Make Hokkaido style milk bread rolls with this simple recipe. These milk bread rolls are super soft, airy, moist, and slightly sweet. They’re very easy to put together and hold up well when made ahead. They’re perfect for your holiday dinner party and simple enough to make as an everyday recipe.
I had the softest bread when I was living in Japan, back when I was in school. Not just the freshly baked bread from the bakery, but even the mass-produced sliced white bread in Japan has a super fluffy and fine texture. You could easily smash a 1” (2 cm) thick piece of bread until paper-thin and it would still bounce back. My taste for milk bread heightened after I enjoyed it for two years in Japan. Fast forward to 10 years later, I still crave that soft bread slathered with a dollop of butter and jam
Now that the weather has turned cold and the holiday season is around the corner, I want to bring these soft and fluffy bread rolls to your Thanksgiving dinner table. My goal was to develop a very easy recipe that requires minimal hands-on time and yields the best result. After much testing and refinement, I finally settled on this easy milk bread roll recipe.
Why this recipe
- Easy ingredients. It’s likely that you have most of them in your pantry and you can find everything in regular grocery store.
- The recipe doesn’t require a starter (a.k.a Tangzhong). This makes the process easier.
- Let the mixer do all the work. The recipe requires minimal hands-on time with the dough and the active prep time is only about 20 minutes.
- Outstanding result with a soft, springy texture and tiny air bubbles.
- Foolproof process that any beginner baker can easily follow.
Milk bread roll ingredients
You only need eight ingredients for the milk bread dough:
- Egg
- Bread flour
- Yeast
- Sugar and salt
- Whole milk
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Butter
We tested multiple formulas with different combinations such as milk, heavy cream etc. We finally settled on this one using condensed milk. It gives the bread a sweetness like the bread from an Asian bakery.
How to make milk bread rolls
1. Prepare the dough – 1st rise
The recipe starts by activating the yeast. Even though you can get away without this step, I feel that it’s quite necessary to make sure your yeast is fresh and will work properly. So you don’t end up wasting a lot of time and ingredients with expired yeast.
Once you mix the ingredients together, let the dough mass sit for 20 minutes to let the yeast do its work.
Then knead it with a mixer until the dough is smooth. Once the dough is ready, it will be very wet and a bit sticky, but you should be able to handle it with your hands.
Rest the dough for about 1 hour.
3. Assemble – 2nd rise
The dough will double in size once rested, as well as become springy and less sticky. You’ll need to punch the dough to squeeze out the air, so the end result will have an even texture.
Divide the dough into nine even pieces. To ensure even baking and consistent size, you can measure out the dough balls with a scale.
Once you’ve placed the dough balls onto the baking sheet, let the dough rise again, for 35 to 45 minutes.
Then brush a very thin layer of milk onto the bread so it will yield a beautiful golden brown color after baking. We chose to use a milk wash instead of an egg wash, so the bread rolls’ outer texture would be similar to that of traditional dinner rolls.
4. Bake and serve
The rest is easy. Simply bake the milk bread rolls at 350° F (176° C) for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
The dinner rolls will come out fluffy, airy, and slightly sweet. When you pull them apart, you’ll see the stringy texture with even, tiny air bubbles.
These milk bread rolls taste best when fresh. But the best part of this recipe is, you can store them at room temperature for a day and they will stay soft and moist.
You can store the bread in the freezer for longer storage, but it’s very unlikely they will last that long!
Afterthoughts
It’s true that it takes a bit of time and patience to make milk bread rolls at home. But this recipe is so simple that it can totally become one of your everyday recipes. These rolls taste great by themselves, but you can use your favorite spread on them, such as butter, jam, or peanut butter.
The recipe is also perfect for the holiday season and any dinner party, because it requires very little active cooking time. You can prepare them in advance and they hold up well.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Serve these milk bread rolls with
- Duck de Marietta (The Best Slow Roast Duck)
- The Best Cantonese Roast Chicken
- Curried Vegan Green Bean Casserole
- Instant Pot Pork Ribs (Chinese-Style)
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Sliders
Easy Milk Bread Rolls
Ingredients
- 300 g (2 1/2 cups) bread flour
- 140 ml (1/2 cup ) whole milk , and extra for brushing onto the bread
- 7 g (1 packet / 2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 30 g (2 1/2 tablespoons) sugar
- 5 g (1 teaspoon) salt
- 80 g (1/4 cup) sweetened condensed milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
- 1 large egg
Instructions
1st rise
- Add the milk into a small bowl and warm to approximately 100-110°F (38°C), about 30 seconds in the microwave. The milk should be warm, just a bit above body temperature. Add a pinch of sugar and the active dry yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes so the yeast will activate.
