Shokupan Fairy Bread

Name: Shokupan Fairy Bread
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 2 h 25 min
Yield: 1 loaf
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 55g boiling water; 360g bread flour, + 25g additional (Yudane); 11g honey; 4g dried yeast; 230ml milk, warmed; 20g (1 tbsp) caster sugar; 7.7g Kosher salt; 25g butter, room temperature; ⅓ cup sprinkles; softened butter and 100s&1000s, to serve

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Shokupan Fairy Bread

Ingredient Notes

Yudane - we'll make this using boiling water and flour. Adding this to your dough helps the structure and softness.

Bread flour - make sure you use bread flour (not plain flour) as it has a higher protein content which improves texture, structure and spring).

Sprinkles - I used a mix of long and round sprinkles in the dough for better texture but you can use 100s & 1000s as well.

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Ingredients

55g boiling water
360g bread flour, + 25g additional (Yudane)
11g honey
4g dried yeast
230ml milk, warmed
20g (1 tbsp) caster sugar
7.7g Kosher salt
25g butter, room temperature
⅓ cup sprinkles
softened butter and 100s&1000s, to serve

Equipment

Stand mixer fitted with dough hook (or large mixing bowl if mixing by hand)
Digital kitchen scales
Measuring spoons, measuring jug, whisk or fork, bench scraper, rolling pin, chopping board and knife
Small heatproof bowl (for the yudane)
Large mixing bowl (for proofing)
Clean tea towel or cling wrap
Baking tray (for resting dough portions) and cooling rack
Shokupan loaf pan with lid (21cm x 11cm x 11.5cm)
Pastry brush (for greasing with butter)

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Directions

MAKE THE DOUGH

To make the yudane, mix the boiling water and 25g of additional flour in a small bowl until a smooth, thick paste. Set aside to cool completely.
In a jug, whisk together the milk, honey and yeast. Set aside for 10 minutes until frothy.
Place the bread flour, sugar, salt and the yudane in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached.
Pour in the milk mixture and place on low speed until a rough dough forms.
Increase to medium speed and knead for 8 minutes.
Gradually add the butter a little at a time, allowing each portion to absorb before adding more.
Increase the speed to medium-high and knead for a further 6-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic and stretches thinly without tearing.
Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large lightly greased bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise at room temperature, until at least doubled in size, about 1 hour.

DIVIDE AND REST

Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. Divide into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a tight ball.
Place on a lightly floured tray and sprinkle the tops with some flour. Cover with some cling film and rest for 30 minutes.
Grease a Shokupan loaf pan (21cmL x 11cmW x 11.5cmH) with a lid lightly with butter on all sides and the lid.

ROLL THE DOUGH

Roll each dough ball into roughly a 20cm x 30cm rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
Sprinkle over half of the sprinkles and gently press them into the dough just to stay in place. Fold in the sides to meet in the middle and enclose the ends.
Gently roll out again to a 20cm x 30cm rectangle. Sprinkle over the remaining sprinkles and press in gently again. Fold each piece into thirds lengthwise, then gently roll out again to seal.
Roll each tightly into a spiral and place into the loaf pan, seam-side down.
Cover and set aside to proof until the dough reaches 90% of the pan height, about another hour.

BAKE AND SERVE

Preheat the oven to 210°C (410°F) fan forced.
Place the lid on the pan and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove the lid and turn the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour.
Slice the loaf into thin slices. Spread with some of the softened butter.
Place the sprinkles in a small tray and press the slice, buttered side down in the sprinkles until completely coated. Slice the piece on the diagonal and serve.

Notes

What is Yudane?

Yudane is a Japanese bread technique where boiling water is mixed with flour to gelatinise the starches. It helps the loaf stay soft, improves structure, and gives that signature stretchy crumb.

Testing notes

I found packing in too many sprinkles weighed the dough down and affected the final rise. The fix? Keep the layers light and don’t overwork the dough when rolling. Gentle hands win here.

Cook support

Avoid over-rolling during shaping, too much pressure knocks out the air you’ve worked hard to build.

Sourcing

I used a mix of long and round sprinkles for texture, but classic round 100s & 1000s work as well. Go wild with colour if you like.

Storage

Keep airtight and slice as needed. It toasts brilliantly, especially the end bits.

Method

A lidded shokupan tin gives you that square finish, but you can bake it lid-off for a rounded top if that’s more your vibe. Serve it sliced thin, buttered generously, and pressed into more sprinkles. Party food, upgraded.

Serving suggestions

I turned it into french toast by following this recipe:

In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream and vanilla pod cut in half lengthways. Bring to a boil
Let mixture infuse for 10-15 minutes
In a bowl beat the egg yolks then add the milk, cream and sugar mixture. Allow to cool
Once cooled, pour the mixture onto a tray or a dish to dip the bread slices
Soak the bread on both sides
Melt unsalted butter onto a pan over a low heat. Brown both sides of the bread until the milk-egg mixture has set
Sprinkle golden caster sugar over the top. Add the bread to the pan and caramelise.
Serve with hundreds and thousands mascarpone.