The Nama Shokupan, also known as Shi pan, is the Japanese bread from the Welcome Spring menu, from the section ”Building the Menu”.
It should not be confused with its cousin, the Hokkaido milk bread which is a type of shokupan that is equally milky, but less sweet.
Nama means raw or fresh, shoku means food, and pan means bread, translating to simple fresh bread.
The shokupan しょ ぱん is made with the yudane method, an ancient Japanese bread-making technique, a pre-dough with a gelatinous consistency, characterized by a high degree of hydration with flour and water.
The method involves using 20% of the total flour in the recipe and the ratio is 1:1 between flour and water.
Unlike the similar Chinese Tang Zhong method (or water roux), yudane is formed by boiling water (about 194°F) and pouring it over the flour, which will weigh the same as the water, forming a dough ball that will be kept in the fridge for a minimum of 8 hours.
This bread is the Japanese version of the soft white loaves brought by American soldiers during the post-war occupation and was originally made with wheat and condensed milk as a low-cost staple food during austerity periods.
The Nama Shokupan is the square bread baked in a closed-tin loaf pan, unlike the Yama Shokupan, the hilly one, which is baked without a lid.
It is usually used to prepare sando, stuffed sandwiches.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 8 Hours
- Preparation time: 2 Hours 10 Minutes
- Portions: 8 servings
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 1/3 tbsp water (Boiling)
- 2/3 cup milk (Warm)
- 1 tsp instant dry yeast (or 10 g fresh yeast)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp unsalted butter (Room temperature)
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
Tools
- 1 Loaf Pan 8 in x 4.5 in x 3 in, with lid
Steps
Make the Yudane the night before (8-12 hours): bring the water to a boil and pour over the flour, mix well until you get a homogeneous dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and once cool, store it in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
Knead all the ingredients for 20 minutes.
And add the yudane cut into small pieces.The first rise (45-60 minutes depending on temperature): wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature.
Divide and form two balls and let rest for another 20 minutes.
Fold the edges of each dough towards the center.
Cover with a damp cloth for the second rise of 30 minutes.
Then preheat the oven in static mode to 356°F.
Place the two balls side by side inside a loaf pan.Brush with an egg or a yolk diluted with a tablespoon of water.
Close with the lid.
Bake for 30 minutes.
The best pan for loaf bread is the one with the lid.
