Shokupan (Japanese Milk Bread)

Thought I'd post a new favorite bread recipe. Japanese Milk Bread is some of the fluffiest, stretchiest white bread I've eaten and well worth the few extra steps which help make it so good!
Also if you happen to have any left once you start eating it, I believe that the bread crumbs of this amazing bread are used to make panko.

I'll post a recipe plus a good tutorial vid here (skip to about 8:56 to check out the finished product).

(Notes: * I did NOT use the dry powdered milk called for in the recipe. Just left that ingredient out altogther like the lady in the video and the bread turned out wonderfully!
* The vid fails to mention the measurement for that milk she adds in the beginning-- but the recipe I'm linking states it's 1/2 cup milk)

Here's a link to the vid:


Recipe here:
www.kingarthurflour.com...

Ingredients

Tangzhong (starter)

3 tablespoons (43g) water
3 tablespoons (43g) whole milk
2 tablespoons (14g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread

Dough
Flour or Organic Bread Flour
2 1/2 cups (298g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread
Flour or Organic Bread Flour
2 tablespoons (18g) Baker's Special Dry Milk or 2
tablespoons (11g) nonfat dry milk
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1/2 cup (113g) whole milk
1 large egg
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons, 57g) melted unsalted butter


Instructions
To make the tangzhong: Combine all of the
ingredients in a small saucepan, and whisk until no
lumps remain.
1
Place the saucepan over low heat, and cook the
mixture, whisking constantly, until thick and the
whisk leaves lines on the bottom of the pan, about 3
to 5 minutes.
2
Transfer the tangzhong to a small mixing bowl or
measuring cup and let it cool to room temperature.
3
To make the dough: Combine the tangzhong with the
remaining dough ingredients, then mix and knead —
by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until a smooth,
elastic dough forms.
4
Shape the dough into a ball, and let it rest in a lightly
greased covered bowl for 60 to 90 minutes, until
puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk.
5
Gently deflate the dough, divide it into 8 equal
pieces, and shape each piece into a ball.
6
Place the rolls into a lightly greased round bun pan.
Cover the pan, and let the rolls rest for 40 to 50
minutes, until puffy. To use another pan, see "tips,"
below.
7
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the rolls with milk
or egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon
cold water), and bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until
golden brown on top; a digital thermometer inserted
into the center of the middle roll should read at least
190°F.
8
Remove the rolls from the oven. Allow them to cool
in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a
rack to cool completel

This has become some of my favorite dough to work with and bread to eat/make.

Hope you enjoy!

a reply to: zosimov

素敵

a reply to: zosimov

I wounder if you could do a hybrid and make this into like a monkey bread type thing... Maybe not like a true variant, but it sounds like if you did the dough smaller than loafs and hit it with some butter, cinnamon, and sugar... Surely it couldn't mess it up.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

Yumm... sounds really good CriticalStinker.

I've found brioche recipes in which you can fold chocolate chips into the dough, so I really don't see why your idea wouldn't work!

a reply to: zosimov

I've never considered a brioche sweet variant, but I could definitely see it working... Brioche and a nice pretzel roll have become my favorite for burgers, so long as they're not too dense.

I like dense in other applications though, I imagine the Japanese milk bread is a bit denser than other breads, yea? But I bet it works, seems like it will retain some good moisture to keep it soft.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

Definitely a denser bread, you're right! (I think the bread flour+method does this).

Also I really do think it would stay fresh for longer... just that it's never around my house long enough to find out

a reply to: zosimov

Another one of my favorites is my dad would do potato rolls. It was still more flour than potato, but the potato would add a nice aroma and starchiness while they still stayed moist and fluffy. Being in the south, they were obligatorily baked in a heaping amount of butter. I always saved the bottom crispy bit for the last bit of a meal. mmmmm.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

Oh man sounds really good.



Potatoes and bread are two of my favorite foods (lol I know it's not the healthiest diet... Hey love fresh fruits and veggies too).

And now that I think back, it may have been challah bread that I was thinking about where I saw chocolate chips could be added to the dough... I'll have to look now. Ok looked it up and one can add chocolate chips to either! Why not, ?

Also, another side idea, couldn't you essentially use this as a base to get the same outer effect as brioche? It's just egg washing the outside at specific times if I remember correctly.

I always love playing with new doughs and seeing what I can do with them.... Though it's been a while since I baked often.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

Yes, you're right-- it's the egg wash and I've only ever seen it done right before putting it into the oven and also (with challah) reapplied in the cracks once the bread has risen/cooked for a bit in the oven.

Here is a very easy but good recipe for brioche buns:

kristineskitchenblog.com...