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Updated: 2/22/21
If you have ever visited a Taiwanese or Japanese bakery, you will always find a loaf of white bread packed in a clear plastic bag with a twisty tie on top. Shokupan (食パン) is the Japanese term for this bakery staple and it literally means “eating bread”. The bread is characterized by a soft crust and even softer (yet bouncy) interior, and is usually baked into a rectangular loaf that is then cut into square slices.
In my family, Shokupan somehow became abbreviated to Shopan, which also has the meaning “cheap bread” in Taiwanese. And it was indeed a cheap and easily accessible bread everywhere in Taiwan. For this very reason I always took it for granted.
Nevertheless, after living in the US for so many years, I finally started to appreciate this soft, fluffy bread with a slight bounce and sweetness. I missed it as a sandwich bread and for making Taiwanese brick toast.
Finally this year on my birthday, I requested a Pullman loaf pan, and a friend kindly got me this one. I decided to try the NYT recipe since it had SO many positive reviews, and this recipe is largely based off that recipe. I did a few modifications (for example, reducing the sugar, omitting water in the Tangzhong starter, and adjusting baking time) to fit my taste and oven.
What I love about this recipe is that it’s simple and I get delicious results every single time. Now I am only a few hours away from a loaf of fresh baked Shokupan! I hope you will enjoy this bread as much as I do.
If you don’t own a Pullman loaf pan, you can still make a dome-shaped Shokupan which is equally delicious. I recommend brushing the dome tops with an egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1Tbsp water) right before baking . This helps to achieve a shiny, golden luster.
INSTRUCTIONS:
STARTER (Tangzhong):
In a small saucepan, add 3T (22g) bread flour to 1/4 cup (60mL) milk.
Whisk together until smooth and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring often.
Continue cooking and stirring the tangzhong starter until it thickens. You will notice a faint line initially when you pull the whisk across the tangzhong starter. Tangzhong is done when the whisk leaves a very obvious line that doesn’t disappear.
DOUGH:
Warm 1/2C (120mL) milk to between 100-110F*
Measure 7g active dry yeast into warmed milk.
*I usually pour cold milk from the fridge into microwavable mug and heat on high for 30s.
Add wet ingredients to mixing bowl in this order: Milk+Yeast, tangzhong, egg, then add dry ingredients in this order: Sugar, bread flour, salt. Make sure to add salt last, on top of the flour, as you don’t want it touching the yeast in the milk before mixing starts
Start mixing dough ingredients until everything comes together (5-10 minutes on “dough” function of bread machine*
Add 4T (60g) butter and continue mixing for another 10 minutes until everything comes together.
*You can also mix by using the dough hook on stand mixer, or by hand (good workout!) don’t want it touching the yeast in the milk before mixing starts
Shape dough into a ball and allow to rise, covered, in a warm place until doubled in size (about 60 minutes). I usually just let the dough rise in my bread machine with the lid covered.
Remove the dough and hand knead it a few times. Using dough cutter, cut the dough into three pieces of equal size.
Spread oil evenly on pullman loaf pan and dust flour evenly over the surface. Place the three rolled pieces of dough into the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise in a warm place, about 30-40 minutes.
Once dough has risen to about 90% of the pan height, remove plastic wrap and place Pullman loaf pan lid on (don’t forget to oil bottom of the lid where the dough will come in contact with). At this time preheat oven to 350F and allow dough to rise a little more in the pullman pan while oven preheats.
Send bread to oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove lid and continue baking for another 5-10 minutes until internal temperature reaches 190F. (I took photo after bread has slightly cooled that’s why the thermometer reads “186”. Remove bread from pan with hot hands. Let loaf cool on wire pan for 1 hour before cutting.
Shokupan (Japanese Milk Bread)
Light and fluffy Japanese bread with a sweet note and pillow-soft texture. Extremely versatile, this bread is often used for sandwiches, slightly toasted with jam and spreads, or cut into thick pieces and topped with condensed milk, fruits, and ice cream as a dessert.
Cook Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Rising and Cooling Time3 hours hrs
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Japanese, Taiwanese
Keyword: Japanese milk bread, Pullman bread, Taiwanese brick toast
Author: minminutes
Ingredients
For the Tangzhong Starter
- 3 Tbsp/22g Bread Flour
- 1/4 Cup/60 mL Milk (2% or Whole milk)
For the Shokupan Dough
- 2.5 Cups (325g) Bread Flour
- 3 Tbsp (45g) Sugar
- 2 tsp (7g) Active Dry Yeast
- 1 tsp (4g) Salt
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 Cup (120mL) milk (2% or Whole milk)
- 4 Tbsp (60g) Butter
Instructions
Tangzhong Starter
In a small saucepan, add bread flour to milk. Whisk together until smooth and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring often.
Continue cooking and stirring until Tangzhong thickens. You will first notice a faint line initially when you pull the whisk across the tangzhong. Tangzhong is done when the whisk leaves a very obvious line that doesn’t disappear.
Allow Tangzhong to cool to room temperature before using it in dough.
Shokupan Dough
Warm 1/2C (120mL) milk to between 100-110F* Measure 7g active dry yeast into warmed milk.
Add wet ingredients to mixing bowl in this order: Milk+Yeast, tangzhong, egg
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in this order: Sugar, bread flour, salt**
Start mixing dough ingredients until everything comes together (5-10 minutes on “dough” function of bread machine***
Add 4T (60g) butter and continue mixing for another 10 minutes until everything comes together.
Shape dough into a ball and allow to rise, covered, in a warm place until doubled in size (about 60 minutes).
Remove the dough and hand knead it a few times. Using dough cutter, cut the dough into three pieces of equal size.
Use a rolling pin, gently flatten each piece of dough into a long flat oval. Roll the dough down from the top to form a log.
Spread oil evenly on pullman loaf pan and dust flour evenly over the surface. Place the three rolled pieces of dough into the pan.
Cover with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise in a warm place, about 30-40 minutes.
Once the dough has risen to about 90% of the pan heigh, remove plastic wrap and place pullman loaf pan lid on (don’t forget to oil bottom of the lid where the dough will come in contact with). At this time preheat oven to 350F and allow dough to rise a little more in the pan while oven preheats.
Send bread to oven and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove lid and continue baking for another 5-10 minutes until internal temperature reaches 190F.
Remove bread from pan with hot hands. Cool loaf on wire rack and allow to cool for at least 1 hour prior to cutting.
Notes
*I usually pour cold milk from the fridge into microwavable mug and heat on high for 30s.
**Make sure to add salt last, on top of the flour, as you don’t want it touching the yeast in the milk before mixing starts
***You can also mix by using the dough hook on stand mixer, or by hand (good workout!) don’t want it touching the yeast in the milk before mixing starts
STORAGE TIPS: According to “Introduction to Tangzhong” by King Arthur Flour (lots of bread experts over there), Tangzhong bread will stay soft for up to 1 week. However, because I live in hot humid Houston, I would never DARE leave homemade bread out that long. I recommend storing bread in zip-lock bag with all the air pressed out for 2 days at room temperature. Slice the rest of the bread you won’t eat and store in freezer for up to 1 month.
Recipe adapted from “Japanese Milk Bread” by NYT
Don’t forget to pin this image to save it for later 🙂
