bread in the fridge.
Yes, you can! Freeze it for up to 2 months.

More bread recipes
Recipe card

Japanese milk bread
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer with hook attachments and a large mixing bowl
- 8" by 5" (20cm by 13cm) loaf pan
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 20 g bread flour
- 100 ml whole milk
The main dough
- Tangzhong
- 350 g bread flour
- 140 ml whole milk lukewarm
- 30 g white granulated sugar
- 7 g instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 60 g unsalted butter softened
Egg wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
Instructions
Tangzhong
- In a small saucepan, add the milk and flour. Cook for about 1 minute over medium heat until the mixture has thickened and resembles thick pudding.
- Place the mixture into a small bowl, cover it with plastic wrap so it touches the surface, and leave to cool down to room temperature, or until just lukewarm.
The main dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment (or use a hand mixer with hook attachments and a large bowl), add the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, milk, egg, and the tangzhong mixture. Knead on medium-low for 2-5 minutes or until the dough has formed and doesn’t stick to the walls of the bowl. It should be sticky to the touch.
- Then, add the butter one tablespoon at a time and knead on medium until fully incorporated. Remove the dough from the hook once or twice and scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl during the process. This will take up to 7 minutes.
- When all butter is in, knead for 10-12 minutes on medium until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and you can stretch a small piece of it into a square, creating a film thin enough for light to pass through (windowpane test). The dough won’t stick to your hands anymore and it will look hydrated, silky, and smooth.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place (I use the oven with the lights turned on) to proof for 1 hour.
- When the dough has risen and is jiggly, knock it down and place it on a working surface. If it sticks to the surface, dust it with a little bit of flour.
- Grease an 8" by 5" (20cm by 13cm) loaf pan with butter.
- Divide the dough into 4 even parts.
- Roll one piece of the dough into an oval or rectangular shape. Then, fold the right and left thirds over the center and gently press to seal.
- Roll it up and seal the seam by pinching. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Place all 4 rolls in the prepared loaf pan, seam side down. Cover with a kitchen towel and proof for 40 mins at room temperature or until well-risen and jiggly.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
- When the dough has risen, brush with an egg wash made by whisking the egg with milk. Bake in the lowest third of the oven for 20 minutes. Then, rotate the pan and cover it loosely with a piece of foil. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the internal temperature is 190F (88C). The top should be a deep golden brown color and the bread should sound like it’s hollow inside when you tap on it.
- Remove from the loaf pan onto a cooling rack right away and let it cool down before serving.
Leave a comment