- While the yeast activates, add the rest of the ingredients into your mixer bowl.
- Once the yeast is activated, you should see bubbles on the surface of the mixture. Pour it into the mixer bowl. Mix with a spatula until the dough just comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
- Install the dough hook on your mixer (I used a KitchenAid). Start at low speed, then gradually increase to setting 8 out of 10. Knead for 10 to 12 minutes, until the dough is very smooth. Stop the mixer in the middle and scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl. Test the dough by pulling a piece of it using both of your hands. It should stretch into a very thin and translucent sheet. The dough should be wet and a bit sticky.
- Grease a big bowl with a thin layer of oil. Place the dough into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
2nd rise
- Line a 9” x 9” (23cm x 23 cm) baking pan with parchment paper.
- Punch the air out of the dough. Transfer it onto a lightly oiled working surface. Divide the dough into 9 even pieces by cutting it into 3 even strips, then further cutting each strip into 3 small pieces. Each piece of dough should weigh 68 to 70 grams.
- Shape the dough one piece at a time. Tuck the dough onto itself by pinching the dough from all sides into the center using your fingers, creating a round shape. Then roll the dough in a circular motion with your palm against the table, until it forms a round ball. Place the dough balls onto the parchment paper, evenly spaced, in a 3-by-3 array.
- Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap. Let rest again for another 35 to 45 minutes, until the size has doubled.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (176° C) while resting the shaped bread rolls.
- Right before baking, gently brush a thin layer of milk onto the tops of the bread rolls.
- Bake the milk bread rolls on the middle rack for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top turns golden brown. You can also test the doneness by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the middle of the center bun. It should register at least 190°F.
- Let the bread rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it onto a cooling rack.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Store
- Once the milk bread rolls have cooled completely, you can store them in an airtight container on your kitchen counter for up to 2 days. The rolls will stay very soft at room temperature. You can also warm them up in the microwave it for 10 seconds or leave them in a 350° F (176° C) oven to warm up before serving.
- For longer storage, place the dinner rolls in a ziplock bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, and store them in the freezer for up to a month. To reheat, bake the rolls at 350° F (176° C) without thawing, until warm throughout, 10 minutes or so.
Video
Nutrition
Lilja Walter is a part of the Omnivore’s Cookbook team and worked closely with Maggie to develop and test this recipe.
Great recipe, thanks for sharing!
Hi, what can I substitute for sweetened condensed milk? Could I just use regular milk + sugar?
Hi Sophie, if you don’t have condensed milk, maybe you can try this recipe (without the topping): https://omnivorescookbook.com/pineapple-buns/
The texture of the buns is very soft and quite similar to the milk bread.
What do I do if my dough is not to the consistency you mention after kneading in a KitchenAid mixer for 12 minutes? It still looks wet and sticky. Doesn’t stretch out like you described.
Hi there, let me tell you this recipe is a winner.
My family is obsessed with these buns and it comes out perfect every time I make it and it’s so easy and simple to make.
I’m just wondering though if it’s possible to make a loaf and if it is how long do you reckon it will take in the oven?
You can definitely make it into a loaf if you know how to shape it and bake it. However if you’re not familiar with the process I wouldn’t recommend you to do so. Shaping a loaf requires a different process than the small rolls, and it might not rise well if you shape it wrong.
I think the baking time might be around 25 to 30 minutes, but you should able to tell by observing the top of the bread.
I made these amazing rolls over the weekend. They were too good to last a night. My family ate rhem all at a go!. Now i am here going to do it again and honestly i have to double the recipe ! Yummy soft and just like the bread i used to enjoy in Asia
Hi Maggie, I’m excited to try making these bread rolls. I’m not sure if I am overthinking but is the pinch of sugar in the recipe for activating the yeast separate from the 30g sugar listed under the ingredients list?
