Easy recipe for Vegan Sourdough Shokupan

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Like most dishes, Shokupan can also be made exclusively for vegans. I have created the recipe for making vegan sourdough Shokupan, Japanese bread.

Shokupan is a Japanese bread, which means “eating bread.” It has a very soft and fluffy texture. This bread is made using the Yudane approach. This process makes it softer and moist as compared to usual white bread. We always consider Japanese cuisine to be rice-based. Shokupan is a very delicious bread. Everybody should try it at least once! 

Usually, the preparation of Shokupan requires ingredients like butter and milk. Vegans cannot consume these items. These days veganism has become a widely chosen form of dietThe steps mentioned are easy to follow and do not need a lot of attention.

Shokupan has a very soft crust. The local people often enjoy Shokupan bread in sandwich form, with fillings of fruits, cream, and potato salad. You can address it as Japan’s secret love. They love this food item yet often take it for granted. The recipe provided here will yield one loaf of bread.

In general, Shokupan also uses milk powder instead of normal milk. It tends to elevate the taste. Shokupan has become quite popular in Europe and North America too. What baguettes are to the French, to the Japanese, it is Shokupan. 

The standardized weight of a Shokupan loaf should be somewhere around 340 grams. Sourdough is formed from the culture of yeast and bacteria of lactic acid. It adds a flavor to the dough.

How to Make Vegan Sourdough Shokupan

 

Ingredients needed:

1. Yudane dough- 

• 60g bread flour

• 60g boiling water

2. Sweet Stiff Starter-

• 50g sourdough starter

• 50g water

• 60g bread flour

• 25g sugar (coconut sugar)

3. Dough- 

• 200g bread flour

• 100g soy milk/ almond milk

• 25g sugar (coconut sugar)

• Sweet stiff starter

• Yudane dough

• Around 25g vegan butter

• 5g salt

In this recipe, the bread is prepared in a 450gm loaf pan. Preparation time is around 30 mins and the cooking time is 35 mins. 

Directions:

Yudane dough:

1. Take a bowl. Add the bread flour and boiling water to the bowl. Start stirring it with a spatula.

2. Mix it well, and then cover the mixture. Keep it in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4-5 hours.

3. Take it out of the refrigerator around 30 mins before you start using it to prepare the bread.

Sweet stiff starter:

1. Take a bowl and add the starter to it. To dilute the starter, add water to it along with sugar and bread flour. Mix it well.

2. Let it sit for a night so that fermentation happens and it is tripled. You can understand that the process is complete when it looks round and dome-shaped and does not collapse. The final product should have a smooth texture.

Main dough:

1. Mix all the ingredients, apart from the butter. Before adding the yudane dough and stiff starter, tear them into smaller pieces. You can use a stand mixture too. Mix it for 2-3 mins. This is an important step, as it is necessary to prepare a smooth dough.

2. Start kneading the dough, and continue doing it for the next 3 mins or so. Add the butter to it now. You can also use olive oil or unflavored vegetable oil (25g) instead of butter.

3. Use a hook attachment to the stand mixture and continue kneading and mixing it. This kneading process takes around 7-8 minutes. Do it until all ingredients get incorporated into the dough evenly.

4. After the butter/ oil is well incorporated into the dough, knead for another 6-7 minutes until you get a soft, smooth dough. 

5. Now let the dough rest for 30-60 minutes. Also, keep the dough covered with a lid or a clingfilm. 

6. The dough is ready now. Transfer it to a clean surface. Cover the surface with a little bit of flour. Now divide the dough into three parts.

7. Make balls out of the three parts. Use a rolling pin to flatten it.

8. Fold it from the right, and then from the left to overlap it. The roll is like a Swiss roll.

9. Take a loaf pan, and place the rolls on it.

10. Now rest the dough again in a warmer place for around 3-4 hours. The dough will rise to the edge of the loaf pan.

11. The preparation process is over now, and it is time to start baking the dough. 

12. Brush the top with some soy milk/ almond milk lightly.

13. Preheat the oven for 15- 20 minutes, at around 170°C- 180°C. Bake the dough in it for 25- 30 minutes.

14. Once the bread turns golden brown, remove it from the oven. Let it cool down before slicing it into pieces. 

Notes:

1. The timing mentioned for kneading is just for reference. It is not strict. The type and brand of flour used determines the time. Similarly, the amount of milk or water required is subjective.

2. Over kneading is a very common problem. You should always avoid doing it because it causes cracks in the dough whenever you let it rest.

3. If you notice that your bread has collapsed after getting baked, it indicates that it has been overbaked. 

 

Conclusion

This recipe takes time, but it does not involve complicated steps. It is very tasty a go-to dish in Japan. Every bakery all over Japan bakes this bread. The Japanese often use the term “mochi mochi” to define the fluffy texture of this bread. In some bakeries, this bread is baked in adorable shapes. In a non-vegan version, eggs are also added to the dough.

Shokupan bread is often made using the tangzhong method, but the Yudane method makes it fluffier and airier. The tangzhong method makes the dough softer, though. In most cases, people tend to use the yudane method to bake this bread. This Japanese milk bread is a very delicious item, and it is a must-try. 

The dough should be kneaded well without overdoing it. The ingredients used should be chosen carefully as well. The above recipe is very easy and effective.