Soft Korean Milk Bread (Korean Milk Bread / Vanilla Milk Bread)
🧂 Ingredients
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- 300 grams High-protein (bread) flour
- 20 grams All-purpose flour for tangzhong
- 100 ml Water for tangzhong
- 80 ml Cold full-cream milk
- 6 grams Instant yeast
- 50 grams Granulated sugar
- 15 grams Milk powder
- 4 grams Salt
- 1 large Egg
- 40 grams Unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp Milk for brushing
- 2 tbsp Coarse sugar for topping
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👩🍳 Instructions
- 1 Make the tangzhong: mix 20 grams of all-purpose flour with 100 ml of water in a small saucepan, stirring until smooth with no lumps. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens into a sticky paste. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
- 2 In a large bowl, combine the high-protein flour, milk powder, granulated sugar, and instant yeast. Whisk together until the yeast is evenly distributed.
- 3 Add the cooled tangzhong, cold milk, egg, and vanilla extract to the flour mixture. Knead by hand or with a mixer on low speed until the dough starts to come together.
- 4 Add the salt, then continue kneading for 5 minutes until the dough is somewhat smooth. Add the butter a little at a time, kneading continuously, until the dough becomes fully smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky to the touch (about 15-20 minutes by hand, or 10 minutes with a mixer).
- 5 Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth. Let it rest in a warm place for 60-90 minutes until doubled in size.
- 6 Gently punch down the dough to release the air. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and shape each one into a smooth ball with your hands.
- 7 Arrange the dough balls in a buttered 20x10 cm (8x4 inch) loaf pan, or in a round pan for a pull-apart bread version. Cover again with a damp cloth and let rise for another 40-50 minutes until fully puffed up.
- 8 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Brush the surface of the bread with milk using a pastry brush, then sprinkle coarse sugar evenly on top.
- 9 Bake the bread for 20-25 minutes until the surface turns golden brown and the inside is fully cooked. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick; if it comes out clean, the bread is done.
- 10 Remove the bread from the oven and let it sit in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
💡 Tips
• Make sure the butter is at room temperature, not melted, so the dough doesn't become too soft and can still be shaped properly.
• The tangzhong (water roux) technique is the key to this bread's softness—don't skip this step even though it may feel like extra work.
• Test the dough with the window pane test: stretch a small piece of dough until thin; if it doesn't tear easily and stays elastic, it's been kneaded perfectly.
• Store the bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or wrap it tightly and freeze for up to 2 weeks.
📊 Nutrition Facts / serving
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