Recipes / Bread
Bread
Milk Bread Rolls
Guildhall Loaves
Japanese milk bread stays soft for days because of tangzhong, a cooked flour-and-milk paste that holds extra water. These are the slider buns for half this book.
At the table: Room temperature all session.
Not yet table-tested. This recipe is written from standard, well-known methods and has not been through our test tables yet. The badge changes when it has.
Crafting formula
TrainsDoughSauce
Stock your pantry to see what you are missing.
Why nowJapanese Western-style comfort food, yōshoku, is having a moment, and milk bread is its gateway: soft, sweet and impossible to stop eating.
Ingredients
One batch: 12 rolls.
Tangzhong
Dough
To finish
Kosher salt means Diamond Crystal. With Morton kosher salt, use about half.
Method
Make the tangzhong: whisk the milk and flour in a small pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes.
Look forIt turns into a thick paste, like loose mashed potatoes, and the whisk leaves lines.
Cool the tangzhong until just warm. In a stand mixer, combine it with all the dough ingredients except the butter. Knead on medium-low (speed 2 on a KitchenAid) 5 minutes.
Add the butter a piece at a time, then knead on medium-low 10 to 12 minutes more.
Look forThe dough is smooth and stretches thin enough to see light through without tearing.
Cover and let rise in a warm spot 60 to 90 minutes.
Look forDoubled in size, and a floured finger leaves a dent that slowly springs back.
Divide into 12 pieces (about 80 g each), shape into tight balls, and set in a greased 9×13-inch pan. Cover and rise 45 to 60 minutes.
Look forPuffy and touching each other.
Heat the oven to 350°F. Brush with beaten egg and bake 20 to 25 minutes.
Look forDeep golden on top, and 190°F in the center roll.
Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then on a rack.
Make ahead
Keep airtight up to 3 days; they stay soft. Freeze baked rolls up to 1 month and thaw on the counter.
Holding
Room temperature all session.
Allergens
Contains wheat, milk, egg. Always check labels on packaged ingredients.
Notes
Without a mixer, knead by hand about 15 minutes. It starts sticky and gets there.
Tavern Night
This dish's twist table (d6)
| 1–2 | The classic stands. No twist. Cook it as written. |
|---|---|
| 3 | Herb swap. Brush the tops with melted butter and flaky salt after baking |
| 4 | Acid strike. None. Bread does not take a twist well; reroll |
| 5 | Plating challenge. Bake as one pull-apart slab and tear at the table |
| 6 | Host's boon. The Host picks any twist above, or the table invents one. The safety rule still applies. |
Roll before you start cooking. No twist ever changes a time, a temperature or how done something must be.