World Flavors Cookbook

Shokupan (Japanese Milk Bread)

An impossibly soft, pillowy white bread with a cotton-candy-like crumb achieved through the tangzhong (yudane) technique — Japan's beloved daily bread that has taken the world by storm.

Cuisine: Japan

Ingredients

• Tangzhong: 20g bread flour + 100ml whole milk
• 300g bread flour
• 40g sugar
• 6g salt
• 5g instant yeast
• 100ml whole milk, warm
• 1 egg
• 30g unsalted butter, softened

Instructions

1. Make tangzhong: cook flour and milk in a small pan, stirring constantly, until it forms a thick paste (65°C). Cool completely.
2. Mix bread flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Add tangzhong, warm milk, and egg. Knead 10 minutes.
3. Add butter and continue kneading until the dough passes the windowpane test (smooth, elastic, stretches thin without tearing).
4. First rise: 60 minutes until doubled.
5. Divide into 3 equal pieces. Roll each into a rectangle, roll up tightly, and place side by side in a greased Pullman loaf pan.
6. Second rise: 50–60 minutes until dough reaches the rim.
7. Bake at 180°C for 30–35 minutes. Remove immediately and cool on a rack.