# Japanese Milk Bread Dinner Rolls

Japanese milk bread rolls are a light, delicate, and fluffy bread, made using the Tangzhong method to ensure extra softness.

- Total time: 20 min
- Category: Baked Goods
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 0.25 cup water
- 0.25 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 0.5 cup warm milk
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 0.25 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2.66 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons softened butter
- melted butter
- sea salt

## Instructions

1. To make the Tangzhong, whisk and cook flour, milk, and water in a saucepan over medium heat until it becomes smooth and thick like pudding.
2. Transfer the Tangzhong to a bowl, press plastic wrap against the surface, and let it cool to room temperature.
3. In a separate bowl, mix warm milk with 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 packet of yeast, and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes until frothy.
4. Add the cooled Tangzhong, egg, sugar, flour, and salt to the yeast mixture. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
5. Knead the dough in a stand mixer with a dough hook for about 5 minutes, then add in the melted butter. Knead for another 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky.
6. Lightly coat the dough with flour, shape it into a nice ball, and place it in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it proof for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
7. After the first proof, punch down the dough and divide it into 9 pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball and place them in a greased or parchment-lined square pan.
8. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough balls proof a second time until doubled in size (about another hour).
9. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the tops of the rolls with an egg wash.
10. Bake the rolls for about 20 minutes, tenting with foil if they start browning too quickly.
11. Once out of the oven, brush the warm rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt.

## Equipment

- saucepan
- whisk
- bowl
- plastic wrap
- stand mixer
- dough hook
- flour
- square pan
- parchment paper
- oven
- brush
- foil

## Tips

- The Tangzhong method, which involves gelatinizing starch in flour, allows more moisture to be absorbed into the dough, resulting in softer and fluffier bread.
- When your bread goes stale, it's because moisture leaves the bread and it gets hard.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTMq4jjH9/
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/5f18c2e1-538f-41e6-8ae1-bcb3c0273cf8
- Extracted: 2025-11-03

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt