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Sourdough Shokupan/Milk Bread (with Sweet Stiff Starter)

written by Marvellina Updated: April 8, 2025
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Sourdough shokupan represents a harmonious fusion of Japanese bread-making traditions and the art of sourdough fermentation. This sourdough shokupan offers a unique twist on the classic, delighting both bread enthusiasts and those seeking a healthier and more flavorful option.

Sourdough Shokupan/Milk Bread (with Sweet Stiff Starter)

I keep a log of my sourdough feeding schedule and activity and today is 365 days since I have baked with my faithful robust starter! Happy birthday my little starter (that I have yet to name to this date!). It feels like I have baked with it for a long time but it’s been only a year. I had baked over 300+ of sourdough bread in this one year. That includes rustic artisan, enriched sweet or savory bread, steamed buns, and anything in between.

No Sour Sourdough Bread

This recipe will give you sourdough bread that doesn’t taste sour. Why? Because we use a sweet stiff starter, which is built from a regular 100% hydration sourdough starter. Ever since I learned how to bake enriched bread using sweet stiff starter, I hardly ever bake using a regular liquid starter. It just takes too long for me when it comes to enriched bread. I love the shreddy and soft texture when I use sweet stiff starter.

What is a sweet stiff starter?

In sourdough baking, a sweet stiff starter refers to a type of sourdough starter that is maintained with a higher ratio of flour to water or milk and contains sweeteners such as sugar or honey. Unlike the more common liquid or semi-liquid sourdough starters, a stiff starter has a firmer consistency, similar to dough. I don’t maintain a sweet stiff starter. I build it using my regular liquid starter whenever I need it. So I just maintain my regular liquid starter. I love baking enriched bread/buns and steamed buns using a sweet stiff starter.

Sourdough Shokupan/Milk Bread (with Sweet Stiff Starter)

Sourdough Shokupan/Milk Bread (with Sweet Stiff Starter)

Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Proof the dough twice: 6 hours hrs
Total Time 6 hours hrs 45 minutes mins
Servings 12 slices (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf)
4.8 from 13 reviews
REVIEW & RATE PRINT

Ingredients

Option 1: Sweet stiff starter (peak in 8-10 hours):

  • 55 g active starter (100% hydration)
  • 165 g bread flour (12.7% protein content)
  • 65 g water
  • 30 g sugar

Option 2: Sweet stiff starter (peak in 4-6 hours):

  • 115 g active starter (100% hydration)
  • 115 g bread flour (12.7% protein content)
  • 45 g water
  • 25 g sugar

Final dough with option 1:

  • 133 g bread flour (12.7% protein content) or more as needed
  • 90 g whole milk or more as needed
  • 12 g milk powder
  • 45 g sugar
  • 5 g salt
  • 32 g unsalted butter softened

Final dough with option 2:

  • 153 g bread flour (12.7% protein content) or more as needed
  • 90 g whole milk or more as needed
  • 12 g milk powder
  • 45 g sugar
  • 5 g salt
  • 32 g unsalted butter softened

Egg wash (if you bake the bread in a pan without the lid)

  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1 tsp milk

Instructions
 

  • I use a 7 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 small but tall loaf pan. You can also use 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan, the loaf will come out shorter but wider

Prepare sweet stiff starter:

  • I recommend using a starter that is at least two months old and consistently doubles or triples in 4-6 hours when you feed it at 1:1:1 ratio. Young starter will not give the best result
  • Combine all ingredients for the sweet stiff starter in a bowl. Stir a bit to roughly combine and then use your clean hand to knead it. This is a stiff starter, it's like a dough. Make sure no pockets of dry flour are visible. Transfer to a large see-through container (plastic or glass is fine, preferably wide-mouth so you can get it out easier later). Loosely cover with the lid and let it ferment until triple in size

Prepare the dough:

  • Place all ingredients and the stiff starter, except for the butter, in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Use the hook to stir everything around a bit so when you turn the machine on, the flour won't fly around and wet ingredients won't splash (it happened to me before!).
  • Start with the lowest speed to mix things up and then increase to speed 2 and knead for about 5 minutes or until it forms a dough. If the dough is too dry to come together, you can add a bit of milk one teaspoon at a time. Don't add too much as we haven't added the butter yet
  • Then add butter in 2-3 batches. The dough will turn into a complete mess again because of the butter, but don't worry, it will get absorbed by the dough as it kneads. Knead at speed 4 for about 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. If you slowly stretch a small amount of dough, it will not break and light can pass through, like a window pane. Proceed to first proofing

First proofing:

  • Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and proof at a warm place for about 1 1/2 – hours max at 78-82 F (26-28 C), the dough will not double in size. It probably rises only about 25%, which is fine. Sourdough starter is different from commercial yeast.

