Japanese Angel Soft Milk Loaf. This recipe is our take on Japan's Hokkaido milk bread, a loaf so light it's often described as feathery. The technique to make it involves pre-cooking some of the flour and milk into a soft paste called tangzhong. This simple step yields a loaf that's tender, moist, and stays fresh longer than loaves prepared the standard way.
You can cook Japanese Angel Soft Milk Loaf using 15 ingredients and 17 steps. Here is how you achieve it.
Ingredients of Japanese Angel Soft Milk Loaf
- It’s 92 g of (184g, not ml) whole milk or (12g skim milk and 80g water).
- You need 1.5 g (3 g) of dry yeast.
- It’s 125 g (250 g) of strong flour or wholemeal flour.
- You need 15 g of sugar (30g).
- Prepare 1.5 g of or 1/4 tsp (3g or 1/2 tsp) salt.
- Prepare 10 g (20 g) of unsalted butter, room temperature (If you use salted butter, reduce the salt amount.).
- It’s of nuts and seeds - option.
- You need of 【With 120g raisin yeast starter dough】 example.
- It’s 120 g (240 g) of raisin yeast starter dough.
- It’s 65 g (130 g) of strong flour = 125-(120/2).
- You need 20 g (40 g) of whole milk = 92x0.87 -(120/2).
- It’s 4 g (8 g) of skim milk = (120/2)x0.13.
- Prepare of No dry yeast.
- Prepare of The rest of the ingredients remain the same.
- It’s of Rasin Yest starter at:https://cookpad.com/uk/recipes/13322647.
It's called Shokupan in Japanese language. I believe it originated from Hokkaido in Japan as Shokupan is also called Hokkaido milk bread. The bread uses a simple Asian bread baking technique called "tangzhong" or 汤种. The Yudane method originated in Japan and it became widespread and the popular way to bake bread in Asian countries when Yvonne Chen introduced "Tangzhong" roux as a secret ingredient to bake the super soft and light Japanese milk bread in her book called "Bread Doctor".
Japanese Angel Soft Milk Loaf step by step
Lay parchment sheet or oil the bread tin.
Heat the milk in a microwave about 20 (40) seconds to make it warm. Or just heat it up in a pan. Please never make it too hot as yeast will die at 60 degrees. Around the temperature of bath would be perfect. If it is too hot, leave it till it becomes warm..
Add yeast into the warm milk and mix well..
Add flour, sugar, salt in a bowl or on board and mix them. Then, add the warm milk and mix them. Then, knead by hands for about 10 mins on a board or knead for about 7-10 mins with a stand mixer using a kneading hook until gluten has created and the dough does not stick to the bowl. The time will depend on your machine..
Please knead well here until the dough becomes stretchy and gluten is formed. When gluten is formed, you touch the dough and it doesn't stick to your hand. Also if you stretch it becomes very thin sheet almost see-through it. I use speed 2 or 3 on my stand mixer. If you too strong, it becomes very sticky..
Add chopped or soft butter and knead further for about 3-5 mins until the dough becomes smooth and not stick to the bowl like the last photo. It should look silky and smooth..
Take the dough out and make it round with the motion on tucking inside at the bottom. It should become smooth like the photos below. If it is still too sticky, you need to knead with hands until it becomes easier to handle it. I usually hit it like a ball and it will become less sticky and smooth.
Add seeds or nuts if you wish. Cover it with cling film and leave it for 30-40 mins until it becomes about twice. It can take much longer. I put a hot water with 36-45℃ beneath like the last photo..
Test the fermentation with a finger coated by flour. If it is the hole remains, the first fermentation has been done..
After having tested the fermentation, take out the dough and punch it down. Make it round again. Cut it into 8 (16) or 6 (12) pieces depends on how you like. Make them round. Place them in with the tucked parts as the bottom. Cover it with a damp cloth and leave 15 mins.
(You could omit this resting step. However, you will get a better result if you do. When I prepare at night and leave them in the fridge, I omit it as it seems it does not make many differences, if I leave them in the fridge.).
- Make them round again with the motion of tucking and place them in the bread tin with the tucked parts on the bottom. Add some more seeds on the top, if you wish.
(If you wish to bake them in the morning, you could leave them overnight in the fridge till next morning.).
- Leave it in a warm place until it becomes 2-2.5 times, usually for about 30-60 mins, depends on the room temperature and the yeast. Dust them with flour. (The second fermentation)
If you left them in the fridge overnight, please put them in a warm water bath beneath or something. Otherwise, it will take for ages to get this second fermentation done. When the yeast was strong, it is already ready to bake when you take out from the fridge. Then, omit the second fermentation. ).
Preheat the oven at 180℃..
Put the bread tin in the oven and turn down the temperature as 160℃. Then, bake at 160℃ for about 18 mins. Please make sure you reduce the temperature to 160℃. If you bake at 180℃, your bread becomes harder. If your oven is powerful enough and it does not go down the temperature when you open, just preheat it as 160℃..
After having baked for 18 mins, it is done. You can see the video of how soft they are at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_YWiW6nIfo/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link.
You can make character breads with this dough such as bear, cat, Totoro, rabbits etc which children love.
Bear recipe is here. https://cookpad.com/uk/recipes/12351787-milk-bear-loaf.
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Decorated with those..
You don't have to be a professional baker to make this soft and fluffy bread. Today, I will show you how to make it easy and you'll be glad you're making you. Hokkaido Milk Toast (北海道牛奶麵包) was made with tangzhong (roux), most reliable method to make soft and fluffy breads. The bread can be kept for days and still very soft and fluffy. Best of all, the method is very natural, no chemicals needed.
