Milk roll facts for kids
| Alternative names | Milk Bread, Blackpool Milk Roll, Blackpool Roll, Lodger's Loaf Shokupan |
|---|---|
| Type | Bread |
| Place of origin | England (1862) Japan (origin) |
| Region or state | Blackpool, Lancashire |
| Main ingredients | Wheat, Milk |
Milk roll is a soft, round type of bread initially appearing in the United Kingdom in Blackpool in Lancashire England. It is made using milk instead of water, as well as white flour, yeast, and sugar. Shokupan (Japanese: しょくぱん） is a traditional Japanese milk bread.
Milk roll is soft and light-textured, with a soft crust. The loaf is approximately 7" in diameter and approximately 500g in weight. Warburtons first launched their Blackpool Milk Roll in 1969.
The exact origin of milk breads is unclear. There is evidence from a British baker, Robert Clarke, that knowledge of milk bread in the United Kingdom dates back to 1862 and came from Japan, shortly after the isolationist country had been forced open to the rest of the world.
Shokupan was featured by the New York Times in a newsletter published on August 24, 2022, and the article describes it as "richer and more resilient" than American white bread and notes that it is served in a fashionable "fruit sandwich" containing whipped cream, yogurt, and ripe fruit in Japanese convenience stores and cafes. Older Japanese milk breads have a soft texture from adding more fat and water roux to the bread recipe, giving the bread a firm texture. It helps the bread keep longer. That same quality enables the fruit sandwich to remain firm.
Shape and structure
The British Milk roll is baked in a two-part cylindrical mould with ridges to indicate slice-cutting positions. The soft crust is caused by steam being trapped within the mould, because no surface is directly exposed and steam cooked, the crust is unusually soft making it preferable for children.
