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Japanese

Japanese milk bread (tangzhong shokupan)

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

食パン · shokupan

A tall, feather-soft white loaf that pulls apart in shreds. A cooked flour-and-milk paste (tangzhong) holds extra moisture, so the bread stays soft for days.

Japanese milk bread (tangzhong shokupan) is a Japanese bread, ready in about 4 hours 5 minutes and made with bread flour and unsalted butter. It serves 12 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
40 min
Cook
35 min
Rest
2 h 50 min
Total
4 h 5 min
Serves
12
Level
Intermediate
Calories
158

Ingredients

12 slices

For the tangzhong

For the dough

To finish

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the 25 g flour into the 125 g milk (opens in a new tab) in a small pan and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens to a pudding-like paste that leaves trails (about 65 °C), 2–3 minutes. Scrape into a bowl, cover the surface and cool to lukewarm.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    In a stand mixer (opens in a new tab) combine the remaining flour, sugar (opens in a new tab), milk powder (opens in a new tab), yeast and salt. Add the egg (opens in a new tab), 100 g milk (opens in a new tab) and the cooled tangzhong and knead on low–medium for 5 minutes. Add the butter in pieces and knead 10–15 minutes more until the dough is very smooth and passes the windowpane test.

    By hand this takes 20+ minutes of slap-and-fold; the dough starts very sticky and becomes satiny.

    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Round the dough, cover and leave until doubled, about 60 minutes.

    • 60 min

  4. Step 4

    Divide into 3 equal pieces, round them and rest 15 minutes. Roll each into a long oval, fold the sides into the middle, then roll up tightly from the short end. Place the three rolls seam-down side by side in a greased 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin (opens in a new tab).

  5. Step 5

    Cover and proof until the dough domes about 1 cm below the rim, 45–60 minutes. Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 175 °C.

    • 50 min
    • 175°C

  6. Step 6

    Brush with milk (opens in a new tab) and bake 30–35 minutes until deep golden; the inside should read 88–90 °C. Tip out immediately onto a rack and cool at least 45 minutes before slicing.

About this dish

Origin
Japan · Commonly attributedSoft milk loaves are a staple of Japanese bakeries; the tangzhong (water-roux) method was popularised through Chinese-language baking books and is widely used for this style across East Asia.Also popular in Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, South KoreaMore food from Japan
Dish
Breakfast · Snack · Breads & flatbreads
Cooking method
Oven-baked, Fermented
Taste
mild, sweet, buttery, creamy
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Child-friendly · Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly
Cook more with
Bread flour · Unsalted butter · Milk · Sugar · Instant yeast · Egg
Techniques
Baking · Kneading · Fermentation

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom milk, milk powder, unsalted butter
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Wheatfrom bread flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom bread flour

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

158 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 53 g · recipe makes 12

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 12%
  • Carbohydrate 65%
  • Fat 22%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy158 kcal296 kcal
Protein4.8 g9.1 g
Carbohydrate25.6 g48 g
Net carbohydrate24.8 g46.5 g
Sugars4.4 g8.2 g
Added sugars3.3 g6.3 g
Fibre0.8 g1.6 g
Fat3.9 g7.3 g
Saturated fat2 g3.8 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol24 mg44 mg
Sodium209 mg392 mg
Salt equivalent0.5 g1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
65 mg
Calcium
29 mg
Iron
1.4 mg
Magnesium
10 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
35 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0.3 µg
Vitamin B12
0.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
99 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: milk powder, milk.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Tent with foil after 20 minutes if the top colours quickly — the sugar and milk brown fast.

Common mistakes

  • Slicing while hot squashes the delicate crumb.
  • Under-kneading gives a cakey rather than stretchy, shreddable crumb.

Serve with

  • Thick-cut for toast, egg sandwiches (tamago sando) or fruit-and-cream sandos.

Storage

  • Wrapped at room temperature for 3–4 days; freeze sliced up to 1 month.

Reheating

  • Toast from frozen.

Variations

  • Milk bread rolls: Shape 9 balls in a 20 cm square tin and bake 22–25 minutes.
  • Yudane method (Japan): Japanese bakers often scald part of the flour with boiling water and rest it overnight instead of cooking a tangzhong.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 2

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 40 min

    Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).

  2. First rise (bulk) · about 1 h

    About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.

  3. Rest · about 15 min

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  4. Final proof · about 50 min

    Poke test: the dent springs back slowly and only partly. Springs back fast = needs longer; doesn't spring back = over-proofed, bake now.

  5. Bake · about 35 min at 175 °C

    Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).

  6. Cool · about 45 min

    Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.

  7. Start to finish: about 4 h 5 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

The dough

The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
IngredientRoleWeightBaker’s %
Bread flourFlour350 g100%
MilkOther liquid225 g64.3%
Total flour
350 g
Hydration
—
With milk, eggs…
55.9%
Wholegrain
0%

Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.

If something goes wrong

  • Dense, heavy loaf

    Likely causes

    • Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
    • Under-proofed
    • Old or dead yeast/starter
    • Too much wholegrain flour without extra water

    What to do

    • Knead to the windowpane stage
    • Proof by the poke test, not the clock
    • Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
    • Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
  • Gummy or wet crumb

    Likely causes

    • Under-baked
    • Sliced while hot
    • Hydration too high for the flour

    What to do

    • Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
    • Cool completely on a rack before slicing
    • Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
  • Spreads flat / no oven spring

    Likely causes

    • Over-proofed
    • Weak shaping (no surface tension)
    • Oven not hot enough
    • Too much water for the flour

    What to do

    • Shorten the proof; bake when the poke springs back slowly
    • Shape tightly so the skin is taut
    • Preheat fully (30+ minutes; with a stone or Dutch oven, 45)
    • Lower hydration or use bread flour
  • Collapsed or sunken middle

    Likely causes

    • Oven door opened too early
    • Too much leavening or sugar
    • Under-baked centre
    • Over-proofed yeast dough

    What to do

    • Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
    • Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
    • Test the centre before removing
    • Proof less
  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Crust too hard or thick

    Likely causes

    • Baked too long at too low a temperature
    • No steam at the start

    What to do

    • Bake hotter for a shorter time
    • Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
    • Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust
  • Big holes or tunnels

    Likely causes

    • Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
    • Air trapped while shaping bread
    • Uneven proof

    What to do

    • Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
    • Degas gently and shape tightly
    • Proof covered in an even, warm place
  • Dough didn't rise

    Likely causes

    • Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
    • Kitchen too cold
    • Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
    • Starter not active

    What to do

    • Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
    • Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
    • Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
    • Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
  • Over-proofed (sour smell, collapses when scored)

    Likely causes

    • Too warm
    • Too much yeast
    • Left too long

    What to do

    • Knock back, reshape and proof again briefly (yeast doughs)
    • Use less yeast or a cooler proof
    • Set a timer and check early with the poke test
  • Dry or crumbly

    Likely causes

    • Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
    • Over-baked
    • Too little fat or sugar

    What to do

    • Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
    • Check 5 minutes early
    • Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

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