Japanese Style White Bread Recipes

JAPANESE MILK BREAD (SHOKUPAN)

Steps:

• Starter:Whisk together milk, 1/2 cup water, and flour in a small saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, until thickened slightly but still pourable (it should have the consistency of loose pudding), 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl; let cool until warm to the touch but no longer hot, about 10 minutes.
• Dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, milk powder, sugar, salt, and yeast. Make a well in center of mixture. Add milk, melted butter, and starter to well; stir until a dough forms. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic and springs back when lightly pressed, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl brushed with butter; brush top of dough with more butter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush two standard 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with butter. Punch down dough. Transfer to a clean work surface and divide in half. Roll each half into an approximately 9-inch log; transfer to prepared pans. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise until more than doubled in volume (doughs should rise about 1 1/2 inches above tops of pans), 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Whisk egg white with 1 teaspoon water and gently brush onto tops of dough. Bake until puffed, golden brown, and a thermometer inserted in centers registers 200 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pans on a wire rack 15 minutes. Flip loaves out onto rack; let cool completely before slicing and serving, or store, unsliced and wrapped in parchment-lined foil at room temperature up to 3 days, or sliced and frozen up to 3 months.

SHOKUPAN

Steps:

• Make Yudane the night before. Place bread flour in a bowl and add boiling water and mix well. Put cling wrap and refrigerate overnight. *4
• Pour the room temperature milk into a stand mixer bowl.
• Add sugar,butter and yeast to the bowl then add the yudane as you tear it into small pieces.
• Add the bread, flour and salt.
• Attach the kneading hook onto the stand mixer and combine all ingredient on low speed 1.
• When all ingredients are combined, turn the speed up to 5 or 6 and knead the dough for 20 min.
• Roll the dough round and place the dough into a greased bowl. Wrap with cling wrap to rise for about 45 min to 1 hour at about 86°F(30°C) or until double the size.
• Use your finger, to test if the dough has risen by dusting your finger with flour and poking the dough. If the dough doesn't bounce back and the hole you poked stays there, it is ready.
• Punch the dough down and cut the dough into two equal parts with a scraper and roll them.
• Cover the rolled doughs with a wet cloth and stand it for 20 minutes bench time.
• Roll out each dough to about 5.9x7.8inch (15 x 20 cm) rectangle with a rolling pin.
• Fold the dough tightly not letting any air in towards the centre from left and right.
• Rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll it from one end.
• Spray one loaf bread tin lightly and place the rolled dough in the end of the tin facing the centre.
• Cover it with a wet cloth and let the dough rise for a second time until the dough rises to the size of the bread tin about 30 min.
• Start to preheat the oven to 365 °F(185°C).
• When the dough has risen to be level with the tin, it's ready to bake.
• Bake the dough for about 25 -30 minutes in preheated oven.
• Remove the bread from the tin and cool it down on a rack. * 5
• Whisk an egg, rightly brush over the bread dough.(Optional)