Cashew and Cardamom Hokkaido Milk Bread

Disclaimer: This recipe was sponsored by Pacific Foods.

Looking for the softest, fluffiest bread on the planet? It’s in Japan, but now you can make it at home too! This milk bread will totally upgrade your peanut butter and jelly game! The bread is slightly sweet with a hint of cardamom, it’s perfect to make french toast, bread pudding, or any sweet sandwich! This milk bread is slightly sweet, but if you’re not a fan of sweet bread, feel free to omit it! Milk bread is typically made with regular whole milk, but I decided to use Pacific Foods cashew milk to add a nutty flavor to the bread. 

A couple of years ago, my husband and I took a trip to Japan. Being a vegetarian, finding food became a little difficult, especially with the language barrier! Because of this, we ended up eating A LOT of bread. Loaves of it really. During my time in Japan, I came across Hokkaido Milk Bread which changed my life (yes, it was THAT good!). I’m a carbo-holic and this bread just hit the spot every time.

Hokkaido Milk Bread is the softest and fluffiest bread I’ve ever had. It just melted in my mouth! It’s almost like a bread version of cotton candy. We would just pull off chunks of bread and stuff them in our mouths as we walked around the city. 

The secret to getting this light texture is using tanzhong. Tanzhong is a roux made with milk and bread flour. When you heat the flour with milk together, the flour absorbs more moisture from the cashew milk. The increase in moisture leads to more steam which gives rise to the bread, making it light and fluffy. Because of the extra moisture, the dough is quite sticky, but it is still manageable. The dough is also rolled up (almost like a cinnamon roll) before it’s placed into your baking pan which also gives the bread a delicate texture, where you have thin sheets of bread woven together, almost like pull-apart bread!

I know looking at the recipe, it can look a little daunting, but I promise you that it’s super easy. Plus, there is nothing more satisfying than baking your own bread. It also makes your home smell absolutely amazing. 

Cashew and Cardamom Hokkaido Milk Bread

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• Author: Milk and Cardamom
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Fluffy, soft Hokkaido-style milk bread made with cashew milk and a touch of cardamom- the perfect way to upgrade your PB&J! Makes one 9×5 loaf

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

TANZHONG

• 2 tbsp (17 g) bread flour
• 7 tbsp (103 ml) Pacific Foods Cashew milk

BREAD

• 2/3 cup (158 ml) Pacific Foods Cashew milk
• 3 tbsp (36 g) granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp (10 g) active dry yeast
• 2 1/3 cups (320 g) bread flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 egg (50 g), plus 1 additional egg for wash
• 1 1/2 tbsp (21 g) unsalted butter, room temperature

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Instructions

Tanzhong

1. Add 2 tbsp (17 g) bread flour and 7 tbsp (103 ml) cashew milk to a small saucepan. Whisk over medium-low heat until the roux starts to thicken, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat when the whisk starts to leave a trail in the roux or it is 149ºF. Cool for 10 minutes.

Bread

1. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan with unsalted butter and set aside.
2. Add the ⅔ cup (158 ml) cashew milk to a small saucepan over low heat and heat until it is 100 to 110°F (38°C to 44°C). Add the warm whole milk, 3 tbsp (36 g) granulated sugar, and 2½ tsp (10 g) active dry yeast to a small bowl and stir. Let this sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast. Add the 2⅓ cups (320 g) bread flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 egg, yeast mixture, 1/4 tsp cardamom, and tanzhong to a mixing bowl for a stand mixer. Use a spatula to roughly mix the ingredients together. Using a dough hook on the stand mixer, mix on medium speed for 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula and add the butter. Mix for another 5 minutes. The dough is ready when it springs back immediately when it’s poked. Cover the dough with a tea towel and place in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours to rise, or until it has doubled in size.
3. Punch down the dough and separate it into 3 equal dough balls (~220 g each). Take one dough ball and roll it into a long oval (about 14 x 4 inches) using a rolling pin. If it keeps shrinking back, let the dough rest for 5 minutes before rolling again. Fold in the long sides toward the middle so that the dough is long and skinny. Flatten with a rolling pin and then roll the dough up into a short, fat roll. Repeat with the other two pieces of dough. Place the rolls seam side down into the greased baking pan. Cover with a tea towel and let it double in size for 1 hour in a warm, dry place.
4. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash (1 egg whisk with 1/2 tsp of water) and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the middle of the bread is 190ºF. Gently remove the bread from the pan and place it on a rack until completely cool. Place in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.

Notes

To make this bread vegan, use 2 1/2 tbsp vegan butter instead of butter and substitute the egg with 2 tbsp aquafaba or cashew milk. Skip the egg wash. Keep in mind that the bread won’t brown as much without the egg wash.

• Category: Appetizer
• Cuisine: Japanese

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