Shokupan (Japanese Milk Bread Loaf)

Published: 05/19/2020
Updated: 08/05/2020
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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.

a freshly baked shokupan Japanese milk bread loaf on a cooling rack

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.

Hands holding a freshly baked Shokupan Japanese milk bread loaf on a cooling wire.

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.

Adding yudane to a bowl of other Japanese bread ingredients

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.
Making youdane in 4 photos, adding hot boiling water into a bowl of bread flour

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.

Milk in a jug, bread flour, salt, sugar, instant dry yeast, unsalted butter in bowl, and yudane in a cling wrap

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.

bread flour in a bowl on the left and a packet on the right

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.

fresh yeast in a container on the left and instant dry yeast in a bowl and package.

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.

unsalted butter on a small plate and butter package on the right and olive oil on the left

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.

adding yudane to a bowl of other Japanese bread ingredients and mixing them all together in a stand mixer with a hook dough attachment

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.

Ingredientsweightpercentage
Bread flour for Yudane50g20%
Hot water40g/ml16%
Bread flour 200g80%
Milk150g/ml60%
Sugar15g6%
Instant dry yeast3g1.2%
unsalted butter 10g4%
Salt5g2%
kneading Japanese bread shokupan dough with a standmixer with hook attachment, window pane and finger test

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.

panching the dough, dividing the dough and roll and shaping.

How to Make Shokupan Japanese Milk Bread?

This is the basic process of making the shokupan Japanese bread in 8 steps using Yudane method.

Shokupan making infographic
  1. Make Yudane the night before. (8-12 hours)
  2. Knead all ingredients using a stand mixer, bread machine or by hand (20min)
  3. The first rise (45-60 min depends on the temperature)
  4. Divide & roll
  5. Bench time (20 min)
  6. Shape
  7. The second rise (30 min)
  8. Bake (30 min)
Oil to bread tin and folding the bread dough to shape

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.
rising the dough in a styrofoam box with 4 cups of hot water in it

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.

Three pieces of Japanese fruit sandwich using Japanese bread shokupan on a bamboo tray
  • 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.
an egg omelette sandwich and an egg salad sandwich in a cardboard take away container

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.

Placing the two bread dough into a one loaf bread tin

FAQ

Q: Can the bread flour be replaced by all-purpose flour?

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. the Shokupan with all purpose flour on left and with bread flour on right

Q: I don’t use cow milk, so can I use almond milk or something else instead?

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.Shokupan made with coconut milk on left and almond milk on right

Q: I don’t have a stand mixer or a bread machine, so can I still make this bread?

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.MIxing ingredients and kneading with a stand mixer

Q: Can I shorten the time of resting the Yudane?

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.yudane after left overnight

Q: What is your bread loaf tin size and where did you get it from?

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.

brushing beaten egg on the bread dough and baking, and removing from the tin in 4 photos

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! 

Freshly baked Shokupan Japanese milk bread on a cooling wire rack

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!

a freshly baked shokupan Japanese milk bread loaf on a cooling rack

Shokupan 食パン

4.87 from 470 votes
Tried and True! The best Shokupan Japanese milk bread recipe. Shokupan is the soft & fluffy authentic Japanese milk bread made using the Yudane method! Discover the method with easy to follow instructions!

Video

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 30 minutes
Yudane resting time 8 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 1

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
Metric – US Customary

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)

Notes

*1 Choose the flour that contains around 12% protein. 
*2 Dry instant yeast can be substituted by 15g of fresh yeast.  
*3 You can use plant-based milk if you prefer. See the above post about milk. 
*4 Yudane should be made the night before but it can be prepared and rested in a shorter time.
*5 This bread is super soft, therefore, it will be tricky to slice it when the bread is still warm. I usually slice it the next day. 
*6 It makes about 8 slices (2cm =0.78inch thick) and approximately 150cal per slice. 
*7 My bread form size is  3.9 x 7.9 x 3.5 inch (10 x 20 x 9 cm). 
*8 If you don’t have a kitchen scale, Use the following measurements.
Yudane  bread flour 3/8 cup or 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp
                Hot boiling water 2 tbsp + 2 tsp
Bread  Milk 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
             instant dry yeast 1 tsp
             sugar 1 tbsp
             unsalted butter 2 tsp
             Bread flour 1 + 2/3 cup
             salt 1 tsp 
 *9 Yudane resting time is not included in the total cooking time.           
Click here to add your own private notes.

