Do you like baking bread? Then you probably baked milk bread already, right? Unfortunately, it took quite a while for me to realize that making milk bread at home is a very nice thing to do. Well… sometimes I am just a bit slower than others at learning stuff. Milk bread aka. breakfast bread is quite similar to a toast – obviously – and if you make it yourself at home you can do much more with it than with those pre-cut breads from the supermarket. A popular version of a milk bread is this Japanese Shokupan Milk Bread here. Easy to prepare, really nice and fluffy. Just the way milk bread should be.
I don’t know how widespread milk bread is in Germany – you can definitely get milk bread rolls at almost any bakery, but can you get a whole milk bread loaf in the bakery around the corner? It’s quite rare, isn’t it? Well, our baker doesn’t carry such things. But maybe that’s actually a good thing because otherwise, I would buy it far too often. I have to limit the consumption of white bread a bit – unfortunately, bread with a high percentage of wheat flour is not ideal for diabetics.
But of course, you can treat yourself to some white bread like this from time to time – even with diabetes. Maybe I should develop a version with spelt flour… that would be a little bit better for me than plain old wheat flour. Anyway. I wanted to tell you something about Shokupan and not about my diseases.
Shokupan is a popular type of bread in Japan. Basically, the word »Shokupan« means »eat bread«, but when you mention Shokupan, everyone there will automatically associate it with a soft and fluffy white bread even though you could probably also call dark whole wheat sliced bread »Shokupan«. My version is a bit too dark for Shokupan lovers I assume, but I like it like that. It is perfect for French Toast, for example, if it has a bit of a crust… also you don’t have to follow all the rules all the time, right?!
Shokupan is a universal bread. The Japanese love it for sandwiches – no matter if your sandwich is sweet or savory. The best-known sandwiches are probably Katsu Sando (a sandwich with breaded schnitzel) or Tamago Sando (a sandwich with egg salad). You can also make »Arme Ritter« aka. »French Toast« with bread, as well as bread pudding or grilled cheese sandwiches. Shokupan can, of course, also be used as a simple toast for breakfast – this is probably the most common use. Cut a slice to the thickness you like, put it in the toaster and enjoy with some butter and jam. If you don’t want to eat much in the morning, this is the perfect breakfast for you.
I used Shokupan in another recipe here, but that one was baked in a special baking tin which gives the bread a more »commercial looking« shape – similar to the ones you can get in a supermarket. But baking it without that particular baking tin and using a regular loaf pan is also fine for the Shibuya Honey Toast I was referring to. A delicious and sweet monster dessert.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
17.6 oz. (500g) stronger all-purpose flour* plus more if needed
2 tbsp. sugar (fine)*
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast*
1 tsp. salt
9.1 fl. oz. (270ml) lukewarm water
3.4 fl. oz. (50ml) milk
1.8 oz. (50g) butter, at room temperature
500g Mehl (Type 550)* plus ggf. mehr
2 EL Zucker (fein)*
1 1/2 TL Trockenhefe*
1 TL Salz
270ml lauwarmes Wasser
50ml Milch
50g weiche Butter
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Add the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt to a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the water and milk and knead the dough for about 4-5 minutes until it is soft and smooth. Next, add the butter and knead for about 10 more minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a clean bowl and cover – let rise about 1 hour in a warm place until doubled in size.
2. Place the risen dough on a lightly floured surface and punch several times to get some air out. Divide into three equal portions and shape into balls. Cover with a damp towel and let rest/rise for another 20 minutes.
3. Grease a 23cm loaf tin* lightly and line it with a strip of baking parchment. Set aside. Flatten and stretch the dough balls to get oval shapes that are slightly larger than your hand. Roll them up from the longer side to get thick short logs. Place those three logs next to each other (seam side down) in the prepared loaf tin and cover them loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise again in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
4. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Place the pan in the middle of the oven and reduce the heat to 200°C (390°F). Now bake the bread for about 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Take it out of the oven and remove it from the pan immediately. Let it cool down completely on a wire rack.
