Have you ever eaten Shokupan, the Japanese milk bread? You must try it! It’s the delicious, soft and fluffy white bread loaf that you can get in Japan. The golden brown crust and soft white inside make it irresistible. It is amazingly fluffy and stays moist for longer than ordinary bread because of the Yudane method.
Why is Japanese Bread So Fluffy?
Why is Japanese bread so soft and fluffy and has the mochi-like texture? The answer is because of the “Yudane” method. The Yudane method makes the bread pillowy soft and fluffy and also keeps the bread from drying out quickly. This is because the heated gelatinised starch in the flour keeps the moisture inside the bread.
What is the Yudane Method?
Yudane is made by mixing bread flour and hot boiling water. Adding hot boiling water gelatinises the starch. The gelatinised starch not only allows the starch to take in more water, but also increases the sweetness of it. Therefore by adding Yudane to a bread dough (the yudane method), you can make soft, moist and sweeter bread which lasts longer.
Yudane vs Tangzhong roux
- The Yudane method originated in Japan and it became widespread and the popular way to bake bread in Asian countries when Yvonne Chen introduced “Tangzhong” roux as a secret ingredient to bake the super soft and light Japanese milk bread in her book called “Bread Doctor”.
- Yudane ratio of flour and water is usually 1:1 whereas “Tangzhong roux” is made by 1:5 ratio of bread flour to water. The Tangzhong mixture is made by heating up to 149°F(65°C) then cooled down to room temperature and added to the bread dough. I will explain how to make Yudane in a paragraph below.
- I have often seen this type of bread also called “Hokkaido Milk Bread” or “Japanese Milk Bread” on social media platforms such as Pinterest. Those breads are made by the same principle either adding Yudane or Tangzhong roux to bread dough.
How to Make Yudane?
We need to deduct 20% of total flour ingredients to make Yudane. So to make 1 standard loaf size dough, we need 250 x 0.2 = 50g bread flour. Yudane flour to water ratio is generally 1:1, but I found it is easier to make yudane with 1:08 ratio. Then simply add hot boiling water (should be above 194°F/90°C) and combine them with a wooden spatula. The ideal combined dough temperature will be around 122°F/50°C. When it is cooled down, wrap with a sheet of plastic wrap and leave it on the kitchen bench or in the fridge.
Ingredients
You need to gather bread flour, milk, sugar, unsalted butter, Salt and Yudane that you made the night before. Some ingredients will be further explained as I have received many questions about this.
Flour
For making fluffy Japanese milk bread, we need to use bread flour that contains around 12% of protein. I use Japanese brand Nisshin flour. You can use all-purpose flour but all-purpose flour has around 10% protein content therefore the bread will not rise as high as the shokupan made with bread flour.
Yeast
I usually use LeSaffre Saf-Instant Yeast Gold for making shokupan Japanese milk bread. If you cannot find instant active dry yeast but can find fresh yeast, you can substitute. This recipe requires 1 teaspoon(5g) of dry yeast, so you would need 5g x 3 = 15g of fresh yeast.
Butter
We need to use unsalted butter. Because the salt content of butter will affect the gluten formation. If you don’t have unsalted butter, and would like to use oil instead, you can. However it is a little bit tricky because butter is solid and oil is liquid. Generally speaking, you can replace 3/4 of the amount of butter with oil.
Milk
Some readers have asked if they can replace the whole milk with other types of milk. Using different milk does not affect the fluffiness and lightness of the bread. I tested using coconut milk and almond milk. Read the result in the FAQ.
Bakers Percentages
Some readers have asked to change the amount of the ingredients to make bigger or smaller sized bread loaves. Baker’s percentage is great because it is universal even when each country uses different units of weight. In the table below, is the bread ingredients mixing ratio. Each ingredient is shown as a % of the flour.
