This Hokkaido Milk Sandwich Loaf is a soft and shredable bread, using natural fermentation. It is just as pillowy as using the Tangzhong method.
Hokkaido Milk Sandwich Loaf
This Hokkaido Milk Sandwich Loaf using Natural Fermentation, is very soft and shred-able and totally delicious. It takes three days, since we are using Natural Fermentation and no commercial yeast, but the actual work is only a few minutes each day.
The time is just the fermenting and resting time. It is not as complicated as it appears. I promise!!!!
When you get a chance, come join my Facebook Natural Fermentation Real Sourdough Group.
Always start with a good and active Sourdough Starter.
If you want to make Hokkaido Hotdog Buns, use this recipe and follow the instructions for the Hotdog Buns.
Prepare the Levain by weighing our your Sourdough Starter, milk and flour on your kitchen scale. I like the Bakers Math Kitchen Scale because it is very accurate and has a Bakers Percentage setting
I use my Original Danish Dough Whisk to mix the Levain until it becomes a firm ball.
You will have to use your fingers to scrape all the flour from the bowl and form the ball. It will seem that you have too much flour and can’t get the ingredients to combine, but they will.
The mixture will stick to your fingers and you will probably get annoyed, but keep at it. After a few minutes, you will have a nice ball that you can handle.
Cover the Levain and place in a draft free spot overnight.
The next morning, you will have a puffed up, smooth Levain.
Add all ingredients except the salt and melted butter to your electric mixing bowl and place the Levain on the top. I used three eggs here, but you can use 120 grams of egg whites only or a combination.
I usually just use the egg whites and then save my three yolks and make a Key West Key Lime Pie. All egg whites yield a fluffier bread and using the whole egg will give you more of a Brioche bread.
I like to use Hoosier Farm Old Fashion Malted Milk Powder for a nicer taste, although some people like to use Hoosier Hill Farm Dry Malt (Diastatic) baking Powder .
Combine with a Danish Whisk. Cover and allow a 30 minute autolyze.
Add the melted butter and sale and set the mixer on speed 3/4 and mix for approximately 14 minutes.
You might need to stop the mixer every four minutes to prevent motor burn out.
After 10 minutes, check to see if you have the windowpane effect. It is when you can stretch the dough out, without it breaking and when you put your finger though, it is a nice smooth hole.
You should also be able to see right through the dough. Since the hubs was not around, I had to photograph the pictures myself and I could not stretch with two hands and take the picture to show you a nice windowpane.
Once you achieve the windowpane, butter your food safe bowl and place dough in the bowl. I use the Cambro 2-Quart Round Food-Storage Containers. Just look at that luxurious dough.
Cover the Dough
Cover and let bench rest for two hours. The Kay Dee Designs Flour Sack Cotton Towels are my favorites as the designs are cute and the size is perfect.
I keep one over my Snow River Bread Board when not in use.
At the end of two hours, fold the dough and shape into a ball and cover.
Place in refrigerator overnight.
In the morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Your Bakers Math Scale should show the weight at about 980 grams. Using your Bench Knife, divide the dough into four pieces.
My husband, was kind enough to sand my Snow River Bread Board for me and then I oiled it three times with John Taylor Butcher Block Conditioner Food Grade Mineral Oil and Natural Waxes and waxed it with Clark’s Cutting Board Finish Wax.
The wax is enriched with lemon and orange oils and beeswax and carnauba wax. It is important to oil and wax every few months.
Roll each piece into an oval shape and using your bench knife, fold in on each side and roll up.
Cover and bench rest for 10 minutes.
Place Rolled Dough into Pullman Pan
Unroll the dough along the seam and then roll up again, tighter than the first time. Place each piece, seam side own into a 13 inch Pullman Pan.
Cover Hokkaido Milk Sandwich Loaf with a Flour Sack Towel
Cover with a Flour Sack Cotton Towel and let rise at room temperature for six hours, until the dough has tripled.
The dough will rise a lot in the last 15 minutes, so don’t become impatient. Time for the oven!
Look how beautiful the color is on this loaf. While the bread is in the pan, brush the top with butter.
Remove from the pan about 20 minutes after it comes out of the oven. Place onto a Wire Cooling Rack.
Let fully cool before cutting the bread.
We like to slice the whole loaf into sandwich slices and freeze.
Cast of Ingredients for Hokkaido Milk Sandwich Loaf
This recipe can be adapted for my Japanese Hokkaido Hotdog Buns recipe.
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
- Snow River Bread/Pastry Board
- Rosle Flat Whisk
- Original Danish Whisk
- Cambro Food Container
- Baker’s Kitchen Scale
- OXO Bench Knife
- Kay Dee Designs Flour Sack Cotton Towels
- Porcelain & Bamboo Salt Box with Spoon
- Hoosier Hill Farm Old Fashion Malted Milk Powder
- 13 inch Pullman Pan
- Wire Cooling Rack
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Here is the handy printable recipe:
Ingredients
Levain
- 29 grams of 100% hydration sourdough starter
- 47 grams milk
- 85 grams bread flour
Dough
- All the Levain
- 210 grams bread flour
- 210 grams all purpose flour
- 52 grams White Sugar
- 10 grams Malted Powder
- 120 grams egg whites
- 215 grams milk
After Autolyze
- 7 grams sea salt
- 52 grams butter softened
Instructions
Day One, Evening - Prep the Levain
- Prepare Levain and place in a draft free spot overnight.
Day Two
- Combine all ingredients, except butter and salt.
- Autolyse 30 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients and knead in mixer for 13 - 15 minutes at speed 3-4 until windowpane effect.
- Put in buttered bowl, cover and let rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
- Fold and put in refrigerator overnight, covered.
Day Three - Baking Day
- Remove from refrigerator and divide into four pieces.
- Roll each piece into oval shape, fold in the sides and roll them up.
- Bench rest for 10 minutes.
- Unroll the dough along the seam and then roll up again, tighter than the first time.
- Put the pieces seam side down into the pan.
- Cover and rise at room temp for 6 hours until dough has tripled (dough rises a lot in the last 15 minutes).
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
- Brush top with butter when warm.
- Remove from pan and let cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
PIN this Hokkaido Milk Sandwich Loaf {Sourdough – Natural Fermentation}!
This will be my first sourdough bread. I made the levain and put in the oven overnight with the light on because my house is so cold. This morning it had a hardish crust on top. I used it anyway but added a tablespoon of fresh starter on top . I’m waiting for the autolyse step and I’ll mix it up and continue. Should I add a little instant yeast so I don’t ruin the whole thing?
Hei I didn’t have malted powder, and I don’t even know if I can find such a thing around here (Norway).
Also we don’t have such a thing as Bread flour, We just have all purpose flour, So I realized that I did have to use more than 210 grams because the dough didn’t have the right consistency. Apart from that, perfection..! I baked the bread today and it looks FANTASTIC. Great recipe.!! Thanks. Greetings from Norway.
I just baked this bread last night and had it as breakfast today. This is so delish! It’s definitely shreddable with a hint of sourness. I am thinking about adding a bit of sugar into the stiff levain next time.
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe and the instruction!
Hi Inkyung. Thank you so much. I am thrilled that you made this bread and enjoyed it so much. Jill