Description

This classic Milk Bread recipe yields soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet bread with a tender crumb and a beautiful golden crust. Made with simple ingredients like milk, heavy cream, and sugar, this versatile bread is perfect for sandwiches, toast, or just enjoying plain. The dough is kneaded until smooth, proofed twice to develop its delicate texture, then baked to a golden finish and brushed with a simple syrup for extra shine and sweetness.

Ingredients

Scale

Dough Ingredients

2/3 cup heavy cream (at room temperature)
1 cup milk (plus 1 tablespoon, at room temperature; whole, 1%, or 2% milk can be used)
1 large egg (at room temperature)
1/3 cup sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour (or 1/2 cup cake flour combined with 3 1/2 cups bread flour)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast or instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

For Brushing

Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Simple syrup: 1 tablespoon sugar dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water

Instructions

Mix and Knead Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, flour, yeast, and salt in that order. Turn mixer on to ‘stir’ and knead for 15 minutes, stopping occasionally to gather dough. If dough sticks to bowl sides, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until dough pulls away from sides but sticks to bottom. If kneading by hand, extend kneading to 20-25 minutes.
First Proofing: Cover the dough with a damp towel and place it in a warm spot to proof until doubled in size, approximately 1-2 hours. A closed microwave with a mug of just-boiled water nearby works well for proofing.
Prepare Baking Pans: Grease two baking pans thoroughly with butter. Options include two standard loaf pans, two 9-inch round pans, or one loaf pan and one round pan.
Degas and Shape Dough: Once doubled, return dough to mixer and knead on low for 5 minutes to remove air bubbles. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. For loaves, shape each half into a rough rectangle, cut crosswise into three equal pieces, and place pieces in loaf pans. For rolls, divide each half into 8 portions, roll into balls or shape into ropes for twisted buns, and place in round pans. Let shaped dough proof, covered, for another hour.
Bake Bread: Position an oven rack in the center and preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush the risen dough with egg wash. Bake for 23-25 minutes until golden brown. When done, remove from oven and immediately brush with the prepared simple syrup for a glossy, sweet finish.

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients for better yeast activation and dough consistency.
The dough sticks slightly to the bottom of the mixing bowl during kneading—that’s normal; just ensure it doesn’t stick to the sides.
Double proofing creates the characteristic soft and airy texture of milk bread.
Greasing the pans thoroughly prevents sticking and helps achieve an even crust.
The simple syrup brush after baking adds shine and a subtle sweetness to the crust.
This bread freezes well; slice before freezing and toast slices directly from frozen.

Prep Time: 15 minutes (mixing and kneading) + 1-2 hours first proof + 1 hour second proof
Cook Time: 23-25 minutes
Category: Bread
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Japanese-inspired Western-style bread

Keywords: milk bread, fluffy bread, soft bread, Japanese bread, homemade bread, sandwich bread, sweet bread