Milk Bread Rolls

Bread and butter are some of my favorite things. If bread and butter were all I had to eat, I would be a very happy camper indeed. I love all kinds of bread; it doesn’t matter what kind.

The other day I made some milk bread rolls. They didn’t quite come out how they were supposed to according to the picture, but they were still very good and a definite do-over. I followed the recipe exactly, and I literally mean exactly this time, something I rarely do, but …. Sometimes things just happen that way. 🙂

When I think of breads and rolls, I don’t think of Japan, but believe it or not, these delicious, airy rolls were first made in Japan of all places, during the Meiji Era (1868-1912): Japan opened to the West, and Western-style bread was introduced as an alternative to rice. A British baker named Robert Clarke opened the Yokohama Bakery in 1862, and his bakery is often cited as a possible point of origin for milk bread, though this is unconfirmed. After WWII, when Japan experienced rice shortages, these milk bread rolls once again gained in popularity, and the soft white loaf known as shokupan became a Japanese staple. The key to their signature softness is the tangzhong method, a Chinese technique of pre-cooking flour and liquid into a paste that is then added to the dough. This technique, combined with the use of milk and butter, creates the rich, soft, and fluffy texture of modern milk bread rolls.

Milk Bread Rolls

1/3 cup water

1 1/3 cups milk

3 1/2-5 cups bread flour

4 1/2 tsp dry active yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 tsp salt

2 eggs

egg wash

Whisk the water, 1/3 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of flour together in a small saucepan. Cook and stir over a medium heat until the mixtures forms into a thick roux or paste. It will resemble a pate a choux paste. Remove from the heat and let rest for 30 minutes.

While the flour and milk paste is resting, combine 2 1/2 cups flour, yeast, and 1 cup of milk, sugar, butter, cut into smaller portions and salt in a saucepan and heat and stir until it reaches about 120-130*F or until the butter is almost completely melted.

Whisk in the flour/milk paste until it is all mixed in and the batter is completely smooth.

Add two eggs and mix again until everything is thoroughly blended together and smooth once again. This will form a very soft dough. Turn it onto a floured surface and incorporate as much of the flour as the dough will hold while still remaining a very soft dough. DO NOT over work the dough.

Put the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl, cover and let rise for about an hour, or until it doubles in size.

Punch the dough down and let rest for about 10 minutes. Then form the dough into equally portioned balls. You should get 20. Place the dough balls onto a greased baking pan. Cover and let rise again for about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350*F or 1810*C.

Make an egg wash – 1 egg and 1 tsp water, lightly beaten, and brush the rolls with the egg wash right before placing in the oven.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. If you like, brush with melted butter immediately after removing from the oven. Eat while still hot, fresh out of the oven. Delicious!!!!

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.