Nutrition

Calories: 1112kcal · Carbohydrates: 200g · Protein: 34g · Fat: 17g · Saturated Fat: 8g · Cholesterol: 36mg · Sodium: 2396mg · Potassium: 448mg · Fiber: 6g · Sugar: 20g · Vitamin A: 495IU · Calcium: 199mg · Iron: 2.3mg
Author: Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles
Course: Bread, Breakfast
Cuisine: Japanese
Did You Make This Recipe?I want to see it! Tag @chopstickchronicles on social media!

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.

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Shihoko Ura of Chopstick Chronicles
About The Author

Shihoko Ura

Shihoko Ura is a Japanese home cook and cookbook author with a passion for food and photography. She shares her authentic and beloved recipes with step-by-step guides and helpful tips so you too can make delicious Japanese food at home. Her recipes have featured in The Japan Times, Buzzfeed, and Country Living.

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4.87 from 470 votes (203 ratings without comment)

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Questions and Reviews

  1. Hello! Thanks for the recipe!
    May I know if the difference between this and TangZhong method, is the ratio of liquid to flour in the initial ‘starter’? 🙂
    Other than that, are there any other differences? 🙂

    Reply

  2. Hi Shihoko,

    Do you simply add boiling water to the flour without cooking it over a stove? I saw a few other videos doing that, just wanted to be sure. Thanks!

    Best,
    John

    Reply

  4. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for this recipe! I have had it in my bookmarks for weeks now and have been wanting to try it so badly – it came out perfect! I used oat milk and margarine, the yudane was in the fridge for ~24h and I used T550 flour (I am based in Germany) and the bread is AWESOME! Only problem is: its so soft that I just can’t slice it properly. 😛

    Reply

    1. Hi Kathie, that’s fantastic! Thank you for your lovely comment and 5 star rating. Yes, it is very soft, I usually slice them the next day 😀 using a bread slicing guide.

      Reply

  5. Sorry I don’t understand but for the yudane, isn’t 40 mL of water too little? When I tried to mix w the 50g of flour it wouldn’t combine, I’m not sure what I’m overlooking…..

    Reply

    1. That is correct lolo. It will not be like runny batter, it will more like a firm dough you can shape a ball.

      Reply

  8. Hi Shihoko may i know is there any way i can prolong the shelf life. I tried the recipe here is very humid, it can last 2-3days room temperature. Is there any natural preservatives that i could add to pronlong the shelf life to 5days perhaps. Thanks Shihoko.

    Reply

    1. Hi Izzati, you can freeze it. Slice them and place them in a ziplock bag. It will last long time.

      Reply

      1. Hi Denise,everyone’s ovens are different so I can not give you a perfect answer, but you could try both top and bottom and fan bake setting?

  9. Hi, I will try your recipe soon. I was wondering about the egg. All the other recipes I found on the web include 1 egg in the dough, while I don’t see it in your recipe. What will be the difference plus and minus an egg?

    Reply

      1. Hi Shihoko,

        Love your recipes very much and would like to try making the Hokkaido Milk Bread fully in BreadMaker for convenience.
        May I ask which mode to choose, Basic or Sweet , if the bread machine is used from mixing to baking and the loaf size, is it 500g or 750g.

        Thank you.

        Mei Ling

      2. Hi ML, Shokupan is not that sweet so I would choose Basic. I am not sure about 500 or 750g? My machine does not have that choice.

    1. Hi Mel, you are more expert than I am. I rely on my bread machine usually and let it knead and rise. But yes, if you are doing with your hand, you need to knead until window pane. Thank you for asking. It probably another time to update the recipe.

