Milk Bread (Kristina Cho)

Sometimes, our breakfasts are more involved, like blueberry scones made from scratch. Other times, it’s pouring milk into a bowl of cereal. One of our most frequent morning meals is toast: spread with nut butter or marmalade, or covered with mashed avocado and an eye-popping amount of black pepper. When we run out of bread, I am a little (okay, more than a little) miffed if we have to buy a loaf of supermarket bread.

Milk bread makes beautifully soft and sweet sandwich bread, and I’ve made a similar bread called shokupan. But this time I tried the version of milk bread from Kristina Cho’s book, Mooncakes & Milk Bread.

The recipe starts with a tangzhong, the partially cooked flour and water paste that is responsible for the pillowy texture. I made this in the microwave rather than the stovetop. After scalding the milk, everything went into the stand mixer. This version has 4 tbsp of butter and an egg, making it quite rich.

What a loaf! It’s super light and fluffy, sweet and satisfying. Slices of this bread toasted up really darkly, so keep an eye on it. I wouldn’t make this for everyday breakfast, but it’s definitely a treat. Pro-tip: slice this thicker so it holds up better when you’re applying your favourite spread.