Breads (Sourdough) - Soft Buns/Rolls
Japanese Soft White Buns (Sourdough)
September 30, 2020
| Recipe by Bake with Paws
Scroll to the bottom of the page for "PRINT RECIPE" ⬇
I used my Sourdough Shokupan (Sweet Stiff Starter + Yudane Method) to rebake these Sourdough Japanese Soft White Buns. With a high percentage of sweet stiff starter, I found that the bread proofs noticeably faster. It helps to help cut down proofing times and make the bread rise faster.
The bread texture is quite similar with bread using a Liquid Starter recipe. It is soft, moist, fluffy and slightly chewy. It stays fresh longer than the non yudane method bread.
If you have any questions regarding this recipe or any other post, please leave me a comment in the “LEAVE A COMMENT” link and I will reply you as soon as possible. Do tag me on Instagram @Bakewithpaws if you attempt on this recipe.
How To Make Japanese Soft White Buns (Sourdough)
Yields: 16 buns
INGREDIENTS:
Yudane Dough:
70g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)
70g boiling water
Sweet Stiff Starter (SST):
60g sourdough starter (100% Hydration), preferably use at its peak
180g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)
75g water or 90g milk
30g sugar (I used organic brown sugar)
Main Dough:
70g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)
All stiff starter (above)
All the yudane dough (above0
15g brown sugar (I used organic brown sugar)
1 tsp salt
20g milk powder (omit if SST is fed with milk)
25g butter, room temperature
45g egg, whisked (from 1 medium egg)
25g water (reserve 10g and add in later if needed) I used total 20g of water
Utensil:
8" square pan
METHOD:
- Yudane:
- Add bread flour in a bowl, pour the boiling water and mix well with spatula or spoon until no dry flour.
- Cling film and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. I prepared the night before.
- Sweet Stiff Starter
- In a bowl of stand mixer, dilute starter with water, stir in sugar and add in bread flour. Mix with paddle attachment until well mixed and all come together. It can be done by hand mixing too.
- Cover and let it ferment until tripled. I prepared a night before and leave it in aircond room (approximately 24 - 25C room temperature) overnight until tripled. It took about 8 - 9 hours depending on your starter. It should take around 4 - 6 hours to get triple at room temperature at 28C - 30C. The starter should look smooth and round dome. It shouldn't collapse.
- However, if you feed your starter with milk, the starter will take longer time to proof and very much depend on your stater. Mine took about 9 - 10 hours to proof overnight. And the starter did not rise until triple in size compared feeding with water. It rose almost 2.5 to 3 in size. It is because natural yeast takes longer time to digest the milk than it does in water.
- Main Dough:
- Put all ingredients (except butter) into a bowl of stand mixer. I usually slightly torn the stiff starter and yudane dough first.
- Slightly combine the mixture by hand with the paddle attachment before turning on the machine so that the flour will not splash out. Using the paddle attachment, mix for 2 minutes or until all incorporated. This step is critical to prevent an uneven mixed dough as the stiff starter is rather hard and a dough hook may not be able to mix it well enough.
- Change to hook attachment and knead for another 3 minutes or until the dough comes together. Add in butter and continue knead for 10 - 12 minutes or until the dough become smooth, silky and reach window pane stage. The whole kneading process, I stopped few times to scrape down the dough from the hook to be sure it is evenly kneaded and also to prevent the motor from overheating.
- 1st Proofing/Resting:
- In the same bowl, let the dough rest for 45 - 60 minutes. Keep it covered with clingfilm or use a lid. This dough I rested for 45 minutes and the dough rose slightly in 45 minutes.
- Shaping:
- Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface then divide dough into 16 equal portions (approx. 42g each). Please use a kitchen scale if you want to be exact.
- Form each portion to a ball. Please watch the video here "How to shape bun"
- Place bun onto the baking pans lined with parchment paper.
- Final Proofing:
- Let the buns proof at a warm place until the dough rise double in size. This one took approximately 3 hours at at room temperature of 28C. The duration of proofing depends on your ambient temperature and the starter.
- Baking:
- Preheat oven at 150C (top & bottom heat) for 10 - 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle some corn flour or bread flour on top of the buns using a sieve.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 35 - 40 minutes, or until slightly light brown. I covered the buns with aluminium foil after 30 minutes to prevent the buns from getting too brown.
- Remove buns from oven and pan. Let them cool on rack.
