Mikou bread

Here’s a recipe for Mikou Bread—a soft, mildly sweet Japanese-style milk bread (Shokupan) that’s wonderfully fluffy and perfect for toast or sandwiches.

🥖 Ingredients (makes one 9×5″ loaf)

• 275 g bread flour

• 25 g granulated sugar

• ¼ tsp salt (about 1.5 g)

• 1 tsp instant yeast (≈3 g)

• 150 ml warm milk (≈32°C / ~90°F)

• 25 g unsalted butter, softened

• 1 egg, beaten (for dough; optional extra 1 for egg wash)

Method

1. Mix dry ingredients
   In a bowl, whisk flour, sugar, salt, and instant yeast together.

2. Add wet ingredients
   Pour in warm milk and beaten egg. Stir until a rough dough forms.

3. Knead

   • By hand: Turn onto a floured surface and knead ~10 min until smooth and elastic.

   • With mixer: Use dough hook, knead about 5 min on medium-low.

4. Incorporate butter
   Add softened butter in chunks. Continue kneading until fully absorbed and dough becomes glossy (~5–7 more minutes).

5. Bulk rise
   Shape into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or damp cloth. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size—about 1–1.5 hours depending on temperature.

6. Shape the loaf
   Gently deflate and turn onto lightly floured surface. Shape into a log roughly the length of your loaf tin. Tuck ends under, seam-bottom, then place into a greased 9×5″ loaf pan.

7. Second rise
   Cover and let proof for 45–60 min, until dough peaks lightly over the pan’s rim.

8. Egg wash (optional)
   Lightly brush the top with beaten egg (mix egg + 1 tsp milk). This gives a golden shine.

9. Bake
   Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake 25–30 min until the top is golden and internal temperature hits ~90°C (195°F). Tin foil can be tented on top after 20 min if it browns too quickly.

10. Cool
    Remove loaf from pan and cool on a wire rack at least 20 min before slicing. This finishes the crumb structure and makes slicing neat.

Tips for Perfect Mikou Bread

• Tangzhong option: Heat 20 g flour + 100 ml milk to a paste-like 65°C before mixing. Cool, then use as part of the liquid—yields super-soft crumb.

• Room temp control: Fermentation takes longer in cool spots (~20°C / 68°F). Warmer kitchens shorten rise times.

• Storage: Wrap cooled loaf in airtight bag. Keeps soft at room temp 2–3 days; refrigerate or freeze for longer storage.

Variations to Try

• Honey-kneaded: Replace part of the sugar with honey for a tender aroma.

• Chocolate swirl: Roll out dough, spread chocolate paste, roll up again, then bake.

• Matcha swirl: Divide dough in half, knead in 10 g matcha + 10 g flour into one half, swirl with plain.