# Milk Bread

This Asian milk bread recipe is a triumph for soft, buttery Chinese bakery milk bread.

- Servings: 16 servings
- Total time: 205 min
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Category: Baked Goods
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 0.66 cup heavy cream (at room temperature)
- 1 cup milk (at room temperature; you can use whole, 1%, or 2% milk)
- 1 tablespoon milk (additional)
- 1 large egg (at room temperature)
- 0.33 cup sugar
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (you can also use 1/2 cup cake flour combined with 3 1/2 cups bread flour)
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast (or instant yeast)
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1 Egg wash (beat 1 egg with 1 teaspoon water)
- 1 tablespoon Simple syrup (sugar, dissolved in hot water)

## Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, all-purpose flour (or mixture of cake flour & bread flour, if using), yeast, and salt in that order.
2. Turn on the mixer to “stir,” and knead for 15 minutes, occasionally stopping to push the dough together.
3. If kneading by hand, extend the kneading time by 5-10 minutes.
4. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add a little more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it pulls away from the sides.
5. Cover the dough with a damp towel and place in a warm spot until it has doubled in size (1-2 hours).
6. Grease two baking vessels (e.g., two standard loaf pans, two 9-inch round pans, or one of each) on all sides with butter.
7. After the dough has doubled in size, return it to the mixer and stir for another 5 minutes to get rid of air bubbles.
8. Dump the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut it in half.
9. To make loaves, shape each dough half into a rough rectangular shape, cut it cross-wise into three roughly equal pieces, and place in the loaf pan.
10. Alternatively, to make rolls, cut each dough half into 8 pieces, roll them into balls (or ropes that you can twist into buns), and put them in a round pan.
11. Once shaped, let the dough proof, covered, for another hour.
12. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350° F/175°C.
13. Brush the risen dough with egg wash.
14. Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
15. Remove from the oven and brush the warm bread with sugar water (simple syrup) to give it shine and sweetness.

## Equipment

- stand mixer
- dough hook attachment
- damp towel
- baking vessels
- loaf pan
- round cake pan
- cooling rack
- oven

## Tips

- You do not need to bloom the yeast beforehand, but ensure wet ingredients are at room temperature and yeast is fresh.
- If the dough is too sticky, add flour one tablespoon at a time until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl, but do not add too much.
- To store, keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days on the counter or 5 days in the fridge. To revive, microwave for 15-30 seconds.
- Bread can be frozen in freezer bags, then thawed and reheated in the microwave.
- You can use a bread maker to mix the dough, but proof separately as bread maker proofing settings may be too hot.

## Source

- Original video: https://thewoksoflife.com/milk-bread-2/
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/e2096736-4fbd-477a-8fc5-ef0bfa91f1ca
- Extracted: 2025-09-06

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