The “Queen” of Gluten-Free Milk Bread, a recipe by Kat Lieu

The queen of gluten-free milk bread buns (can be made vegan with subs listed) recipe and photography by Kat Lieu of modernasianbaking.com, all rights reserved.

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Hi Fam! Over the past few weeks, I've been trying to develop the perfect gluten-free (GF) milk bread recipe. I envisioned a GF milk bread that can pull apart and is feathery and springy like milk bread made with high-protein bread flour! 

So far, both recipes I've created are more along the lines of quick bread, mixing up more of a batter than a shapeable, kneadable dough. One is made mainly with rice flour and Mochiko (glutinous rice flour), and the other is with my gluten-free flour mix. Feel free to check both those recipes out! Both are very delicious and easy to make!

My latest gluten-free milk bread recipe involves:

• The Tangzhong method

• My proprietary blend of GF flour and dough recipe

• A night of cold-fermentation in the fridge

• Kneading and shaping!

The resulting dough is one you can degas with one punch and shape and knead to your heart's desire! The resulting milk bread? Soft, pillowy, springy, and pulls apart like a freaking dream come true!  

The ingredients I suggest for baking my GF milk bread include the following list:

• Potato starch

• Tapioca starch

• Xanthan gum

• Egg (possibly replace with silken tofu for a vegan version)

• Butter (replace with vegan butter for a vegan version)

• Milk (replace with plant-based milk for a vegan version)

• Sugar

• Psyllium husk powder or bloomed chia seeds

• Plain high-protein Greek yogurt (replace with a vegan high-protein greek yogurt)

• A pinch of salt or 1/4 teaspoon miso (red or white)

• Active dry yeast

• Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour (this is what I had handy at home, this post is not sponsored because their marketing team has not answered my emails HAHA)

I've been looking at many gluten-free bread recipes and testing them out. Some swear by psyllium husk powder and whey protein powder, but I had neither at home. (I had Greek yogurt and chia and flax seeds. Both chia and flax seeds can be suitable substitutes for psyllium husk powder.) The whole point of adding protein powder is replicating the high protein concentration in wheat bread flour, so Greek yogurt is a good substitution and makes the bread softer and creamy!

Store uneaten bread in an air-tight container for up to a day or two, and pop into the oven for a few minutes before eating on the next day or so.

PS: I don't think this is a "queen or a mother" of GF milk bread recipes, and it's just a catchy title for the click-bait effect. I feel that calling anything the best or the one leads to creativity and invention stagnation. I'm sure this recipe will evolve with time as I test it more! Let me know what you think! 

Note: While Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour already contains Sweet White Rice Flour, Whole Grain Brown Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Whole Grain Sorghum Flour, Tapioca Flour, and Xanthan Gum, I am still adding more potato starch, tapioca flour, and xanthan gum to the dough.

Tip: The bloomed chia seeds will make this bread have little black dots all over it. If you want to use 1 tablespoon of whole psyllium husk or 1 teaspoon psyllium husk powder instead, that’s OK and will take away the spotted dotted look (kinda like poppy seeds).

And if you’re wondering what bloomed chia seeds are, simply mix the 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with the 2 tablespoons of water and let the seeds soak all the water, a few minutes.

Storage and reheat: Like boba, my gluten-free milk bread tends to harden fast, so please store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, and reheat in the microwave for about 10 seconds, or in a toaster oven for a few minutes.

Friends, if you make this milk bread, be sure to tag me @subtleasian.baking #subtleasianbakes!

Xoxoxo,
Kat <3

Look at the pull apart aesthetic! The outside has a nice crisp, the inside soft and slightly chewy and toothsome.

The queen of gluten-free milk bread buns (can be made vegan with subs listed) recipe and photography by Kat Lieu of modernasianbaking.com, all rights reserved.

