Although the popularity of Japanese sandos has exploded nationwide thanks to viral sensation Konbi in Los Angeles, local chefs say that’s not why milk bread has found such a strong audience in San Francisco. For now, Ono believes he’ll be the only one on the West Coast selling it — both as part of the sandwiches and by the package, including an extra-thick-cut version that’s especially good for making toast. Japanese milk bread is probably the lightest, fluffiest, most tender bread you'll come across. For the Japanese, bread was, and still is, loaded with historical significance. About Japanese Milk Bread Dinner Rolls: Oh, and don’t even think about using anything but butter on these, unless, perhaps, you’d like a bit of jam! Loafs of Milk bread photographed at Breadbelly on Monday, Nov. 4, 2019 in San Francisco, California. Also available at CAW Den in the Bayview. For the starter – Tangzhong. The idea, Ono says, is for his two new concepts — Japanese black curry and Japanese sandwiches — to exist side by side, the same way they would at a depachika, or basement-level food hall that you can find in any big department store in Japan. The Chronicle’s food and culture podcast, hosted by Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips. 746 Valencia St., San Francisco. #bread … “Shokupan is like exactly what I wished American white bread could be.”, Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Stays fresh for days longer than regular bread. Scaling all the ingredients. “A lot of chefs in fine dining are using the technique and finding it a good alternative to brioche,” said Breadbelly chef-owner Katherine Campecino-Wong, who was previously the pastry chef at Mourad. The sandwiches will make their debut at a pop-up this Sunday, December 6, from noon until whenever they sell out, at Masabaga in downtown Oakland. It’s about nostalgia. Shipped frozen, the choujuku pan is made with a patented aging process that gives it a texture that’s even silkier and fluffier than other Japanese milk breads (which are already known for their extreme fluffiness.) Hokkaido Milk Bread, Japanese Milky Loaf, Asian Milk Bread, Shokupan, and Pai Bao are only some of the names for a very soft bread made with a tangzhong (see below). It starts with tangzhong, a Chinese roux-like paste, that gives the dough strength and an unusually long shelf life. Dry yeast – 1 tablespoon Kneaded with milk, butter and eggs, the resulting loaf manages to taste delicate and rich at the same time, with a soft, fluffy texture and subtle sweetness. salt, 4g. Hokkaido is a prefecture in Japan famous for their rich and creamy milk. Baker Tina Nguyen places a rolled milk bread dough onto a baking sheet at Breadbelly on Monday, Nov. 4, 2019 in San Francisco, California. These Japanese milk bread also referred to as Hokkaido milk bread is pillowy soft, light and airy. And at Sundo, the main point of distinction will be the bread itself: Pasco brand choujuku pan, which, according to Ono, has been Japan’s best-selling white bread for a number of years. My bread maker takes 45 minutes. heavy cream, 63g For Japanese pastry chefs like Yui, milk bread was all she knew growing up. Japanese milk bread is also known as Hokkaido milk bread. At … 561 Valencia St., San Francisco. restaurant, S.F. newsletter, Ono’s forthcoming Japanese curry restaurant, Dela Curo, B-Dama’s Chef Wants East Bay Diners to Know the Pleasures of Japanese Black Curry, Pandemic Binge Drinking Is a Myth, Wine Analyst Says, Vandals Deface SF’s Iconic Cliff House Restaurant, Tripleta Founders Say Chef Aaron London Has Kicked Them Out of Their Own Pop-Up. Add the yeast mixture, 1/3 cup heavy cream, and 1 of the large eggs to the cooled … But the idea, again, is for customers to relish the texture and flavor of the bread itself. INGREDIENTS. egg whites, 38g. And that’s why the homemade dog bun is worth your effort and time. bread flour, 203g (I used half KAF bread flour and half KAF AP flour for a balance of chewiness and volume) sugar, 33g. 1. Flour – 4 tablespoons; Water – 6 tablespoons; Milk – 6 tablespoons; For the dough. More Bay Area restaurants are protesting to bring back outdoor dining, Hundreds gather as Cliff House’s sign comes down, marking the official