Japanese Milk Bread is known for its unique and slightly sweet flavor. The secret? A milky, watery roux that is made and added to the dough mixture.
To start, combine flour, water and milk in a pan on the stove. Whisk the flour with the liquids and cook on medium heat until it thickens into a paste. Let it cool and knead it into the rest of the bread ingredients. Most recipes call for sugar as a sweetener, but fruit can be folded in as well.
Not sure when the dough has been kneaded thoroughly? Greg says to try the "pane test."
"Pinch off a lump of dough, maybe the size of a walnut and start stretching the dough, rolling it all around in your fingers. Until you can see a film, like a window pane. If it stretches and stretches and doesn't tear, you've kneaded it enough," Greg says.
This bread is great plain, slathered with butter or toasted for breakfast. Its great recipe for seasoned bread makers and beginners alike. Here is a link to a recipe the Food Guys recommend and a link to a how-to video.
(Broadcast: "The Food Guys," 5/20/18. Listen weekly on the radio at 11:50 a.m. Sundays, or via podcast.)