Yudane Dough
Sweet Stiff Starter
Main Dough
GENERAL NOTES:
SOURDOUGH STARTER
Please click this link for "How To Make Sourdough Starter" and "Sourdough Maintenance"
A healthy starter is very crucial as advised by Baking with Gina. It is advisable to feed your starter regularly if you want your bread to rise nicely and to use the starter (levain) at its peak. A starter that is fed regularly will be more active in general. If the mother starter is not strong, the bread dough will not rise a lot even though the starter is used at its peak.
GLUTEN DEVELOPMENT & WINDOWPANE TEST
Gluten forms when flour comes in contact with water. Hydration of the flour causes the sticky and stretchy protein to form, giving structure to the bread. This makes your bread trap air and rise.
Gluten in dough can be developed by autolyse, resting, kneading or folding.
The windowpane test is used to determine whether the dough has been sufficiently kneaded. By gently pulling the dough (or you may pinch off some dough) and trying to stretch it into a thin membrane. If you are able to stretch the dough paper thin and translucent without tearing, then the gluten is fully developed. However, if you can stretch it without tearing but the membrane is not transparent, then the gluten is not yet fully developed.
However, from my experience not all the recipe can achieve a thin and translucent window pane stage easily. For example low hydration and low fat dough. For such recipes, a reasonable window pane is good enough and it can be left to rest. Gluten will continue to develop while resting. Exercising restraint to not over-knead the dough prevents the gluten from being overworked and broken. Some of you may have experienced the dough breaking during the second proofing. It is because the dough is over kneaded.
The total kneading time for me is usually 15 minutes at low speeds except brioche dough with high fat percentage or dough using liquid fat which usually takes a little longer (maybe 18-20 mins).
From my experience, I found that high hydration dough with high percentage of fat will be easy to stretch and achieve a paper thin windowpane stage.
MILK POWDER
Why do I use milk powder?
- Milk or milk powder will enhance the flavour of the bread and makes the bread texture softer due to the fat content of the milk.
- Milk powder is shelf stable and you can have it anytime when you want to use. Unlike liquid milk you need to finish within a certain time before it spoils.
For kneading, please regard the timing provided as an indication only. It is only meant as a guide. Timing may differ depending on the brand of flour and electric mixer used. The protein content may vary from one brand of flour to another.
FLOUR
The right flour plays a very important role in bread making. To achieve fluffy, soft and light bread, I used Japan High Gluten Flour in most of my bread baking. The protein content is around 12 - 13%.
HYDRATION
The liquid measurement given is also a guide. It is advisable to always reserve some liquid and not add it all in one go. This would give you the opportunity to adjust if necessary. If dough is too dry, add the reserve liquid one tablespoon at a time until the right consistency. This is because each flour absorbs water and hydrates differently.
PROOFING
Please note that the proofing timing may also vary depending on your climate, environment, flour and your starter.
If you are unable to judge by just looking at the dough, you can do the finger poke test:
Proofing:
- Lightly press the side of the proved dough with your finger. If it bounces back immediately without any indentation, it means the dough is under proved and needs more time before baking.
- If the indentation stays and it doesn’t bounce back, it means it has been over proved.
- If the indentation slowly bounces back and leave a small indentation, it is ready to bake.
- There will be a final burst of rising once the bread is placed to bake in the oven and it is called oven spring.
If your bread collapses or gets wrinkled on top after removing from oven, it could be because your dough over proved during the second proofing. Please proof until the tip of the dough just reaches the rim of the pan, around 80% - 90% in size.
BAKING TEMPERATURE AND TIME
Do also note that the baking temperature and timing provided are what works for my oven and should also be regarded as a guide only. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven.
Labels:
Breads (Sourdough) - Soft Buns/Rolls,
Hi, thank you for the recipe. Would this still have a tangy taste since it's not using sweet levain?
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for asking. It is very mild sour taste. Actually, my hubby said he couldn't really taste it. I refresh my starter everyday and also I used more starter in my recipe. So, it takes shorter time to rise. But, if you are unsure how to control, then just use the sweet levain like shared by Autumn Kitchen.
DeleteCheers :)
Do you use up all 210g of the levain? Thank you
DeleteHi, Thanks for asking. No. You will need only 190g as mentioned in my recipe above ya.
DeleteCheers :)
what is sourdough starter, where to buy?
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for reading. Sourdough is natural leavening. You have to cultivate yourself or get from someone you know that they are baking sourdough bread.
DeletePlease search Youtube on how to cultivate sourdough starter from scratch.
Cheers :)
This looks so good! Your notes are so detailed and you provided so many pictures! You are awesome, one of my favorite bakers!!
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for reading this recipe and your kind comment. Glad that you like my recipe writing. Your compliment is very much appreciated.
