Easy Milk Bread Recipe – Baking A Moment



Milk Bread: Amazing for sandwiches. Springy, light, & subtly sweet. Take your white bread to the next level with this easy recipe!

Milk bread on cutting board.

Looking for a way to up your sandwich game? This milk bread recipe is for you!

While I love a good pillowy loaf of white bread, soft whole wheat bread, or hearty rye bread, this is yet another great option. It’s moist, springy, just a little sweet, and the flavor is on point.

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Here’s Why You’ll Love This

  • Easy to make: Even a beginner can master this Japanese milk bread recipe!
  • Great flavor: Milk bread tastes similar to white bread. It’s slightly sweet and very soft.
  • Awesome for sandwiches: This bread slices up a dream and it’s perfect for sandwiches!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients for milk bread.Ingredients for milk bread.

Sugar: Granulated white sugar gives a mild sweetness to the bread, but it also feeds the yeast, keeps the loaf moist, and helps it to brown.

Salt: Carries and intensifies all the flavors.

Yeast: Instant yeast helps the bread to rise.

Flour: A combination of bread flour and all-purpose flour give this loaf the perfect balance of elasticity and tenderness.

Milk: Provides a rich and distinctive flavor. Whole milk is best but you can sub with another kind if you like. Even a plant-based milk should work! Make sure it’s warm but not hot. Hot milk could kill the yeast!

Butter: Keeps the bread moist and adds a nice flavor.

Egg: Gives the milk bread a lovely golden color, as well as adding structure and richness.

In Photos: How to Make Milk Bread

This recipe is easy to prepare with a stand mixer! If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can knead the dough by hand or in a bread machine.

Helpful Tips & Tricks

Shaping the loaf: Take your time shaping the loaf to make sure it’s even before the final rise.

Use fast-acting yeast: Save time by using fast-acting instant yeast instead of regular instant yeast. This will cut the rise time in half (or longer).

Milk bread rolls: If you’d like to bake rolls instead of a loaf, this recipe should yield about 8.

Overnight milk bread: Make the dough ahead of time and it will keep in the fridge for up to 48 hours, or in the freezer for 2 weeks. I’d suggest doing everything up to shaping the loaf. Then let it chill, and when you’re ready for freshly baked bread allow it to come to room temp and have its second rise before sliding it into the oven.

Milk bread sliced on a cutting board.Milk bread sliced on a cutting board.

More Yeast Bread Recipes

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Sliced milk bread on a cutting boardSliced milk bread on a cutting board

Milk Bread

Milk bread is amazing for sandwiches. It’s light and subtly sweet, with tons of flavor!

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the sugar, salt, yeast, bread flour, and 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour.
  • With the machine running on medium-low speed, slowly add the milk, butter and egg using the dough hook attachment.

  • Slowly add in as much of the remaining all-purpose flour as needed until the dough is slightly moist but not sticky.

  • Knead the dough on medium speed for 7-8 minutes until smooth.

  • Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover it loosely.

  • Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (approx. 1 – 1 1/2 hours, or 30 minutes with fast-acting instant yeast).

  • Punch down the dough, knead briefly, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

  • Form into a loaf, then place in a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan.

  • Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size (approx. 1 – 1 1/2 hours, or 30 minutes with fast-acting instant yeast).
  • Preheat the oven to 375 F, brush the top of the loaf with milk, then bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden.

  • Cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 318kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 46mg, Sodium: 316mg, Potassium: 148mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 309IU, Vitamin C: 0.01mg, Calcium: 55mg, Iron: 2mg


  • Thumbnail pic of Jennifer Farley.Thumbnail pic of Jennifer Farley.



    Hi there, I’m Jen. From 2009 to 2021, I was a full time blogger at Savory Simple, a blog dedicated to well-tested recipes and tutorials for home cooks. In 2016, I published my cookbook, The Gourmet Kitchen. I now work full time as a freelance recipe developer and food photographer from my home in Olney, MD, where I live with my husband Jeff and our 3 cats. I’ve written a weekly newsletter for The Washington Post’s Voraciously, and I’ve also contributed to The Kitchn, Food52, Parade Magazine, and Better Homes & Gardens.

    Allie and I have been friends for years, and I’m thrilled to now be contributing to Baking a Moment!



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