Vegan Hokkaido milk bread – a vegan version of the softest, fluffiest bread ever! This eggless and dairy free milk bread has a cloud-like texture and is perfect for breakfast and snacking.
I have been wanting to veganise my Hokkaido milk bread recipe for a while now, but it’s taken me a couple of tries to get it right. Happily, I’ve finally managed to create an eggless and dairy free version that is just as soft, fluffy and delicious as the original!
This vegan Hokkaido milk bread is dangerously good, it takes some serious willpower not to just eat the whole loaf in a day… It is seriously the softest, most flavourful bread you will ever eat!
What Is Hokkaido Milk Bread?:
Hokkaido milk bread is like an Asian version of brioche, but it is even softer and uses a lot less butter! It has a cloud-like, tender crumb which can be pulled apart into flaky layers. It is amazing with jam for breakfast or snacking!
It can also be sliced to make sandwiches or toast, and because it is sweet and flavourful on it’s own I even like just eating it plain!
It is made using the tangzhong method, which helps to keep the bread soft and moist without adding loads of fat, and also helps the bread stay soft for longer.
What Is Tangzhong?:
Tangzhong is basically where you take a portion of the flour and liquid of the recipe and mix them together like a roux, then cook it until it forms a thick, pudding-like texture. This mixture is then cooled and added to the bread dough.
This technique pre-gelatinises the starches in the flour which means that they can absorb more water. In fact, flour will absorb twice as much hot water or milk as it does the lukewarm water or milk you would usually use in yeasted doughs.
Not only does the starch in the flour absorb more liquid; since heating the starch with water creates structure, it is able to hold onto that extra liquid throughout the kneading, baking, and cooling processes. This means that the bread will rise higher due to more water creating more internal steam (which makes bread rise in the oven — along with the carbon dioxide given off by the yeast).
Because the bread retains more water during baking, it will be softer and more moist and stay fresh for longer.
How To Make Vegan Hokkaido Milk Bread:
(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)
*For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.*
Start by making the tangzhong – whisk together some bread flour and milk in a pan; I use 1 part flour to 5 parts liquid by weight.
Place the pan over a medium/low heat and whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened to a paste/pudding-like consistency (think wallpaper paste…). Scrape it into a small bowl, cover with baking parchment directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and set aside to cool to room temperature. (This only takes half an hour or so).
Once the tangzhong has cooled (it will become much thicker as it cools, don’t worry.), mix together the yeast (either fast action/instant or dry active is fine) with the rest of the (lukewarm) soy milk and a pinch of the sugar.
Set it aside for about 10 minutes until it goes foamy. This step is only necessary if you are using dry active rather than instant yeast, but I like to do it with the instant as well as it enables to to check if your yeast is still active. If the mixture doesn’t go foamy then your yeast is dead and you will need to buy more.
Mix together the rest of your bread flour and sugar, along with a teaspoon of salt, in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the cooled tangzhong, the yeast mixture and the aquafaba and mix until it forms a rough dough.
Set the mixer to a medium speed and leave it to knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is stretchy. It should be soft and sticky but if it seems too wet you can add in a little extra flour, a tablespoon at a time.
Next, add softened vegan butter and knead for a further 5-10 minutes until it is well incorporated and the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer feels greasy.
If you don’t have a stand mixer then you can knead it by hand instead but be prepared to get a bit sticky and it could take as long as 25 minutes, as kneading by hand is slower.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and place in the fridge to rise overnight (or in a warm spot for 1-2 hours).
How To Shape The Loaf:
The following day (or once the dough has doubled in size at room temperature), knock back the dough and give it a brief 30 second knead to knock out the air bubbles.
Divide it into 3 or 4 even pieces and roll each one into a ball. (Use 4 pieces for a loaf as pictured, with 4 ‘humps’, or 3 for a loaf with 3 ‘humps’). Line an approx 11.5 x 21.5 cm / 4.5 x 8.5 inch loaf tin with baking parchment.
Roll each ball out into a long oval, fold one third of the oval over the middle (from the side, not the top), then the other third over the top to form a long, narrow packet.
Roll over the seam to flatten it, then roll it up tightly from one end to make a fat sausage. Repeat with the other balls of dough then arrange them in the loaf tin, seam side down.
