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.
Jean says
What should the yudane look like? soft and gooey or more firm and dense?
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Jean, Yudane is firm and dense when you mixed flour and hot water but after its rested overnight, gluten formed and it become sticky and gooey.
Ivy says
Can I make sweet potato bread with this recipe?
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Ivy what do you do with sweet potato? Are you going to add sweet potato powder? or mashed sweet potato? I am not sure what sweet potato bread you are referring so I can not answer. Sorry.
Anna says
I just made this. Oishi! I have been using the tanzhong starter all this time but from here on out, I will start using yudane. Thank you for the well-written and complete article on this bread. I especially appreciate the baker’s percentage.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Anna Thank you. Tanzhong was created based on Yudane so prefer Yudane too 😀
Catherine says
Hi! Your shokupan bread recipe is the favourite in my family. Thanks for sharing! I am now keen to try using fresh yeast with your recipe. Please share any adjustments to the recipe that I need to take note of. Thanks!
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Catherine, that’s fantastic. Yes you can uses fresh yeast. You should use three times more of instant yeast.
Liyan says
Hi! I was wondering how I could add extra flavour into the bread? I am planning to try a chocolate version of this recipe. Thanks.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Liyan, yes you can. I have made matcha flavour. I replaced 1-2 tsp matcha powder with the bread flour. Same will work with cocoa powder 😀 for chocolate flavour.
Karen says
Hi Shihoko,
Thanks for your recipe and clear explanation on how to bake this bread step by step. It was a really fluffy cake and I’m so proud of myself for succeeding on the first trial. However my bread didn’t rise as much as yours and I suspect cuz it’s a wider pan. It is 12″ by 4.5″ so I’m thinking I can do 2 recipes to fill up the length of the pan. Do you think that might be ok? Thanks!!!
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi, Karen or leave to rise longer?
Sherlynn Teo says
Hi! May I know how big is your loaf tin? 🙂
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Sherlynn, it is stated in the recipe card ;D My bread form size is 3.9 x 7.9 x 3.5 inch (10 x 20 x 9 cm)
Michele says
On our first attempt, the bread didn’t rise much, if any. We baked it anyway and it was fabulous. Attempting again with a double batch since our pan was much bigger than yours.
We are using a bread machine to knead it. I am wondering what the total time is your bread machine kneads this bread. It would help me to know so I can time mine appropriately since it is a different brand.
Thanks!
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Michele, My machine time is about 20 minutes 😀
Charu Kaistha says
Hi I want to try this bread in a lower glycemic version such as with ginger millet flour/ oat flour/ whole wheat flour/ seeds or a combination.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Charu, I have not tried those flour so I am not sure, but it will be different recipe.
Irene says
Love love love this recipe and have been regularly baking homemade bread ever since I first tried the recipe. I made 2 loaves and they are family favourites. The texture of the bread is so soft and fluffy, it doesn’t stick on your teeth like most white breads are and most importantly and amazingly, they stay fresh for at least 4 days (may be more but they don’t last longer than that in our household ;p) Really appreciate your step by step guidance. They are very thorough and precise. Thanks again for posting. It’s a life changer for me.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Thank you Irene 😀
Suvi L says
This bread is wonderful!! Though my only bread tin was way too big for this, the taste is divine. I will surely try again, this time with double patch. I can’t wait to make my lunch sandwich with this. Thank you for the recipe
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Suvi L. Thank you for making Shokupan with my recipe 😀
Margareth says
Thank you for the detail yet simplified explanation about shokupan. It is really easy to understand even for a beginner like me.
I tried this yudane method 2 days ago from a recipe I found on instagram and satisfied with the result.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Thank you Margareth 😀
Sepe says
If I double the recipe, will it fit in a 14x4x4?
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Sepe is it in cm or inch?
Colleen says
I tried this recipe for the first time and it turned out great! I doubled the recipe. I used 3/4 of the dough in my Pullman loaf pan to make square bread and the rest in a little mini loaf pan. I’ve now run out of bread flour so attempting with whole wheat flour with 13.2% protein. Hopefully it’ll be just a delicious!
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Thank you Colleen 😀 yes the whole wheat flour would make good Shokupan too 😀
Aaa says
Hi there, I am wondering why you omitted using egg? Would it not help the bread to rise more?
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Aaa, becauses with Yudane method the bread rise without egg.
candy says
hi! can i bake this into diner roll instead of shokupan?
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Candy yes you can 😀
Regina says
Thank you for sharing the recipe. I think I prefer yudane method to tangzhong as I only need to boil water and mix. The bread seems to be softer for longer too. Love it! The better thing is that you wrote the recipe using baker’s percentage. Thank you.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Thank you Regina for 5 star rate and lovely comment 😀
Nataly says
This bread is amazing!! I’ve made it 5-6 times already since I discovered your site 2 weeks ago. My bread does not rise as much as yours though and I am trying to figure out why. It probably rises to about 70% of yours. I use a bread machine to knead it, then take it out to let it rise again and roll into the pan to do a final rise. The bread machine takes 90 minutes for the dough option–is that too long? Also, do you think the pan has anything to do with how much it rises? I use a Pyrex 1.5 quart loaf pan do you think using a taller pan will help the bread rise more?
Regardless, this bread is sooo delicious and fluffy and easy to make. I am gaining so much weight from eating all this bread but its worth it 😉 Thank you much for the detailed instructions and notes. Can’t wait to explore all your other recipes!!
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Nataly, That is great! in regard to the bread pan, if you are talking about 70% of the hight of my bread, I think your pan is a bit wider?
charmaine says
Hi! The recipe is amazing and easy to follow! Thanks for the tips too.. which is very helpful. I had the same sentiment as Nataly which the break did not rise as high as anticipated.. but i could be the pan which is wider. Any other factor could be the case? I’m determined to explore it again.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Charmaine, may be the temperature? If it did not rise, leave it longer.
trisha says
hi! is it okay if i mixed the dough by hand? thanks 🙂
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Trisha, you can but as I mentioned in the post the dough is quite sticky 😀
Felicia says
Hi, love your recipe and I got my soft shreddable bread. Thanks. Just 2 questions:
1) I mixed it for close to 20 mins, and my Kenwood’s motor burnt up. Did u space out your 20 mins or did u do it at 1 go? Could be my machine is really old.
2) bottom of my bread a bit stodgy. Not well risen of baking temp low? Bottom took 1 hr to brown. Perhaps should raise it to 200 deg C?
Thanks.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Felicia, sorry to hear your Kenwood motor burnt. I have a Kitchenaid stand mixer so I am not sure about Kenwood stand mixer. I did not space out.
Felicia Koh Yen Chu says
Thanks for reply.
Charlotte says
Hi, I’m from the UK, I tried your recipe today with my overnight yudane, however when I finally had all the ingredients mixed, I found that my dough was more like batter and would not form a dough ball.
I double checked the recipe and I can’t seem to find out where I went wrong, I know that I’ve definitely gone wrong somewhere, haha.
Thank you.
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
Hi Charlotte, did you knead by hands? It is quite wet dough so may be you did not do anything wrong 😀
Lisa says
Really love this recipe, the inside is really
Soft, but the crust is a bit tough.
Wondering what did i do wrong?
Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says
That’s great Lisa ;D