Pai Bao (Hong Kong Sweet Bread)

I’ve baked and tried many types of sweet soft breads, but I think I have finally found my absolute favorite one and it is called Pai Bao.

It is soft as a cloud, sweet, and shreds like a string cheese. Unbelievable.

Thank you Christine for this amazing recipe.

Ingredients

Sourdough starter

• 7g sourdough starter
• 35g water
• 35g bread flour

Tangzhong  

• 20g bread flour
• 100g milk

Dough

• 370g bread flour
• 70g sourdough starter
• 200g milk
• 65g sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 12g dry milk powder
• 30g sweetened condensed milk
• 8g salt
• 40g soft unsalted butter
• 1g of instant dry yeast (optional)

Shiny glaze 

• 1 tbs honey
• 1 tbs water

Directions

Day 1

Starter 

• 10 pm add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let it sit at a room temp 74-78F for about 8-10 hours until starter reaches its peak (at least triples in volume).
• Learn how to make starter from scratch here).

Tangzhong 

Tangzhong is a method of mixing bread flour and milk over medium heat. This process helps to gelatinize the starch. Which provides super soft texture to the bread.

• Mix flour and milk in sauce pan , cook it over medium heat, continue mixing until thick paste will be formed. Cover and let cool down before use in the dough.

Day 2

Dough

• 8 am in a bowl of mixer add milk,  sourdough starter, tangzhong, dry instant yeast (if using), sugar, dry milk powder, egg yolk, condensed milk and whisk all together. Add flour, mix until no dry flour remains.

• Start mixing the dough on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 minutes, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 minutes until well incorporated.
• Add salt and mix for a couple more minutes. The dough should start to form a ball.
• Add soft butter, mix for 10-15 more minutes on high speed until the dough is well incorporated and comes up together and the mixing bowl will become clean.

• Cover and let it proof for 3-4 hours at 76-80F/ 24-28C.
• During that time perform 2 stretches and folds.
• The dough should become puffy.
• 11-12pm transfer the dough to the fridge for cold fermentation until the evening (for 8-9 hours).
• 9 pm remove the dough from the fridge.
• Divide in to 16 pieces (about 55g each).
• Round each piece in a ball, let rest covered 5-7 min.
• Then roll each ball into a strip and roll each strip into a tight roll (I used a 9×5 inch pan so the length of each dough roll was 5 inches to fit into the pan).
• Place the rolls into the loaf pan tightly, like shown on the picture.

• Cover the dough and let it proof for overnight ( for 8-9 hours) at 70-72F /20-22C  until it doubles in volume.

Day 3

• 7am preheat the oven to 375F.
• Bake pai bao bread for 15 min, lower temperature to 350F, bake for another 12-14 min until golden brown.
• While bread is baking prepare shiny glaze, by mixing 1 tbs of honey and 1 tbs of water.
• Remove bread from the oven, spread the shiny glaze on top of the bread while it is still hot.

Let your Pai Bao cool down and enjoy!

Pai Bao (Hong Kong Sweet Bread)

2546kcal

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Prep 35 minutes mins

Cook 29 minutes mins

Total 22 hours hrs 4 minutes mins

An incredibly popular Asian bakery classic, this bread is soft as a cloud, sweet, and shreds beautifully like string cheese. The secret to its unbelievable pillowy texture lies in the traditional Tangzhong method, which gelatinizes the starches so the crumb retains an exceptional amount of moisture.

Servings 1 loaf

Cuisine Asian

Ingredients

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The Sourdough Starter Levain (Night Before)

• ▢ 7 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 35 g Water
• ▢ 35 g Bread flour

The Gelatinized Tangzhong Paste

• ▢ 20 g Bread flour
• ▢ 100 g Milk

The Enriched Main Dough

• ▢ All of the cooled Tangzhong paste From the stage above
• ▢ 370 g Bread flour
• ▢ 70 g Mature sourdough starter levain
• ▢ 200 g Milk
• ▢ 65 g Sugar
• ▢ 1 Egg yolk
• ▢ 12 g Dry milk powder
• ▢ 30 g Sweetened condensed milk
• ▢ 8 g Salt
• ▢ 40 g Soft unsalted butter warmed completely to room temperature
• ▢ 1 g Dry instant yeast Optional: include strictly to boost the rise and reduce natural sourdough sourness

The Signature Shiny Glaze

• ▢ 1 tbsp Honey
• ▢ 1 tbsp Water

Equipment

• ▢
  Stand Mixer Fitted with a dough hook, mandatory for this intensive high-speed enrichment kneading
• ▢
  Standard Loaf Pan 9×5 inch pan size
• ▢
  Small Saucepan For the Tangzhong paste
• ▢
  Pastry Brush
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Day 1 – Starter Build & Tangzhong Preparation

1. 10:00 PM: In a small glass jar, dissolve your 7g of starter culture into 35g of water. Stir in the 35g of bread flour until smooth. Cover loosely and let it ferment at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 8 to 10 hours until it reaches its peak and at least triples in volume.
2. Make the Tangzhong: In a small saucepan, whisk together the 20g of bread flour and 100g of milk until no lumps remain. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the heat gelatinizes the starches into a thick, translucent paste. Cover and let it cool down completely to room temperature before adding to your dough.