      Reply

  12. 5 stars
    Love love the bread, just have two comment, what size bread tin is used, plus the milk should be warm (if you stick your finger in it warm nearly to the point you think hot) not boiling. I dont mind as I have done this before but your recipy is the best!! l LOVE THE BREAD!! And shared it many many time with friends.

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much Vyonne for sharing. I am glad that you love this Shokupan 😀

      Reply

  13. 5 stars
    We can’t get enough of this recipe. Love it. In your video, do you put an egg wash on top before baking?

    Reply

  14. Hi there, i really miss eating Japanese bread which has different texture from European bread 😭 I have tried making bread with bread flour here using the usual soft bread recipe that I used to make in Japan but I got different texture 😞 I usually replace the milk with yoghurt to make it softer, will it work with this recipe?

    Reply

    1. Could you tell me why you want to replace milk with yoghurt? This bread is really soft and moist. Just try it.

      Reply

      1. Hi , i dont know i guess it is just a habit of me to replace milk with yoghurt in any bread recipe ? i’ve read somewhere that it will give extra soft and moist texture to the bread. But i think I will try the original recipe first and let you know afterwards 🙂

      2. Hi Melonpan, That’s what “yudane” method does, making bread moist and soft and last long 😀

      3. 5 stars
        shihoko san, Thank you very much for sharing this recipe ! I have tried it and it is absolutely amazing 😭😭 Just one more question, I find it a bit hard to shape the dough properly after 1st proofing & bench time, the dough got very much like a rubber so when i tried to flatten it, it keeps getting back 😅 Do you think I left it too long on bench time stage ?

      4. Hi Melonpan you are welcome 😀 No you are not doing anything wrong. It is quite bouncy and getting back 😀

    2. oh thank God I thought I made a mistake 🙈 I made it again today but tried to replace the 2/3 of the milk with yoghurt and the texture got even softer 🤤🤤

      Reply

  15. Hi dear,
    Can I use mixer to mix all the ingredients instead of bread maker (dun have it)? Thanks in advance.

    Reply

    1. Hi Miriam, thank you for bringing my attention to the video. Somehow it is lost, I will replace it shortly. Meanwhile, you can see it on my Youtube Channel here

      Reply

    1. Hi Hester, Yes you can but you need to adjust the steps a little bit as active dry yeast need to be resolved in water before use 😀

      Reply

  18. 5 stars
    Superb!! I made this bread receipe last friday and roll them into crescent roll instead of loaf. I brush the roll with melted butter before bake, and brush melted butter after bake. The kids love it.
    Thanks for sharing the receipe.

    Reply

  19. Hi I made the shokupan. It was very tasty..thank you. The problem I faced was the dough was very sticky, hence I couldn’t roll very well nor shape it well. Is the dough suppose to be very sticky? I would like to give it another try. From your photos, the dough didn’t seem too sticky !

    Reply

    1. Hi Huey, thank you for making this bread. Yes it is sticky. I usually use my bread maker to knead and rise. That’s why it does not look sticky 😀

      Reply

      1. 5 stars
        Thank you for your reply. I made it again as the bread was so good ( my family loves it) .. The dough was sticky but manageable this time. I posted on instagram!! Thanks for your effort for sharing!

  20. Hi,

    The 150ml milk you use for the dough, is it in room temp or you have to warm it up first? and how long will this bread lasts in room temp. Malaysia is very humid.. will it last long and lastly can I freeze the baked bread? appreciate your reply. tq!

    Reply

    1. Hi Siti I don’t warm up so room temp is fine. If the weather is humid, I recommend to slice them up when the bread is completely cooled down and freeze.

      Reply

    2. I have a question: I live in an area that is cold and my house is at 65 degrees f. I do not know how to set the dough in a heat high enough to rise. Will it rise okay in the less warm air?

      Reply

      1. Hi Moriah, Do you have a polystyrene foam box? You need to create warm environment for your dough. If you have a large enough polystyrene foam box and place a cup filled with boiling hot water. Leave your dough in the box.