For you sourdough lovers, you can also make Squishsquishbread with great success. Before you proceed with making this recipe, please ensure your sourdough starter is in great condition. Feed it 2 to 3 times before making, just to be sure it is strong enough to leaven an enriched dough. When you make shokupan using liquid starter, the end product will be slightly tangy and I understand many of you enjoy it. If you prefer it less tangy, you may try the sweet stiff starter version. You'd have to create a different leaven using your liquid sourdough for one time use. Sweet stiff starter is quite a powerful one. I will leave that for another day but once I've updated the blog, I will come back to link it here.
For now, let's just proceed with liquid sourdough starter. You may also use unfed starter, those you've discarded and kept in the fridge for a few days to a week. This recipe is also a great one to use up your discards.
Recipe makes 2 loaves of 20*10*10cm pan (450g capacity).
Tangzhong
40g flour + 200g milk
Tip: mix flour and cold milk before transferring to a non-stick pan. This prevents lumps. Cook on low heat with a spatula until it turns into a paste and reaches 65C. Do not overcook. Transfer to a wide bowl to cool. I usually make this the night before, put in an airtight container and into the fridge.
Main dough
200g tangzhong
300g sourdough starter (fed at least 2 times prior and used at peak)
340g bread flour
100g wholemeal flour
50g sugar
10g salt
50g sweetened condensed milk
1 egg + milk = 140g
50g unsalted butter
1-2g yeast if unfed sourdough discards were used (optional but mitigates proofing issue and removes tang)
** Vegan milk is fine too. If you use water, please hold back 10-15g and add it depending on your flour's tolerance **
Mix everything except butter until the dough feels strong. It will take longer than a lower hydration dough. Add softened butter and continue mixing until windowpane stage. Check with greased hands.
‼️ Dough will be sticky ‼️
Round the dough and let it rest in an oiled bowl for 1 hour. Then, divide and shape.
Grease work surface (not too much or your dough will be sliding here and there) and shape with oiled hands and rolling pin. This will prevent sticking. Dough might feel a bit too soft if you're not used to it but it's ok. Don't worry about it.
Proof in the tin until the dough is 1 inch from the top of the tin. Bake both loaves together at 170C (fan on) for 33 mins (pls adjust according to your oven). Slice the bread after it has cooled down completely, the next day preferably.
With this recipe, if you are using unfed sourdough, the problem you might encounter is that the dough just does not form well. Your discards might have been too old and acidic and is affecting the dough. So it's best to use discards not older than 1 week. If you insist, then the risk is yours to take. However, you can counter that by using less liquids, so that the dough is more manageable. That said, the baked bread will not be ideal. It will be less soft than the original.
Happy baking!
Lily
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