Hi Carl, good question! The pinch of sugar doesn’t matter too much either way but I always used a pinch from the 30g sugar I’ve weighed.
We love this bread. It truly tastes like the bread we grew up with, sweet and airy. My husband and I grew up in Asia and have been looking for this kind of bread. Your recipe is great for a beginner baker like me, so easy to follow and the pictures help a lot. Will be making this bread again for sure.
I’ve had failure after failure with bread but this was amazing and it’s so yummy!! I don’t write recipe reviews but I’m so happy with the bread. I used a bread machine to knead–i feel like the paddel like attachment makes a difference when mixing. It’ll be sticky (stuck quite a bit to my hands without dipping my hands in water) even when shaping but no extra flour needed. Love it when a bread recipe tells me exactly how much flour to use. MAKE THIS BREAD.
Simple and delicious
Can I make this as a bun and put kaya as filling? Can I double the recipe and put it in a 9×13 pan? Will the baking time be the same of there’s a filling and if it’s baked in a 9×13 pan? Thanks!
I’m pretty sure you can stuff the bun with whatever filling you want. I’ve tried with char siu filling before and it worked out beautifully.
And yes, you can double the recipe and put it in a 9×13 pan. As for the baking time, it might potentially need shorter time (15 mins or so) but you need to observe the buns to make sure. My oven is wonky and sometimes the temperature goes high, so the 20 mins baking time might work for you.
Thank you! Made this today and it was great! Baked it at 20 minutes.
Can I use this recipe to make hotdog buns/rolls like in Chinese bakeries?
Ok…..am i the only one whos dough was never wet OR sticky at ANY stage???? Haha
I did everything to the tee….was kinda worried….
Still…..went forward with the process….
But baked them in a bunt tin….
The result…..delicious fluffy rolls….my 12 year old requested them and it looks like it will become a regular thing….
Looks spectacular in the bunt shape!
One of the best ever bread recipies we have ever used – thank you for sharing it.
Can you freeze pre baking and bake before serving?
Hi Lily, I’ve never tried freezing the dough before baking but I’m afraid the freezing might affect the dough to rise. I recommend to bake them fresh and store. The baked bread freeze very well and it tastes fresh after reheating.
Yes. After the first rise, shape your rolls and place on a silpat or lightly oiled parchment and freeze until solid. Remove from sheet and store frozen in a freezer bag. When ready to bake, remove rolls from bag, place in baking dish and allow to thaw, once thawed, rolls will begin to rise. Proceed with recipe as directed. 🙂
Thanks for sharing! This is super helpful information 🙂
First time ever making rolls and I love this recipe! I was nervous about trying it and they came out great! My family are them up and enjoyed them so much. I will be makig these for Thanksgiving!
easy to follow recipe for a delicious roll this will be a regular in the house now
I just tried this recipe. I was so happy. First time to make bread. My teens love it. I made the recipe 2x yesteday. And its so easy. Just used the all purpose flour. And its already good. How much more if I used the bread flour? Thanks for sharing the recipe. It takes long time for the process but only 20 minutes to bake.
Hi! Can i replace active dry yeast with instant? If so, whats the measurment? Thank you in advance!
I’ve never tried it personally but I think you can. Replace the 2 teaspoons active dry yeast with 2 1/2 teaspoon instant. Do not dissolve the instant yeast in the water. You should mix it directly into the dry ingredients.
I made this without a mixer and it turned out great! I had to knead by hand for a little bit longer, maybe 5-7 minutes more than indicated. I used an 8×8 in pan. Then in our fan-assisted oven, it was golden brown by around 18 minutes. This will be a regular feature in our home for sure.
First time for me to bake bread and this was perfect! Thank you! Had to look for a video on how to knead though 😊
The best and easy recipe! Very impressed with the results!
Hi! Do you have any recommendations for omitting or substituting the egg? My children both have egg allergies, but I really want to try this recipe! Thank you!
Hi Megan, I’ve never tried myself but I think you can use flaxseed egg to replace the egg in this recipe: https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-a-flax-egg/
There are many other egg replacement recipes out there but many of them have a strong taste that do not suit this bread. I think the flaxseed method is the best bet.