I've always wanted to bake shokupan bread. This Japanese milk bread, super soft and fluffy, is shown again and again on social networks. So it was time to develop my own. I used a tangzhong to get as much moisture into the dough as possible. I am very happy with the result, although I could have lowered the temperature a little. But take a look!
#recipe
For the sweet stiff starter we combine
220g flour
110g water
30g sugar
10g sourdough
and mix everything together an let it ferment over night at room temperature.
We also prepare a tangzhong the same evening by stirring
200g water
40g flour
in a pan at moderate heat until it thickens. Fill it in a glas and cover it with plastic wrap. This will go into the fridge over night.
The next day it's time to prepare our main dough. For this you put
600g flour
180g milk
370g sweet stiff starter
240g tangzhong
in a mixer and mix it for about 10 minutes at slow speed. Add
2 eggs
60g butter
40g sugar
And mix it for another 5 minutes at higher speed, add
10g salt
and mix it for another 1-2 minutes until a window pane test passes.
Transfer your dough to you counter top and give it some slap and folds before putting it into a plastic container. After 30 minutes of rest do 4 sets of coil folds, one each 30 minutes and let the dough rest in between.
After 3-4 hours of fermentation it's time to divide the dough into 6 portions à 270g. Roll them up and place them into a loaf pan. Cover the pan and let it ferment for another 2-4 hours until they reach the top of the loaf pan. Now it's time to give them an egg wash (1 egg yolk with a bit of milk).
Put them into the oven which is preheated at 250°C / 482°F and bake them with steam. Directly reduce the temperature to 180°C /356°F and bake them for 45 minutes. Next time I would reduce the initial temperature to 220°C / 428°F. This should lead to thinner crust. Try it out!
Enjoy!
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00:00 - Intro
00:37 - Sweet stiff starter
01:25 - Tangzhong
02:16 - Main dough ingredients
02:46 - Mixing the dough
04:35 - 1st set coil folds
05:00 - 2nd set coil folds
05:18 - 3rd set coil folds
05:31 - 4th set of coil folds
05:46 - Shaping
08:38 - Baking
09:55 - Impressions
