Japanese Milk Bread (Softest Dinner Rolls)

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This Japanese milk bread recipe includes milk, butter, an egg, and yeast for an aromatic loaf. This recipe creates dinner rolls your family will love. Light and airy as a cloud, the bread dough uses the Asian method of water roux called tangzhong. Delish on its own, but perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

A wooden board with dinner rolls. — Japanese Dinner Rolls – Milk Bread Recipe

What is tangzhong? Well, it’s a Japanese technique called yukone (yudane) using a roux. This method was adopted by a Taiwanese woman named Yvonne Chen. This Hokkaido milk bread is made with a roux that’s made with flour and water (or milk). I like the combination of the two.

How does it work? Well, the water is absorbed by the flour at a high temperature, and the starch is gelatinized without forming any gluten (that is why it must be cooked carefully). This allows the starch in the tangzhong to absorb far more liquid at room temperature later. That’s why when tangzhong is added to the dough, we can use more water, which in turn gives us a soft, stable yet spongy texture in the final bread loaves.

I am in love with this method of making bread, and I must admit that I have recently been tempted to add tangzhong to almost every bread I make. Today, we make dinner rolls, but you can use this to make almost anything. Try my Shokupan sandwich bread, softest burger buns, or even cinnamon rolls. Delicious on their own or serve for breakfast with butter and jam. Alongside the main course for lunch or dinner. Of course, these also make the most amazing sandwiches!!

Why make these dinner rolls?

Unmatched Softness: The tangzhong method creates a moist and pillowy texture that stays soft for days, making it perfect for sandwiches, toast, or enjoying plain.
Enhanced Flavor: The pre-cooked flour in tangzhong adds a subtle sweetness and depth of flavor, elevating the taste of your bread beyond the ordinary.
Extended Freshness: Tangzhong helps retain moisture, keeping your bread fresher for longer without needing preservatives.
Perfect for Beginners: The tangzhong method is forgiving and ensures a consistent dough, making it an ideal choice for those new to bread baking.

Ingredients and substitutes

Flour – I love to use bread flour because it produces the softest, most delicious bread, which is also slightly chewy.
Egg – I use a large egg, about 60 to 65 grams in weight.
Sugar – This bread is slightly sweeter than most other white bread. And yet, you can certainly reduce the sugar by half.
Butter – A good quality unsalted butter at room temperature works best for flavor and consistency.
Milk powder – This bread is often referred to as milk bread because it has whole milk and milk powder.
Yeast – I am using active dry yeast, but you can also use the same amount of instant yeast or 21 grams of fresh baker’s yeast. Learn more about – Baking with yeast a beginners guide.

Ingredients shot collage for Japanese Milk Bread. — Japanese Dinner Rolls – Milk Bread Recipe

Step-by-step: Japanese milk bread recipe

Tangzhong

In a small saucepan, combine water and flour with a whisk until no lumps remain. Add the milk and combine well again.
Pro tip – It is very important to make sure you have no lumps, as these will be difficult to remove from the dough.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook this mixture for 2 to 3 minutes. Keep stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
Pro tip – Keep it on medium-low heat. At first, the mixture will take a while to thicken, but then it does get thicker quickly. So, keep a close eye and take it off just when it reaches almost a paste consistency similar to a pudding.
Take it off the heat and transfer it to a small bowl or plate. Cover and let cool to almost room temperature. Make sure the plastic touches the surface of the tangzhong to prevent skin.
Pro tip – Removing from the hot pan will prevent it from cooking further, as we don’t want it to get lumpy.

Dough

Yeast mixture – In a bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, add the lukewarm milk (no warmer than 110°F) and the yeast. Combine well with a whisk. Then, add the sugar, milk powder, egg, and cooled tangzhong.
Combine – Add the flour and salt. Turn the mixer on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until all the flour is well incorporated.
Pro tip – Scrape the sides of the bowl well to ensure all the flour is well incorporated, and do not add more flour yet.
Knead – Continue to knead on medium speed for 5 to 6 minutes. Then, add the butter and continue to knead for 3 to 4 minutes more until you have a soft, smooth, and elastic dough.
Pro tip – Avoid the temptation to add more flour. We want soft, light, and fluffy rolls, and this is only possible when the dough is soft, elastic, yet slightly sticky.

