overview
Hey guys, this is part 3 of our Milk Bread experiment! We’ve been testing various yudane and tangzhong recipes and then tested a direct comparison and found that which starter we use doesn’t seem to make a giant difference. So perhaps a bit reversed, we’re going to compare a recipe with a starter and one that doesn’t today. Then at least we can determine if it’s worth using a starter at all.
For our final test, we are trying 2 popular Youtube recipes by Josh Weissman and Inga Lam. These 2 recipes are fairly similar but Josh uses the tangzhong and Inga does not. However, Inga’s recipe has a higher hydration percentage. Josh’s recipe calls for more yeast while Inga uses dry milk powder. They both use quite a bit more sugar than the other milk bread recipes, so we’ll see how it all turns out!
Josh Weissman’s Greatest Dinner Rolls
Adapted from: youtube.com/watch?v=M9le93pztbU
Ingredients
Tangzhong:
- 20g bread flour
- 27g water
- 60g whole milk
Bread:
- 320g Bread Flour
- 56g Sugar
- 3g Kosher Salt
- 9g Instant Dry Yeast
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 120g Whole Milk (room temperature)
- 42g Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- Egg Wash: 1 Egg and splash of Water/Milk
Adapted Guide
- Make your tangzhong: mix thoroughly 20g bread flour, 27g water, 60g milk in a pan. Then put it on a medium heat and cook while continuously stirring until it creates a smooth paste. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Bloom yeast in the 120g of milk that has been warmed.
- In your stand mixer with a dough hook, combine dry ingredients: bread flour, salt, sugar.
- Add the yeast mixture, tangzhong and egg and mix on low until just combined. Then increase speed to med-low and mix until fully combined.
- Add butter in slowly and continue to mix on med-low.
- When butter in incorporated, continue to mix for 5-7 minutes or until smooth.
- Remove dough from the mixer and shape into a smooth ball or “boule” by circling the dough on a un-floured surface (so it sticks to the surface).
- Cover and allow to rise 1-2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough and place onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in to 2 pieces and shape them for your loaf by flattening the pieces and folding into thirds in one direction, then flatten again and fold the thirds in a perpendicular direction. Pinch the end of the folds to seal.
- Place the 2 rolls into a greased loaf pan and cover and allow to rise another 1-2 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 350F and gently apply the egg wash on the tops of your risen rolls. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack.
Step by Step Photos
Tangzhong Bloom the yeast Combine dry ingredients Mix in yeast milk and tangzhong Mix in butter Mix until smooth Shape into boule and rest After 1st rest After 2nd rest, shape for loaf. Flatten pieces Fold into thirds Fold again into thirds Seal edges Load loaf pan Rest After resting Brush with egg wash, then bake!
Inga Lam’s Soft Fluffy Milk Bread
Adapted from: youtube.com/watch?v=yvgc_wHFLo4
Ingredients
- 250g Bread Flour
- 30g Sugar
- 3g Kosher Salt
- 3g Instant Dry Yeast
- 10g Milk Powder
- 180g Whole Milk (room temperature)
- 20g Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- Optional Egg Wash: 1 Egg and splash of Water/Milk
Adapted Guide
- Warm your milk and add yeast to bloom.
- In your stand mixer with a dough hook, combine dry ingredients: bread flour, salt, sugar, milk powder.
- Add the yeast milk and mix on low until just combined. Then increase speed to med-low and mix until fully combined.
- Add butter in slowly and continue to mix on med-low.
- When butter in incorporated, continue to mix for 5-7 minutes or until smooth.
- Remove dough from the mixer and shape into a smooth ball or “boule” by circling the dough on a un-floured surface (so it sticks to the surface).
- Cover and allow to rise 1-2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough and place onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in to 2 pieces and shape them for your loaf by flattening the pieces and folding into thirds in one direction, then flatten again and fold the thirds in a perpendicular direction. Pinch the end of the folds to seal.
- Place the 2 rolls into a greased loaf pan and cover and allow to rise another 1-2 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 350F and gently apply the egg wash on the tops of your risen rolls. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack.
Step by Step Photos
Bloom yeast Mix dries, then add milk, then add butter Mix until smooth Shape into boule Boule Rest until passes finger test Divide dough in 2 Reshape into boules Rest Shape for loaf: flatten Fold in thirds Fold again in thirds Seal edges Load loaf pan, rest, then bake 
Josh Weissman vs Inga Lam Conclusion
With the extra sugar, both breads are delicious by themselves and are a little reminiscent of Hawaiian bread. They were both texturally more like dinner rolls than milk bread loaves (as they were intended), they sort of break rather tear apart. Josh’s recipe was a bit too sweet and had a more melty gummy texture while Inga’s had a bit more chew. You can see how the tangzhong in Josh’s bread created a loaf that was twice the height as Inga’s, it was so high it hit the heating coils of the oven and got stuck, so when we removed the loaf it ended up deflating! Keep in mind though that Josh’s recipe is larger than Inga’s so we can’t directly compare the size, however you might have noticed how much more it rose each time we let it rest.
Definitely give both these recipes a try if you’re a fan of sweet bread and join us next time when we compare all the recipes we’ve tested. We’ll look at their crumb side by side and see how they compare fresh, the day after, and also a week after baking, so we can decide which recipe is the best!
Tools Used To Make This Dish*
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Camera Gear List*
- Sony A7III
- Sony A7rIII
- Sony SEL2470GM Lens
- Sony SEL90M28G FE 90mm f/2.8-22
- Deity V-Mic D3
- Audio-Technica AT4040 Cardioid Condenser Microphone
- Blue Compass Premium Tube-Style Broadcast Boom Arm
- Sirui ET Series Tripod
- White Balance Card
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