These milk bread are soft and fluffy rolls that are mildly sweet, making them versatile for pairing with your choice of jam, spreads or even with just a plain cup of coffee.
This milk bread had me at its deep golden top. That glossy, luxuriously dark top exterior is so impossible for me to resist. It sparked my imagination of spreading butter lavishly over a soft crust and feeling in my mouth a sensation of warm, soft bread being moistened by the indulgent fat that is butter.
Milk bread has a mild taste and slight sweetness. Its simple profile makes it a perfect canvass for your choice of spread, be it fruit jam, cream cheese or whatever is your favorite. In my case, butter.
On most days though, I eat it plain. There is just something so satisfying about tasting the natural sweetness of bread and paying attention to its softness and fluffiness.
Pointers for Making Milk Bread
- Most traditional methods for making milk bread calls for a starter called a tangzhong. It is flour cooked together with water (and milk) to form a soft dough that is mixed with the rest of the ingredients. This recipe is a simpler but foolproof method of making milk bread and does not require the tangzhong.
- A stand mixer is employed here and it pretty much does all the job. Kneading using the dough hook takes about 15-18 minutes, and just like in the brioche recipe, my indication if the dough is ready is if the dough is gathered in the center of the bowl, and is slapping against the sides of the bowl. I will get to that later.
- The recipe is enough to make 2 sets of rolls in a round baking pan, and with 8 pieces of rolls in each. They stay soft for days as long as they are stored in covered containers. You can also microwave them for 15-20 seconds, and they will still be as amazing as if they were just out of the oven.
Milk Bread: The Process
To start, you need to combine the cream and milk in a large microwaveable bowl. Heat the mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, until the temperature reaches 115 F. Now add the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer in the following order:
- Cream and milk mixture
- Egg
- Sugar
- Flour
- Yeast
- Salt
Attach the dough hook to the mixer and start the machine on low, just to incorporate the ingredients together without making a splash of liquid or a cloud of flour in the air. Then slowly build up the speed to medium and mix the dough for 15 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl when necessary.
In about 10 minutes into the mixing, you should see your dough starting to form in the center, and is clinging to the dough hook. As you approach 15 minutes, the dough is beginning to slap the sides of the bowl and making the slapping sound.
If you are 10 minutes into the mixing and the dough seems like it is not coming together (still laying flat and shaggy in the bowl), sprinkle about a teaspoon or two of flour to the bowl. You can add up to 2-3 tablespoons of flour and just keep mixing until the dough is coming together in the center. You should hear the slapping sounds of the dough soon.
Over all, the kneading should take like 15-18 minutes only. Longer than that, you might risk over kneading your dough.
The dough is now ready for proofing. Its texture is still a little bit tacky when you poke it with your finger, but it has lost a lot of stickiness at this time.
Gather the dough into a ball. Sprinkle a little amount of flour into the sides and base of the bowl and place the dough for proofing. (Or set the ball of dough in another bowl, if you prefer.)
Meanwhile, grease the sides and bottom of two 9 inch round pans with butter.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and set this aside on a warm place for about 1 to 1 and 1/2 hour. The dough should double in size.
After that , return the dough to the mixer and knead it using the dough hook on medium speed for 5 minutes.
Divide the dough into two equal portions. Divide each portion into 8 equal portions, for a total of 16.
Roll each portion into a log of about 8-10 inches long. Roll the log into a coil, tucking the ends under the roll. Place each roll in the pan, giving them about an inch of space in between. Each pan can hold 8 pieces of rolls each.
Again, we will let this assembled dough rise for an hour. Cover them loosely with plastic wrap and set aside.
Once the dough has risen, preheat oven to 350 F. Make the egg wash by beating one egg with 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush the surface of the rolls with the egg wash, being careful not to let the liquid drip down the sides.
Bake the rolls for 23-25 minutes. The top should be deeply golden and a thermometer should read 200 F. Do not over bake them for they will dry out fast. I highly recommend using a thermometer for checking the doneness of bread.
Then, enjoy the fruit of your not so hard labor. Your bread is now ready for glazing, for slathering with spread or simply pick one out right there and feel the fluffiness of each bite.
If you prefer to do a simple glaze, mix 3 teaspoons of sugar with 2 teaspoons hot water. Stir mixture until sugar is dissolved. Brush over the bread surface.