Bowl – When the dough is soft and shiny, but still slightly sticky, shape it into a ball. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, seam side down. Coat the surface with oil to prevent drying. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth or plastic wrap.
Rise – Leave in a warm place. Let it rise for 60 to 90 minutes until it doubles in volume.
Pro tip – In winter, you may need 90 minutes or more. But in summer, the dough may double in 45 minutes. If you can’t attend to it at that moment, degas, reshape, and let it double in volume again.

Progress pictures collage kneading the bread dough. — Japanese Dinner Rolls – Milk Bread Recipe

Punch – When the dough is doubled in volume, transfer it to a well-dusted floured surface. Punch down and reshape into a ball. Then roll it into a small log.
Pro tip – At this point, there is no need for additional flour. So use a light dusting of flour.
Divide – Using a dough scraper, divide this log into three portions and then each of those portions into 3 again. This should give you 9 dinner rolls.
Pro tip – The odd number 9 is because we are using a square baking pan. You can also divide into 8 medium or 12 small rolls, using an 8-inch round or rectangular sheet pan.

Progress pictures collage shaping the dinner rolls. — Japanese Dinner Rolls – Milk Bread Recipe

How to shape dinner rolls

Shape – Hold each piece of dough in your hand and gather all the seams together. Pinch the seams at the bottom, then place the ball on a non-flour surface while still holding it in your hand.
Loosen the grip on the dough and roll it back and forth into a tight circle against the work surface. You will feel the dough become tight and smooth.
Pro tip – The goal is to create a tight, smooth ball. If you overdo the rolling, you will rip the top surface, which will give a rough, not smooth roll.

Progress pictures collage baking the dinner rolls. — Japanese Dinner Rolls – Milk Bread Recipe

Proof and bake

Tray – Grease or spray a 9 x 9 square baking pan. Place the rolls in the pan. Alternatively, you can also place the rolls on a baking tray and bake them as individual rolls.
Proof – Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and leave in a warm spot for about 45 minutes until almost doubled in size.
Pro tip – Spray the plastic wrap with oil to prevent it from sticking to the rolls.
Oven – When the rolls are almost double in volume, at about 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 375°F /190°C / Gas Mark 5
Eggwash – Brush the rolls with egg wash, milk, or cream.
Pro tip – Egg wash is a full egg with 2 tbsp of water. An egg wash will give a nice golden brown color. If you can’t use egg, milk or cream will work just as well. Do not use oil or butter, as it will create a crust.

Bake for about 22 to 25 minutes until lightly golden on top. When baked, brush with melted butter.
Pro tip – This is optional, but it adds a nice flavor and keeps the top crust soft.
Cool – Take them out of the pan, cool them on a wire rack, and cover them with a clean kitchen cloth for at least 5 minutes to keep them soft.
Pro tip – Do not leave the rolls in the pan for too long, as the steam will make the bread soggy on the bottom.
Enjoy!

Dinner rolls on a wooden board. — Milk Bread Dinner Rolls

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Frequently asked questions

How long will these dinner rolls keep?

If stored properly, these soft dinner rolls will stay for 3 to 4 days at room temperature. They can also be frozen for a month or more. Never store bread in the fridge as it dries out.

Why did my dough not rise?

Most often, the simplest explanation for this is that the liquid (milk) used was not warm. You need the liquid to be no more than 110°F/ 41 °C. Hotter than that will not activate the yeast. In some cases, it could also be that the yeast was old and not good.

Bread is dense, not soft. Why?

If you add too much flour to the dough, the bread will be dense, not soft. You want the dough to be soft, elastic, and still slightly sticky. Follow the recipe and look at the video to see the consistency of the dough.

My rolls deflated when baking. Why?

Proof the rolls for only 45 minutes or until they are almost doubled in volume. They will continue to rise some more in the oven when baking. If you overproof the rolls, they tend to rise and deflate when baking.

Veena Azmanov