I remember when Gardenia’s Butterscotch bread first came out. People were literally waiting for the bread guy to stock the shelves (I think it was every Wednesday) before snapping them all up like piranhas, and they were gone in a flash. At that point in time I was working in Menara TM, and since I always came in pretty early I had the small advantage of grabbing a couple from the MyNews downstairs first thing in the morning. Lucky me.

Years passed, and the novelty wore off. Until one day, I got to know Faizal and he mentioned how he’d always bring butterscotch bread back to the States whenever he’s here on holiday. We spoke briefly about how I love to bake bread, and he suggested I try figuring out how to make homemade butterscotch bread. Why didn’t I think of this? I made a mental note to seriously give this a shot. Soon after, I found butterscotch chips at Bake With Yen. It’s a sign!

Figuring it Out

I then thought about what bread would be best to use as a base, and figured a rich buttery brioche would fit the bill. It so happened that King Arthur Baking featured a recipe by Bengigi on their Instagram, so this was what I used. As written, it turned out very rich and moist, almost cakelike for my liking.

Using my breadmaker brioche recipe as reference, I reduced the butter a little. I also adjusted the milk ratio as the dough turned out too wet in our humid tropical climate. Finally I took inspiration from A Baking Journey‘s chocolate chip brioche recipe to figure out the right amount of butterscotch chips to add to the recipe, as well as the method to roll them into the dough.

Needless to say, this became something I bake frequently, because a certain someone likes it very much. It is also a very rich, delicious bread, and I’m certain you would love it too.

Step by Step

The Dough

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the milk, sugar, 2 eggs, and yeast.

Add the flour. Mix at the lowest speed, until a shaggy dough forms.

Increase the speed of the mixer to speed 2. Add the divided butter, one portion at a time, until all the butter is incorporated.

Add the salt. Continue kneading at speed 2, until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes.

Shape the dough into a tight ball.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rest, until doubled in size, 1 hour 30 minutes. The dough can also rest overnight.

If doing an overnight rest, take out the dough from the fridge and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Putting it Together

Divide the dough into 8 equal-sized pieces. You can also divide into 16 pieces to make two smaller loaves.

Working with one piece at a time, flatten the dough lightly.

Evenly spread 10 grams (about 18 to 20 pieces) of butterscotch chips on the dough. If making smaller loaves, use half of the amount in each roll.

Fold the edges towards the center to create a ball.

Flip the dough seam-side down, and roll into a tight ball. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Grease a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with butter. Arrange the rolls into the pan.

Cover and let rest, until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Closer to baking time, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan 160 degrees C).

Make the egg wash. In a small bowl, add the remaining egg and 1 tablespoon milk.

Brush the rolls with the egg wash.

Top with the remaining butterscotch chips.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 90 degrees C.

Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, before removing from the pan.

Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Enjoy!