Homemade Copycat Original Millennium Hill Black Tea Custard Bread: Step-by-Step Easy Recipe

If you’re a bread lover like me, you’ve definitely heard of Original Millennium Hill—their high-fiber cheese bread is my all-time favorite grab-and-go snack every time I pass their shop. Recently, I’ve been obsessed with their black tea custard loaf, but since I don’t live near a store anymore, I decided to try making a copycat version at home. Full disclosure: I’ve never actually had their official black tea custard bread, so I can’t promise this tastes exactly like the original. But let me tell you—this recipe turned out so good, my family ate two loaves straight out of the oven before dinner.

The best part? This bread uses a old dough (prefers) and a hot water roux (tangzhong) to make the crumb extra soft and chewy, with that perfect bouncy texture you get from store-bought artisanal loaves. It does take a little extra prep the night before, but trust me, the extra step is so worth it. No fancy equipment needed either—even if you only have a bread machine, you can pull this off!

First Things First: What Makes This Bread Special?

Before we dive into the recipe, let’s talk about why this loaf hits so different. The star here is the Earl Grey tea flavor—steeped right into the dough itself, so every bite has that warm, fragrant, slightly floral black tea aroma. Then there’s the buttery, sweet custard filling that oozes just a little when you take a bite, pairing perfectly with the chewy, tea-infused bread. The old dough and hot water roux also make this bread stay soft for days, which is a game-changer for leftover loaves (if you have any, that is).

Full Ingredient List (Makes 6 Small Loaves or 4 Large Original Millennium Hill Style Loaves)

I’ve split the ingredients into three sections to keep things organized: the overnight old dough, the hot water roux, the main bread dough, and the black tea custard filling. Pro tip: Measure all your ingredients out first before you start mixing—baking is way less stressful when you don’t have to run around grabbing things mid-step!

1. Overnight Old Dough

• 60g bread flour (high gluten flour)
• 25g all-purpose flour (low gluten flour)
• 0.35g active dry yeast
• 1.7g fine sea salt
• 55g room temperature water

2. Hot Water Roux (Tangzhong)

• 40g water
• 0.5g fine sea salt
• 1.3g powdered milk
• 33g bread flour

3. Main Bread Dough

• 572g bread flour
• 34g granulated sugar
• 12g fine sea salt
• 6g active dry yeast
• 58g pre-made hot water roux
• 114g pre-made overnight old dough
• 6g Earl Grey tea leaves (I used 3 Twinings tea bags, squeezed dry)
• 172g boiling water
• 205g room temperature water

4. Black Tea Custard Filling

• 64g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 44g powdered sugar
• 50g large egg, room temperature
• 86g powdered milk

Step-by-Step Tutorial

Remember how I mentioned you need to prep the old dough and roux the night before? Let’s start with that first—this will save you so much time the next day!

Day 1: Prep Overnight Old Dough and Hot Water Roux

Step 1: Make the Old Dough

Throw all the old dough ingredients into a small mixing bowl. Stir everything together with a spoon or your hands until it forms a shaggy dough ball. Don’t overmix here—we just want all the ingredients combined evenly.

Let the dough sit at room temperature for 1 hour, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and pop it into the fridge overnight. The dough will double in size by the next morning, which means it’s perfectly fermented!

Step 2: Make the Hot Water Roux

Pour the water, salt, and powdered milk into a small saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat until it starts to boil—you’ll see small bubbles popping around the edges of the pan. As soon as it boils, turn off the heat right away.

Quickly dump all the bread flour into the pan, and stir like crazy with a silicone spatula until you get a smooth, thick paste. This is your hot water roux! Let it cool down to room temperature, then cover it with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge overnight too.

Step 3: Stash Your Preps in the Fridge

That’s it for day one! Both the old dough and roux are tiny little balls, I know—they don’t look like much, but they do all the heavy lifting to make your bread soft and flavorful. Don’t skip them, even if you’re tempted to just mix everything up the next day.

Day 2: Make the Bread and Filling

Step 4: Prep the Earl Grey Tea Infusion

Start by making your tea infusion! Rip open 3 Twinings Earl Grey tea bags, dump the leaves into a small bowl, and pour 172g of boiling water over them. Let it steep for 5-10 minutes, then squeeze the tea bags really well to get every last drop of flavor out. Discard the tea leaves, and let the tea cool down completely to room temperature.

Step 5: Mix the Main Dough (First Mix)

Take all the main dough ingredients except the salt, and add them to your stand mixer bowl (or a large bread machine bowl if that’s what you’re using). That includes the cooled tea infusion, room temperature water, pre-made old dough, pre-made hot water roux, bread flour, sugar, and yeast.

Mix everything on low speed for 3-4 minutes until it forms a rough, shaggy dough ball. If you’re mixing by hand, just knead everything together for a few minutes until no dry flour is left.

Step 6: Add Salt and Knead Until Smooth

Now sprinkle the salt over the top of the dough. If you’re using a stand mixer, crank the speed up to medium-low and knead for about 15 minutes total. If you’re using a bread machine, run one full dough cycle, then add the salt during the second cycle. If you’re kneading by hand, keep going for 10-12 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

You’ll know it’s ready when you can stretch a small piece of dough into a thin, see-through membrane without it tearing—this is called the “window pane test,” and it means your gluten has developed perfectly.

