Matthew Woolen is a master pastry chef and has worked in a variety of Seattle restaurants, including gastropub Old Sage, Zhu Dang, and a gluten-free restaurant called Capitol Cider.

Matthew Woolen

Soft and pillowy, this Marbled Rye Milk Bread is a real wonder thanks to the tangzhong method, which locks in moisture and produces a loaf that’s super tender and fluffy. When bread bakes, water content escapes and overall hydration is reduced. The tangzhong method—also called pre-gelatinized starch (PGF)—involves making a “water roux” from a cooked slurry of flour, water, and milk. By hydrating the starches first, the dough is able to retain more liquid. The PGF helps to lock that moisture in the dough, so less escapes during baking. This enhances the bread’s softness and also extends its freshness and shelf life. Bread gets stale as it dries outs and the texture changes. But since moisture is locked into the dough thanks to the PGF, it is able to resist staling for a few extra days without the need for additives, tenderizers, or preservatives. For perfect sandwiches and <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/reuben-style-patty-melt">patty melts</a>, we bake this in a Pullman loaf pan, which has tall straight sides and a lid to shape the loaf into an even rectangle. If you don’t have a Pullman loaf pan, we’ve included some instructions below to use a standard loaf pan or shape a freeform loaf. From start to finish, this bread comes together in about five hours. If needed, however, you can space out the process over a few days: make the PGF on day one; mix the dough on day one or day two and let it bulk ferment slowly overnight in the fridge; finally, shape, proof, and bake the loaf the following day.

Light and Pillowy Marbled Rye Milk Bread