Gelatin 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 off a piece before it even finishes cooling. The secret is the tangzhong — a simple cooked paste of bread flour and milk that gets folded into the dough and keeps every slice moist and cloud-like for days. Many store-bought breads and enriched loaves sneak in additives derived from animal-based gelling agents, so baking from scratch is the cleanest way to know exactly what's in your loaf. Every ingredient here is straightforward: flour, milk, butter, egg, yeast, sugar, and salt — nothing hidden, nothing questionable. The dough comes together in a stand mixer, and the four-roll shaping method gives the finished loaf that gorgeous, pull-apart texture you see in bakery windows. A brushing of egg wash before baking delivers a deep, burnished golden crust that looks as good as it tastes. Let it cool just long enough for the crumb to set, then slice thick and enjoy it plain, toasted, or stacked with your favorite fillings.

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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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