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Japanese Milk Buns (Hokkaido Milk Bread)

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4.92 from 23 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Resting Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Yield 8 buns
Category Baking / Side Dish
Cuisine Japanese
Author Lauren

Description

Japanese Milk Buns, also known as Japanese Milk Rolls, Hokkaido Milk Bread, or Shokupan are the soft yeasted buns using the Tangzhong method. With a golden brown exterior and fluffy white interior, these buns will become a crowd favorite. I break down the steps to make the process simple for a foolproof bun.

Ingredients

Tangzhong (starter)

  • 3 tablespoons (43g) water
  • 3 tablespoons (43g) whole Milk, such as AE Dairy
  • 2 tablespoons (14g) unbleached bread flour

Dough

  • 2 cups (244g) unbleached bread flour
  • ½ cup (61g) white whole-wheat flour, or additional bread flour
  • 2 tablespoons (11g) nonfat dry milk powder
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast
  • ½ cup (113g) whole milk + more for brushing on buns
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, melted + more for brushing on buns
  • Flaky sea salt

Instructions

Tangzhong

  • Vigorously whisk together 3 tablespoons water, 3 tablespoons whole milk, and 2 tablespoons bread flour in a small saucepan until thoroughly combined and no lumps remain.
  • Cook Tangzhong over low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and whisk leaves a trail on bottom of pan, 3–5 minutes.
  • Transfer Tangzhong to the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl is mixing by hand) and let cool to room temperature.

Dough

  • Combine bread flour, whole-wheat flour, milk powder, sugar, salt and yeast in a medium bowl; set aside.
  • Add ½ cup whole milk, egg and melted butter to stand mixer with Tangzhong; stir to combine.
  • Add flour mixture to stand mixer, attach dough hook to mixer and turn mixer to low speed. Mix and knead until a smooth, elastic dough forms, 8–9 minutes.
  • Remove dough from mixer, briefly knead a couple of times by hand then transfer to a large greased bowl.
  • Cover bowl with a kitchen towel or loosely with plastic and let rest until puffy but not quite doubled in size, 75–90 minutes.
  • Gently punch down dough.
  • Divide it into 8 equal pieces.
  • Form dough pieces into smooth, taut rounds (see recipe note below). Then place rounds in a generously greased 9-inch cake pan (round or square).
  • Cover Pan with a kitchen towel or loosely with plastic and let rounds rest until puffy, 45–50 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350°F (176ºC) with rack set in middle position.
  • Using a pastry brush, lightly brush rounds with milk. Bake buns until tops are golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 190ºF (87ºC), 25–28 minutes.
  • Transfer pan to a wire rack; let buns cool in pan for 10–25 minutes. Run a butter knife around edges of pan and gently lift buns out of pan; transfer to wire rack.
  • Brush tops of buns with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt.

Equipment

(9-inch) round cake pan
stand mixer
large mixing bowl
Pastry Brush

Video

Notes

To form smooth, taut dough balls, set a piece of dough on your countertop (unfloured). Loosely cup your hand around the dough and, without applying pressure to dough, rapidly move your hand in a circular motion. The tackiness of the dough, the bare work surface, and the rapid motion should naturally create a smooth even ball. If by chance the dough sticks to the counter or your hands, very lightly dust your hands with flour.
To make a loaf of bread instead of buns: After the first rise, divide dough into four equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a rectangle, then fold the short ends in towards one another like a letter. Flatten the folded pieces into rectangles again and, starting with a short end, roll them each into a log. Place the logs, seams side down, in a row of four in a generously greased 9x5-inch loaf pan. Cover the pan with a kitchen towel or loosely with plastic and let it rest until puffy, 45–50 minutes. Brush the loaf with milk and bake at 350°F until golden brown on top and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 190°F, about 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack and let cool at least 30 minutes.
Proof at the correct temperature: It's important to proof the dough in a non-drafty, slightly warm space. (I usually put the bowl in my microwave, it's above my oven so it's slightly warm and it doesn't have a draft.) The best temperature for proofing is generally around 75ºF to 78ºF.
Overnight Proofing: If you want to make this recipe ahead of time, you can do the first proof of the dough overnight in the fridge. It may over-proof, but it should work just find. The second proof may take longer since the dough will be cold.
Combine dry and wet ingredients separately: Since this recipe uses instant yeast, there is no need to activate the yeast in the wet ingredients. Whisk the yeast into the other dry ingredients so everything is equally distributed before mixing it into the wet mixture.
Mix the dough until smooth and elastic. Use the windowpane test to determine whether you have kneaded it enough or not. (To do this, stretch the dough as thinly as possible, if it can stretch so thin you can see the light through it without breaking, your dough has passed the “windowpane test” and it's ready to be proofed.
If the dough is too wet: add 1 tablespoon additional flour at a time, as needed, until a smooth dough is formed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bunCalories: 237kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 7gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 319mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5g
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