Sourdough Milk Bread

Recipe by Martin Philip
Not Yet Reviewed

This beautiful sandwich loaf has the best qualities of milk bread — it’s soft, fluffy, tender, and stays that way for several days — but with a lingering tang thanks to ripe sourdough starter. While East Asian-style milk breads, like Japanese Hokkaido milk bread, use a cooked flour slurry to add lasting moistness, we found that a large volume of ripe sourdough starter can impart similar qualities. In developing this recipe, we experimented with the ideal amount of additional instant yeast, landing on a quantity that helps the Sourdough Milk Bread rise nice and high and allows for a same-day bake (rather than a multiday process) while still allowing the sourdough flavor to come through. 

Prep
20 mins
Bake
36 to 40 mins
Total
4 hrs 24 mins
Yield
one 9" x 4" loaf
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Sourdough Milk Bread on a counter with an angle that shows the moist interior - select to zoom
Sourdough Milk Bread on a counter with an angle that shows the moist interior - select to zoom
Sourdough Milk Bread sliced an arranged on a counter - select to zoom
Sourdough Milk Bread arranged on a countertop seen from above - select to zoom
Sourdough Milk Bread being pulled apart - select to zoom
Sourdough Milk Bread arranged on a countertop seen from above - select to zoom
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Instructions

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  1. To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook or in a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients except for the flour in the order listed. Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Add to the bowl.    

  2. Mix — on low speed with the stand mixer or working by hand with a bowl scraper — to bring the dough together. 

  3. Increase the speed to medium-low or transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and tacky. This will take 10 to 12 minutes using a stand mixer or up to 15 minutes by hand.  

  4. Shape the dough into a ball, and let it rest in a lightly greased bowl, covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until puffy and doubled in size. 

  5. To shape the bread: Gently deflate and transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide it into four equal pieces (about 200g each).  

  6. Press the dough pieces to flatten, then use a rolling pin to roll into each piece into a roughly 5" x 8" rectangle with one of the short sides closest to you. 

    Deflating Sourdough Milk Bread dough
    Using a rolling pin to flatten out Sourdough Milk Bread dough

  7. Fold the long sides in to meet in the middle, then flatten to seal. Roll up the rectangle from top to bottom, forming a tight tube. 

    Folding and pressing Sourdough Milk Bread dough into a long rectangle
    Rolling up Sourdough Milk Bread dough

  8. Once all the pieces are shaped, place them seam-side down into a greased 9" x 4" Pullman loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap or a reusable bowl cover.

    Placing rolled up Sourdough Milk Bread dough into a pullman pan
    A pullman pan filled with rolled up Sourdough Milk Bread dough

  9. Allow the loaf to rise in a warm spot until it reaches the top of the pan, 2 to 3 hours. 

  10. Toward the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the center position. 

  11. Gently brush the reserved egg white on top of the bread.  

  12. Bake for 36 to 40 minutes, until the loaf is deep golden brown on top and slightly retracted from the edges of the pan. The loaf's internal temperature should be at least 205°F when measured with a digital thermometer. (Do not cover the loaf with the Pullman pan lid while baking.) 

  13. Remove the bread from the oven, immediately turn it out of the pan, and place it on a rack to cool completely before slicing.  

  14. Storage information: Store any leftover Sourdough Milk Bread, well-wrapped, for up to 5 days; freeze for longer storage.   

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