Shokupan (Japanese Milk Bread)
Before cooking
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Steps as written in the recipe card.
Ingredient prep checklist
- Unsalted Butter: 28 g unsalted butter ((at room temp in winter and cold in summer; for vegan, see Notes) )
Before you start
68-76°F
79-82°F
If missed: Too warm and the gluten breaks down.
Gather all your ingredients and weigh them with a digital scale—accuracy is the secret to consistent bread. Water temperature is the one variable you can control before mixing begins. High-speed kneading generates significant friction heat—so starting with cooler water helps keep your dough from overheating. Use this as a starting point based on your kitchen temperature: Very cold kitchen → room-temp water, 68–76°F (20–24°C) Cool kitchen → slightly cool water, 65–68°F (18–20°C) Moderate kitchen → cold water, 61–65°F (16–18°C) Warm to hot kitchen → very cold water, 54–61°F (12–16°C) Bake a few loaves, check your dough temperature after kneading, and adjust water temperature up or down by a few degrees until you consistently hit 79–82°F (26–28°C). In my San Francisco kitchen, I typically use filtered tap water between 67–68°F (18–20°C)—a good starting point to reach the ideal final dough temperature.
Visual cue
until you consistently hit 79–82°F (26–28°C).
Step help
Watch for
76°F
68°F
until you consistently hit 79–82°F (26–28°C).
Keep in mind
Source holding instruction
Gather all your ingredients and weigh them with a digital scale—accuracy is the secret to consistent bread. Water temperature is the one variable you can control before mixing begins. High-speed kneading generates significant friction heat—so starting with cooler water helps keep your dough from overheating. Use this as a starting point based on your kitchen temperature: Very cold kitchen → room-temp water, 68–76°F (20–24°C) Cool kitchen → slightly cool water, 65–68°F (18–20°C) Moderate kitchen → cold water, 61–65°F (16–18°C) Warm to hot kitchen → very cold water, 54–61°F (12–16°C) Bake a few loaves, check your dough temperature after kneading, and adjust water temperature up or down by a few degrees until you consistently hit 79–82°F (26–28°C). In my San Francisco kitchen, I typically use filtered tap water between 67–68°F (18–20°C)—a good starting point to reach the ideal final dough temperature.
Recovery
If the crust looks golden but the inside is gummy, bake longer. Sliced too soon – Cool completely for 2–3 hours before slicing.
If the dough suddenly turns slack and gooey, the gluten has collapsed from overheating—and it cannot be saved. High-speed kneading generates significant friction heat. Stay with your mixer during high-speed kneading.
Source
Shokupan (Japanese Milk Bread) (Video) 食パン
Shokupan (Japanese Milk Bread) (Video) 食パン
Shokupan (Japanese Milk Bread) (Video) 食パン
References
This step uses
- 275 g water ((determine water temp; see Step 1))
Full ingredient reference
- 275 g water ((determine water temp; see Step 1))
- 22 g sugar
- 11 g honey
- 8 g instant yeast
- 385 g bread flour
- 8 g Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 22 g skim milk powder or nonfat dry milk powder
- 28 g unsalted butter ((at room temp in winter and cold in summer; for vegan, see Notes) )
- ½ tsp neutral oil ((for the bowl))
- 10 g unsalted butter ((for the loaf pan))