Flavor of the Week: Japan’s soft and fluffy milk bread

Milk bread is a Japanese style of bread similar to the standard American pullman loaf of white bread available in any supermarket. But milk bread has a softer, fluffier, more buttery texture.

It’s made using the tangzhong method in which water and flour are combined together and heated in a saucepan until the mixture becomes thick and gel-like. That roux-like substance is then added to the dough, giving it a higher moisture content and making it extra light and soft.

While still in the inception stage in the United States, milk bread is ubiquitous in Japan, often used for egg salad sandwiches and katsu sandos — the breaded and fried pork cutlet sandwiches that are also gaining traction in the U.S., according to research from Datassential.

Milk Bread is now found on 1.6% percent of American restaurant menus, a figure that has ballooned by nearly 400% in four years.

Click through the slideshow for more information about this Flavor of the Week.