DeleteCheers and happy baking.
I'm new to break baking. Can I check if you wait till yudane has cooled down before placing in the fridge? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi, Thanks for reading this recipe. It doesn’t really matter. Sometimes I put in the fridge immediately after preparing when I was in the rush.
DeleteCheers:)
Thanks for your reply.
DeleteHi... Thanks for sharing your recipe. I'm waiting to try this. Currently waiting for my levain to triple. Did last night, till now only slight increase. Its 15 hrs now.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Karen. I hope you will like it too. By the way, thanks for reading this recipe.
DeleteHappy baking :)
Hello! Just want to check what happens if my starter can’t triple? Can I still do this? Also does that mean that my starter is weak?
ReplyDeleteBtw, Thanks for always posting these amazing recipes :)
Hi, Did you bake with the starter risen till double, your bread may take very long time to rise or may not rise. Please feed your starter daily if possible until it get stronger.
DeleteCheers :)
Can the final proof be done in the fridge overnight?
ReplyDeleteHi, Thanks for reading and your question.
DeleteI have not tried this method. I afraid it is not going to rise a lot and make your bread sour. However, I have tried let it proof in aircond room (about 24C- 25C) overnight about 7 - 8 hours (depend on your environment).
Cheers :)
Hi
ReplyDeleteIs your levian made of Japanese flour too? I tried feeding my regular starter with Jap flour, but it has not risen yet. Works well with regular high gluten flour usually.
Anyway love your recipes, thanks for teaching me that sourdough bread doesn't just have to be rustic breads!
Hi, thanks for reading this recipe and your question. Yes, I fed my levain with Japan High Gluten Flour too. It could be changing of flour as your starter already used to the regular high gluten flour you used. You stick to your regular high gluten flour for feeding the levain for time being. But, If you plan to change different flour for feeding, it will take a while. Maybe a week or longer for the bacteria to get use to it.
DeleteCheers :)
Tried this recipe with my "rye flour 7-day freshly made starter", did it with the stretch-and-fold technique and proofed it overnight in the fridge and it works. yummy. Thank you so much for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for trying and your feedback. Glad that it worked for you.
DeleteCheers :)
Thank u for sharing Ur recipe on SD soft buns. I note the main dough only requires 70g of bread flour? Is this correct?
ReplyDeleteHi, You are most welcome. Yes, it is correct. 20% of flour is in Yudane and 60% in sweet stiff starter.
DeleteCheers and happy baking :)
Hi. What happens if you decrease the sugar ? I'm looking for a sourdough bun that is Egg free and is very low in sugar and fat
ReplyDeleteHi, chances are the bread will be more sour if you decrease sugar. You can replace with honey if you want. You may want to try this vegan sourdough bread recipe:
Deletehttps://www.bakewithpaws.com/2021/07/vegan-sourdough-shokupan.html
Cheers :)
Have you ever done this recipe using yeast?
ReplyDeleteIf yes, can you please share the adjusted recipe with yeast and without sourdough?
thanks!
Hi, thank you for visiting Bake with Paws. Yes, I have both yeast and sourdough version. Please see the below link:
Deletehttps://www.bakewithpaws.com/2020/09/japanese-soft-white-buns.html
You can also search the recipe in the RECIPES on the top bar or categories at the side bar.
Cheers :)
Thanks a lot!
DeleteMost welcome :)
DeleteFor the replacement of milk powder using fresh milk, you mentioned feed the sweet stiff starter with 120g of fresh milk. This is in additional to the 100g of water? Wouldn’t it be too runny? Or is it to replace the 100g of water??? Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you for your interest in this recipe.
DeleteNot really! We usually need a bit more of milk than the amount of water required because milk has more solids in it. Milk will yield more softer texture bread.
Cheers :)
Do I need to thaw the Yudane to room temperature before using in the main dough?
ReplyDeleteHi, You can use straight from the fridge as we do not want the temperature of the dough goes up during kneading.
DeleteThanks:)
I have followed every step but the dough turns out to be very sticky. I think the part about replacing milk powder with milk is not very clear. What does Feed the Sweet stiff Starter with 120g milk means??? Is it to replace the water or to add on the milk on top of the water?
ReplyDeleteHi, Thank you for trying and sorry to hear that your dough is wet.
DeleteIf you use milk to feed your sweet stiff starter than you do not need to use water again. Milk is the replacement of water.
However, please do not use all the water in the main dough always reserve some water. This is because each flour absorbs water and hydrates differently.
I hope it helps.
Cheers :)