I have tested this raisin bread recipe so many times, I'm confident that you will find it the best raisin bread recipe that is comparable to what you can buy at a Chinese bakery. The recipe is also adaptable for a dairy-free option and the tangzhong (water roux) method is ingenious.
Into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add 1 egg. Warm the milk in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and add it to the mixing bowl. Add 3 1/4 cup of flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast. Knead on low speed until fully incorporated.
Add the tangzhong mixture from step one and butter and knead for 15 minutes, stopping as needed to scrape down the contents of the bowl and to add 1-2 tablespoons of flour as needed to form a soft dough. Set aside remaining flour for dusting your work surface later.
Pat the dough down into a rectangle again. Use a floured knife to cut the dough into 4 pieces and use floured hands to shape the dough into long lengths. If the dough is too tight, let it relax and work on another piece. I hold the ends and swing it around gently like a jump rope to stretch the dough a bit, fold in half and then twist the two ends together. Pinch the two ends together and tuck them under and place the shaped dough on the parchment lined sheet, cover with plastic wrap and continue to shape the remaining pieces
Allow the shaped and covered dough to rise for 45 minutes and then preheat the oven to 350°F. Right before baking, remove the plastic wrap and brush the shaped raisin breads with the beatened egg mixture and bake for 27-30 minutes, until golden brown.
When ready, take the baking sheet out of the oven and use tongs to transfer the loaves to a cooling rack. The bread is ready to eat and serve warm right out of the oven. Wait until it cools completely (at least 1 hour) before storing in a container or plastic bag. To warm and serve later, wrap a piece of bread with a paper towel and microwave for 10-20 seconds.