STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

1. Yudane Dough:
1. Add bread flour in a bowl, pour the boiling water and mix well with spatula or spoon until no dry flour.
2. Cling film and leave on the counter for at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge.  I prepared the night before.
3. Use directly from the fridge.
2. Sweet Stiff Starter 
1. In a bowl of stand mixer, dilute starter with water, stir in sugar and add in bread flour.  Mix with paddle attachment until well mixed and all come together.   It can be done by hand mixing too.
2. Cover and let it ferment until tripled. I prepared a night before and leave it in aircond room (approximately 24 - 25C room temperature) overnight until tripled.  It took about 8 - 9 hours depending on your starter.  It should take around 4 - 6 hours to get triple at room temperature at 28C - 30C. 
3. However, if you feed your starter with milk, the starter will take longer time to proof and very much depend on your stater.  Mine took about 9 - 10 hours to proof overnight.  And the starter did not rise until triple in size compared feeding with water.  It rose almost 2.5 to 3 in size.   It is because natural yeast takes longer time to digest the milk than it does in water.
3. Kneading Main Dough:
1. Put all ingredients (except butter) into a bowl of stand mixer.  I usually slightly torn the stiff starter and yudane dough first.
2. Slightly combine the mixture by hand with the paddle attachment before turning on the machine so that the flour will not splash out.  Using the paddle attachment, mix for 2 minutes or until all incorporated. This step is critical to prevent  an uneven mixed dough as the stiff starter is rather hard and a dough hook may not be able to mix it well enough.
3. Change to hook attachment and knead for another 3 minutes or until the dough comes together. Add in butter and continue knead for about 10 minutes - 12 minutes or until the dough become smooth, silky and reach window pane stage.  The whole kneading process, I stopped few times to scrape down the dough from the hook to be sure it is evenly kneaded and also to prevent the motor from overheating.
4. Divide the dough into 1/3 and 2/3 portions.  My total dough is 616g.  1/3 portion is 205g for matcha dough.  2/3 portion is 410g for plain dough.
5. Round up the plain dough and place in a bowl with cover.
6. Add matcha powder to 205g dough and continue kneading for another minute or until the matcha powder  is fully incorporated.
4. 1st Proofing/Resting:  
1. Let the both dough rest for 45 - 60 minutes. Keep it covered with clingfilm or use a lid.  This dough I rested for 45 minutes and the dough rise slightly. 
5. Shaping:
1. Transfer the plain dough to a clean floured surface, roll out to a 28cm X 18cm (roughly) rectangle.
2. On a clean floured surface, roll out matcha dough to a 14cm X 18cm (roughly) rectangle.
3. Place matcha dough over plain dough one half side.  
4. Fold over the remaining plain dough. 
5. Roll into a 18cm X 19cm (roughly).  
6. Cut dough into 2 equal portions lengthwise.
7. Stack dough on top of each other.
8. Repeat one more time - Roll again into a 16cm X 20cm (roughly) rectangle.
9. Repeat one more time - Cut dough into 2 equal portions lengthwise.
10. Repeat one more time - Stack dough on top of each other.
11. Repeat one more time - Roll again into a 13cm X 21cm (roughly) rectangle.
12. Cut into 3 equal strips.
13. Braid the 3 strips of dough together.  Tuck in both ends.
14. Place the braided dough into the loaf pan.
6. Final Proofing:
1. Let it proof in a warm place until the dough rise until it reaches slightly below the rim of the pan.   This one took approximately nearly 3 hours at room temperature of 28C - 29C.  The duration of proofing depends on your ambient temperature and the starter.
2. Cover the pan with lid. (I baked after 15 minutes preheating the oven)
7. Baking:
1. Preheat oven at 190C - 200C (top & bottom heat) or 170C - 180C (fan-forced) for 10 - 15 minutes.
2. Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.  
3. Remove bread from oven and pan.   Let them cool on rack.