Yield 12 to 16 buns1x2x3x4x5x

Author Kat Lieu

Prep time

35 Min

Cook time

30 Min

Inactive time

12 Hour

Total time

13 H & 5 M

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The “Queen” of Gluten-Free Milk Bread, a recipe by Kat Lieu

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IngredientsUSMetric

For the Tangzhong

• 120 g milk (or water or plant-based milk)
• 15 g potato starch
• 20 g Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• A pinch of Xanthan gum
• A pinch of tapioca flour (or starch)

For the GF milk bread dough

• About 150 g to 160 g milk (or any unflavored plant-based milk), warmed to 110°F
• 6 g active dry yeast
• 135 g potato starch
• 115 g Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour (you will need more for dusting, and if the dough is too wet, add a teaspoon of this flour at a time to the dough)
• 20 g tapioca flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Xanthan gum
• 1 large egg (sub with 50 g silken tofu for a vegan alternative, note I did not test this, however)
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter or vegan butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds bloomed with 2 tablespoons of water
• 60 to 80 g high-protein plain Greek Yogurt or vegan plain Greek yogurt
• 75 to 90 g granulated sugar (adjust to taste)
• pinch of salt or 1/4 teaspoon red or white miso

For the wash

• Any milk
• melted butter or vegan butter

Instructions

Make the Tangzhong

1. Add the Tangzhong ingredients to a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat while continuously whisking, until the mixture thickens and turns into Elmer's glue-like thick and sticky paste. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Make the milk bread

1. Combine the yeast (and a pinch of sugar) with the warmed milk. Mix and then set aside for 10 minutes for the yeast to bloom.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the rest of the dough ingredients, the cooled Tangzhong, and the yeast-filled milk. (Alternatively, add to a bowl as you can hand-mix.) Mix, on low speed, until a tacky and elastic dough forms, about 5 minutes. If the dough is too wet, add a little flour. This should be a wet, tacky dough, however, but can still be dough-shaped and smooth, it's hard to explain! Transfer to an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. You're going to let the dough ferment overnight in the fridge. The next day, be sure to let it warm up a bit at room temperature before you shape the dough.
3. Grease or line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper.
4. Unlike gluten-free quick bread doughs, this one you can degas with a punch or two! It can take kneading, so turn it out onto a floured work surface, knead it a bit and add flour as needed (not to the point of dryness, but so it's workable and not sticking so much to your hands). Divide it into 16 even pieces, about 50 to 60 g each. Working with one piece at a time, flatten into a disc and tuck and fold in the dough disc to form a ball shape. Pinch and tuck the seam to seal and roll the dough to form a smooth ball. Note you may need to add a bit more 1 to 1 flour so the dough doesn't stick to your hands.
5. Transfer to the prepared baking dish (the buns will be arranged in a 4 x 4 array). Repeat with the other 15 pieces of dough. Wash the tops of each bun with some milk of choice.
6. Let proof for 60 minutes, until puffy and roughly 1.5x in size. I like to use my oven's proof function and keep a bowl of water in the oven. You can leave the buns uncovered, but every now and then, spritz the tops with a mist of water.
7. About 20 to 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) with a rack in the center.
8. Brush with some melted butter.
9. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Please cover the top with aluminum foil, about 10 minutes in baking, to avoid burning the top.
10. Remove from oven and brush on more melted butter. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Serve warm and toasty, and enjoy with a cup of tea!

Recommended Products:

Modern Asian Baking at Home Cookbook

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, 22-ounce

Cuisinart SMB-9SCK Easy Grip 9-Inch Square Baking Pan

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Those are the chia seeds and these taste so good with butter!! <3

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About the Baker

Kat Lieu is the founder of Subtle Asian Baking and this website modernasianbaking.com, and she is the author of Modern Asian Baking at Home. Currently, Kat is a full-time author, activist, and recipe developer. Follow her on Instagram.

She is the newly-proclaimed “doyenne of Asian-style home baking!” Thanks, Radii China!.