closure of iconic S.F. What is shokupan or Japanese milk bread? Specialties: We are brand new business in this neighborhood. Choose from kaya toast ($7), a kaya bun ($5), a char siu sandwich ($16) or kare-pan ($7), a bun stuffed with chicken curry and breaded with panko. Egg salad is ready for its close-up. ... and plans to start making his own milk bread … The bread is incredibly soft, … Mix and let fermentation at room temp (73F) for 12 hours. Milk bead hugs a wobbly spinach frittata for the breakfast sandwich ($10), and the shiny loaves ($8.50) are popular on their own. This isn’t some sort of heirloom flour that was milled down the street.”. Hokkaido bread is famous for light, fluffy, soft, tender and little sweetened bread. One of the great joys of Japan’s convenience store culture — among the onigiri, the canned coffee, and the dozens of varieties of instant noodles — is the fact that you can walk into any random 7-Eleven and find a refrigerated case full of tasty, convenient grab-and-go sandwiches that’ll put many American delis to shame. San Francisco chefs find nostalgia in Japanese milk bread, Photo: Stephen Lam / Special to The Chronicle. The Japanese have a strange fascination with Western food, ... the chef at Stonemill Matcha in San Francisco. In the land of sourdough, heavy loaves of dense Tartine Bakery bread and naturally fermented everything, milk bread might seem like a surprising choice for San Francisco chefs. milk, 74g. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture thickens into the consistency of mashed potatoes, about 2 minutes. Milk bread shows up in less expected places as well: whipped with uni for a luxurious dip at Prairie; hugging a Japanese-inspired hot dog at Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski’s restaurant, the Progress; toasted under beets and ricotta at Sunday at the Museum in the Asian Art Museum; and as a bun injected with pandan-coconut pastry cream at Breadbelly in the Richmond District. Follow this step-by-step tutorial to make the fluffiest, yummiest bread ever! Shokupan is a traditional milk bread in Japan and literally means “food bread” or “eating bread.”While the popularity of bread in Japan has had a complicated and long history, milk bread or fluffy white bread in the style of Pullman loaves weren’t really popularized or even introduced until American soldiers came to Japan in the 20 th century. I make Japanese milk bread every couple days depending how fast it goes in our house I use real milk not powder and I fold differently After dough rises: -form three equal balls -let them rise again 15 min -roll out to pieces about 6x4 -place dough lengthwise up; fold top 3” down to center, fold bottom 3” to center -turn dough 90 degrees and roll upward It is a Japanese method and it makes the bread so incredibly tender, soft and fluffy. When Stonemill Matcha opened, she decided milk bread would be a central part of the menu. Warm the flour paste gently until it thickens,stirring, then set aside to cool (this is the tangzhong). Classic Japanese Milk Bread recipe made with cream, milk, and an extra special something that makes it super soft, fluffy, and moist. Cover with plastic film, pressing against the surface of the milk-flour mixture to ensure it doesn’t form a skin. “We didn’t eat crusty bread back home,” she said. Add the yeast, some of the sugar and warm … Janelle Bitker joined The San Francisco Chronicle in 2019. Her writing has been recognized by the California Newspaper Publishers Association and Association of Alternative Newsmedia. Japanese milk bread satisfied in a similar way, and several recipe reformulations later, she brought it to Breadbelly as the star of the bakery’s best-selling item: toast slathered with kaya, the Singaporean coconut jam. It’s been a staple at Craftsman, which might sell 50 loaves on its busiest day, according to Figueiredo. Japanese milk bread is called Hokkaido bread. Luke Tsai Eventually, Sundo will carry a full slate of savory milk bread sandwiches, including an egg salad sandwich and a chicken katsu sandwich. - final dough. The pop-up will also feature the black curry from Ono’s forthcoming Japanese curry restaurant, Dela Curo. milk powder, 15g. Measure out remaining ingredients (flour, yeast, milk… Add milk, salt, sugar, soft butter, condensed milk, and flour to the bread maker and yeat to the automatic dispenser. Halfway between a dessert and a more conventional sandwich, the fruit sandwiches may be a bit difficult for some American customers to pin down at first. We have many optionals of Japanese Sandwiches. 