Shokupan (Japanese White Bread)
Shokupan (Japanese White Bread), America’s Test Kitchen
Section titled “Shokupan (Japanese White Bread), America’s Test Kitchen”Description
Section titled “Description”Based on the recipe by Andrea Geary at America’s Test Kitchen. A light, fluffy Japanese milk bread that naturally stays fresh longer, made with the yudane method — a boiling-water-and-flour paste that pre-gelatinizes some of the starch. Shaping the dough into snug, tension-building coils and baking in a lidded Pullman pan gives the loaf a fine crumb and perfectly square sides.
Yield: One 13-inch loaf · Total time: 1¾ hours, plus 5½ hours resting, rising, and cooling
Vegetarian Dairy GlutenIngredients
Section titled “Ingredients”Yudane
Section titled “Yudane”| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| bread flour | 117g (¾ cup) |
| boiling water | 114g (½ cup) |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| milk | 306g (1¼ cups) |
| bread flour | 416g (2⅔ cups) |
| instant or rapid-rise yeast | 6g (2 tsp) |
| sugar | 25g (2 tbsp) |
| table salt | 9g (1½ tsp) |
| unsalted butter, softened | 29g (2 tbsp) |
| vegetable oil spray | as needed |
| Items |
|---|
| digital scale |
| kettle |
| stand mixer with dough hook |
| 13 x 4 x 4-inch Pullman loaf pan with lid (USA Pan recommended) |
| rolling pin |
| plastic wrap |
| instant-read thermometer |
| wire rack |
| serrated bread knife |
Recipe
Section titled “Recipe”-
Make the yudane: Mix the 117g of flour and 114g of freshly boiled water in the bowl of a stand mixer to form a rough but uniform dough. Once it’s cool enough to handle, lightly grease your hands and tear the yudane into roughly 1-inch pieces.
-
Hydrate: Add the milk to the yudane and stir to combine — it will stay lumpy. Add the 416g of flour and the yeast. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and mix on low until all the flour is moistened, 1–2 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes.
-
Knead: Add the sugar and salt and mix on medium-low for 10 minutes, scraping down the bowl and hook halfway through. With the mixer running, add the butter. Keep mixing on medium-low, scraping as needed, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl, 5–10 minutes longer. If it clears the sides early, keep mixing for at least the minimum time to build structure.
-
First rise: Transfer to a lightly oiled counter, knead briefly into a ball, and place seam side down in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 1 hour.
-
Divide and rest: Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Shape into balls, place seam side down on the counter, cover, and rest for 15 minutes.
-
Shape the coils: Lightly oil the counter, your hands, and the rolling pin. Turn one ball seam side up and press into a 5-inch square. Roll into a 7-inch square, pressing out all the air bubbles — use the dough’s tackiness and your hands to hold the shape. Fold lengthwise into thirds to form a 7-inch strip, then roll into a 9 x 3-inch strip. Starting from a short side, roll into a snug cylinder and pinch the seam to seal. Place seam side down. Repeat with the remaining balls.
-
Pan and proof: Spray the Pullman pan and lid with oil spray (not needed with the USA Pan). Place the cylinders seam side down in the pan, spirals facing the long sides, spaced evenly. Slide the lid on, leaving the last inch open so you can watch the rise, and cover that gap with plastic wrap. Let rise until the dough is ½ inch from the top of the pan, 1–1¼ hours.
-
Bake: Remove the plastic and slide the lid fully closed. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) — the loaf keeps rising while the oven heats, so wait at least 15 minutes after closing the lid before baking. Bake until the bread registers 195–200°F (91–93°C) inside, 30–35 minutes.
-
Cool: Remove the lid, turn the bread out onto a wire rack, then flip it upright. Let cool completely, at least 3 hours, before slicing with a serrated knife — saw gently, using very little downward pressure.
* % Daily Value based on a 2,000 calorie diet · Estimated values