Shokupan Sandwich Bread Recipe
Coooking Temperature: 375°F /190°C / Gas Mark 5
Calories: 190kcal
Adjust Servings Here: 12 slices
Description
This is the Japanese sandwich bread shokupan, also known as the Hokkaido milk bread. It uses an Asian tangzhong method and produces the softest, lightest, and an airiest slice of bread you will ever make. Amazing on its own, perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and of course sandwiches
Ingredients
Tangzhong/water-roux
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Milk
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Water
- 2 tablespoon (30 g) Bread flour
Dough
- 1 Batch Tangzhong prepared above
- ½ cup (120 ml) Milk
- 0.75 oz (21 g) Fresh yeast or 2 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
- 2 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Milk powder
- 1 Egg large
- 4 tablespoon (60 g) Unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups (375 g) Bread flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup (60 g) Flour for kneading
Plus
- 1 Egg for egg wash
- 2 tablespoon Water for egg wash
Instructions
Tangzhong
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook this mixture for 2 to 3 minutes. Keep stirring constantly to prevent lumps.Pro tip - Keep the heat on medium to low. At first, the mixture will take a while to thicken, but then it does get thicker quickly. So, keep a close eye and take it off just when it reaches almost paste consistency similar to a pudding.
- Take it off the heat and transfer it into a bowl or plate. Cover and let cool to almost room temperature. Make sure the plastic touches the surface of the tangzhong to prevent a skin.Pro tip - Removing from the hot pan will prevent it from cooking further as we don't want it to get lumpy.
- At first, the mixture will take a while to thicken, but then it does get thicker quickly. So, keep a close eye and take it off just when it reaches almost paste consistency, similar to a pudding (see video).
Dough
- In a bowl of a stand mixer - add the lukewarm milk (no warmer than 110 F) and the yeast. Combine well with a whisk. Then, add the sugar, milk powder, egg and cooled tangzhong.
- Add the flour and salt. Turn the mixer on medium-high speed. Pro tip - Scrape the sides of the bowl well to ensure all the flour is well incorporated and do not add more flour yet.
- Once all the flour has been incorporated, knead:- By hand - transfer to a well-dusted worktop and knead for 5 to 6 minutes - Stand mixer - once all the flour is well incorporated knead on medium for 4 to 5 minutes
- Then, gradually add the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Once all the butter has been incorporated, knead for 3 minutes more.
- When the dough is soft, shiny, but still slightly sticky shape into a ball. Place the dough in an oiled bowl seam side down. Coat the surface with oil to prevent drying. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth or plastic wrap.
- Leave in a warm place. Let rise for 60 to 90 minutes until double in volume. Pro tip - In winter, you may need 90 minutes or more. But in summer, the dough may double in 45 minutes. If you can't attend to it at that moment, de-gas, reshape, and let double in volume again.
Shape the loaf
- When the dough is double in volume, transfer to a well-dusted floured surface. De-gas, reshape into a ball. Pro-tip - at this point there is no need for additional flour. So use a light dusting of flour.
- Roll the dough into a cylinder and divide the dough into 4 portions. Weigh the portions to ensure they are similar in size. Mine was about 200 to 215 grams each.
- Shape each portion into a tight roll. To do this correctly, - flatten the dough on an unfloured surface. - Fold the top and two sides in. - Then roll towards you into a sausage shape.
Proof and bake
- Place the shaped portions in a 9 x 4 loaf pan. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth or plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about 45 minutes until almost double in size.Pro tip - Spray the plastic wrap with oil to prevent it from sticking to the rolls.
- When the bread is almost double in volume at about 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C / Gas Mark 5
- Brush the rolls with egg wash, milk, or creamPro tip - Egg wash is a full egg with 2 tablespoon of water. An egg wash will give a nice golden color. If you can't use egg, milk or cream will work just as well. Do not use oil or butter as it will create a crust.
- Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes until lightly golden on top. If the top of the sandwich bread is getting too dark, tent it with aluminum foil. When baked brush with melted butter.Pro tip - This is optional but adds a nice flavor and keeps the top crust soft.
- Take it out of the pan and cover it with a clean kitchen cloth for at least 30 minutes to keep it softPro tip - Do not leave the bread in the pan for too long as the steam will make the bread soggy on the bottom.
Recipe Notes
- Cook the tangzhong at medium to low speed so the flour has a chance to absorb the liquid - if you cook on high heat the liquid will evaporate.
- Also, you need to stir the tangzhong continuously but not vigorously. Why? we want to avoid gluten formation.
- The tangzhong must be a paste consistency and it gets thicker as it cools so remove it earlier rather than later. If it gets too thick and lumpy it will be difficult to incorporate into the dough.
- Cool the tangzhong to room temperature before you add it to the dough. But do not place it in the fridge to avoid lumps.
- Add salt to the flour, not the yeast mixture. Salt can kill the yeast.
- Knead the dough for the time mentioned in the recipe. Using a timer works great to under or over-knead the dough. this is a high-hydration dough which means it has more water compared to other bread dough. As such, the dough is quite soft to knead so a stand mixer makes it easier. Having said that, you can certainly knead this dough by hand. In fact, I have done it on many occasions. And chilling the dough for an hour after the first rise will make it easier to shape.
- Bread flour works best for this bead making it soft and chewy. Having said that, I have used all-purpose flour and it works just as well.
- Overnight Bread - The dough can be prepared a day in advance. Proof them for an hour on the counter then punch down and let the dough rest in the fridge overnight. Overnight proofing is a great way to add flavor to the bagels. The next day, let the dough come to room temperature before you shape and bake them.
- Storing sandwich bread- this sandwich bread does freeze beautifully. Cool the baked bread then place it in a freezer-safe storage bag. These can be frozen for up to a month. I like to cut the sandwich bread into slices and freeze the slices so my kids can thaw the slices as needed,
- Kneading the dough - If possible use an electric mixer because the dough is soft and sticky.
- Bread machine - buns can be easily made in a bread machine. Pour all ingredients in the pan set to dough or manual. Start and let the dough run its cycle for about 9 to 10 minutes - continue with the recipe as shown above.
- The dough did not rise? -Most often the simplest explanation for this is that the liquid (milk) used was not warm. You need the liquid to be no more than 110 F/ 41 C. Hotter than that will not activate the yeast. In some cases, it could also be that the yeast was old and not good.
- Dry dense, not soft bread? If you add too much flour to the dough the bread will be dense, not soft. You want the dough to be soft, elastic, and still slightly sticky when kneading. Follow the recipe and look at the video to see my consistency of dough.
- Bread deflated during baking -Prove the buns for only 45 minutes or until just almost double in volume. They will continue to rise some more in the oven when baking. If you overproof the buns they tend to rise and deflate when baking.
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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