1408 Clement St., San Francisco. “A lot of people just connect to having something like milk bread that brings back childhood memories,” she said. “Milk bread has a very Asian taste.”. In addition to offering fresh loaves, Stonemill serves slices of shokupan toast with matcha butter and red bean jam as well as sandos on milk bread. This is because Japanese milk bread is made using the “Yudane method”. Japanese Milk Bread Dinner Rolls deserve butter and nothing less. It has the soft white bread texture you know and love! Japanese Milk Bread. This recipe walks you through every step so you can enjoy this light white bread at home. It starts with tangzhong, a Chinese roux-like paste, that gives the dough strength and an unusually long shelf life. Japanese Milk Bread (Hokkaido Bread or Shokupan). It’s sturdy enough to stand up to a burger but also light enough to allow accompanying ingredients to shine. “Imagine brioche and Texas toast combined together,” said Mikiko Yui, pastry chef at Stonemill Matcha in the Mission District, by email from Japan. Japanese milk bread, aka Hokkaido milk bread (in Japanese it’s called shokupan 食パン), is the softest and fluffiest bread that I have ever made. Combine flour with water and milk and whisk together in a saucepan and whisk together. Photo: Stephen Lam, Special to The Chronicle. 415-913-7713 or www.craftsman-wolves.com. 415-796-3876 or www.stonemillmatcha.com. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker. Japanese Condensed Milk Bread: The Process Start off by proofing the yeast in a large mixing bowl. No spreads, margarine or oleos on these, please! “They think cake, actually,” Ono says of the typical reaction he’s gotten from beta tasters so far — though the sandwiches are quite a bit less sweet than most cakes. milk, 22g. Some people call it snow bread because the flour is dusting on top of the dough and it looks like snow on the bread. That’s the inspiration behind Chikara Ono’s (B-Dama, Delage) newest East Bay enterprise, Sundo, which will specialize in Japanese convenience store–style sandwiches — and, especially, in fruit sandwiches: two thick slices of airy-light Japanese milk bread filled with whipped cream and fresh fruit, cut just so to reveal the pleasingly symmetrical cross section of the strawberries and other fruits. Picture-Perfect Japanese Sandwiches Find a Home in SF. Japanese Milk Bread Is Coming for Your Lunch. Mission bakery Craftsman & Wolves started making an artisanal version with a shiny deep amber crust in 2014. Take a loaf ($6) home or enjoy shokupan toast ($6), a katsu sando ($16) or Japanese egg salad sandwich ($12) at the cafe. butter, 10g, softened. What's the origin story of Hokkaido milk bread? Japanese Milk Bread {Easy White Bread} Soft, pillowy Japanese Milk Bread is perfect for slicing and toasting or serving as sandwiches. As the food enterprise reporter, she covers restaurant news as well as Bay Area culture at large through a food lens. by Caleb Pershan Aug 20, ... crustless milk bread sandwiches at 1900 Clement for a … Before opening Breadbelly, Campecino-Wong was searching for an Asian bread to make for herself. Place the saucepan over low heat and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until thick and the … Look at U-Haul traffic, California’s EDD freezes many people’s unemployment benefits to combat fraud, Why CO2 monitors and indoor ventilation may be a key to curb COVID spread, S.F. It can even be pulled apart into flaky layers. Slices of milk bread for the grilled cheese sandwich are seen inside the Breadbelly kitchen on Monday, Nov. 4, 2019 in San Francisco, California. The only thing might be a … “I think white bread is kind of taboo in the Bay Area food scene,” said Anthony Strong, chef-owner of Prairie in the Mission. “I’m a dude from the Midwest who grew up on white bread,” he said. 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