Easy, comforting Sourdough Milk Bread Loaf

This is a new sourdough milk bread recipe that I tried recreating to taste and look like the Japanese Milk Bread. I wanted to see if I could achieve similar texture and taste without the tangzhong. The final result is superior than you’d expect and is very very close to the Japanese Milk Bread.

Honestly speaking this hit close to home like the tangzhong style milk bread and is a new regular is my house. Hubby and I loved the texture and the flavor of this bread is not too sweet as the Japanese milk bread because I haven’t used any sugars in it and all the sweetness you taste in this are naturally occurring. We enjoyed them the classic way with lots of nut butters, fig jam & banana. Do try for yourself and tell me what you think.

Japanese milk bread is nothing but milk bread made using cooked warm paste of water and flour in 4:1 ratio (water to flour) and added to the bread mixture which results in super texture, soft crumb and layered bread. It’s the bread of the breads and if you haven’t tried. I highly recommend you do.

Steps 1:

Start with prepping your starter 1 and half day before you want to bake the bread. For example if you want to bake on Sunday, start your soughdough starter on Friday. Feed at least twice at 12 hr. interval if it has been sitting in the fridge for more than 1 week. Always feed your starter equal amount of water and flour. If your starter looks too flowy add 1 t of flour at a time and mix. You want to reach a consistency similar to that of peanut butter without any oil. See this post for more details: Dairy Free Sourdough Milk Bread

Step 2:

Always start by mixing the milk and starter first. If using water, start with water and flour. Aim for at least 1/3 Cup of levain for 2 Cups of flour. After mixing both milk and levain, fold in the flour. The final result always will be wetter than regular dough. But resting the dough after this process and the coil folds will strength it and will make it easier to handle as you go.

Step 3:

Try to stick to a regular timed intervals for the coil folds. This will help to build the dough evenly. Otherwise it will rise more unevenly and will make it harder to handle.

Step 4:

The shaping after coming out of the fridge is what gives its layers and the fluffy texture will depend on the final rise. Don’t worry if its not perfect. The result will still be delicious.

If you are a beginner and never worked with Sourdough Yeast, then I highly recommend you read this blog. I used this blog to create my first successful yeast after years of trying and failing.