Chestnut Free Classic Milk Bread

Total time3 hr 5 min

Prep time30 min

Cook time35 min

4.6

(8)

Soft, pillowy, and impossibly tender, this milk bread is the kind of loaf that makes you want to tear into it the moment it comes out of the oven. The secret is the tangzhong — a cooked flour-and-milk paste stirred together before the dough even comes together — which gives the crumb that signature cloud-like texture you'd find in a Japanese bakery. Butter gets worked in gradually during kneading, building a rich, slightly sweet dough that bakes up with a deep golden crust and a feathery interior. For anyone navigating tree nut allergies or sensitivities, this recipe is a genuinely safe and satisfying bake — every ingredient is straightforward dairy, egg, and flour, with zero risk of hidden nut additions that sometimes sneak into store-bought enriched breads. The four-roll shaping method means each slice has a beautiful, even pull-apart quality that's as pretty as it is delicious. Let it cool the full thirty minutes before slicing — the crumb sets up into something truly special, and it's worth every second of the wait.

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Ingredients

10 servings

For the tangzhong

3 tbsp bread flour
½ cup whole milk

For the dough

2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
¼ cup warm whole milk (about 110°f / 43°c)
2 ½ cups bread flour
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp fine salt
1 large egg
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces

For the egg wash

1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp whole milk

Instructions

1
Make the tangzhong: whisk together the 3 tbsp bread flour and 1/2 cup milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens into a smooth, pudding-like paste and leaves a trail when you drag a spatula across the bottom, about 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
2
Combine the yeast and 1/4 cup warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and let stand until foamy, about 5–10 minutes.

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