Ingredients | weight | percentage |
Bread flour for Yudane | 50g | 20% |
Hot water | 40g/ml | 16% |
Bread flour | 200g | 80% |
Milk | 150g/ml | 60% |
Sugar | 15g | 6% |
Instant dry yeast | 3g | 1.2% |
unsalted butter | 10g | 4% |
Salt | 5g | 2% |
Using Cup Measurement
If you don’t have a kitchen scale, don’t worry. I have figured out measurements for using cups. However, you need to be as precise as you can. For example, when you measure 1 cup of flour, you need to spoon flour to the measuring cup, then level the surface with the back of a knife. The cup measurements are included in the recipe cards’ note section.
How to Make Shokupan Japanese Milk Bread?
This is the basic process of making the shokupan Japanese bread in 8 steps using Yudane method.
- Make Yudane the night before. (8-12 hours)
- Knead all ingredients using a stand mixer, bread machine or by hand (20min)
- The first rise (45-60 min depends on the temperature)
- Divide & roll
- Bench time (20 min)
- Shape
- The second rise (30 min)
- Bake (30 min)
Tips for Making Shokupan Japanese Milk Bread Successfully
- Start making Yudane the night before with boiling hot water. When the mixture combines the temperature of the dough should be around 122°F/50°C.
- Leaving Yudane longer will result in better Japanese bread.
- The dough rising temperature should be around 86°F(30°C). My oven has a defrost function and I set the temperature to 86°F(30°C), so I use that setting for rising. Or use a styrofoam box with 4 little cups with hot water in the corners of the box.
Other Recipes That Call for Shokupan Japanese Milk Bread
The fluffy, soft and moist Japanese milk bread is the basis of other delicious Japanese creations.
- Tamago Sando (Japanese egg sandwich). This egg salad sandwich is super popular and for good reason.
- Fruit Sando (Japanese fruit sandwich). Another popular sandwich in Japan, often made with strawberries and cream.
- Panko (Japanese bread crumbs). You can use this Japanese bread to make Japanese bread crumbs which are so crispy and perfect for using to make pork katsu or chicken katsu.
- Simply toasting the bread with some butter or jam is also great. The bread is so delicious that even eating it simply like this tastes amazing.
- You can also use this recipe to make super soft Japanese bread rolls.
How to Store the Bread?
Another tip that I can give you is that this bread is super soft, so it is better to slice it the following day. I bake the bread on a Saturday and slice it on Sunday. It will stay moist for a few days just sitting on the kitchen bench. In my household, the bread is eaten in a day or two. But if you wish, slice them and individually wrap and place them in a ziplock bag to freeze. It will last about a month.
FAQ
A: Yes, you can. But as you can see the all purpose flour did not rise well in my experiment. The texture of the bread was not fluffy, but rather it was like eating a savoury muffin.
A: Using different milk does not affect the fluffiness and lightness of the bread. The coconut milk I used was the “Ayam Premium Coconut Milk 100 % Natural” which contains 24.3 g fat in 100ml and it is quite rich and thick. The almond milk that I used was “Sanitarium So Good Almond Milk” and contained only 1.4g per 100ml. It was very thin milk. The almond milk bread turned out fluffier and coconut milk bread was denser. Hope these experiments using different ingredients helps you make a decision as to which ingredients to use.
A: You can hand knead, however, because this has yudane in the dough which is very moist, the dough is quite sticky. Therefore, this recipe is more suitable for machine kneading. I usually use either a machine or bread mixer to knead and rise.
A: Yes you can. Some of my readers and myself have only rested the dough for about a couple hours in the fridge and the bread made with that shorter resting time of the yudane was quite successful. However, the longer you rest the yudane the better the quality of the bread.
A: My bread form size is 3.9 x 7.9 x 3.5 inch (10 x 20 x 9 cm). I bought it in Japan. This is similar to what I have from Amazon.com.
Stay Connected
This is not a popular effortless “No Knead” type of bread recipe, however, it is worth the effort to bake this bread especially if you love any Japanese baking stuff. This is the bread you must try!