Shaping:

  • Lightly grease your loaf pan on all sides
  • Punch the dough down and give it a knead for a few times. Divide into 2 or 3 equal-weight doughs. Round up each dough to roughly form a ball. Cover and let them rest for 10 minutes
  • Then work with one dough at a time and keep the rest covered. Flatten the dough with your palm and roll it into a rectangle shape, the width should about twice the width of the loaf pan and about the same length as the loaf pan. Fold the two sides over to meet in the middle and then roll the dough up, not too tight, not too loose, like a Swiss roll
  • Place the shaped dough into the pan. Repeat with the other dough. Place all the shaped dough side by side inside the loaf pan. Slightly flatten the three doughs with your palm so they are about the same height

Final proofing:

  • Cover and let the dough proof again at a warm place until it fills up about 80-90% of the pan. This may take about 3-4 hours or longer at 82 F (28 C). Mine usually takes about 3-3 1/2 hours. If you want to bake with the lid, slide the lid now before the dough rises too high and you won't be able to use the lid anymore
  • If you bake in a pan without the lid, brush the surface of the dough with an egg wash

Baking:

  • 10 minutes before the end of proofing, preheat your oven to 375 F (190 C) for a conventional oven. For convection top and bottom heat, lower the temperature by 20 F or 15 C
  • Place the loaf pan on the middle rack and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown if you bake without the lid. UPDATED: If you bake with the lid, bake for 30 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 F (180 C) for conventional oven and bake for another 5 minutes or until internal temperature is 190 F (88 C)

Cooling:

  • Once out of the oven, drop the pan on the counter to release some steam and immediately remove from the pan onto a cooling rack. Optional: If you want a softer shinier crust, you can brush with melted butter immediately while the bread is still warm. Let the bread cool down completely on the rack

Storing:

  • Once it has cooled down, you can put in an air-tight container and can be kept at room temperature for 2-3 days. The bread should stay soft for few days if kept properly at room temperature

RECOMMEDED TOOLS

digital kitchen scale
digital kitchen scale
Kitchen Aid Standmixer

*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*

Nutrition Facts
Sourdough Shokupan/Milk Bread (with Sweet Stiff Starter)
Serving Size
 
1 serving
Amount per Serving
Calories
159
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
3
g
5
%
Saturated Fat
 
2
g
13
%
Trans Fat
 
0.1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
0.3
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Cholesterol
 
8
mg
3
%
Sodium
 
169
mg
7
%
Potassium
 
55
mg
2
%
Carbohydrates
 
28
g
9
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
7
g
8
%
Protein
 
4
g
8
%
Vitamin A
 
89
IU
2
%
Vitamin C
 
0.1
mg
0
%
Calcium
 
24
mg
2
%
Iron
 
0.3
mg
2
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Did you make this recipe?Let me know how you like this recipe and consider rating it! Tag me @whattocooktoday I’d love to see your photos/videos on Instagram

Benefits of baking enriched bread with sweet stiff starter

The main benefit of using a sweet stiff starter is that it tends to produce a milder and sweeter flavor profile in sourdough bread. This can be particularly desirable when making bread with a delicate taste, such as brioche, or enriched sweet bread like shokupan. The sweet stiff starter also shortens the fermentation time compared to when you use a liquid starter to prepare the enriched dough, but still full of complex flavor that I can’t seem to get enough!

Sourdough Shokupan/Milk Bread (with Sweet Stiff Starter)

How to bake sourdough shokupan with sweet stiff starter

1. Combine all ingredients for the sweet stiff starter in a bowl. Stir a bit to roughly combine and then use your clean hand to knead it. This is a stiff starter, it’s like a dough. Make sure no pockets of dry flour are visible. Transfer to a large see-through container (plastic or glass is fine, preferably wide-mouth so you can get it out easier later). Loosely cover with the lid and let it ferment until triple in size

2. Place all ingredients and the stiff start, except for the butter, in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Use the hook to stir everything around a bit so when you turn the machine on, the flour won’t fly around and wet ingredients won’t splash (it happened to me before!).

3. Start with the lowest speed to mix things up and then increase to speed 2 and knead for about 5 minutes or until it forms a dough. If the dough is too dry to come together, you can add a bit of milk one teaspoon at a time. Don’t add too much as we haven’t added the butter yet

4. Then add butter in 2-3 batches. The dough will turn into a complete mess again because of the butter, but don’t worry, it will get absorbed by the dough as it kneads. Knead at speed 4 for about 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

5. If you slowly stretch a small amount of dough, it will not break and light can pass through, like a window pane. Proceed to first proofing

6. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and proof at a warm place for about 1 1/2 – hours max at 78-82 F (26-28 C), the dough will not double in size. It probably rises only about 25%, which is fine. Sourdough starter is different from commercial yeast.