Loosely cover and leave to rise until at least doubled in size, it should rise above the top of the tin. This can take 1-2 hours (mine took 1 1/2). It will be slower if the dough was refrigerated overnight, and quicker if it had it’s first rise at room temperature.
If you press the dough gently with a finger the indentation should spring back slowly but remain visible. If it springs back quickly it needs to prove for a little longer.
Once the loaf has risen, gently brush the top with a mixture of maple syrup and water, making sure that none drips down the sides as that can make the bread stick to the tin. If you don’t want a sweet glaze then you can brush it with aquafaba instead.
Place the loaf in a preheated oven and bake for 30-50 minutes, until a probe thermometer reaches 94C/201F when poked into the middle of the loaf. You may need to cover the top loosely with tin foil part way through baking if it starts to colour too much.
If you want the loaf to have a shinier crust, brush it with some more of the maple syrup water halfway through baking.
Once the vegan Hokkaido milk bread is baked, remove it from the oven and brush with some more of the glaze. Let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes then lift it out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Can I Freeze Vegan Hokkaido Milk Bread?:
Yes. I like to freeze this vegan Hokkaido milk bread in individual slices then pop them in the toaster or under the grill straight from frozen as needed.
Vegan Ingredient Swaps:
I made a couple of changes to my original recipe in order to veganise this Hokkaido milk bread. The milk is replaced with soy milk; you can use another non-dairy milk but soy really is best as it is the most similar to dairy milk. It has a high protein and fat content and soy also contains lecithin which helps create a better crumb structure.
I used aquafaba (the liquid drained from a can of chickpeas) to replace the egg as it has similar binding and emulsifying properties. You could also use a commercial egg replacer instead. I don’t recommend swapping it for ground flax or chia seeds as you will end up with a speckled crumb.
The butter is a simple swap for a vegan block butter. Make sure that you use the kind that comes in a solid stick rather than the spreadable kind in a tub, which has too low a water content for baking. I use Naturli vegan block. I also upped the quantity very slightly to account for the fat usually provided by the egg yolk.
I did test a loaf using coconut oil instead of butter, but found it to be a little dense and lacking in flavour, so I don’t recommend using coconut oil.
I also found that the vegan version needed a higher hydration level than the non-vegan one, which is why the recipe reads rather differently to my original.
Quick Notes:
- This bread is meant to be sweet, but if you want it a little less sweet then you can halve the amount of sugar. DO NOT omit it completely as some sugar is needed for the texture and to help with the rise.
- To get aquafaba, just use the liquid drained from a can of chickpeas.
- If you don’t want to use aquafaba, you can swap it for a commercial egg replacer instead.
- I recommend making the dough the day before you want to bake the bread to break up the work a bit. It can be done all in one day if you prefer though.
- I highly recommend using a stand mixer to make this bread as it is a very soft and sticky dough that takes a while to knead, meaning that it is difficult (but certainly not impossible!) to make by hand.
- This is an enriched bread dough (meaning that it contains milk, fats and sugar rather than just water). This makes it soft and delicious, but also means that it may take longer to rise. The time it takes will vary depending on how warm your kitchen is, and whether you refrigerate the dough overnight or not.
- Use bread flour for the best texture.
- The amount of flour needed may vary a bit as different brands absorb different amounts of liquid. Start with the quantity given in the recipe and add a little more as needed if the dough is too wet. This is meant to be a soft sticky dough however, so don’t add too much as that will make the bread dry.
- The best way to tell if a loaf of bread is cooked in the middle is to use a probe thermometer. It is impossible to give a one-size-fits-all baking time as ovens vary so much.
If you tried this recipe why not tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
Vegan Hokkaido Milk Bread
Vegan Hokkaido milk bread - a vegan version of the softest, fluffiest bread ever! This eggless and dairy free milk bread has a cloud-like texture and is perfect for breakfast and snacking.