If you liked my recipe for Shokupan Japanese milk bread, please rate it and leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Youtube, Pinterest, Facebook , Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with all the latest happenings on Chopstick Chronicles. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ChopstickChronicles so I can see your wonderful creations!
Shokupan
Ingredients
Yudane
- 50 g Bread flour *1
- 40 ml boiling water above 194°F(90°C)
Bread
- 150 ml milk (room temperature) *3
- 15 g sugar
- 3 g dry instant yeast *2
- 10 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 200 g Bread flour *1
- 5 g salt
Instructions
- Make Yudane the night before. Place bread flour in a bowl and add boiling water and mix well. Put cling wrap and refrigerate overnight. *4
- Pour the room temperature milk into a stand mixer bowl.
- Add sugar,butter and yeast to the bowl then add the yudane as you tear it into small pieces.
- Add the bread, flour and salt.
- Attach the kneading hook onto the stand mixer and combine all ingredient on low speed 1.
- When all ingredients are combined, turn the speed up to 5 or 6 and knead the dough for 20 min.
- Roll the dough round and place the dough into a greased bowl. Wrap with cling wrap to rise for about 45 min to 1 hour at about 86°F(30°C) or until double the size.
- Use your finger, to test if the dough has risen by dusting your finger with flour and poking the dough. If the dough doesn't bounce back and the hole you poked stays there, it is ready.
- Punch the dough down and cut the dough into two equal parts with a scraper and roll them.
- Cover the rolled doughs with a wet cloth and stand it for 20 minutes bench time.
- Roll out each dough to about 5.9×7.8inch (15 x 20 cm) rectangle with a rolling pin.
- Fold the dough tightly not letting any air in towards the centre from left and right.
- Rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll it from one end.
- Spray one loaf bread tin lightly and place the rolled dough in the end of the tin facing the centre.
- Cover it with a wet cloth and let the dough rise for a second time until the dough rises to the size of the bread tin about 30 min.
- Start to preheat the oven to 365 °F(185°C).
- When the dough has risen to be level with the tin, it's ready to bake.
- Bake the dough for about 25 -30 minutes in preheated oven.
- Remove the bread from the tin and cool it down on a rack. * 5
- Whisk an egg, rightly brush over the bread dough.(Optional)
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Chopstick Chronicles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
This recipe was originally posted in 2017, since then had received so many questions and suggestions. So I have decided update the post and the recipe in order to answer all the questions asked. Thank you for those who left comments below and rate the recipe highly.
Monica Fuentes says
Hi! What size bread loaf pan did you use?
Also, mine did not seem to rise in the pan to the top of the loaf pan like your did.. any tips on what I may have done wrong,
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Monica, my bread pan size is in the recipe cards Note section 😀
Cecilia says
This looks so wonderful! Can’t wait to make it but just a few questions.
1) Can we use Active Dry Yeast rather than the instant rapid kind?
2) How do we get the square shape that we see sometimes in the Asian Bakeries? Can I put the lid on the pullman pan?
Thank you again!
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Thank you Cecilia, 1) yes, 2) yes put the lid on the pullman pan ;D
Hope says
This recipe looks so lovely, I plan on making it very soon! I was curious if I could divide the dough and make them into buns rather than a loaf. Do you think that would work and would I have to make any modifications? Thank you!
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Hope, no you don’t have to use mold, you can make it to buns if you like. You don’t need to modify either.
Eve says
Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe! My family’s favourite! How do I adjust this recipe for wholemeal bread?
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Eve, Thank you. you can replace with wholemeal flour with bread flour.
will says
Thanks for the recipe. My loaf came out fluffy and delicious.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
You are welcome Will 😀
Robroski says
Great and simple
Laura says
Can the final rise be done overnight? Want to make and pull out of the fridge to bake in the afternoon.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Laura, It will be possible though I have not tried it myself.