Enjoy!
Want more bread? Check these out:
- Buttery Sugar Buns
- Garlic Herb Bread
- Austrian Buchtel ( Sweet Mini Buns)
- Mini Cinnamon Rolls with Coffee Icing
- Ham and Cheese Rolls
- Chocolate Hazelnut Rolls
- Japanese Milk Buns
- Coconut Buns with Milky Sweet Filling
Milk Bread
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup plus 1 tbsp milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1 and 1/2 tsp salt
FOR THE EGG WASH
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp milk
FOR THE SUGAR GLAZE
- 3 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp water
Instructions
-
Combine milk and cream in a large microwaveable bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until it reaches 115 F. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the ingredients in the following order : cream and milk mixture, egg, sugar, flour, yeast and salt. Attach the dough hook and run the mixer, starting on low just to initially wet the dry ingredients.
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Turn speed to medium and run the mixer for 15 more minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. In about 7-10 minutes into the mixing, you will see the dough starting to gather into the center and attaching itself into the dough hook. If your dough looks like it is not coming together at this point, sprinkle a little amount of flour (about half a teaspoon at a time) into the bowl and continue mixing. You can add up to two tablespoon of flour and you should soon see the dough starting to gather in the center of the bowl. As you approach the 15 minutes mark, you should hear the dough slapping the sides of the bowl as it clings to the dough hook. This is a good sign that your dough is ready for proofing.
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Gather the dough into a ball, sprinkle a little bit of flour into a bowl and place the ball of dough inside it. Cover the bowl with kitchen towel and set it on a warm place for one hour to one hour and a half, until size of the dough is doubled. Meanwhile, Grease two 9 inch round cake pans. After the dough has risen, return it into the mixer with the dough hook and mix on medium for 5 more minutes.
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Divide the dough into 16 equal portions. I usually cut the dough in half, then cut each portions in half again, and so on until I yield 16 equal pieces. Roll each portion into a log of about 8-10 inches in size, then twist each log into a coil. Tuck the ends underneath. Place each assembled dough inside the round pans, giving about an inch of space between each roll. Each cake pan should have 8 rolls each. Cover the roll loosely with plastic wrap and let rise again until double in size, about an hour or so.
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Preheat oven to 350 F. Make the egg wash by lightly beating one egg with 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush the surface of the rolls with the egg wash without letting the fluid drip to the sides. Bake in a 350 F oven for 23-25 minutes or until rolls are deeply golden on top. A thermometer should read 200 F. Once it reaches that mark, the bread is done. Do not over bake. You can add glaze on top of the bread if you desire. Mix three teaspoons of sugar with two teaspoons hot water, stir it until the sugar is dissolved and brush over the bread.
Recipe Notes
Bread can be stored at room temperature in a covered container for up to three days. You can heat it in the microwave for 12-15 seconds, if desired.
Recipe adapted from The Woks of Life
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Hi there, this looks amazing and would love to try it. Can I use instant yeast? I live in South Africa and don’t think active yeast is available. Also, no thermometer. How will I know when 115deg is reached after warming the milk. I have a meat thermometer? Would that help!
Hello there, Trudy! Thank you for your question. The meat thermometer would work fine. Generally, the rule is for the milk to not be lukewarm or hot but somewhere in the middle. A thermometer will work just to be sure of the temperature. But then, since you are using instant yeast, you can add the yeast straight to the dough and you don’t need to warm the milk. Just follow the recipe exactly, just omit the warming of the milk part. Active dry yeasts work best when dissolved in warm liquid while instant yeasts can actually be added straight to the dough. Hope that helps and let me know how they turn out!
I do not have one of those fancy mixers can you still make it without out them
Hi Nina,
Yes, you can still knead it by hand. You just have to look for the signs of an adequately kneaded dough. It should be smooth, shiny and can stretch thinly.
Good luck and keep me posted!
This may sound like a stupid question but what s “heavy cream” – do u mean whipping cream? or half-and-half or something entirely different?? Many tks.
Hi Helen! I am sorry, I should have been more specific. It is whipping cream. I used 35% fat. Happy Baking! Thanks!
Many tks for getting back to me. You have wonderful recipes.
Have a great day!
No problem and thank you too!
