This Hokkaido milk bread recipe will teach you some tips and tricks, like making a tangzhong starter, to get the fluffiest bread rolls for your next dinner.
What is Hokkaido milk bread?
Hokkaido milk bread is a super soft and fluffy type of bread that originated in the Hokkaido region of Japan. While it’s sweeter and milkier in flavor than most western bread rolls or loaves, it’s quite popular in Japan and Asia in general. You might have also heard of the term shokupan, which quite literally translates to “eating bread” and is also a general name for milk bread in Japanese. Hokkaido milk bread can be considered a type of shokupan that is slightly sweeter and milkier. In the US, I’ve been fortunate enough to have local Asian bakeries that bake fresh milk bread rolls like Cream Pan or 85° Bakery and Cafe. I’ve always enjoyed making bread and wanted to recreate some of my favorite sweet milk bread rolls at home, like pandesal. Even when I’m lazy, I still like to make airfryer biscuits with premade dough.
The tangzhong method & starter
The special texture of Hokkaido (and most Japanese) milk bread is achieved from its high hydration percentage and the addition of a starter made by using two types of techniques:
Yudane method: This is the traditional method of making milk bread in Japan. It’s a patented method involving mixing boiling water and flour and then letting it rest overnight. It uses 20% of the flour contents of the entire recipe, and then a ratio of 1-part flour to 1-part water. Tanzghong method: This method was popularized by blogger and author Christine Ho in the early 2010s after adjusting the method from Yvonne Chen’s book, “65° C Bread Doctor.” Tangzhong uses 7% of the entire flour contents of the recipe, and then a ratio of 1-part flour to 5-parts liquid. It’s a faster method and you just make a roux of flour and liquid (often water or milk or both), and heat it on the stove until it thickens to the consistency of thick paste. You are then able to use the starter in the dough once it’s cooled to the touch.
The more water in a dough, the softer and fluffier the end texture will be. This also amounts to the texture lasting longer after its baked. In previous trials, my milk bread stayed fluffy and fresh for at least one week on the counter in an air tight container. Hokkaido milk bread dough usually has at least 70% hydration level, which might seem a bit scary because the more water in your dough, the stickier or more difficult it is to manage. However, the special starter (or roux) that is included in the dough makes it easier to work with. Both of these starters include hot liquid mixed quickly with flour. When the liquid is heated with the flour, it gelatinizes and forms a stable structure as a paste. By adding the starter into the dough, you add more liquid into the dough overall without watering it down and making it extra sticky. After testing various recipes with both types of started and adjusting to my own preferences, I made a recipe that uses the tangzhong method for making a starter to save a bit of time and get the same results as I did by using the yudane method.
How to make Japanese / Hokkaido milk bread
Making Hokkaido milk bread is very similar to other types of bread making with the addition of a starter: mixing the ingredients together, kneading for a period of time until you get smooth and elastic dough, proofing TWICE to get fluffy texture, shaping the dough, and then baking. Doesn’t that sound simple? Well, if you feel overwhelmed, here are some tips to help you succeed in making Hokkaido milk bread at home.
Ingredient and dough making tips
When measuring out any baking recipes, always use a scale! Not everyone uses the same brands of flour, sugar, or even measuring cups, so this is a fool proof way of getting an accurate measurement of each ingredient. As a reference, I use King Arthur bread flour, Kirkland’s organic cane sugar, Fleischmann’s rapid rise instant yeast, and Diamond Crystal salt for this recipe. You can use active yeast instead of instant yeast, just make sure to activate and bloom your yeast in the warm milk before you start mixing the ingredients together. Soften your butter and make sure to add it into the dough AFTER it’s formed into a ball to prevent the oil and fat in the butter from gluten formation. I would definitely recommend using a stand mixer if you have one to help your hands and forearms out while kneading. However, you can mix and knead by hand until your dough is smooth and elastic. Use the windowpane test to make sure the gluten has developed properly in your dough. While this dough is slightly stickier than other types of dough, you should be able to do this test. Pinch one teaspoon of the dough and use your thumbs, pointer finger, and index finger to carefully stretch the dough between your hands (for example, it should look like a rectangle or a window!). The center should turn slightly translucent enough so that light can pass through without the dough breaking.
Dough proofing and baking tips
Typically, sweet doughs, like milk bread, can take longer to proof so proofing can take anywhere between 1 to 2 hours from my experience. If it’s particularly cold in your environment, I like to use a warm oven to proof the dough to make sure it rises properly. Ideally you want to proof dough in between 75°-90° F. After rising, punch the dough to remove the excess gas. This can prevent bubbly bread. Proof the bread TWICE. Yes, bread making definitely takes a long time, but the second proofing period after shaping the rolls is critical to having big, fluffy balls of clouds. Butter your pan before placing your dough to help with releasing the baked rolls.
Storing
One great thing about this recipe is that it lasts longer on the counter than other types of bread—that’s due to the starter. The bread should last at least one week on the counter in an airtight container.
