Citrus 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 simple cooked paste of flour and milk that gets folded into the dough and keeps every slice feather-soft for days. From there, the dough comes together with butter, egg, sugar, and yeast, building a rich, lightly sweet flavor that works just as well for toast as it does eaten plain. For anyone navigating a citrus-free lifestyle, this recipe is a genuinely stress-free bake — every single ingredient is naturally free of citrus, with no zest, juice, or citrus-derived additives hiding anywhere in the list. The shaping step, where each dough piece gets folded and rolled into a tight log before nestling into the pan, is what gives the finished loaf that gorgeous pull-apart texture. A glossy egg wash right before baking seals the deal with a deep golden crust that looks like it came straight from a bakery. Let it cool just long enough for the crumb to set, then slice in and enjoy something truly worth making from scratch.

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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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