I'm playing with tangzhong this weekend

[spinbaby]

It’s kind of a cool, damp weekend, so a good time to do some experimental bread making. I’ve been intrigued by the tangzhong method in which some of the flour is cooked with liquid before adding it to the dough, which is supposed to result in a very soft bread that keeps longer than regular bread. So, armed with the King Arthur milk bread recipe, I set out to bake.

The dough immediately seemed way too wet—more like a whiskery, sticky batter than dough. I added more flour. I was wrong—the resulting bread was soft, but very dense.

In round two, I used the paddle attachment on my mixer on the sticky dough. In less than five minutes, the mess came together into a neat ball and I switched to the dough hook to finish. Success! The resulting bread was both fluffy and soft.

For those of us used to conventional bread, this dough definitely handles much differently, but I really like the way that, once it’s worked a bit, it manages to be a very soft, high hydration dough that holds together well and is easy to work.

Next project is tangzhong cinnamon rolls.

[Lettuce Be]

1. Avoid the impulse to add more flour

It will mix properly, just give it time. Adding more flour changes the texture. Trust. The. Process. LOL -- I've made Milk Bread a hundred times and it's amazing! Many Youtube videos, my favs are by EmmyMade

and Joshua Weissman

I now use that method when making gravy, just mix flour water and cook to get smooth -- IMO works far better than the usual method of just mixing flour/water to add to liquid.