Pan-Fried Milk Bread Sticks — Not a Drop of Water, One Skillet, Done
By Vivian
Why You'll Love It
There's a little snacker in this house, and figuring out snacks is the hardest part of my day. Store-bought ones worry me — too many additives — so I make my own. Sharing these milk bread sticks today: fluffy and soft, easy on the stomach, and no oven needed. One skillet does the whole job.
The dough is all milk, not a drop of water, so the dairy flavor really comes through. They fry up soft and sweet and spring back when you squeeze them. Best of all, the ingredient list is clean: egg, milk, flour. Nothing weird in it.
There are only four steps. Let it rise, fry it in a skillet, done — easy enough for a beginner. Make more than you think you need, or they'll be gone.
Ingredients
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
| 1⅔ cups (200 g) all-purpose flour | scant ½ cup (110 ml) milk |
| 1 egg | ¾ tsp (2 g) instant yeast |
| 2 tsp (10 ml) corn oil | 2½ tsp (10 g) sugar (optional) |
| black sesame seeds, as needed | |
Ingredient Notes
- Regular all-purpose flour is right; no need for bread flour.
- Add the milk gradually and keep the dough on the soft side — that's what makes them tender.
- Corn oil is neutral; melted butter works too.
- Roll the sesame seeds into the dough, not just onto it, or they fall off while frying.
- The 2½ tsp (10 g) of sugar is only there for flavor — leaving it out barely affects the rise.
Instructions
-
1
Put everything in a bowl, stir with chopsticks until shaggy, then knead by hand into a smooth dough that doesn't stick.
Add the milk in stages and judge by the dough: smooth surface, not sticky, medium-soft is right.
-
2
Cover and let it rise somewhere warm until doubled.
-
3
Turn the risen dough out onto a floured board, knead to deflate, roll it into an even thin sheet, scatter over the sesame seeds, and roll again to press them in.
-
4
Cut into even strips, lay them on the board, cover, and let them rise a second time for 15 minutes.
-
5
Spray a thin layer of oil in a skillet, add the sticks, and fry over medium-low heat. Flip when one side is golden, and take them out when both sides are golden.
-
6
Keep the heat at medium-low the whole way through — too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks. Keep an eye on them so they don't scorch.
They're softest and most fragrant eaten hot out of the pan.
-
7
Out of the pan they're plump and light in your hand; bite in and they're soft, sweet, and very milky, with a tender chewy texture and nothing hard about them.
-
8
Simple ingredients, easy method, one skillet, no additives, big dairy flavor, soft and easy to digest. Good for breakfast, a snack, or a little treat.
Recipe Notes
Pan-Fried Milk Bread Sticks
no water, just milk in the dough, scattered with black sesame and pan-fried over medium-low heat until golden on both sides. Plump, soft, sweet, and richly milky.
Time Needed
Prep Ahead
- Nothing to prep — just knead the dough and let it rise.
- 【Yield】1⅔ cups (200 g) flour makes 10–12 sticks.
- 【Key ratios】Flour to milk ≈ 200:110, plus 1 egg, with ¾ tsp (2 g) yeast. The 2½ tsp (10 g) sugar can be skipped.
- 【Heat】Spray a thin layer of oil in a skillet and fry over medium-low, flipping when one side is golden. About 6–8 minutes total.
- 【Rising】First rise to double; after cutting into strips, rise again 15 minutes before frying.
- 【Storage & reheating】Sealed at room temperature 1 day, frozen 2 weeks; reheat in a skillet over low heat.
- 【Common problems】Burnt outside with raw inside means the heat was too high. Firm sticks mean it didn't rise enough or fried too long.
Nutrition (per 100 g, estimated)
| Calories | about 266 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | about 8 g |
| Fat | about 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | about 45 g |
| of which sugars | about 7 g |
| Fiber | about 1.2 g |
| Sodium | about 180 mg |
Estimated from the ingredient amounts, not lab tested. One stick is about 1.4 oz (40 g), roughly 106 kcal, calculated at 4 / 9 / 4 kcal per g of protein / fat / carbs.