Petite Shokupan (Yudane)

Springy petite size Shokupan or Japanese milk breads baked for making small size sandwiches. I like thick slices of bread, but not in big slices. That's the reason for baking these petite size milk bread. 

Puzzle about the "upsize" word? My first batch was a bit small in size, so I added another 10% flour weight for a more "decent" size bread for making sandwiches 😉

Video of my first batch of petite shokupan

Yield: 2 small loaves

Pan size: 17.5x10x9 cm, 1L cake pan

Raw dough weight: 597g

Baking temperature: Preheat oven to 190℃ for about 10 minutes.  After closing the oven door, reduce the temperature to 180℃, and bake for about 15 minutes, reduce to 170℃ for 10 minutes, turn off the oven and let the breads bake for another 2 minutes, or till the tops are golden brown.

Ingredients

240g bread flour

20g top flour

33g raw sugar

10g honey

1g instant dry yeast

pinch of vanillin powder, optional

50g natural yeast/sourdough, 100% hydration*

30g yudane dough^

140g low-fat milk, cold 

20g whipping cream

30g cold water, to be added depending on dough condition

4g low sodium salt

20g unsalted butter, softened

Toppings

Brush of mixture of low-fat milk and whipping cream before baking.

Brush a coat of clarified butter/ghee after baking.

* 50g natural yeast can be replaced by 25g of bread flour and 25g of water + 1/8 tsp instant dry yeast. Let the mixture stand for about 1 hour or more till it doubles in volume, before use. You can also keep the mixture in the fridge overnight and thaw it for 1 hour before use.

^ 30g yudane dough is prepared by combining 16g of bread flour with 16g of very hot or boiling water into a sticky dough. Wrap the yudane dough in cling wrap, and cool down before use. Use a silicone spatula to scrape out the sticky yudane dough from the cling wrap.

 

Directions:

1. Knead the dough following your preferred method. 

For my method, you can refer to my recipe Yudane Milk Bread. 

2. After kneading the dough to window pane, shape the dough into a ball, and keep in a plastic bag coated with a little cooking oil. Keep in a second plastic bag before keeping the dough in the fridge overnight.

3. In the next day, remove the outer plastic bag, invert the dough, and let the dough thaw at room temperature for about 70 to 80 minutes.

4. While waiting for the dough to thaw, brush the two bread pans with homemade non-stick spread, or butter.

5. Turn the dough onto a floured worktop, deflate, and divide into 4 portions.

Shape into 4 balls, cover with a plastic sheet or towel, and rest for 15 minutes.

6. Roll flat a dough,

Fold in the two wings to the middle line.

Roll even the dough with a rolling pin, and roll up like a Swiss roll.

7. Place the rolled dough into the prepared bread pans. Spray some water over, and let them proof in a cold oven for about 70 minutes, or till double in volume.

70 minutes later 👇

8. Start to preheat oven to 190℃ for about 10 minutes.  While waiting, brush a coat of milk and whipping cream mixture over the top.

9.   After closing the oven door, reduce the temperature to 180℃, and bake for about 15 minutes, reduce to 170℃ for 10 minutes, turn off the oven and let the breads bake for another 2 minutes, or till the tops are golden brown.

10. Remove the hot breads from the pans immediately after leaving the oven.

Brush a coat of clarified butter or ghee over the hot crust. You may use butter. This step is optional.

Let the breads cool down before cutting.

11. Cut and enjoy 😋

Steamed Mik Cake

I believe steamed sponge cake has a lower energy consumption as compare to baking it in an oven. Steam the cake at low heat to get a flat-top cake, and minimize the cake shrinkage while cooling down. This recipe also omits the use of baking powder in leavening the cake - just count on the air trapped in the meringue.

Video of the steamed milk cake 👇

Ingredients

All ingredients in room temperature 

Using 57 to 59g eggs

{A}

2 egg whites 

Pinch of low sodium salt

20g fine sugar

20g raw sugar/fine sugar

2 egg yolks

{B}

60g top/cake flour

3g milk powder, optional 

{C}

50g low-fat milk

10g condensed milk/golden syrup

10g rice bran oil/mild flavour vegetable oil

Directions

1. Line a 135x45mm round pan with parchment paper. Set it aside.

2. Start to bring 130g of water in a 18cm sauce pan or a small pot to a boil in medium-low heat. Cover the pot with a glass lid with a steam vent.

3. Mix {C} ingredients in a small glass. Set aside.

4. In a clean and dry mixing bowl, beat egg white with salt, fine sugar and raw sugar till reaching firm peak. Mix in yolks and beat till reaching ribbon stage as {A}.

5. Sieve and mix in 1/3 of {B} using an electric hand mixer.

Pour and mix in 1/2 of {C} milk mixture from Step 3. Continue to mix in the remaining {B} and {C} in alternating sequence. End the mixing with {B}. Use a silicone spatula to do a final mixing into a smooth batter.

In the sequence of: 1/3 B → 1/2 C → 1/3 B → 1/2 C  →1/3 B 

6. Pour the batter into one 135x45mm round pan lined with parchment paper prepared in Step 1.

7. Lower the pan into a pot of boiling water, and stand over a low steamer rack. .  

Steam at medium-low heat for 5 minutes; lower to low heat and continue to steam for 15 minutes

Turn off the heating, without opening the lid, let the cake simmer for 5 minutes to gradually “cool down”.

8. Open the lid carefully to avoid the steam condensation from dripping to the cake surface. Drop the cake with pan over a cloth thrice. 

Let the cake cool down for 5 minutes before lifting out of the cake pan. 

Cut the cake after cooling down. Enjoy 😋