Sourdough Milk Bread

This soft sourdough milk bread is enriched with milk and, egg, and uses a tangzhong method to bring extra softness.

This sourdough bread recipe makes the naturally leavened version of Japanese milk bread or Hokkaido milk bread. Milk bread is a super tender white bread that originates in Japan that uses a tangzhong method in the dough. This method results in bread with a longer shelf life that stays softer and fresher for longer.

In this sourdough Hokkaido milk bread, the sourdough starter will bring a slightly tangy flavor to the milk bread. The bread takes longer to be made than if it was made with commercial yeast. This is because natural yeast has a much slower fermentation process.

The timings provided in the baker’s schedule can be adjusted to suit your schedule. The bread uses an enriched dough, with egg, milk, and butter for tenderness and flavor.

What is the tangzhong technique?

In a tangzhong method, a small amount of flour is cooked in milk or water into a thick paste. What this does is it pre-gelatinizes the starches in the flour so that they can absorb more water.

Flour can absorb twice as much hot liquid as it can with cold liquids. The texture of this thick paste will be gelatinous and thick, and it’s a great way to add extra moisture to a bread dough without losing structure.

Overnight option

After the first bulk fermentation has been completed and giving it the initial dough rise, the dough can be refrigerated overnight or up to 24 hours before shaping. This can give more flexibility in the timings but do bear in mind that the longer fermentation time will increase the sourdough tang.

If given a cold-proof, the milk bread can take up to 8 hours to double in size after shaping.

Equipment

• Stand mixer. For the easiest results, use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. The dough is very sticky especially when the butter is worked in.
• 9×5 inch loaf pan.

Method

The evening before

1. In a bowl, mix all the starter ingredients until well combined. Scoop the mixture into a clean jar and cover it with a loose lid or plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place to double overnight.

The next morning

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the flour and the milk for the tangzhong. Place this over medium heat and keep whisking until the mixture is cooked into a thick paste. Remove it from the heat and scoop it into the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Pour the cold milk over the tanghzong in the mixer to cool it down. Add in the sugar, the main dough flour, milk powder, egg, salt, and ripe sourdough starter. Turn the mixture onto low speed and combine it into a shaggy dough.

1. Turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for 5 minutes until the dough starts to gain some strength.
2. Add in the softened butter a few cubes at a time and continue kneading for a further 10-12 minutes until the dough is strong and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then break off a piece and see if it can stretch out really thin without tearing. This is called the windowpane test and is a good way to see that the gluten has developed enough.

1. Add the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover it.
2. Let the dough rise in a warm spot (ideally around 77°F/25°C) for around 4 hours until it has bulked out by around 50%.If you have a cold kitchen, create a warm and humid spot by placing the dough into a turned-off oven alongside a bowl of boiled water. Replace the water as needed when it cools down.
3. After this, place the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to slightly firm up.

Shaping

1. Punch down the dough and pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Weight the dough, then cut it into 3 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball.
2. Use a rolling pin to roll each dough ball on the work surface into a long oval, around 20cm/8-inches in length. Roll up each piece like a swiss roll. Place each roll into a greased or parchment paper-lined 9×5 inch loaf tin.

Final proof

1. Let the bread rise in a warm spot, ideally around 77°F/25°C until it has about doubled in size. The proofing time will vary but in a warm space, this usually takes around 3-4 hours.

Baking

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C
2. Mix together an egg with a tablespoon of water and brush the surface of the dough with this egg wash.
3. Bake the bread for around 30-35 minutes until deep golden brown on top. If you find the bread is browning too quickly, loosely cover it with aluminum foil. When you tap the bread it should sound hollow. The internal temperature of the loaf should be around 200°F/94°C.

1. Once baked, let the bread cool down completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Storing

Store leftover bread in an airtight container, or tightly wrapped, at room temperature for up to a week. Leftover milk bread makes amazing French toast!

The bread can also be frozen for long-term storage, up to 3 months.

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