Japanese milk bread reaches UK kitchens
Is Japanese milk bread worth the extra faff?
I have been watching shokupan turn up in UK supermarkets and bakery displays, and I am not quite sure whether it is a genuinely useful bread or simply very good at looking cheerful in photographs.
The appeal makes sense: it is soft, slightly sweet, neat enough for packed lunches, and the square slices are unusually satisfying. The Guardian reports growing interest from supermarkets and Scottish chefs, which feels like a sensible place for this trend to land. Scotland is already rather serious about bread, after all.
My practical question is cost. If the special flour, milk and extra shaping make a loaf twice the price of ordinary tin bread, I would probably rather improve a basic loaf with better butter and a longer rise. Has anyone made shokupan at home and found it worth the effort?