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loaf of sandwich bread on a striped wood cutting board. There are three cut slices showing a rainbow swirl.
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5 from 1 vote

Rainbow Bread

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As a Japanese milk bread, this rainbow bread is a soft, slightly sweet loaf perfect for a rainbow grilled cheese sandwich. Roll it into a rainbow swirl bread, or try your hand at designing a rainbow out of bread! It's a fun twist on classic white bread.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time1 hour
Rising times (does not include cooling time for the starter)3 hours
Total Time5 hours
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Unspecified
Servings: 36 slices
Calories: 105kcal
Author: Joanne Stekler

Equipment

  • 1 Stand mixer
  • 1 13 inch Pullman loaf pan or two standard bread pans

Ingredients

Tangzhong (roux starter)

  • ⅓ cup (45 grams) bread flour
  • ½ cup (120mL) whole milk
  • ½ cup (120mL) water

Dough

  • 4 ⅔ cup (600 grams) bread flour plus more as needed
  • ¼ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup (60mL) whole milk plus more as needed
  • roux starter
  • ½ cup (8 tablespoons or 113 grams) unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes plus more for greasing the loaf pan
  • food coloring

Instructions

Tangzhong (roux starter)

  • Make the roux starter (tangzhong). In a small pot, combine the flour, milk, and water. Over low heat, whisk until smooth and continue stirring until the whisk leaves a clear, thick track at the bottom of the pot.
    ⅓ cup (45 grams) bread flour, ½ cup (120mL) whole milk, ½ cup (120mL) water
  • Remove from heat, scrape into a glass measuring cup, and cover the starter with plastic wrap, pressing down the wrap onto the surface of the tangzhong to prevent a skin from forming (see photo). Let cool.

Dough

  • In the bowl of a mixer, use the paddle to combine the flour, sugar, and yeast and mix on low speed briefly. Add the salt and mix for about 10 seconds.
    4 ⅔ cup (600 grams) bread flour, ¼ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar, 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast, 2 teaspoons salt
  • Add the egg, milk, and the starter. Mix on low speed.
    2 large eggs, ¼ cup (60mL) whole milk, roux starter
  • When the dough starts to come together, switch to the dough hook. (If the dough doesn't come together, add an additional tablespoon of milk at a time).
  • Add the butter cubes a one at a time, waiting until the butter has been incorporated before adding another.
    ½ cup (8 tablespoons or 113 grams) unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
  • Increase the speed to medium and knead for 7 to 10 minutes. At the end of kneading, the dough should be soft and tacky but not sticky and it should pull and stretch easily.
  • Divide the dough in half, and place one half into a greased bowl and cover it with plastic.
  • Divide the remaining dough into sixths. Because the amount of dough is so small, it is easiest to work the food coloring in by hand (although you may want to wear a glove to prevent the coloring from getting on your hands). Once you've worked all of the color in as evenly as possible, form the dough into a ball. Leave the rainbow colored balls on a tray or plate and cover with plastic wrap to rise until doubled in size, about 60 minutes.
    food coloring
  • Lightly butter a 13" by 4" by 4" Pullman loaf pan, including the lid or two standard loaf pans.
  • There are multiple ways to shape the rainbow bread. To make a rainbow swirl bread, use a rolling pin to roll out the white dough into a rectangle. Then roll out the rainbow dough, starting with purple. After each addition, use the rolling pin to seal the dough together. After you have added the red, roll up the loaf starting with the short end and place it in your prepared pan or pans.
  • Put the lid on the pan or cover your loaf pans with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free location until it is nearly up to the lid, about 2 hours.
  • Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the internal temperature is 190°F.
  • Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then cool on a rack completely before slicing.

Notes

This rainbow bread recipe will make one large Pullman loaf or two regular sized sandwich loaves.
The dough balls are too small for most mixers to effectively work the colors through. Use kitchen gloves to keep the food coloring off your hands.
Use gel food coloring for bright, vivid colors without altering the texture of the dough. I've used various rainbow food colorings with different trials and they all work. Play around until you get the rainbow colors you want.
It's easiest to knead the dough balls in a small bowl. I recommend doing the following order: yellow, orange, red, purple, blue, and then green. Knead each portion of dough well to evenly distribute the color and avoid streaks.
Rolling the layers of dough together will minimize the chance of trapping air, which would give you gaps in your dough.

Nutrition

Calories: 105kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 136mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 101IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg