Japan - Shokupan

I'm totally obsessed with this bread! Shokupan (otherwise known as Japanese Milk Bread) is the loaf of my dreams. Ultra thin, soft crust with a springy moist crumb. Just perfect. Let me know if you give this one a go

Ingredients 

Tangzhong:

25g strong bread flour

55g water

55g whole milk

Dough:

1 medium egg

70g whole milk

340g bread flour

8g instant yeast

25g sugar

5g salt

55g unsalted butter, softened

Method

Tangzhong: place ingredients into a pan over medium heat. Whisk together. Bring to the boil and keep whisking over the heat until you have a thick paste. Place into a bowl and leave to cool for 10 minutes.

Dough: Mix the flour, sugar and salt together. Add in the yeast and mix again. Add in the eggs, milk and tangzhong. Mix until you have a dough. Tip onto the counter and continue to knead for a few minutes until you have a ball. Add in the butter and knead for 10-15 minutes until you have a smooth elastic ball. Place into an oiled bowl, covered, in a warm place for one hour (or until doubled in size.)

Knock the dough back by punching it down. Lightly flour your counter & tip out the dough. Divide it into two equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rectangle and fold the two short ends in like a book, so they meet in the middle. Roll each piece up from the shortest side and pinch the seam underneath so it is closed. Place each roll, seam side down, into a buttered loaf tin. 

Cover and leave for 30-45 minutes in a warm place until the dough is just about reaching the top of the loaf tin. Brush the top with milk. Bake at 170C for 20-25 minutes. Leave to cool completely before cutting.