If you’re looking for a step above your regular dinner rolls, with the fluffiest, softest crumb, look no further! These go by many names and is also known as Japanese milk bread, shokupan, Hokkaido milk bread, Korean milk bread (우유식빵), or Chinese milk bread.

It is moist, buttery, very slightly sweet and very light. Asian milk bread is traditionally made using ‘tangzhong’ or ‘yuddane’ methods where a roux or starter is made by heating water and flour together. In both cases the purpose of cooking and mixing flour with a hot liquid is to gelatinize the starch of the flour. This recipe uses neither method.

Instead, bread flour and cake flour in this recipe make the bread rise higher, and helps with softness and flavor – but you can still make milk bread even if you can’t get your hands on those ingredients. If using all-purpose flour make sure make sure all ingredients are room temperature and once mixed the the dough gets a good rise, ideally in a warm, humid place, and don’t add extra flour as you work with the dough, allow it to stay wet and loose.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup heavy cream at room temperature
• 1 cup room temperature milk (plus 1 tablespoon more)
• 1 large egg ~room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar 
• 1/2 cup cake flour (Swans is what I used)
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 
• egg wash (1 egg with 1 teaspoon water whisked together)
• Simple syrup (2 tsp. of sugar, dissolved in 2 tsp. hot water)

Instructions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, cake flour, bread flour, yeast, and salt.
   
   
2. Use the dough hook attachment, and turn the mixer on to low and mix, the buttery dough will come together towards the end of the 12-15 minutes, remember to occasionally scrape the bowl. 
   
   
3. If humidity is an issue, and the dough is too sticky, feel free to add a little more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it comes together but not more than 2 otherwise you will end up with a dense bread.
   
   
4. First Rise: After 15 minutes, cover the bowl with a towel and place in a warm area for 1 hour.
   
   
5. Lightly grease a large tray or two small baking trays with butter.
   
   
6. After an hour put the dough back in the mixer and knead for another 5 minutes to deflate or knead punch the air bubbles out of the dough. 
   
   
7. Divide dough: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and divide it into eight equal pieces then, roll each piece into 8-inch long ropes, fold each rope in half and twist it 4 times, twisting the entire piece in on itself to make a knot.
   
   
8. Shape dough: You can also make loaves or rolls.  To make the loaf you will need to separate dough into three equal pieces. Flatten one piece into a rectangle, then fold the long ends towards the middle, and finally roll it up from the short side,  seal and tuck the dough on the bottom. Repeat with the other two pieces, then place them in the loaf tin seam side down with the rolled edges of the logs facing the long sides of the pan for the second rise.
   
   
9. Second Rise: Let it rest and proof for another 60 minutes.
   
   
10. Preheat the oven to 350* 
    
    
11. Brush the rolls with the egg wash. 
    
    
12. Bake for 23-25 minutes. 
    
    
13. Remove from the oven and brush the buns with sugar water to give them that glossy shine and sweetness.