MG says
Hi, thanks for your recipe! I have made it 3 times now. It got better each time. I was going to ask for your tips and advice if you could let me know if I wanted to make a whole meal shokupan, what are the changes in the recipe?
Second question is if I double the recipe for your normal shokupan milk recipe, do I increase kneading time?
Thank you
Vass Éva says
Perfect recipes.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Thank you Vass Éva 😀
Rosie says
Hi Shihoko,
I wanted to learn about yudane method. Hence, I discovered your website.
I was watching your video and I saw that you were using a bread machine. I will be using a bread machine. Do I select the “dough” setting? If I am not wrong, with “dough” setting, it can go on for more than one hour.
I also read about the types of milk that can be used. I am wondering if soya milk or evaporated milk will work.
Thank you. I cannot wait to try your recipe.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Rosie, I set making dough and proof(first rise) as well:D
Tan says
Thank you Sifu for the detailed explanation of Yudane. Would like to ask, if we want to convert other recipe to yudane method, we deduct 20% of bread flour from total flour on recipe. How about water? Do we need to deduct amount used (in yudane) from total liquide in recipe?
Thank you very much
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Tan, yes you need to decut liquid amount too. See my baker’s percentage.
Lauren says
Hi!
I love your recipe! Since finding you 3 weeks ago I’ve made this bread about 8x! Question – have you ever added chocolate or cocoa powder to your bread, and if so, how much did you put in? Thanks and I love your blog!
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Thank you Laure, yes I do often. I replace 1 tsp – 1/2 tbsp matcha powder or cocoa 😀
Elisa says
Thank you so much for making shokupan accessible to me. I loved it in japan and sometimes tried to recreate it at home, but it always turned out rather dense. My first attempt with your recipe turned out fluffy and delicious and stayed fresh for two or three days. simply awesome!
I was wondering if I could add matcha to the dough. If so, do I need to adjust the liquid or the flour? how much would you add?
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Elisa, Thank you. I sometimes add Matcha, about 2tsp replacing same amount of flour 😀
Finn says
I’ve never made shokupan before and was kind of worried it would be too complicated, but I followed the recipe exactly as written and it came out great! I only had active dry yeast, so I bloomed about 4g in the milk and sugar for 10 minutes before making the dough. I cheated a little and sliced some immediately to share with my family, and I toasted them so they would have a nice crunch on the outside – delicious. Even though my loaf pan was slightly too big, they still baked well and only the shape was affected. If anyone has any suggestions for good shokupan baking pans, let me know!!
Thank you so much for this recipe 🙂
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Thank you Finn. Good adjustment you made 😀
Patrina says
I have tested this recipe and it works so well and tasted so good. It’s my go to recipe now and I’ve even added nuts and fruits and still came out nice and fluffy.
However, I’d like to ask if I can pre-make and freeze the dough?
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Patrina, I would half baked and then freeze 😀
Hendy Prayitno says
Thank you very much for sharing this incredible Yudane method and the recipe. I have made it 3 times within last 4 days and the results were amazing. My family do like it, the softest and fluffiest bread that we have ever had, they said.
Thank you so much.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Hendy You are welcome 😀
Iris says
Hello, you mentioned we need to deduct 20% of total flour ingredient to make Yudane; what about the WATER used in Yudane? Do we also need to deduct from total LIQUID ingredients (e.g. water/milk/eggs etc)? Your sharing would be much appreciated. Thank you!
Tan says
Very informative. Thank you very much. May i know if i want to convert other recipe to yudane method, do i need to deduct the amount of liquid used in yudane from main recipe?
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Tan! Thank you. Yes you do need to deduct the amount of liquid:D
sherlyn says
Hi
What size is your bread pan?
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi sherlyn, it is stated in the note section in the recipe card 😀
Dimosthenis says
One of the best recipes ever. Thank you so much. Is it possible to add cranberries in? I really want to try but I don’t know how many I should use.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Thank you Dimosthenis, yes you can add. I sometimes add raisin about 1/4 cup.