7. Lightly grease your loaf pan on all sides. Punch the dough down and give it a knead for a few times. Divide into 2 or 3 equal weight smaller doughs. Round up each dough to roughly form a ball. Cover and let them rest for 10 minutes

8. Then work with one dough at a time and keep the rest covered. Flatten the dough with your palm and roll it into a rectangle shape, the width should be about twice the width of the loaf pan and about the same length as the loaf pan. Fold the two sides over to meet in the middle and then roll the dough up, not too tight, not too loose, like a Swiss roll


9. Place the shaped dough into the pan. Repeat with the other dough. Place all the shaped dough side by side inside the loaf pan. Slightly flatten the three doughs with your palm so they are about the same height

10. Cover and let the dough proof again at a warm place until it fills up about 80-90% of the pan. This may take about 3-4 hours or longer at 82 F (28 C). If you want to bake with the lid, slide the lid now before the dough rises too high and you won’t be able to use the lid anymore

11. 10 minutes before the end of proofing, if you bake without the lid, preheat your oven to 375 F (190 C) for conventional oven and lower temperature by 20 F or 15 C for convection oven

12. If you bake without the lid, brush some egg wash on the surface of the dough. Place the loaf pan on the middle rack and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown if you bake without the lid. UPDATED: If you bake with the lid, bake for 30 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 F (180 C) for conventional oven and bake for another 5 minutes or until internal temperature is 190 F (88 C)
13. Once out of the oven, drop the pan on the counter to release some steam and immediately remove from the pan onto a cooling rack. Optional: If you want a softer shinier crust, you can brush with melted butter immediately while the bread is still warm. Let the bread cools down completely on the rack

14. Once it has cooled down, you can put in an air-tight container and can be kept at room temperature for 2-3 days. The bread should stay soft for a few days if kept properly at room temperature

Sourdough Shokupan/Milk Bread (with Sweet Stiff Starter)

Look at the dreamy soft fluffy crumbs

Sourdough Shokupan/Milk Bread (with Sweet Stiff Starter)

Did you make this sourdough shokupan using sweet stiff starter recipe?

I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag it to show me what you’ve made. Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!

Sourdough Shokupan/Milk Bread (with Sweet Stiff Starter)
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34 comments

Ashton April 8, 2025 - 7:46 pm

Hi! Can you use honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar as the sugar in this?

Reply
Marvellina April 8, 2025 - 8:00 pm

Hi Ashton, yes you can use any of those with the bread dough.

Reply
Nancy April 1, 2025 - 3:40 am

First of all, thank you for sharing the recipe.
I have a few questions though.
Everything goes well until the final proof. My final proof is slow even at 28degree. It reaches about 80% after 8 hours. Is 8 hours too long for final proof? Any idea what goes wrong? Also, it doesn’t expand further in the oven. 😢
Would you be able to advise what I can do better next time?
Thank you so much for your time.
Looking forward to hearing from you.

Reply
Marvellina April 1, 2025 - 8:02 pm

Hi Nancy, 8 hours at 28 degrees is a bit longer than usual! How old is your starter btw ?

Reply
Peggy March 24, 2025 - 1:45 pm

Why don’t you need yudane for this shokupan?

Reply
Marvellina March 24, 2025 - 8:24 pm

Since this recipe is using sourdough stiff starter, I don’t want to make it too complicated by adding yudane/tangzhong to the dough. I supposed you can if you want to! I’m pretty happy with the result without it because the sourdough version just makes it lasts longer and with nice shreddy crumbs.

Reply
Jess April 1, 2025 - 4:42 am

Thank you so much for this recipe. I wonder why my bread took about 5.5-6 hours to rise. I let it proof at 31C so definitely not the temperature. But maybe my starter strength? Would really appreciate your input. Thanks

Reply
Marvellina April 1, 2025 - 8:00 pm

Hi Jess,how old is your starter ?

Reply
jess April 2, 2025 - 6:23 am

I bought my starter, it’s been 4-5 years old. I feed it twice a day.

Marvellina April 2, 2025 - 9:22 pm

Your starter is older than mine. Mine is only 2.7 years old 🙂 So starter shouldn’t be a problem! I fed mine twice a day too! Hmm…honestly I’m not sure why yours take 5 1/2 -6 hours considering your starter is well fed and the temperature is warm enough. Did you use your stiff starter at its peak ? some people may prepare the stiff starter and then do no use it on the same day, which I don’t recommend doing that. In that case, the proofing time may take much longer.

Jess May 14, 2025 - 8:37 am

Sorry for the late reply. I made the sweet stiff starter the night before and I used it the next day. My starter also doubles every 4 hours after feeding. I’m just frustrated what causes it to be so slow. Maybe bcos of the second proofing took a long time, the bread was so flavorful and delicious. I really really like it

Reply
Marvellina May 14, 2025 - 12:48 pm

Hi Jess, I hear you on the flavor! It is incredible because of the long proof! You know what I found out recently is that if I limit the first proof to 1 1/2 hours only, regardless whether it doubles or not (most of the time it only rises 25% or barely!) and I shape and proceed to second proofing, the second proofing takes about 3 to 3 1/2 hours at 80 F (about 27 C). I read from somewhere before a while ago that sourdough starter is a bit different from commercial yeast! In a way that you don’t want to “exhaust” the starter too much the first round! Maybe can experiment on that and see!

Patricia February 9, 2025 - 6:15 am

I enjoyed this recipe. It passed the hopes that it would taste like an Austrian Striezel. On the nutritional label I am wondering how many “servings” there are per recipe.
Thank you!

Reply
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