What is milk bread?

Milk bread is a broad term used to describe light, fluffy breads made with the tangzhong method, a technique that involves pre-cooking some of the flour and milk into a soft paste before mixing the dough.

Milk bread originated in Japan and is often referred to as Japanese milk bread or Hokkaido milk bread. (Hokkaido is an island and prefecture in Japan known for its dairy.) While its exact origins are unclear (some trace it all the way back to the mid-to-late 19th century), this soft, squishy white bread became popular in Japan after World War II, when rice shortages in the country led to imports of American wheat, and consequently a rise in bread’s popularity in Japanese diets and cuisine. Milk bread became the de facto everyday bread throughout Japan, found in bakeries and markets. It’s also called shokupan (which loosely translates to “everyday bread”), and it’s distinguished by its feathery crumb, moist interior, slightly sweet taste, and soft exterior.

Rick Holbrook

The secret to that signature crumb is the tangzhong method. With origins in Japan's yukone (or yudane) technique, tangzhong is a yeast bread technique popularized across Asia by Taiwanese cookbook author Yvonne Chen in her book 65° C Bread Doctor. Tangzhong involves cooking some of a bread recipe’s flour in liquid prior to adding it to the remaining dough ingredients. Bringing the temperature of the flour and liquid to 65°C (149°F) pre-gelatinizes the flour’s starches, which makes them more able to retain liquid — thus enhancing the resulting bread's softness.

Photography by Kristin Teig; food styling by Liz Neily

In addition to making the loaf tender and moist, the tangzhong method helps the loaf stay fresh longer. That’s because the pre-gelatinized starches help the loaf retain extra moisture, which prevents staling even as days pass.

While traditional milk bread is unflavored, this style of bread has become a blank canvas for various flavors and shapes. In addition to classic Japanese Milk Bread, you can make Japanese Milk Bread Rolls, or even Milk Bread Doughnuts. Or try Chocolate Milk Bread, which straddles the line between breakfast and dessert. And if you want a striking bread, there’s Tiger Milk Bread, Marbled Matcha Milk Bread, and Almond Croissant Milk Bread. 

Learn how to make Japanese Milk Bread in our Baking School’s live online class.

Cover photo (Almond Croissant Milk Bread) by Patrick Marinello; food styling by Yekaterina Boytsova.