Do you love the glorious liquid that is condensed milk? This Japanese Condensed Milk Bread is a delicious way to enjoy condensed milk, enclosed in a soft and sweet bread that is studded with almonds, raisins and cherries.
Okay, condensed milk. Don’t you just love the sweetness and the smoothness of that divine liquid? I could lick it out of a spoon and not stop, actually. It is like a ready-made dessert on its own.
But this bread. This is a more adult way of enjoying condensed milk rather than having it drip down your spoon, then into your arms. Japanese Condensed Milk Bread, just the sound of that got me intrigued.
This bread is filled with a sweet, buttery condensed milk filling. It also has condensed milk in the dough to give it that extra note of sweetness. Not too sweet though. Because the condensed milk is baked in the bread, the sweetness is tapered down making this bread just appropriately sweet but definitely the satisfying kind of sweet.
I love this bread. The look, the taste, the process. It is baked in a 9×5 inch loaf pan. If you like, you can bake it in these aluminum loaf pans to give it as a gift. Why not right? It is so pretty.
You can also use paper loaf pans, even prettier.
Japanese Condensed Milk Bread: The Process
- Start off by proofing the yeast in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast, some of the sugar and warm milk in the bowl. Let stand until creamy or foamy.
- Add in your flour, the softened butter, sugar, salt and condensed milk. Use a wooden spoon to stir everything together.
- As you stir, gradually sprinkle some of the reserved flour to help with the stickiness of the dough. Once the dough gathers in the center of the bowl like a shaggy mass, turn it over on a floured board.
- Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, dusting the board and your hands as needed, just minimally, to help with the stickiness. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a bowl and cover it. Let it rise for 1 and 1/2 hours.
- Once the dough has risen, roll it into a 12×8 inches rectangle. Spread the condensed milk filling across the dough.
- Use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to cut the dough vertically into 4 sections.
- Stack those four sections together, with the filling side up.
- Once stacked, cut them into 8 portions as shown below.
Tip: To cut the stacked dough into 8 sections, first cut the entire length in half, forming two sections. Cut each section in half again, then cut those further in half until you have 8 almost equal portions.
- Arrange the portion of dough close together in a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan. The long sides of the dough should be facing up.
- Some space will be left vacant. This will be filled up once the dough rises, about 1 hour, covered loosely with a clean kitchen towel.
- Once risen, preheat oven to 325 F. Top the dough with raisins, sliced almonds and maraschino cherries. Bake the bread at 325 F for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 300 F then bake for 10-12 minutes more, or until the bread is golden.
And here you have it, Japanese Condensed Milk Bread, our final bread entry for this month. Soft, sweet and milky. It tastes as good as it looks.
I have truly enjoyed making those four bread and sharing the recipes with you. My hope is that you find even more joy making bread then sharing the delight of eating with your favorite people.
From this point on, we will continue with our #breadseries with one (or two) delicious bread recipe each month. I hope to have you in this wonderful bread-making journey.
In case you missed the last three recipes for our September #breadseries, here you go:
Aaand we have a growing number of bread recipes here, you can’t bake too many breads, right?
- Milk Bread
- Japanese Milk Buns
- Austrian Buchteln
- Sweet Cheese Rolls
- Brioche Braid Recipe
- Soft and Buttery Sugar Buns
- Chocolate Walnut Bread
- Sticky Buns with Pecans and Rum Raisins
- Chocolate Brioche
- Cinnamon Roll Bread Loaf
- Whole Wheat Cinnamon Roll with Easy Caramel Glaze
- Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
- Spanish Bread
- Hawaiian Rolls
Japanese Condensed Milk Bread
Japanese Condensed Milk Bread is a delicious way to enjoy condensed milk, enclosed in a soft and sweet bread that is studded with raisins and cherries.
Ingredients
For the Bread Dough
- 1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour plus 5 tbsp extra
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 2/3 cup warm milk 105-115 F
- 2 tbsp condensed milk or 37 grams, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp softened butter or 28 grams
Condensed Milk Filling
- 2 tbsp softened butter or 28 grams
- 2 tbsp condensed milk or 37 grams, at room temperature
- 8-10 pieces maraschino cherries drained
- 2 tbsp raisins
- 1 tbsp sliced almonds
Instructions
Make the Bread Dough
In a large mixing bowl, stir together 1 teaspoon of the sugar, the warm milk, and the yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Add 1 and 1/2 cups of flour, the remaining sugar, salt, condensed milk, and butter. Use a wooden spoon to stir the ingredients together. Gradually sprinkle some of the reserved flour, a little at a time, to help with the stickiness. Keep stirring until a soft, sticky dough gathers in the center of the bowl. You may not need the entire reserved flour at this point.
