15 Mar Chocolate Milk Bread (Shokupan)
Chocolate Overload
After my successful attempt in creating the chocolate focaccia recipe, aka the bread that tastes like brownie, I have been experimenting with another dessert bread recipe. And now I proudly present to you the Chocolate Milk Bread (aka chocolate shokupan). This bread is a hybrid between chocolate chiffon cake and shokupan. If you love chocolate and bread, you must try this Chocolate Milk Bread recipe! This bread is not only soft and fluffy, but also buttery and tastes just like chocolate cake. 🤤
The Soft & Fluffy Shokupan
The vegan sourdough shokupan is definitely one of the most baked recipe in my household. Not only is it so easy to make, it also makes perfect breakfast, french toast or sandwiches. Shokupan means “eating bread” in Japanese, is the most loved and popular bread in Japan, if not Asia. Every bakery in Japan has their own “secret” recipe for Shokupan. Some may even say that shokupan to Japanese is like the baguette to French. However, as I mentioned in my previous post, traditional Shokupans are made with milk, eggs and butter. Hence, for us vegans, it’s hard, if not impossible, to purchase shokupans in the stores.
Easy & No Stress Sourdough Recipe
This is an an easy and no stress sourdough recipe that needs no attention to the dough. All you need is a good stand mixer and Pullman loaf pan. Most people are intimidated by sourdough baking as it’s time consuming with a high chance of failure. But I can guarantee you that this recipe is worth every effort! Once you maintained an active starter, you will be able to bake yourself a soft and fluffy loaf of vegan sourdough Shokupan.
If you don’t have a sourdough starter, no worries, check my previous post – Beginner’s Guide To Sourdough Baking and you will be good to go! Or you can check out the yeast version of the shokupan recipe.
Yudane Method
This Chocolate Milk Bread recipe have the texture that resemble most Japanese bread – super soft and fluffy. As I learned more about sourdough baking over the past year, I came across the Yudane Method. Yudane method is the secret to make a soft and fluffy Japanese style bread. In order to bake using this method, you simply mix an equal portion of flour and boiling water. The effect of adding boiling water to flour is that it gelatinises the starch. The gelatinised starch will allow the starch to absorb more water, and thus enhancing the sweetness of the bread.
Yudane method is in fact similar to the Tangzhong method I used in my sourdough milk bread recipe. Unlike the 1:1 flour-to-water ratio in Yudane method, the Tangzhong mixture is made by heating up a mixture of flour and water in the ratio of 1:5 to 65°C.
Waking Up To Freshly Baked Shokupan
As I mentioned, this recipe is so simple and requires little attention that you can prepare the dough at night. Leave it on the counter overnight to rise. Then bake in the morning. There you go, a freshly baked loaf Shokupan for breakfast!
Most importantly, as a sweet levain is used in this recipe, there is no any hint of sourness at all. Not all people enjoy the sourness in sourdough bread. My family, for example, prefer a more neutral flavor. This Shokupan is therefore perfect for them and they really seem to enjoy it! I have been baking them this bread once every week and it’s one of the highlights on our brunch table.
Baking Schedule
6pm: Prepare Levain (1:1:1:0.5 starter : flour : water : sugar)
11pm: Mix the dough
11:15pm: Shape the loaf
11:30pm: Cover and leave it to rise overnight until it reaches the rim of the Pullman bread pan (I used a 450g pan, 20 x 10 x 10 cm)
Next morning: BAKE!
Chocolate Milk Bread (Shokupan)
Course: Sourdough, Shokupan, Milk bread, Vegan Milk BreadCuisine: JapaneseDifficulty: Easy9
servings30
minutes35
minutesThis recipe makes one loaf in a 450g Pullman Loaf Pan (20 x 10 x 10 cm)
Ingredients
- Sweet Levain (Prepare at 6pm)
50g active starter
50g water
50g bread flour
25g sugar (I used coconut sugar)
- Yudane (Prepare at 6pm)
60g bread flour
60g boiling water
- Dough (Mix at 11pm)
200g bread flour
25g sugar (I used coconut sugar)
150g sweet levain
25g vegan butter
All of the yudane from above
5g salt
- Chocolate Mixture
25g dark chocolate
- Add-ins
50g dark chocolate
Directions
- At 6pm, mix all the ingredients of the sweet levain and leave it to rise until doubled or even tripled. It usually takes 5 hours.
- While you are waiting for the sweet levain to rise, add 60g boiling water to 60g bread flour. Leave it aside to cool completely.
- Around 30 mins before mixing your dough, melt 25g dark chocolate in 20g oat milk using the double boiler method.
- Once the levain is ready to use, place all of the ingredients (except butter and the melted chocolate mixture) into the bowl of your stand mixer. Using the hook attachment, knead for about 5 minutes until the dough comes together and forms a dough ball.
- Gradually add in vegan butter and melted chocolate mixture. Continue to knead for 10 – 15 more minutes or until reach window pane stage.
- Place the dough in a clean mixing bowl, cover and let it rise at a warm place for 2-3 hours.
- On a floured surface, divide the dough into three equal parts, round it and rest for 10 mins.
- After 10 mins of rest time, take one of the dough ball, slightly flatten the dough and roll it out into a rectangle. Roll the dough up tightly into a log and place it into a lined Pullman loaf pan.
- Cover and let it proof until the dough reached 1cm below the rim of the loaf tin, about 7-9 hours (depending on your room temperature).
- In the next morning, bake the bread (without lid) in the preheated oven at 180°C for 35 to 40 minutes.
- My Baking Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C with Challenger Bread Pan in it for 30 mins. Bake the bread in the Challenger Bread Pan for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes until the top is golden brown.
- If you are baking it without a dutch oven, cover the bread with aluminum foil for the last 20 mins to prevent the crust to turn too dark.