Vegan Cinnamon Raisin Milk Bread (Shokupan)

Prep Time:45

Cook Time:40

Proof Time:3

Servings: 1 8"x4" loaf

Equipment

1 1 lb (1斤) Japanese rectangular loaf pan

Ingredients

Bread

100 ml soy milk
65-80 ml water¹
18 grams (1½ tbsp) sugar
240 grams (2 cups) bread flour*²
½ tsp (3g) salt
1 tsp (3.5g) instant yeast*
⅓ tsp cinnamon optional
20 grams (1½ tbsp) unsalted vegan butter³ cut into small cubes
⅓ cup raisins

Cinnamon Sheet

20 grams (3 tbsp) bread flour
30 grams (2½ tbsp) granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
70 ml soy milk
10 grams (1 tbsp) vegan butter

Instructions

Make Dough (Stand Mixer – Recommended Method)

Add soy milk, water¹, and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer. Add bread flour, wheat flour, and vital wheat gluten on top. Add salt to one side of the bowl and instant yeast to the other side.
Attach a dough hook to your stand mixer. Turn it on at low speed to combine the ingredients, then gradually increase speed to medium as the dough comes together. Knead on medium for about 5 minutes. The dough should come together into a ball and loose some of its stickiness. Turn off the stand mixer, cover with a towel, and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
Turn the mixer back on at low speed and gradually add in the butter cubes. Increase the speed to medium as the butter gets incorporated into the dough. Continue kneading on medium speed (4-5) for about 10-15 minutes. You can stop to scrape down the dough every 5 minutes or so if needed. If your mixer gets too hot, turn if off, cover the dough, and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

Make Dough (By Hand)

Clean a work surface or set out a large pastry mat and lightly dust with bread flour.
Whisk together flours, vital wheat gluten, sugar, salt, and yeast. Pour in soy milk and water and use a wooden spoon to mix until a dough starts to form. Gather the dough into a loose ball and transfer to your work surface.
Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until a tight dough forms and it looses some of its stickiness. If the dough is too sticky, you can sprinkle some flour on top but try not to add too much flour or your bread will turn out dense. Dough will stick to your hands during kneading but just keep kneading! Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
Stretch the dough out into a long rectangle and add the butter pieces on top. Roll up the dough and continue kneading. It will be very messy and greasy at first but keep going! After a couple minutes the dough will become smooth and easier to work with.
Continue kneading for another 10-15 minutes.

Windowpane Test

Use the windowpane test⁴ to check if the dough is sufficiently kneaded. Tear off a small piece of dough and gently stretch it into a square, pulling at the four corners. You should be able to stretch the dough out into a very thin membrane that light can pass through. If the dough tears easily, it needs to be kneaded longer.

First Proof

Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large bowl (you can use the bowl of your stand mixer). Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and set on the counter to rise for 1-3 hours until doubled in size.

Cinnamon Sheet

While the dough is proofing, prepare the cinnamon sheet. In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together bread flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Whisk in soy milk.
Microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until a thick dough forms and no liquid is left (about 1 minute total). Add butter and stir until butter is incorporated in the dough (it will melt in the residual heat).
Place dough on a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic wrap over the dough into a rectangle, then use a rolling pin to roll out the cinnamon sheet into the rectangle. (This will go in the center of the bread dough after the first proof.) Place in the fridge until ready to use.

Laminate Dough

Punch down the dough and transfer to your work surface.
Roll dough out into a vertical rectangle. Unwrap cinnamon sheet and place it horizontally in the center of the bread dough.
Fold dough into thirds over the cinnamon sheet.
Rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll it out again into a vertical rectangle. Fold dough into thirds and rotate 90 degrees. Repeat the process (roll out, fold into thirds, rotate) two more times.
Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Finally, roll the dough out into a rectangle the length of your bread pan. Cut into thirds about a 1/2-inch down from the top of the rectangle (leave the dough connected at the top), and braid the strands together.
Grease your bread pan generously with vegan butter.

Second Proof

Place the braided dough into your greased bread pan. Cover and let the dough proof until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
When the dough has risen a little over halfway (after about 40-60 minutes), preheat oven to 385°F/195°C (or 360°F/180°C for convection oven).

Bake

Uncover the dough and place into the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 195°F/90°C. It should be nicely browned on the outside and spring back when you push on it. Tent with foil if the top is browning too quickly (check after 15 minutes).

Cool

Tap the pan on the countertop 1-2 times to let water vapor escape (this prevents the bread from shrinking).
Turn the pan on its side and give it a few thrusts to slide the bread out. Place the bread on a wire rack to cool completely.
Let the bread cool completely before slicing so the structure can set. If you cut into the bread too soon, it may shrink and lose moisture.

Notes

If you don’t have a Japanese loaf pan*, you can use a regular 8″x4″ bread pan, but your loaf will be shorter and rounder.

1) The amount of water you need will depend on the humidity of your kitchen. Start with 65ml and knead until the dough comes together into a ball. It should still be sticky at this point, so if it's too dry, add a little more water.

2) For a whole wheat milk bread, you can use 120 grams bread flour + 115 grams whole wheat flour + 2½ grams (1 tsp) vital wheat gluten.

3) If your butter is salted, reduce salt by ⅛ tsp.

4) See this post from The Kitchn for more information on the windowpane test.