Turkey 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 bake every weekend. The secret is the tangzhong — a simple cooked paste of flour and milk that gets folded into the dough and keeps the crumb feather-light and moist for days longer than a standard loaf. From there, the dough comes together with butter, egg, and a touch of sugar before being shaped into four neat rolls tucked side by side in the pan, giving you those gorgeous pull-apart layers once baked. Every single ingredient here is straightforwardly meat-free, so there's nothing to second-guess or swap out — just wholesome pantry staples doing beautiful work. The egg wash gives the crown a deep, lacquered golden finish that looks like it came straight out of a bakery window. Patience is the only real skill required: let the dough rise properly, give the baked loaf time to cool, and you'll be rewarded with slices that are soft enough to eat plain and sturdy enough to hold up to a generous spread of butter or jam.

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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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