Xanthan Gum Free Classic Milk Bread

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 stirred into the dough and gives the finished loaf its signature cloud-like crumb. Because the entire recipe relies on straightforward pantry staples like bread flour, butter, eggs, and milk, there's no need for any binding additives or stabilizers that can sneak into commercial breads and specialty blends. The dough is built entirely around gluten development and that enriched tangzhong base, so the structure comes naturally from the kneading process rather than anything artificial. Rolling the dough into four tight logs before placing them in the pan creates those beautiful pull-apart sections that make every slice look bakery-worthy. A glossy egg wash right before baking gives the top that deep, burnished golden color that's almost too pretty to eat. Let it cool just long enough for the crumb to set, then slice in and enjoy one of the most satisfying homemade loaves you'll ever make.

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