Instructions

For the Tangzhong

1. Whisk the ingredients together in a small saucepan.
2. Place the saucepan over low heat.
3. Keep whisking until the ingredients form a thick paste. The consistency should be thick enough so that as you whisk the mixture, the whisk leaves lines in the mixture which remains.
4. Remove the paste to a small bowl, and set it aside to cool down completely.

To Make the Dough

1. Measure the flour, yeast, salt and sugar into the bowl of an electric stand mixer.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together using a dough hook.
3. Add the egg and the cooled Tangzhong.
4. Slowly add the milk until the mixture comes together into a sticky dough. 
5. Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Wait for each tablespoon of butter to be fully incorporated into the dough before adding the next.
6. Continue kneading the dough on medium speed for about 10-15 minutes, or until the dough passes the windowpane test. (See Kitchen Notes below). By this stage, the dough should also be coming away from the sides of the bowl.
7. Lightly oil a large, clean mixing bowl.
8. Roll the dough into a smooth ball and place it into the mixing bowl.
9. Cover the dough with a clean tea towel or bowl cover, and place it somewhere warm for about 1.5 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Portion the Dough

1. Gently remove the dough from the bowl. The dough will deflate as you handle it.
2. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Use a digital scale for even-sized buns.

Shaping the Dough

1. Lightly grease a Pullman loaf pan and its lid with butter or non-stick baking spray. Even if your loaf pan is non-stick, I still recommend greasing it. For this recipe, I use a Pullman loaf pan which measures 23 x 13 cm/9 x 5 inches. 
2. Roll a piece of dough into a smooth ball. 
3. Then roll the dough into an oval shape, about 20 x 13 cm/8 x 5 inches.
4. Roll up the piece of dough from the short end so that you have a log which is about 5 inches long.
5. Repeat the above steps with the remaining pieces of dough.
6. Place the shaped pieces of dough into the loaf pan with the seam facing down.

Proving the Shaped Dough

1. Place the pan somewhere warm, covered with some plastic wrap, for about 30 – 60 minutes, or until the dough has risen until about 1 cm/0.5 inch below the rim of the loaf pan.
2. If you are using a Pullman loaf pan with a lid, be careful that the dough does not rise too high, otherwise you will not be able to slide the lid on.

Baking the Milk Bread

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F.
2. Place a metal baking tray on the middle shelf.
3. Bake the loaf for about 30 minutes, or until the bread is nicely golden all over. You can check the colour of the bread by sliding the lid off the pan. 
4. The bread is cooked if an internal thermometer reads 85°C/185°F.
5. Leave the bread in the pan for about 5 minutes, before carefully inverting the bread onto a wire rack to cool completely.