Name: Homemade Japanese Milk Bread Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 4 h 10 min
Yield: 9
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 6 tablespoons milk; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 1/2 cups bread flour; 2 teaspoons active dry yeast; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled; 1 egg beaten; 1 egg; 1 tablespoon water

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Wait until you try this recipe for Japanese milk bread. It is very easy to make and tastes delicious! It’s perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! This incredible treat will leave you craving it again and again.

Pan of browned milk bread knot rolls on top of black wire rack over gray table

Jump to:

Japanese Milk Bread
What Does Japanese Milk Bread Taste Like?
What Do You Eat with Milk Bread?
What Does Milk Do to Bread Dough?
Is Milk Bread the Same as Brioche?
Do I Have to Let Milk Bread Rise?
Can I Cut Down Time By Proofing the Bread in an Instant Pot?
Ingredients
Handy Kitchen Tools
How to Make Japanese Milk Bread
More Bread Recipes
📖 Recipe

Japanese Milk Bread

Japanese milk bread is a sweet, soft, and fluffy type of bread that’s traditionally eaten as a snack. It has a slight sweetness to it that is sometimes compared to brioche bread but doesn't have a creamy middle.

Japanese milk bread is sometimes also called Hokkaido Milk Bread and is often made with dairy products from Hokkaido, Japan.

While it is often used as a snack traditionally, we love making this bread to pair with any number of recipes. It's soft and can also be used as a slider bun for a sweeter sandwich. I love them with ham and cheese, or just alongside a traditional ham dinner at various holidays or events.

This recipe is one that anyone can master even without any prior experience! And best of all? It tastes delicious with just the right amount of sweetness.

milk bread knot roll apart from other rolls showing soft inside

What Does Japanese Milk Bread Taste Like?

This unique bread has both a soft and chewy texture inside, but it also has a thin, crisp crust. It’s sweet but not too sweet either so it can be eaten on its own or with jam or some sort of filling. It tastes great on its own but this scrumptious treat is perfect for making sandwiches too!

As mentioned above, it most closely resembles a brioche bread in flavor but has a similar texture to Hawaiian bread.

browned bread rolls on top of rack over blue napkin

What Do You Eat with Milk Bread?

Milk bread is like most other sweeter bread recipes. It can be eaten alone, with butter or you can use a spread, like jam or jelly. I especially like this with my simple "small batch" strawberry jam. This bread can be a fantastic treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee.

There are other ways to enjoy this milk bread as well. You can also use something like whipped cream cheese, whether the plain unflavored variety or the flavored ones like strawberry, blueberry, or even a savory version, like garden herb. It is also common to enjoy this bread with cheese or slices of meat.

I've used this alongside this blackened chicken recipe and my BBQ chicken breast recipe as a slider bun. Just slice open, tuck a piece of chicken with a bit of cheese or a sauce, and it's the ideal little on-the-go sandwich! It's perfect for lunchboxes!

There are so many different things you can eat this sweet roll of deliciousness with, so, once you try out this recipe you can get creative! This is one of those recipes that no matter how you enjoy it you will be saying YUM!

milk bread knots on rack by bowl of butter

What Does Milk Do to Bread Dough?

Adding milk to bread dough is not only delicious but it also adds in moisture. This makes the texture of the bread soft and moist giving it a unique flavor.

While it can be made with water and be moist, most recipes will use milk for a richer flavor combined with the soft and moist center you want in sweet bread.

a single hot roll pulled apart from the rest

Is Milk Bread the Same as Brioche?

Brioche is also a type of bread that is very creamy on the inside. However, brioche uses many more eggs in the dough and has a much longer resting time.

Both are delicious but milk bread has a lighter sweetness while brioche can be quite sweet and makes for an excellent dessert!

side of pan of rolls on top of wire rack on blue napkin

Do I Have to Let Milk Bread Rise?

Milk bread dough should be allowed to rise twice before you put it in the oven. The length of time required will depend on the temperature where you are allowing it to rise. If you do not have a place that’s warm, then set your oven on low heat just until there is enough warmth for your milk bread to rise.

Can I Cut Down Time By Proofing the Bread in an Instant Pot?

Yes! One of the recent discoveries I have made regarding my Instant Pot is how nice it is to help bread rise. The steps below are a great start for this recipe and can be used for many, just watch the time and check frequently to not let it rise too much.

Line the Instant Pot with parchment paper.
Place the ball of dough onto the paper, then set the lid in place to VENTING. Do not set to seal.
Turn the yogurt button on and set to "normal".
Check in 35 to 30 minutes to see if the bread has risen twice in size. If not, continue checking in 5-minute increments until desired results.

Tip: Use the measurements on the inside of the Instant Pot liner to help determine if the dough has risen to double the original size.

over head image of pan of hot rolls on rack by bowl of butter

Ingredients

All-purpose flour
Milk
Salt
Bread flour
Dry activated yeast
Heavy cream
Sugar
Unsalted butter
Egg

gray table with white and green bowls of flour eggs and salt

Handy Kitchen Tools

How to Make Japanese Milk Bread

In a small saucepan, combine 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour with 6 tablespoons of milk. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. It will become a thickened paste.

Remove from the saucepan and pour into a small bowl to let cool.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together the bread flour, and salt.

Make a well in the center of the flour and place the sugar and yeast into the well.

Pour the cream into the yeast and sugar and whisk until the sugar dissolves, being careful to not pull in any of the flour from the sides, but just whisk the cream with sugar and yeast.

large glass bowl of flour with yeast on top

Whisk together one egg with the milk and flour paste.

To the flour, sugar, and yeast mixture, add the egg and paste mixture and then the melted butter.

Melted butter on top of flour in glass bowl

Stir to combine and create a dough.

Once mostly combined, use a clean hand to knead the dough in the bowl until smooth, turning it back over itself, then pushing down and repeating the process.

When the dough is smooth, cover loosely and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour to double in size.

Finger pressing down onto ball of dough in glass bowl

Once the dough has risen, punch down and place on a lightly floured clean surface.

hand in the middle of risen bread dough in glass bowl

Divide it into 9 pieces and roll each portion into a ball.

On a clean surface, roll each ball into a rope approximately 8" to 10" long and slightly less than ½" in diameter.

hands rolling dough into rope on cutting board

Carefully twist the rope of dough into a knot by creating a loop and pulling the ends through it.

hands forming rope of dough into knot over cutting board

Grease or line a 9" round pan with parchment paper.

Place the dough knots into the prepared pan so that the sides are touching.

Set aside for 30-minutes to rise again.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Whisk together 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water then brush the egg wash over the tops of the dough knots.

pastry brush putting egg wash onto raw bread dough knots

Bake for 30-minutes until golden brown on top.

Serve hot with butter or jam.

hot rolls with one on its side next to bowl of butter on wire rack

More Bread Recipes

Do you enjoy making homemade bread for your family? I do and that means I have some great recipes to share with you. Below are a few of my favorite homemade bread that you too can prepare and share with your family. Make sure to bookmark, pin, or print these recipes to make soon!

📖 Recipe

Yield: 9