Sokupan Milk Bread (Yudane method)

Sokupan is the less sweet cousin of the Hokkaido Milk Bread. It is better used for sandwich. This Japanese Milk Bread uses Yudane method. Yudane is made by mixing bread flour and hot boiling water. It differs from the water roux starter method by the flour to water ratio. I adapted the recipe to make two large bread loaves using the 9.25"x5.25" loaf pans.

Ingredient

[Yudane]
Bread flour - 1 cup

Boiling water - 1/2 cup

[Bread]
Milk - 2 cup, warm
Sugar - 1/4 cup

Dry instant yeast - 1 TBSP
Unsalted butter - 2 TBSP, room temperature
Bread flour - 5 cups
Salt - 2.5 tsp

Steps

1. Make Yudane the night before. Place bread flour in a bowl, add boiling water and mix well. Seal and refrigerate overnight.

2. Add milk, sugar, butter and yeast in a stand mixer bowl, then add the Yudane as you tear it into small pieces.

3. Add the bread flour and salt. Attach the kneading hook onto the stand mixer and combine all ingredient on low speed 1.

4. When all ingredients are combined, turn the speed up to 5 or 6 and knead the dough for 20 min.
5. Roll the dough round and place the dough into a greased bowl. Cover and let it proof for about 45 min to 1 hour 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.

6. Punch the dough down and divide the dough into eight equal parts (about 190g each) and roll them into smooth balls. Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes.

7. With a roller, flatten each piece out in one direction, roll up, and then flatten the dough in another directory, roll up. Line four rolls inside a greased loaf pan. Let the shaped breads proof in a warm and humid place, until they have doubled in size, about 30 min. 

8. Preheat the oven to 365 °F(185°C).
9. Bake the dough for about 25 -30 minutes. If the bread turns dark too quickly, cover the top with a piece of aluminum foil to avoid the bread getting burned.

10. For the final glow and delicious aroma of the bread, you can brush the top of the bread with some melted butter. Remove the bread from the tin and cool it down on a rack

11. The bread can be sliced after completely cool.