Ingredients
Tangzhong:
- 30 g (1/4 cup) bread flour
- 150 ml (scant 2/3 cup) unsweetened soy milk
Step 1:
- 7 g (2 tsp) instant/fast action or active dry yeast
- 5 g (1 tsp) sugar
- 150 ml (scant 2/3 cup) lukewarm unsweetened soy milk
Step 2:
- 400 g (3 + 1/3 cups) white bread flour (plus extra as needed)
- 55 g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp aquafaba (or more milk)
- 40 g (2 Tbsp + 2 tsp) vegan block butter softened
Glaze
- 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp water
Instructions
-
Start by making the tangzhong; whisk together the 30g bread flour and 150ml milk in a pan until no lumps remain.
-
Place the pan over a medium/low heat and whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened to a pudding-like consistency (think wallpaper paste...). Scrape it into a small bowl, cover with baking parchment directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and set aside to cool to room temperature.
-
Once the tangzhong has cooled (it will become much thicker as it cools, don't worry.), mix together the yeast with the other 150ml of the (lukewarm) soy milk and the 5g sugar. Set it aside for about 10 minutes until it goes foamy.
-
Mix together the 400g bread flour, 55g sugar and tsp salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the cooled tangzhong, the yeast mixture and the aquafaba and mix until it forms a rough dough.
-
Set the mixer to a medium speed and leave it to knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is stretchy. It should be soft and sticky but if it seems too wet you can add in a little extra flour, a tablespoon at a time.
-
Next, add the softened vegan butter and knead for a further 5-10 minutes until it is well incorporated and the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer feels greasy.
-
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and place in the fridge to rise overnight (or in a warm spot until doubled in size, 1-2 hours).
-
The following day (or once the dough has doubled in size at room temperature), knock back the dough and give it a brief 30 second knead to knock out the air bubbles.
-
Divide it into 3 or 4 even pieces and roll each one into a ball. (Use 4 pieces for a loaf as pictured, with 4 'humps', or 3 for a loaf with 3 'humps'). Line an approx 11.5 x 21.5 cm / 4.5 x 8.5 inch loaf tin with baking parchment.
-
Roll each ball out into a long oval, fold one third of the oval over the middle (from the side, not the top), then the other third over the top to form a long, narrow packet.
-
Roll over the seam to flatten it, then roll it up tightly from one end to make a fat sausage. Repeat with the other balls of dough then arrange them in the loaf tin, seam side down.
-
Loosely cover and leave to rise until at least doubled in size, it should rise above the top of the tin. This can take 1-2.5 hours (mine took 1 1/2). If you press the dough gently with a finger the indentation should spring back slowly but remain visible. If it springs back quickly it needs to prove for a little longer.
-
While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Mix together the maple syrup and water in a small bowl.
-
Once the loaf has risen, gently brush the top with the maple syrup mixture, making sure that none drips down the sides as that can make the bread stick to the tin. If you don't want a sweet glaze then you can brush it with milk or aquafaba instead.
-
Place the loaf in the preheated oven and bake for 30-50 minutes, until a probe thermometer reaches 94°C/201°F when poked into the middle of the loaf. You may need to cover the top loosely with tin foil part way through baking if it starts to colour too much.
-
If you want the loaf to have a shinier crust, brush it with some more of the maple syrup water halfway through baking.
-
Once the bread is baked, remove it from the oven and brush with some more of the glaze. Let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes then lift it out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Store in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
Jennifer
Thank you so much for veganizing this special Japanese bread!! I live in Japan and used to eat this heavenly soft bread every day for breakfast; however, since going vegan I’ve missed it terribly. I can’t wait to make it as I have yet to find a vegan Hokkaido milk bread here.
Sue
Hi, thank you for the recipe. To use egg replacement Powder, what’s the quanty?
hannahhossack
Hi Sue, it is to replace one egg so use whatever quantity the box says for one egg worth.
Louise
This is BY FAR my husband’s favourite thing. I’ve made him countless vegan deserts, meals, snacks but he just loves this recipe so much. He literally hums with pleasure on the first bite every time. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Danielle
Can this recipe be made gluten free?
hannahhossack
Hi Danielle, unfortunately I don’t think it would work gluten free. GF isn’t my speciality I’m afraid!
Holly Hart
Do you use the paddle blade or the dough hook on your mixer? Can’t wait to try this! Thanks so much for the vegan translation!
hannahhossack
Hi Holly, I use the dough hook. Hope you enjoy it!
cc
I got a bit impatient letting mine rise, but in spite of that it still turned out great! Everyone seemed to like it with a bit of cheese or coffee.