Day 2 – Intensive Mixing, Bulk Proof, and Cold Retard

1. 8:00 AM: In your stand mixer bowl, combine the 200g of milk, 70g of mature sourdough starter, all of your cooled Tangzhong paste, 65g of sugar, 12g of dry milk powder, 1 egg yolk, and 30g of sweetened condensed milk (add the optional 1g of dry yeast here if using). Whisk thoroughly by hand until unified, then dump the 370g of bread flour on top.
2. Mix the dough on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or if using a KitchenAid mixer, run it on speed 3 for 3 to 4 minutes) until a shaggy mass forms and no dry pockets remain. Sprinkle in the 8g of salt and mix for a couple more minutes until a loose ball begins to take shape.
3. Turn your machine up to medium-high speed and begin dropping in the 40g of soft butter a tablespoon at a time. Knead intensely for 10 to 15 minutes. The dough will look very wet and sticky initially, but keep running the mixer—it will fully incorporate the fat, develop a glossy sheet, and pull completely away from the bowl walls.
4. Cover the bowl and let bulk ferment for 3 to 4 hours at a warm 76–80°F (24–28°C). Perform 2 separate rounds of structural stretch-and-folds during this window; the dough should look noticeably light and puffy.
5. 12:00 PM: Transfer the covered dough container directly into the refrigerator for a long cold fermentation rest lasting 8 to 9 hours to cool and stabilize the fats for clean shaping.
6. 9:00 PM: Remove the cold dough from the fridge. Using a bench scraper and kitchen scale, divide the firm mass cleanly into 16 equal pieces (weighing roughly 55g each). Round each portion into a tight ball, cover, and let rest for 5 to 7 minutes to relax.
7. Pan Assembly: Using a rolling pin, flatten each ball out into a thin strip, then roll the strip up tightly lengthwise into a compact roll measuring roughly 5 inches long. Arrange the 16 rolls side-by-side tightly into a greased standard 9×5 inch loaf pan. Cover loosely and let proof on your counter overnight for 8 to 9 hours at 70–72°F (20–22°C) until they double in size.

Day 3 – Staged Baking & Sweet Honey Glaze

1. 7:00 AM: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Slide the puffed pan loaf into the oven and bake at 375°F (190°C) for exactly 15 minutes to secure a tall, proud oven spring.
3. Lower the oven temperature down to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for an additional 12 to 14 minutes until the top turns a uniform, rich golden brown.
4. The Glaze: While the bread finishes baking, whisk together 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of water in a small cup until completely liquefied.
5. Remove the hot Pai Bao from the oven. Using a pastry brush, immediately spread your honey glaze generously across the piping hot top crust. Let the loaf cool completely before pulling the signature rolls apart to shred and serve.

Nutrition

Calories2546kcalCarbohydrates429gProtein76gFat57gSaturated Fat31gPolyunsaturated Fat6gMonounsaturated Fat14gTrans Fat1gCholesterol341mgSodium805mgPotassium1369mgFiber11gSugar121gVitamin A2106IUVitamin C2mgCalcium718mgIron5mg

Notes

• The Chemistry of the Tangzhong Method: Whisking bread flour and milk over medium heat to form a thick paste traps water directly inside the starch molecules. Because these gelatinized starches cannot form a tight, unyielding gluten bond, they create an incredibly soft, cloud-like crumb matrix that keeps the bread exceptionally moist for days without staling.
• Managing Stickiness Wisely: Do not panic or dump cups of extra flour into your mixer bowl during step 5. Because this enriched dough contains a high hydration volume from the condensed milk, fresh milk, and cooked paste, it is naturally very wet and sticky at first. Be patient and trust your machine—high-speed mechanical kneading will link up the gluten strings, causing the dough to cleanly clear the bowl by the 12-minute mark.
• The Commercial Yeast Boost Option: While this master formula utilizes a slow wild yeast starter culture to break down starches, adding that optional 1 gram of instant dry yeast is a highly recommended bakery secret. It acts as a rapid gas engine, helping the dense, milk-and-sugar enriched dough rise proudly during the overnight pan proof while balancing out any sharp sourdough sourness into a mild, milky sweetness.
• Achieving the Perfect String-Cheese Shred: To get those gorgeous, long feather-like dough sheets when pulling your baked rolls apart, building uniform surface tension during shaping is critical. When executing step 9, always ensure you roll your flattened dough strips up as tightly as possible before arranging them side-by-side inside your 9×5 inch pan. This internal structural alignment is what forces the crumb to shred beautifully.

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