Ginza Nishikawa-style Milk Bread

Dear all, 

I’ve been reading TFL for a long time but this is my first post. First off I want to thank all those who’ve shared their wisdom. I’m super grateful for everything I’ve learned from you all. 

I’ve been baking bread for ~30 years, mostly focused on “artisan” style whole grain breads. Recently I had the good fortune to visit Japan and tried milk bread for the first time, and fell in love with it. Very much a guilty pleasure. Since then I have made milk breads with reasonable success, mostly based on Ken Forkish’s formula. It’s great, but it doesn’t have the depth of flavor I recall from say Boloniya in Kyoto. 

This morning I read about Ginza Nishikawa’s milk bread. I haven’t tried it myself, but it reminded me of the difference between what I have managed to make and what I had in Japan. Ginza Nishikawa says their bread is different because they use

• extremely finely milled flour
• alkaline ionized water 
• cream (presumably instead of milk)
• honey (presumably instead of the sugar)

And so begins another phase of experimentation. Based on my Japan memories, I have to assume a preferment is involved as well. 

Anyway, thought I’d join the fray and ask if anyone had any thoughts about how to pursue this variation. 

With gratitude,

Roger