I didn’t have caster sugar, so I made two loaves – one with regular granulated sugar, and one with sugar that I ground up in a blender. I honestly couldn’t tell the difference between the two loaves. The second loaf was made exactly as written in the recipe and turned out just as good as the first! Overall, I’m excited to try this with some flavor add ins like matcha or ube powder. Thanks for making this!
Pamela Watkins
What brand gluten free bread flour do you use?
hannahhossack
Hi Pamela, I’m afraid that I have never used gluten free bread flour. Gluten free baking is not my speciality so I can’t really advise you unfortunately.
Sara
Is it possible to omit the aquafaba completely?
hannahhossack
Hi Sara, yes, you can replace the aquafaba with a commercial egg replacer (whatever the box says for 1 egg), or you can probably just use more milk instead.
Sara
Thanks !!
Sara
Hi! How much milk would be needed to replace an aquafaba egg?
hannahhossack
Hi Sara, I would try half, so 1 1/2 Tbsp. You can always add a drop more if the dough feels like it needs more moisture, it should be quite soft and sticky (see the step by step pictures in the post for a visual reference). I haven’t tested it without the aquafaba so I don’t know how different the end texture will be. Bread dough is fairly forgiving however so I think it should work out fine.
Lina
it’s so delicious. I made it with my 13 yr old sister and our whole family ate it all in one sitting
Lynley
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I’ve been looking for a recipe like this for a while.
Here are some suggestions for add-ons.
* add powdered fennel seeds 1 tablespoon for wonderful flavour (not that this bread needs it!
* add brown sugar and cinnamon on the rolled out dough disk before rolling it up again according to the pics for a final proof.
Pavels
Hi, do you whip the aquafaba so its is white ad has stiff peaks, or do you add to the recipe whilst its still clear and liquid?
hannahhossack
No need to whip it, just straight from the can is fine 🙂
Emma
This recipe was great!!! I made it slightly lower in fat (only used one tablespoon of vegan butter, and one tablespoon of applesauce) as I have gallbladder issues which mean I can’t eat foods with a high amount of oil. It still turned rose/kneaded just fine, and turned out so soft, fluffy, and sweet!! I’ve never had this bread before, but now I’m a convert!! I want some for breakfast tomorrow but I don’t know if it will last the night between my boyfriend and I!
rita
hello can i use olive/vegetable oil instead of vegan butter? and can i substitute soymilk with almond or cashew milk? and as for the aquafaba can i use an egg instead? what are the ratios? thank you before.
hannahhossack
Hi Rita, I haven’t tested any of those substitutions but I think you would be ok to use 2 1/2 Tbsp oil instead of the butter. I would use cashew milk rather than almond as it is creamier and it would be 1 egg.
Casey Byron
Wow! What kind of bread flour do you recommend? And what is caster sugar?
hannahhossack
Hi Casey, I just use a supermarket own brand white bread flour. Caster sugar is called superfine sugar in the US; you can use granulated sugar if you can’t get hold of it.
Denise Marcelo
Hi! Can I use coconut milk instead of soy?
hannahhossack
Hi Denise, I don’t recommend using coconut milk, it is too heavy and and may make the bread dense. You can use oat, almond, cashew or rice milk if you don’t want to use soy however.
Angelica
HI, thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I have a question regarding the flour. I do not have bread flour, just All Purpose, and whole wheat. I do however have a small amount of this blended flour I got that has 12.7 protein. Would any of those work or is it just the bread flour?
hannahhossack
Hi Angelica, all purpose flour will work fine; I don’t recommend using whole wheat as it will make the loaf too dense and heavy. I’ve never heard of blended flour so I don’t know about that but yes, all purpose will work.
Jared
This recipe looks fantastic and I’m sure will be eaten quite quickly by our family. I was wondering if doubling or tripling this recipe is pretty straightforward. I’m not familiar with doubling aquafaba. Do we just double/triple all the ingredients (yeast, aquafaba, tangzhong, etc)?
hannahhossack
Hi Jared, yes, you would need to double/triple all of the ingredients so the ratios stay the same. I hope you enjoy it!