Generously flour a working board using the remaining flour. Turn the dough over onto the board. Knead the dough for 6-10 minutes, dusting more flour in the board and in your hands as needed. Once the dough is smooth and elastic, shape it into a ball and place in a bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 1 and 1/2 hours.
While the dough is rising, make the condensed milk filling. Stir together softened butter and condensed milk until it turns into a paste. It is important that the butter is very soft and the condensed milk is at room temperature. Butter a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Punch the dough down and roll it into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle. Spread the condensed milk filling across the surface of the dough. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough vertically into 4 sections, forming 4 long strips.
Stack the strips together, the filling side up. Cut the stacked dough into 8 sections. You now have 8 stacked rectangular dough portions. Arrange the dough portions in the greased loaf pan, with the long sides of the dough facing up. It is fine if a small space is vacant in the pan, it will be filled up once the dough rises. Let it rise for about an hour, covered loosely with a kitchen towel.
Preheat oven to 325 F. Top the dough with raisins, sliced almonds and maraschino cherries. Bake the bread at 325 F for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 300 then bake for 10-12 minutes more, or until the bread is golden. To serve, cut into slices or pull-apart.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
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Wow, Sanna! I’m definitely making this one. What a unique bread and the photos are fantastic! Thanks for posting.
Thank you so much, Susan! You will love this.
Definitely pinning. Thank you for sharing this delicious bread!
You are welcome! Happy baking!
Could this be made in smaller loaves for gifts?
Hi Dolores! Yes, you can! Just bake until they are lightly browned.
Omg…that looks perfectly bake..,can’t wait to try this….
Thank you, Tess! You will love this! 🙂
Can any part of the recipe be made ahead of time? Wondering if I can make the dough a day before & bake it in the morning…
Hi Nina! Assemble the bread in the pan, except for the toppings (the stage before the second rise). Place the dough in the fridge, covered. When ready to bake the next day, take it out of the fridge and let it rise for 2 hours or so, then add the toppings. Bake 🙂
Good Luck and Happy Baking!
Hi Sanna
i wondering ask if i can dresses the bread put in the feidge and bake tomorrow morning?
Hi Riccardo! Yes you can do that! Just allow it to come to room temperature to kind of continue its second rise, then bake 🙂
I’m so glad I found this website! I’m from Canada, and maybe it’s different here, but we have 3 different kinds of condensed milk. Regular condensed milk, light condensed milk (1%), or sweetened condensed milk (commonly called Eagle Brand, whether its generic or not). I’m guessing from the video and that you call it sweet, you are using the sweetened condensed milk? Just want to make sure before I try it. Sweetened condensed milk here is very thick and syrup like. Condensed milk is just that, canned condensed milk, no sugar.
Hi Tara Lee! The one I used is a thick variety. I would believe it is considered to be the sweetened condensed milk. I used Eagle Brand for this, one time I made it. Good luck and happy baking!
Oh my gosh this was sooo good! Easy to put together and really pretty. I’m giving this out as Christmas gifts. I love this site!
Yay! I really think it is perfect for giving away this Christmas, Tara!I am so happy you liked it!
I’ve just made this and I’m very happy with the results, the dough ‘grew’ well and tastes super.
the cooking time was less though and I laid the fruit over the dough before cutting so it was throughout the bread.
i’ll definitely make again. super item to take to a party. a real conversation starter.
I am so glad that you like it, Vicki! It is also one of my favorite things to bake because it is pretty and delicious. Thank you so much for your feedback!
Not sure if you mix raisins, cherries, almonds all together and then spread over rectangle layer. Recipe not clear.
Hi Bonnie! I just scatter them all over the risen dough in the pan. You can either mix them all together first and sprinkle them all at one time. I added the raisins first, then the cherries and the almonds last-this is fine too.
I hope you like this recipe! Happy baking.
gave this recipe a try for something different other than typical loaf recipes. my first two tries did not work out well with the yeast not foaming but on the third try success! Nut allergy so i substituted pumpkin seeds for almonds. it looks exactly like the picture! yay
Hello Karen! I am so happy you loved it. Thank you so much!
