Shokupan, the perfect breakfast bread
In Japan, shokupan (or pain de mie, in France) is a staple item for breakfast toast. I love its denseness and sweetness.
I started baking shokupan 10 years ago. It's comical when I think about how much I failed during the learning process—and I still do sometimes. It takes some patience to learn how to use yeast, and to make a recipe where you have to let the dough rise twice.
I keep tweaking the recipe, but this one is the most reliable version. I suggest using a stand mixer with the dough hook to knead the dough. (If you have a bread maker but not a stand mixer, you can use that for the kneading stage.) If your grocery store sells King Arthur Flour, I recommend it. You'll see I put everything in grams. If possible, use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients—proportions really matter here, and you won't be sorry.
I also suggest using a special pullman bread pan with a lid. If you buy the brand USA Pan, they'll stand behind it, as I found out when mine needed to be replaced.
If you want to make a friend for life, deliver them a fresh loaf of shokupan.
Shokupan, the perfect breakfast bread
Makes one pullman loaf (in a 13x4x4 pan with lid)
1.5 hours plus proofing and resting dough time
13.5 fl oz (or 400ml) water
500 grams bread flour
2½ teaspoons (or 10 grams) salt
3.5 tablespoons (or 45grams) sugar
2 tablespoons (or 25grams) powdered milk
2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon (or 30grams) unsalted butter, cubed
4 grams yeast
Pour water in the bowl of the stand mixer, followed by the next five ingredients. Create a small well in the middle of the ingredients and put the yeast in the well.
Using the hook attachment of a stand mixer, knead on the lowest setting until all the ingredients combine, about 1 to 2 minutes. Increase the speed one level (on a KitchenAid mixer, set to 2) until ingredients are combined and the dough has a smooth and shiny texture, or it pulls away on its own from the bottom of the bowl, about 20 to 30 minutes. (If using a bread maker, knead on the dough setting according to the appliance instructions.) If you are not sure if the dough is done, stop the mixer and try to stretch the dough. It stretches nicely and you can almost see through your fingers, the dough is ready.
Remove the dough from the bowl and fold sides over to form it into a ball. Put the dough ball back into the bowl, with the ends of the folds down. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let it rest until it the dough doubles in size. This will take about 40 to 60 minutes, depending on the temperature in the room.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Punch the dough down, until no big bubbles remain. Then cut the dough into four even pieces. Gently form each piece into a ball and cover the balls on the counter with a damp towel for 15 minutes.
Flour the surface again if needed. One at a time, roll each dough ball into an oval shape ½ inch thick, pressing out bubbles as you go. Then, fold the long sides to center. Pinch to close tightly.
Using a rolling pin, roll over the folded dough to eliminate smaller bubbles. Starting at the end farthest to you, fold the dough by 1 inch, then roll the dough snugly until you reach the end closest to you. Pinch the ends tightly.
Repeat with the remaining three dough balls and place the pieces next to each other in the pan, pinched side down.
Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rest until the dough has risen to about a half-inch below the top of the pan—you want room for the dough to grow a bit more.
Preheat the oven to 420 degrees.
Once the dough has risen to the ideal height, cover the pan with the lid. If you don't have a lid, spray a light mist of water on top of the dough right before putting the pan in the oven.
Reduce the oven to 400 degrees. Bake in the middle of the center rack for 25 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven, remove the lid, drop the pan on the kitchen counter a couple of times to remove excess steam. Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool down in the rack. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.