Legume 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 cloud-soft for days. From there, the dough comes together with butter, egg, and a touch of sugar, then gets shaped into four snug rolls tucked side by side in the pan for that signature pull-apart look. Every single ingredient here is naturally free of legumes, so there's no label-scanning or substitution stress — just straightforward baking with pantry staples. The butter gets worked in gradually after kneading, which gives the crumb that rich, brioche-adjacent texture without being overly sweet or heavy. Brushed with an egg wash before baking, the finished loaf turns a deep, glossy golden brown that looks like it came straight from a bakery window. Let it cool before slicing if you can manage it — the crumb sets up beautifully and makes for the most perfect toast, sandwich bread, or just a thick slab with butter.

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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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