Sourdough Hokkaido Milk Loaf

I guarantee this is THE SOFTEST, FLUFFIEST sandwich loaf you'll ever make! This bread is the ultimate crowd pleaser, it's perfect for every occasion and you can enjoy it with both savory and sweet toppings.

There are times when only a plain white sandwich loaf will do. What sets this recipe apart from other recipes is the use of tangzhong, an Asian technique that yields a softer, more tender crumb. Similar to adding a porridge or pre-cooked mash (ala Peter Reinhart) to your dough; flour and water and/or milk are first made into a roux before being added to the rest of your dough ingredients. This pre-gelatinizes the starches in the flour, and when added to a recipe, results in a dough that can absorb and retain more liquid.

This recipe is incredibly versatile, and once you've mastered it, you can get creative and use it as a base for babka, cinnamon rolls or even this matcha coconut loaf. You'll end up with an incredibly pillowy, fluffy bread each time.

Now onto the recipe!

Ingredients

Stiff Levain

Quantity	Ingredient	Baker's %
10 grams	Starter (unfed)	25%
25 grams	Water	62%
40 grams	Flour	100%
10 grams	Brown Sugar	25%

Tangzhong

Quantity	Ingredient	Baker's %
15 grams	Bread flour	100%
45 grams	Milk	300%
45 grams	Water	300%

Dough

Quantity	Ingredient	Baker's %
300 grams	Bread flour	100%
18 grams	Powdered milk	6%
8 grams	Salt	2%
88 grams	Milk	30%
1	Egg	--
50 grams	Granulated Sugar	16%
60 grams	Butter (melted)	20%

** you can substitute 30% of the flour in this recipe with whole wheat flour

Egg Wash

Quantity	Ingredient
1	Egg
1 tablespoon	Water

Ingredients

Make Stiff Levain

The night before you're ready to bake, combine all of the ingredients in the levain section above.

Make Tangzhong

Before mixing your dough create your Tangzhong starter.

In a small saucepan whisk together milk, water and flour from the Tangzhong section.

Once combined, cook over low heat until mixture thickens and whisk leaves lines on the bottom of the pan. For best results don't let roux dry out too much.

Transfer to a bowl and cool completely before adding to the rest of your ingredients. Adding this mixture to your dough while its too hot may kill your yeast***

Mix Dough

Combine the tangzhong and stiff starter with the rest of the dough ingredients. Mix and knead — by hand, or in a mixer until smooth and elastic.

Form a ball with the dough and transfer to a lightly oiled container. Cover with lid or plastic wrap.

Bulk Ferment

Allow dough to rise on your counter until doubled, around 4 to 8 hours (watch the dough not your clock).  

I usually mix my dough at night and allow it to rise overnight.***

Once your dough has doubled in size, you can proceed to shaping or store in your dough in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Shape

Turn your dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently degas your dough and form an 8" by 8" square. Roll the dough onto itself to form a tube-like shape.

Place dough in a 8" by 4" loaf pan that has been greased or lined with parchment paper.

Final proof

Allow dough to proof until it has filled the loaf pan and appears bubbly (2 to 4 hours depending on temperature)

Bake

Towards the end of proofing, preheat oven to 350 F / 176 C.

Combine water and egg to create an egg wash.

Brush top of loaf with egg wash and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the internal temperature of the loaf registers at 190 F or 87 C.

Once baked, allow to cool in loaf pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.  

Et Voila!

You really can't go wrong with this bread. It's so soft and tender with only a subtle hint of sweetness. Slice the loaf into thick slices, slather it with butter and grill ala Texas toast if you're having a BBQ, eat it with jam for breakfast or simply tear into it and enjoy it plain.

Please share this recipe if you enjoyed it! Remember to post a photo and tag me @makeitdough when you make this delicious recipe, so I can check out your bake