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Japanese White Bread

Japanese White Bread (Yudane Method)

1667kcal
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Prep 25 minutes
Cook 28 minutes
Total 4 hours 23 minutes
This quick version of Japanese white bread is incredibly light, soft, and chewy all at the same time. The secret lies in the traditional Yudane method, which gelatinizes the wheat starches with boiling water so the final crumb retains an exceptional amount of moisture and stays pillowy soft for days.
Cuisine Japanese / Asian Fusion (Yudane style)

Ingredients

The Gelatinized Yudane Paste
  • 70 g Bread flour (20%)
  • 70 g Hot boiling water (20%)
The Main Enriched Dough
  • All of the cooled Yudane paste (From the stage above)
  • 280 g Bread flour (80%)
  • 200 g Whole milk (57% - Lukewarm to activate the yeast)
  • 2 g Instant dry yeast (0.6%)
  • 35 g Sugar (10%)
  • 7 g Salt (2%)
  • 17 g Unsalted butter (5% - Softened completely to room temperature)

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer (Fitted with a paddle and dough hook attachment)
  • Standard Loaf Pan (An 8×4 inch or 9×4 inch baking pan size)
  • Kitchen Scale (Highly recommended for exact bakery weights)
  • Plastic Wrap or clean kitchen towel
  • Rolling Pin

Method

Yudane Scald & Dough Autolyse
  1. 8:00 AM: In a small heatproof bowl, mix the 70g of bread flour with the 70g of hot boiling water until it forms a thick, gelatinized paste. Cover tightly and let it cool down completely to room temperature before adding to the main dough.
  2. While your Yudane mixture cools, prepare the autolyse phase. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the 200g of lukewarm milk, 2g of instant dry yeast, 35g of sugar, and the remaining 280g of bread flour. Mix cleanly together until a shaggy mass forms, cover, and let autolyse undisturbed for 30 minutes to fully hydrate the flour.
High-Speed Kneading & Bulk Proofing
  1. 8:30 AM: Add your cooled Yudane paste straight into the autolysed dough bowl. Attach the paddle or dough hook and mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or if using a KitchenAid mixer, run it on speed 3 for 5 to 6 minutes) until the paste is completely incorporated.
  2. Sprinkle in the 7g of salt and mix for a couple more minutes until the dough starts to bundle together and wrap nicely around the attachment.
  3. Add the 17g of soft room-temperature butter. Increase your mixer speed to medium-high and knead continuously for 10 more minutes until the fat incorporates seamlessly, the bowl walls are clean, and the dough passes a flawless windowpane test.
  4. Cover the bowl and let the dough proof for 2 hours in a warm environment at 76–80°F (24–28°C). Perform exactly 1 round of structural stretch-and-folds halfway through the rise; the dough should look light and puffy.
Split Tension Shaping & Staged Baking
  1. 10:00 AM: Lightly sprinkle your work surface with flour and tip the expanded dough out. Using a bench scraper, divide the mass cleanly into 2 equal pieces.
  2. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece out into a flat rectangle. Fold the long outer sides neatly inward toward the center to create a long strip, then roll the strip up tightly from bottom to top into a firm cylinder to build internal crumb tension.
  3. Place both tight rolls side-by-side into a greased baking pan (perfect for an 8×4 or 9×4 inch pan size). Cover loosely and let it proof for 1 to 2 hours at 76–80°F (24–28°C) until the crown of the dough reaches roughly 1/2 inch below the rim of the pan.
  4. 12:00 PM: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
  5. Slide the pan into the oven and bake at 375°F (190°C) for exactly 15 minutes to set a proud oven spring.
  6. Lower the oven temperature down to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for an additional 12 to 15 minutes until the top crust turns a beautiful, uniform golden brown. Unmold immediately and allow the loaf to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories1667kcalCarbohydrates299gProtein54gFat26gSaturated Fat13gPolyunsaturated Fat3gMonounsaturated Fat6gTrans Fat1gCholesterol71mgSodium582mgPotassium776mgFiber9gSugar46gVitamin A766IUVitamin C0.3mgCalcium317mgIron3mg

Notes

  • The Starch Gelatinization Secret: Mixing a portion of your bread flour with hot boiling water instantly gelatinizes the starches, meaning they can hold onto significantly more moisture during baking than a raw flour mix. This process yields a uniquely pillowy, cloud-like crumb with a subtle natural chewiness that keeps the bread tasting freshly baked for days on your counter.
  • Troubleshooting Shrinkage (Overproofing): If your beautiful loaf deflates or shrinks slightly as soon as it hits the hot oven, it is an indicator that the dough overproofed during the final pan rise. Keep a close eye on your pan during step 9—once the highest curve of the dough sits roughly 1/2 inch away from the top edge of the pan, slide it into the oven immediately to secure a strong rise.
  • Large 13×4 Pullman Pan Scaled Modification: If you prefer to bake a large, uniform pullman-style pan loaf using a 13×4 inch pan, you can scale the ingredients as follows: For the Yudane, use 105g bread flour and 105g boiling water. For the Main Dough, combine 400g bread flour, 278g milk, 2g instant yeast, 42g sugar, 9g salt, and 27g soft butter. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 15 minutes, then drop to 350°F (175°C) for 25 to 30 minutes.
  • Plant-Based Sub-Ins: This recipe is incredibly adaptable if you have dairy sensitivities or choose to keep things vegan. You can comfortably replace the whole milk with your preferred rich nut milk (like oat or almond milk) and substitute the dairy butter dynamic-for-dynamic with a high-quality vegan butter block. The resulting loaf will turn out just as light and delicious.

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