Soft white bread is popular in Asia, particularly in Japan, and has artisan status there.

[1][2] Bread was not a traditional food in Japan, but it came into culinary use there after the American response to post-World War II Japanese rice shortages included relief shipments of wheat.

[1] New York Times food writer Julia Moskin describes it as "miracle of engineering: moist but not gummy, rich but light, balanced between sweet and salty.

[10] Typical ingredients include flour, whole milk, butter, yeast, salt, sugar and often eggs.

[2] The tangzhong is prepared and cooled, then mixed with the remaining ingredients and kneaded to form a soft, sticky dough which is often divided and formed into multiple rolls and placed crosswise into loaf pans to rise before baking, resulting in a unique appearance.