← Nouns Cooking · Japanese

Ingredients

• 50 g Strong bread flour
• 40 ml boiling water
• 200 g Strong bread flour
• 15 g Sugar
• 3 g instant dried yeast
• 5 g Salt
• 150 ml milk, at room temperature
• 15 g unsalted butter, softened

Method

1. Make the yudane: stir the boiling water into 50 g bread flour to form a sticky dough. Cover and leave to cool for 30 min (or chill overnight).
2. Mix the remaining flour, sugar and yeast in a bowl, with the salt on the far side away from the yeast. Add the milk and the yudane torn into pieces and knead for 10 min.
3. Add the butter and knead for another 10 min, until the dough is smooth, elastic and stretches into a thin, see-through sheet without tearing.
4. Shape into a ball, cover and leave somewhere warm for 1 hour, until doubled.
5. Knock back, divide into 2 equal pieces, round them and rest for 15 min. Roll each into an oval, fold in the sides to the middle, then roll up tightly. Place the rolls side by side, seams down, in a greased 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin.
6. Cover and prove for 45 min, until the dough rises almost to the rim. Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
7. Bake for 25–30 min, until deep golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Turn it out at once, cool on a rack and wait at least 1 hour before slicing.

Tips

• The scalded flour (yudane) holds extra water, which is what keeps shokupan so soft and slow to go stale.
• Contains wheat and dairy. Slice thick (3–4 cm) for Japanese-style toast.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Just One Cookbook Chopstick Chronicles