Step 7: First Fermentation (Bulk Rise)

Grease a large bowl, plop the dough inside, and cover it with a damp paper towel or plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in size—this usually takes about 1 hour if your kitchen is 75-80°F (24-27°C). If it’s cold out, you can turn your oven on to 100°F (38°C) for 2 minutes, then turn it off and let the dough rise inside the oven.

Step 8: Make the Custard Filling While You Wait

While the dough is rising, make the custard filling! Grab your softened butter and beat it with a whisk or electric mixer until it’s light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined, then slowly pour in the room temperature egg one spoonful at a time, mixing well after each addition so the egg doesn’t curdle.

Finally, add the powdered milk and mix everything together until you get a smooth, thick paste. If the filling is too runny, pop it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to thicken up—this will make it way easier to spread later on.

Step 9: Punch Down the Dough and Divide It

Once the dough has doubled in size, take it out of the bowl and punch it down hard to release all the built-up air. Knead it a few times to work out any big air pockets, then use a digital scale to divide the dough into equal pieces. I made 6 small loaves this time (about 200g each) because my baking sheet is too small for 4 large Original Millennium Hill style loaves. If you have a big enough pan, go for 4 large 300g loaves!

Step 10: Let the Dough Rest

Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball, then cover them with a damp paper towel and let them rest for 20 minutes. This relaxes the gluten so they’re easier to roll out later—no more fighting with dough that snaps back every time you try to shape it!

Step 11: Roll Out the Dough and Add the Filling

Lightly grease your countertop with a little neutral oil like vegetable or canola oil to prevent sticking. Take one dough ball and roll it out into a long rectangle that’s about 2-3mm thick. Don’t make it too thin, or the filling will leak out while baking!

Pro tip: If your dough is sticking, just add a tiny splash more oil to the counter—don’t use flour, because flour can make the bread tough.

Step 12: Spread the Custard Filling

Scoop a heaping spoonful of the custard filling onto the center of the dough rectangle, then spread it evenly all over the dough, leaving a 3-4cm border around the edges. This border will help you seal the loaf later so the filling doesn’t ooze out while baking.

Step 13: Roll Up the Dough and Seal It

Start rolling the dough up tightly from the long edge, just like you’re rolling a burrito. Pinch the seam closed really well to make sure no filling escapes, then tuck the ends under the loaf.

Step 14: Shape the Loaves

Take the rolled-up dough log and use a sharp pair of kitchen scissors to cut it right down the middle. Now you’ll have two long, thin pieces of dough.

Lay each piece cut-side up, then cross the two ends over each other and twist them together a few times. Tuck the ends under the loaf to make a neat round shape, then transfer it to a greased baking sheet.

Step 15: Final Fermentation (Second Rise)

Arrange all the shaped loaves on the baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between them so they have room to rise. Cover them with a damp paper towel or plastic wrap, and let them rise again until they’re puffy and double in size.

How long this takes depends on the temperature in your kitchen! On a warm summer day (like when I made this), it only took 60 minutes at 78°F (26°C). If it’s cold out, pop the baking sheet into your turned-off oven with a bowl of hot water underneath to create a warm, humid environment. Just make sure the water isn’t boiling hot—you don’t want to melt the custard filling!

Step 16: Preheat Your Oven and Add Finishing Touches

While the loaves are rising, preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Once the loaves have finished their final rise, brush the tops evenly with a beaten egg to give them that golden, shiny crust. I also sprinkled some sliced almonds on top for a little extra crunch and visual appeal—this is totally optional, though!

Step 17: Bake the Bread

Slide the baking sheet into the preheated oven and bake for 25-28 minutes. Keep an eye on them during the last 5 minutes—if the tops start getting too dark, cover them loosely with a piece of aluminum foil to prevent burning.

You’ll know the loaves are done when they’re golden brown on top and sound hollow when you tap the bottom of a loaf with your finger.

Step 18: Cool and Enjoy!

As soon as they come out of the oven, transfer the loaves to a wire cooling rack. Let them cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing—this gives the custard filling time to set up so it doesn’t ooz out everywhere when you take a bite.

I promise, the smell alone will make your whole house smell like a fancy bakery. My husband walked in the door from work and immediately asked if we had a new bread shop down the street!

Pro Tips and Troubleshooting

• Don’t overknead the dough: I’ve made this mistake before, and it leads to tough, dense bread. Stop kneading as soon as you hit that window pane texture!
• Use room temperature ingredients: This helps the yeast activate properly and makes the dough mix more evenly. If you forget to leave your butter and egg out, just pop them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes to speed things up.
• Store leftovers properly: Keep any uneaten bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze individual slices for up to 3 months—just toast them straight from the freezer for a quick snack.
• Adjust the sweetness: If you like less sweet filling, cut back on the powdered sugar by 10g. If you want it extra sweet, add a little more!
• No stand mixer? No problem: You can totally make this by hand! Just knead the dough for 15-20 minutes until it’s smooth and elastic.

Final Thoughts

I’m so happy with how this copycat Original Millennium Hill black tea custard bread turned out. It’s got that perfect chewy crumb, the Earl Grey flavor is bold but not overpowering, and the custard filling is just sweet enough without being cloying. Even though it takes a little prep the night before, it’s way easier than I thought it would be—especially if you measure out your ingredients ahead of time.

If you try this recipe, let me know how it turns out! I’d love to hear if you made any tweaks—like adding a little orange zest to the filling or using a different type of tea. Happy baking!