Shokupan (Tangzhong Milk Bread)

These days, milk bread is what I bake most. A cooked-flour paste (tangzhong) pre-gelatinises some of the starch, which lets the dough hold more water — so the crumb stays soft and tearable for days.

I treat this formula as a base, not a rule: I'll dial the richness up or down — more or less butter, egg and sugar — depending on how indulgent I want that day's loaf.

Tangzhong

Whisk together and cook over low heat until it thickens to a paste, then cool:

• Flour — 30 g
• Milk — 220 g

Dough

• Strong bread flour — 370 g
• Milk powder — 20 g
• Sugar — 40 g
• Instant yeast — 8 g
• Salt — 10 g
• Butter — 60 g
• Milk — 60 g
• 1 egg + 1 yolk
• …plus the cooled tangzhong

Method

1. Mix everything except the butter into a shaggy dough, then knead until it starts to come together.
2. Add the butter and knead to a smooth, strong, windowpane dough.
3. Bulk ferment until roughly doubled.
4. Divide, shape into rolls, and nestle them into a loaf tin (or bake free-form as a pull-apart).
5. Proof until puffy and risen near the rim.
6. Bake at ~180 °C until deep golden and hollow-sounding, ~25–30 min. Brush with butter while warm for that glossy top.