1. Das Mehl zusammen mit dem Zucker, Trockenhefe und Salz in einer großen Schüssel vermischen. Lauwarmes Wasser und Milch dazugeben und alles in 4-5 Minuten zu einem glatten Teig verkneten. Die Butter in kleinen Stücken dazugeben und weitere 10 Minuten kneten lassen. Den Teig zu einer Kugel formen, in eine saubere Schüssel geben und abdecken. Für etwa 1 Stunde an einem warmen Ort auf die doppelte Größe aufgehen lassen.
2. Den gegangenen Teig auf eine leicht bemehlte Fläche setzen und mehrmals boxen, damit die Luft entweichen kann. In drei gleich große Stücke teilen und diese dann jeweils zu einer Kugel formen und abgedeckt noch einmal etwa 20 Minuten gehen lassen.
3. Eine 23cm Kastenform* leicht einfetten und mit einem Stück Backpapier auslegen. Zur Seite stellen. Die Teigkugeln jeweils etwas flach drücken und auseinanderliegen, sodass eine ovale Form entsteht, die etwas größer als die eigene Hand ist. Die Teigstücke von der langen Seite her aufrollen, damit kurze, dicke Rollen entstehen. Diese drei Rollen nebeneinander in die Form setzen, locker mit Folie abdecken und noch einmal für etwa 1 Stunde an einem warmen Ort gehen lassen, bis sich das Volumen des Teiges verdoppelt hat.
4. Den Ofen auf 220°C (425°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Die Form in die Mitte des Ofens setzen und die Temperatur auf 200°C (390°F) reduzieren. Das Brot für etwa 35-40 Minuten backen – die Oberfläche des Brotes sollte eine schöne goldene Farbe bekommen haben. Aus dem Ofen holen, aus der Form lösen und auf einem Kuchengitter komplett auskühlen lassen.
Craving more? Keep in touch on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for new post updates and more. You can also contact me with any questions or inquiries!
Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Easy Japanese Shokupan Milk Bread
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:40
- Total Time: 03:30
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: -
- Cuisine: Japan
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
An easy-peasy bread to make – this Japanese Shokupan Bread aka. Milk Bread is simply wonderful. This fluffy bread is perfect for your sandwiches and more…
Ingredients
17.6 oz. (500g) stronger all-purpose flour* plus more if needed
2 tbsp. sugar (fine)*
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast*
1 tsp. salt
9.1 fl. oz. (270ml) lukewarm water
3.4 fl. oz. (50ml) milk
1.8 oz. (50g) butter, at room temperature
Instructions
1. Add the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt to a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the water and milk and knead the dough for about 4-5 minutes until it is soft and smooth. Next, add the butter and knead for about 10 more minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a clean bowl and cover – let rise about 1 hour in a warm place until doubled in size.
2. Place the risen dough on a lightly floured surface and punch several times to get some air out. Divide into three equal portions and shape into balls. Cover with a damp towel and let rest/rise for another 20 minutes.
3. Grease a 23cm loaf tin* lightly and line it with a strip of baking parchment. Set aside. Flatten and stretch the dough balls to get oval shapes that are slightly larger than your hand. Roll them up from the longer side to get thick short logs. Place those three logs next to each other (seam side down) in the prepared loaf tin and cover them loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise again in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
4. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Place the pan in the middle of the oven and reduce the heat to 200°C (390°F). Now bake the bread for about 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Take it out of the oven and remove it from the pan immediately. Let it cool down completely on a wire rack.
Notes
Enjoy baking!
Links marked with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links (advertising/Werbung) to Amazon Germany. If you click on one of those links and buy something via this link, I will get a commission for that sale. The price of whatever you buy is not affected in any way by this.
Hello! Can you try with yudane/tangzhong technique? it will make the bread softer and not dry.
You mean like this one here? ;)
https://baketotheroots.de/spelt-shokupan-bread/