The year has started with an interesting challenge for those of us who participate in Fresh from the Oven. This month, Silvia and Ivan from mushitza set the challenge and it was for a bread I have never heard of before. In fact, I am not sure how one even pronounces this? A real challenge indeed. The challenge continued throughout the bread making process. The cooking of the tangzhong took me 45 minutes of stirring and with my sublocated rib, this was a challenge indeed. The next challenge was the issue of room temperature. The Western Cape has been in the throws of a heat wave, and the room temperature in my house has been over 30 Deg Celsius – too hot for anything and not at all what Europeans would consider room temperature. Following that challenge, my tangzhong only weighed in at 85g and I needed 120g for the recipe, plus extra for glazing. I was worried the bread would not work out – but it did, so that challenge was achieved. Then, I did not have a loaf tin – I had forgotten to buy one and made the bread in my cake tin. This worked for the bread, but as the top rose so nicely, it does not cut perfectly. I am off today to get a loaf tin. The recipe below is my adaption of the one we were given.
© tangzhong bread
TANGZHONG BREAD
ingredients:
for the tangzhong:
30g flour
150mls cold water
for the bread:
125mls milk
5g instant yeast
350g bread flour
55g sugar – I used fructose
5g salt
120g tangzhong – or less if that is what yours makes
1 egg
30g butter, melted and cooled
for glazing:
the rest of the tangzhong or milk, if yours does not make more than 120g
method:
for the tangzhong:
whisk together the flour and the cold water until there are no lumps
cook over low heat, stirring all the time, until the temperature reaches 65º Celsius
allow the tangzhong to cool down at room temperature before using it
for the bread:
dissolve the yeast in the milk
combine the flour, sugar and salt
add the milk, tangzhong and the egg
use a stand mixer equipped with the dough hooks to mix all the ingredients into a soft dough
add in the butter
knead in the mixer for 25 minutes
to test if the dough is ready: take a small piece of dough and stretch it to a very thin membrane before it tears
cover the bowl and leave it to prove for one hour
knock the dough back on a lightly floured surface
give it a quick knead just to let the gas escape, then form it as desired
transfer to buttered loaf pan for bread or a lined sheet pan for rolls
cover with cling film and allow to prove for one hour
preheat the oven to 180º Celsius
brush on the rest of the tangzhong or the milk
bake for 25 minutes until nicely golden
remove from the pan and allow to cool completely before slicing
TANGZHONG BREAD PRINTABLE VERSION
Tandy
