In terms of flavor and texture, this Old-Style Shanghai Bread is almost indistinguishable from our world-famous Milk Bread. The beauty of this recipe, though, is that it can easily be modified to eliminate the need for dairy.
Dairy-Free Substitute For Milk Bread
The fact that this Old-Style Shanghai Bread doesn’t require any milk products makes it my top pick (sorry, lactose-intolerant readers)!
Even though it calls for 1/4 cup of dried milk powder, you can easily make this dairy-free by switching to non-dairy milk powder.
Additionally, Shanghai bread keeps better and longer than Milk Bread because it does not harden when cooled; this is because of the absence of dairy in the traditional recipe. If you store it in a zip-top bag and press out the air, it will stay soft and ready to eat for days. However, you can multiply the ingredients by 2 to produce 2 loaves.
Ingredients:
For the Starter Dough:
- 12g of sugar
- 160ml of water
- 200g of all-purpose flour
- 3g of active dry yeast
For the Finished Dough:
- 1 large egg
- 200g of all-purpose flour
- 50g of sugar
- 20g of dry milk powder or non-dairy milk powder
- 45 ml vegetable oil (plus more to grease the pan)
- 15ml of water
- 5g of salt
FOR THE SUGAR SYRUP:
- 4g of sugar
- 10ml of water
Instructions:
- Mix together 200 grams (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour, 3 grams (1 teaspoon) of active dry yeast, and 12 grams (1 tablespoon) sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix in 160 ml (2/3 cup) of water with a rubber spatula to make a wet starter dough. Until the wet dough has expanded with air bubbles, mix and scrape it together thoroughly, then cover and proof at room temperature (about 70 degrees F/21 degrees C) for 2 to 3 hours (see my picture for comparison).
- Return the wet dough proofed for two to three hours to the mixer. Mix together 1 1/2 cups (200 grams) of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon (0.05 grams) salt, 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar, and 3 tablespoons (20 grams) of dried milk powder. Set the speed on low and add one large egg and 45 milliliters (three tablespoons) of vegetable oil to the mixer. The dough should be wet enough to work but not soggy. Adding the additional 1 tablespoon of water, one teaspoon at a time is recommended only if the dough is too dry. Depending on the relative humidity in your kitchen, you may need more or less water.
- Once the dough is smooth, use a rubber spatula to scrape it off the bowl and dough hook and form a ball.
- For 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size, cover the mixing bowl with a plate and proof it with a large mug of boiled water in the microwave or oven (door closed). (Keep in mind that the microwave or oven doesn’t need to be on; it’s just acting as a barrier.) Prepare a 9×5-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil while the dough is rising.
- The dough must then be moved to a lightly floured surface. Three miniature loaves were formed from the dough and placed in the prepared baking dish. Allow it to proof one last time with a large mug of boiled water in the microwave or oven (door closed) for an hour or until it doubles in size. (Once more, turn off the toaster or microwave.)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit at the end of the dough’s proofing time. Bread should be cooked for 28–33 minutes in the center of the oven until the crust is golden. When the bread is in the oven, make the sugar syrup by dissolving 4 grams of sugar (1 teaspoon) in 10 milliliters of water (2 teaspoons). To achieve that classic rice color, brush the hot bread with the sugar syrup immediately after baking. Once the bread has cooled for 5 minutes in the pan, transfer it to a cooling rack.
- Store the bread in a zip-lock bag on the counter, and it will stay fresh for a few days. Keep it in the fridge year-round, but especially during the warmer months.