Have you ever made these with gluten free flour?
Hi Kim! Unfortunately,I have not tried them with gluten free flour so I can’t be sure of the results. Please let me know if I can help in any way, and I would also be more than happy to know the result if you try it with GF flour. Thanks!
I can see I will have to make this recipe. It looks fabulous with that golden glow from the egg wash. Making your own bread just fills your house with such great aromas.
Thanks, Mark! You will love this!
These rolls look irresistible! The tops are so glossy and shiny! Love them. I never thought of adding milk to the egg wash – I’m definitely going to use this idea! And this bread is on my to bake list (actually, it’s been on it for a little while since I first saw the recipe on pinterest last month)
They are amazing, Julia! 🙂 You will love them!
Hi!! This looks amazing!! I was wondering if I can half the recipe???
Hi Josie! Thank you! Yes you can half the recipe if you prefer. Happy baking! I hope you enjoy these!
Can this be made as a loaf instead of rolls?
Hi Kathleen, I personally haven’t tried making this into a loaf, but I am seeing It is totally okay to do so 🙂 Let me know how it goes:)
i use fresh yeast should i just acticate with the warm milk and a bit of sugar or mix all toghether
Hi Dorothy! I have not made this with fresh yeast so I cannot guarantee the results. However, to activate fresh yeast, you need the warm milk and just a bit of the sugar.
So excited, amateur bread baker here. When you say to put the mixer on medium speed, do you mean 5? My handbook for mixer says “kneading is at level 2”. Also, do you think half and half would be ok to substitute?
Hello Chelsea, It will be best to use level 2 so to follow the mixer guidelines for the particular brand you use. 🙂 I have not tried using half and half in place of the heavy cream, but I am thinking that it should be fine 🙂
Please keep me posted. 🙂
I have a Kitchen Aide stand mixer and it says not to go over 6 min I believe, so just wanting to avoid over kneading. Previously, I start hearing the slapping sound after about 2 minutes, but your your recipe calls for about 15 minutes of kneading. Thanks for your help!
Hi Chelsea! If the dough is smooth and can stretch thinly, then it is good. I don’t have a Kitchen Aide, and maybe the mixing speed differs from mine. ( I use Oster) The slapping sound is a good indication that the dough is ready. Just look for other signs like the smoothness and stretchiness. good luck and thank you so much!
Also, for medium speed, the dial is somewhere between 4-6.
Thank you for answering my questions! I have made these twice and are my favorite for giving someone because they look so pretty and are so fluffy. I sub a honey butter glaze over sugar. I have a kitchen aide and it does all the work for me. The highest speed I put it on is 4 but I try to keep it on 2.
Hi Chelsea! Thank you for your feedback. I am sO glad that you enjoyed the recipe. This is my fave too!
Stunning, they look so golden and perfect! I can just imagine how divine they make your house smell while they are baking.
Thanks, Ruby! The aroma is just so wonderful! How are you?
Hi. Made it and it was amazing. Thank you for sharing this recipe xx
Thank you so much, Badriya! It means a lot to me!
Hi all. I could not not to try these magnificent great looking “eat me” buns. And they came out of the oven a few minutes ago….every one took a bite and u could see how the look on their faces changed….as in a dream…and I think…enough said!!!.
Don’t miss it…make it.
Hello, Hilik! Thank you. I am so glad you enjoyed them.
Can it be made in a Dutch oven ?
Hi Amy! Unfortunately, I have not tried it using a dutch oven. Sorry! I hope you still try to make this.
Hi. Can i make half of the recipe. I mean can i cut the recipe in half?
Hi Mimo. I have not tried cutting the recipe in half because the measurements will be tricky. I always do the full recipe. The buns will be gone quick, anyways 🙂
Hi Sanna, can I freeze these as I won’t be able eat two pans in 3 days? Any other idea on how to preserve them for longer? Maybe keep half of the unrisen dough in the fridge for two days? Appreciate your feedback and thanks for the recipe.
Hi Jenny! You can freeze them after baking for up to 2-3 weeks. Or after the first rise, Divide the dough in half. Make the rolls for the other half as usual and keep the other half in the fridge for up two days. When ready to bake, allow the dough to rest at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Shape and let rise again. Bake as usual. I suggest this method rather than freezing them. Happy Baking!