Milk bread makes for the softest, squishiest dinner rolls! These rolls are buttery, melt-in-your-mouth perfection, thanks to the use of the simple addition of Tangzhong. So easy to make & the perfect addition to any meal!
I’ve been in a losing battle with bread lately. It’s true. I love making bread, but a lot of the recipe ideas in my head just haven’t been turning out like I envisioned. I started to get mad at bread, vowing to never bake bread again. But alas, here I am making more bread. But this time, I turned my sights to something simple. A break from all the fancy fillings, complicated enriched doughs, twists and braids, and set my sights on what I believe to be bread in its purist, most delicious form: milk bread.
Oooooh milk bread. The softest, squishiest, most comforting bite of bread you’ll ever take. I made this milk bread recipe into simple dinner rolls, and it was magic. Buttery soft, melt-in-your-mouth bread that makes for a swoon-worthy addition to any dinner. Or any meal. Or any random snack. This bread did not do me wrong. We made nice, became friends, and now hang out on the regular.
What’s the secret behind milk bread? Tangzhong. Sounds complicated, but it’s really not. It’s not a special ingredient you have to hunt down, but rather a simple combination of ingredients that you’re already using in your bread: milk, water, and bread flour. Tangzhong is a roux or “starter” that’s made by cooking a small portion of milk, water, and bread flour before incorporating it into your dough. Cooking the flour in milk & water allows the flour to pre-gelatinize, therefore enabling the flour to absorb more moisture. What does this mean for your dinner rolls? Softer, more tender rolls with a longer shelf-life. And by “soft,” I mean silky-smooth, buttery rolls that stay soft for days. Yes, please, thank you very much.
Please, please, please, make these dinner rolls. They are just too good & too easy to pass up. You will 100% be the hero when you bring these to the table.
What you’ll need to bake these rolls:
Active dry yeast: Yeast is the key player in bread fermentation. By feeding on sugars in the dough & producing carbon dioxide, yeast serves as a leavening agent, strengthens the dough, and helps develop flavor.
Sugar: Adds subtle sweetness, helps tenderize the dough, and helps activate the yeast in fermentation process.
Whole milk: Makes these rolls extra soft. The sugars in the milk help activate the yeast in the fermentation process.
Bread flour: For structure. Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, which gives the rolls more structure & helps them rise higher in the oven.
Egg: For binding and structure.
Butter: Adds richness, flavor, and a soft texture.
Kosher salt: For flavor. TIP: While I recommend kosher salt, if you don’t have it on hand, use ½ the amount of table salt.
FAQs:
Why is this recipe primarily listed in grams? I develop my recipes in grams because weighing your ingredients is the best, most accurate way to bake. Baking is a science and precision is key to success! Measuring cups are not standardized, and what’s more, the way each baker uses them varies drastically, which ultimately gives you inconsistent (and sometimes negative) results. For instance, did you know that scooping flour out of a cannister can give you 50% more flour than what’s called for in the recipe? By weighing your ingredients rather than using measuring cups, you can confidently know that you are using the correct amount of each ingredient, giving you greater success & delicious results. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale, like this one when you bake. Plus, it makes clean up a lot easier!
What is Tangzhong? Tangzhong is a Japanese technique in bread baking. It is a roux or “starter” that’s made by cooking a small portion of milk, water, and bread flour before incorporating it into your dough. Cooking the flour & liquid allows the flour to pre-gelatinize, therefore enabling the flour to absorb more moisture. This results in softer, more tender bread that has a longer shelf-life.
Can I double this recipe? Yes! Simply double your ingredients when making the dough. Then divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, shape into rolls, and divide between 2, 9″ cake pans.
How will I know when the rolls are done baking? The rolls are done baking when golden brown and an instant read thermometer registers 190-200°F when inserted into one of the rolls.
A few notes before you bake:
Shaping the dough into smooth rolls is pretty simple. First, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. The most accurate way to do this is by weight. Take a piece of dough & gently flatten it into a circle. Pull the edges of the circle towards the center & pinch together to form a ball. Then, on a lightly floured surface, place the ball seam-side down, cover the ball with your hand in a “c-shaped” formation and loosely roll the ball of dough in a circular motion. This should give you a nice, smooth roll.
PrintMilk Bread Dinner Rolls
- Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus 2 1/2 hours proofing time)
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 rolls 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
Description
Milk bread makes for the softest, squishiest dinner rolls! These rolls are buttery, melt-in-your-mouth perfection, thanks to the use of the simple addition of Tangzhong. So easy to make & the perfect addition to any meal!
Ingredients
For the bread dough:
- 120 gm (1/2 cup) whole milk, warmed to 105-110°F
- 7 gm (2 1/4 teaspoons or 1 packet) active dry yeast
- 50 gm (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 344 gm (2 3/4 cups, spoon & leveled) bread flour
- 1 large egg
- 56 gm (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Tangzhong (recipe below)
For the Tangzhong:
- 60 gm (1/4 cup) whole milk
- 2 tablespoons water
- 16 gm (2 tablespoons) bread flour
For the egg wash:
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- First, make the Tangzhong. Combine 60 gm (1/4 cup) milk, 2 tablespoons water, and 16 gm (2 tablespoons) bread flour in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens & the whisk leaves a line at the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes. Pour mixture into a small heatproof bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Next, begin making your bread dough. Combine 12 gm (1 tablespoon) sugar, yeast, & warm milk in a small bowl. Set aside until yeast is activated & mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine Tangzhong, foamy yeast mixture, remaining 38 gm (3 tablespoons) sugar, bread flour, egg, melted butter and salt, and mix on low speed until just combined. Scrape down sides of bowl. Switch to hook attachment and knead on medium-low speed until a soft, elastic dough forms, about 6-8 minutes. Dough will be sticky but pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface & knead a few times by hand, forming dough into a ball. Place in a large bowl lightly greased with neutral cooking spray and turn to coat. Cover with cling wrap and allow to proof in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 60-90 minutes. In the meantime, spray a 9″ round cake pan with cooking spray and preheat oven to 350°F.
- Punch down dough. Divide into 8 equal pieces & rolls into balls on a lightly floured surface (see my notes above for more detailed instructions). Place rolls in prepared pan, lightly cover with cling wrap, and allow to proof in a warm, draft-free place until puffy, 45-60 minutes.
- Brush rolls with egg wash. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and an instant read thermometer registers 190-200°F when inserted into one of the rolls. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing.
Notes
Storage: Store in an airtight container, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Keywords: bread, milk bread, Tangzhong, dinner roll
