Antipastini · Japanese milk bread

Shokupan

Japanese milk bread: tall, slightly sweet and incredibly soft.

Total time2 h 30 min
Baking25–30 min
DifficultyMedium
Makes1 loaf
Quantity
1
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Mold used: Pullman loaf tin, 21 × 12 × 11.7 cm See where to buy it ↗ (affiliate link)

Shokupan
01

Make the base

Pour the lukewarm water, sugar, yeast, salt and honey into a bowl. Stir and leave for 10 minutes.

The water should be lukewarm, not boiling: too much heat can damage the yeast.
02

Knead

Add the flour and milk powder. Start working the dough and gradually add the soft butter.

  • 15 minutes in a stand mixer with the dough hook
  • 25 minutes with an electric hand mixer and dough hooks
03

First rise

Slap the dough hard on the work surface 5 times. Shape it into a ball, cover and let it rest for 40 minutes.

04

Divide and rest

Divide the dough into 3 pieces of the same weight. Shape three balls, cover them and let them rest for another 15 minutes.

05

Shape the Shokupan

Roll each ball into a rectangle, fold the sides into the centre and roll it up. Place the three logs side by side in the buttered tin, seam side down.

Let it rise for another 30 minutes.

06

Bake

Close the tin with its lid and bake in an oven preheated to 210 °C for 25–30 minutes.

Take the bread out of the tin straight away and let it cool on a wire rack.

What I used

Equipment

The exact reference images, so there is no “wait, which one should I buy?” moment.

Caputo dry yeast
Ingredient

Caputo dry yeast

For this recipe use 7 g, so one whole sachet.

Shokupan tin with lid
Equipment

Shokupan tin with lid

Rectangular 1.5 kin size, ideal for a compact, even shape.

✦

Sofi’s tips

Small details,
great result.

01Weigh the three portions for an even shape.

02Do not add too much flour: the dough must stay soft.

03Take the bread out of the tin straight away to avoid condensation.

04Wait until it is at least lukewarm before slicing it. In theory.

A recipe by

Sofia Lorini

Creator of Sofidrinkini

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