Hi Sanna! I’ve read through many of your bread recipes and you make it sound so easy. I’ll be trying this recipe in the next few days and it will be my first attempt at a yeast bread. Your Japanese Condensed Milk Bread sounds so good and I so hope it turns out. I’ve just recently discovered Woman Scribbles…….thank you for sharing all your tips and recipes!
Hello,Mary Anne! Thank you so much for checking out the recipes. I love Japanese Condensed Milk Bread and I hope you will enjoy it too.
Since it is your first time at yeast bread, feel free to ask if you have any questions. But most importantly, enjoy the process! Good luck!
Hi Sanna! Thank you very much for sharing this recipe. My hubby said this is a unique bread. Love it! Will be making again for our next friends’ gathering.
Hello Sheryl! I am so glad that you liked it! This is one of my faves too!
Thank you for sharing Sanna. This looks very similar to a “chop Suey” loaf that I get in a bakery here. I have been looking for a recipe similar. This looks close.
I was wondering if this could be made in a bread machine too on dough cycle, then let rest, shape, and put in pan to rise. Think it would work?
Hello Ellen! I wish I can help you but unfortunately, I have not tried making this on a bread machine 🙁
Thank you Sanna for getting back to me. I shall give it a try and let you know how I made out, Thanks again.
I hope it works out 🙂
Are these American cup measurements?
Hi Susan. Yes they are 🙂 Happy baking!
Wondering if this could be made ahead and frozen.
Hello Robin! I won’t recommend freezing it because thetoppings may not be hold well 🙂
Is this intended to use sweetened condensed milk rather than plain condensed milk?
Hello there Barbara,
Sweetened condensed milk 🙂 Where I live, condensed milk is the same as the sweetened variety. I am pretty positive though that sweetened condensed milk it is for some places.
I made 8 of these for a bake sale to benefit a homeless shelter. They were all scooped up by happy purchasers and since then, I have had inquiries asking if I’ll be making them for the next monthly bake sale. Yummy and gorgeous ! I think I may try makin 2 sizes next time. Thank you so much. I also wanted you to know that it was your time, effort, and grace, to share your recipe that truly results in helping our homeless neighbors. Thank you !
Deb, your message made my day! I am so glad that these are making a difference. Thank you so much for letting me know. It means a lot to me!
awesome!! delicate taste of sweetness!
Hi Daisy! Thank you!
We have a milk allergy in our family, so I am wondering how this will work with coconut sweetened condensed milk. I think I will give it a try! I have everything else on hand, I will let you all know how it turns out. By the, where do you live? I have lived in Norway and Canada, but I am from the USA and am currently living there. It is a challenge to cook in other countries at times!
Hello Jane! I live in Canada! I hope these turned out well for you!
Hi, beautiful baker, My husband loves it and I enjoyed baking it. ❤️
Hello Becky! I am so happy to know that! Thank you very much!
Can I omit the maraschinno cherries? As I am not a fan of it..
Sure you can 🙂 Enjoy baking!
Can i leave out the raisins and add chocolate chips instead?
Yes you can 🙂
Hi! I’ve only made bread a few times before so I’m very pleased that this turned out well for me. Thanks for helping me use up some leftover condensed milk in a fluffy and delicious way!
Hello Phoe! I am so happy you loved this!
Just out of the oven, looks amazing. Doesn’t say how long to leave it in the pan before taking it out. Does it matter? if so, let me know how long.
It is okay for it to stay in the pan if you prefer 🙂
Do you use salted or unsalted butter? Does it matter?
I use unsalted butter. You can use salted butter if that is what you have 🙂
I had to watch the video fir the assembly of the pieces but it seems easy enough. Unfortunately I’m an idiot and didnt realize I grabbed evaporated milk and when I noticed i was out of condensed milk anyway so I went for it. The bread dough seemed doughy enough but the filling doesn’t work with evaporated milk. That part it my bad and I can’t wait to eat whatever monstrosity I’ve corrupted this into
Can I use bread flour instead of apf? Will it make a bug difference?
Hello! Yes you can use bread flour. It should be fine 🙂
I can’t wait to make this! Quick question, what about a lite drizzle of powdered sugar frosting? Your thoughts?
Thank you so much!!
I made several times. Very, very delicious and soft
Thank you
Pam