Gina
Do you have a recipe for vegan cinnamon rolls using the vegan Hokkaido milk bread? Thankd
hannahhossack
Hi Gina, I’m afriad not but you could follow the instructions and cinnamon filling recipe from this recipe: https://domesticgothess.com/blog/2019/05/27/banana-bread-cinnamon-rolls-vegan/ but use the Hokkaido milk bread dough instead.
Shae
I’m so glad you asked this! I was just telling my wife, as I posted my own review, that this would be perfect for cinnamon rolls!
Shae
I just made this. I cannot believe how delicious and fluffy this is! It feels like a cloud in my mouth. Just as good as the store bought non-vegan version (possibly better?) Thank you so much! It is f*%&:ing amazing! Can’t say more now because I am in fresh bread heaven. But Thank you thank you thank you!
ting fu
I just made this after reading the whole article about 4times ! It came out great! Although I found the container a bit too small so next time I will try a 2lb loaf tin. And it did burn a bit so maybe I will try lower temperature . I cut it open too quick so it was still a bit dense inside but I just couldn’t wait lol. It is so tasty. I made this so I can share with my husband because he is vegan but I’m not. He likes it and said I’m evil to lure him with this bread lol. Oh, and I kneaded the bread so didn’t use any mixer. It is totally doable like you said although it did get really sticky at the beginning but fine shortly after. Anyways, great recipe! Thank you very much!
Lida
Thank you for the recipe. It’s great!
Judith
Thank you so much for this great recipe! This was perfect for the weekend; I prepared it on Saturday and baked it on Sunday, the first thing in the morning. I loved the process!
A small modification: I had to use fresh yeast because apparently there is no dry yeast available in Germany at the moment–it worked, too.
And for everyone who uses Celsius: The oven was set to 180°C, baking time about 30 minutes.
So good!
mariannw
Taste is good, but my bread is breaking apart between the rolls. The bred did raise in a tin form to the double size. It is impossible the cut even slices. Can I make the bread of one roll?
hannahhossack
Hi Marianne, it is meant to be the kind of bread that you can pull apart into sections but yes, you can shape it as one roll. The texture might not be as flaky howver.
Amanda
Amazing recipe! I made it pretty much exactly as written (kneading by hand) and it came out exactly as pictured, though I accidentally let it brown a bit more on top than I would have liked which is my bad for not paying attention. Otherwise the flavor is deliciously rich and the crumb/crust is so moist! The only thing I had to change because of what I had on hand was replacing approx 30g of my all purpose flour with vital wheat gluten to constitute bread flour and using a spreadable tub vegan butter as I don’t think we have any vegan stick butters here. I also used the more soy milk option instead of aquafaba. Thank you for explaining all the components and each step so clearly. Next time I might try adding some raisins like they do in the bakeries.
Nat
Hello. I have made this plain loaf and it turned out so amazing! I’d like to experiment with adding diffferent flavors next, like matcha or cocoa powder…How much of these ingredients should I add in? Do I need to adjust the amount of the other ingredients? Thank you!
hannahhossack
Hi Nat, so glad you enjoyed it! I would try adding 2-4 Tbsp of matcha or cocoa powder depending on how strong you want it and you may need to add a drop more milk to compensate.
Rachel
I made this today and it turned out amazingly!
I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk and all-purpose flour because that’s what I had on hand. I also reduced the amount of sugar to 30g and brushed the top with more milk before baking (which did not yield a shine but that was ok with me). The end result was tender, fluffy, and delicious – would never have known this was vegan!
Thank you for a wonderful, detailed recipe that I will keep coming back to!
Saniya Monga
Can we replace aquafaba with soy milk?
& vegan butter with olive oil?
hannahhossack
Hi Saniya, yes, more milk instead of aquafaba is fine. I haven’t tried using olive oil instead of butter but I think it would be ok.
StaceyN
This was amazing!! I used an egg instead of aquafaba since I didn’t have any on hand and I’m okay eating eggs. It was delicious!!! My son is allergic to dairy so I’m always trying new recipes so he can have yummy things. Thank you so much!
maggie
Hi could I substitute the sugar for honey? If so could you please tell me how much I should use? Thank you!
hannahhossack
I haven’t tried but I think that it would be ok. I would try 3 Tbsp.