Basic wholemeal bread using tangzhong ( water roux )

In blogosphere, there has been a flurry of excitement when fellow bloggers rediscovered the Japanese way of  baking soft bread loaf using the tangzhong method.

I have laid off bread making for a while due to many unacceptable reasons. When I saw the excited exchange of comments online, it triggered me to get my act together again.

I have made many such breads with variations ( fillings, toppings ) but found to my dismay that I have not documented them. Though there is little chance my princess is going to bake while overseas since all she owns is most likely just a pot for instant noodles, I hope that one day the little one will check out mummy’s blog and try her hand at this.

So, little one, if you should be reading this, overlook the grammar mistakes and imperfect sentence structure. Instead, let it bring you back to the delicious smell of fresh bread from long ago in a little place in Singapore.

Tangzhong never fails to yield soft, fluffy bread. This loaf did not last beyond 24 hours.

Water roux :
15g bread flour
75g  water

Bread ingredients :

140g bread flour
100g wholemeal flour
6g instant dried yeast
10g sugar
2g salt

1 medium egg, at room temperature and slightly beaten
70g milk, at room temperature
60g water roux, at room temperature
25g unsalted butter, slightly softened at room temperature 

Method :

Whisk water roux contents until combined and lump-free, then heat this mixture over medium-low gentle heat in a saucepan until mixtture reaches 65 C or whisk makes lines over the cooked watery batter. Leave to cool.

Meanwhile, combine bread flour, wholemeal flour, yeast, sugar and salt. This is the dry component of the bread.

In a separate bowl, combine egg, milk, water roux, butter. This is the wet component of the bread.

Transfer the wet component of the bread to the dry component.

Stir to combine. Knead the dough until smooth then leave to ferment until bulk doubles and it leaves a dent when poked with a finger. Alternatively, use the bread machine in dough mode to knead. This takes about 1.5 – 2 hrs.

Prepare a bread tray, greased and floured.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured worktop. Transfer it to the tray to rise a second time.

Preheat the oven to  180C with a tray of water under the baking rack.

Mist spray the dough before baking.

Bake in the preheated oven at 180C for 30-40 minutes. The bread is ready when it sounds hollow when tapped.

Remove the bread from the tray and cool thoroughly.

Salted caramel cocoa buns

Recently, I read about some things that people enjoy doing unconciously : breaking the bubbles on the bubble pack, cracking your knuckles, pulling a tissue paper out of the box and so on. I have to add that this one is for bakers only – misting the interior of a hot oven and hearing the water sizzle to steam.

Which brings me back to these buns.

A friend gifted me with a tub of salted caramel chocolate flakes from Copenhagen recently. I enjoyed the rich taste of the salted caramel chocolate as a drink and thought it would be wonderful to have it in my breakfast buns as well.

Unlike most bun recipes, I mist spray the buns and oven just before baking. This is not an artisanal bread but since the signature flavor comes from a faraway land, I thought it should be accorded some special treatment.

Besides, the water sizzling in the hot oven is a lovely sound that only a select few will hear.

Makes 12 small buns.

Ingredients :

Water roux :

Mix 25g bread flour in 125g water ( 5 parts water : 1 part flour )  till it reaches 65C. Alternatively, keep  stirring the flour liquid  until it  thickens, forming 'lines' or ridges  when stirred with a whisk.

Remove from heat . Cover roux  to prevent a skin from forming. Cool to room temperature for further use.

The rest of the bread :

(A) 230g bread flour / 36g plain flour /40g sugar / 1/4 teaspoon salt / 11g instant yeast or 1 satchet / 2 Tbsp salted caramel powder / 1 Tbsp cooca powder
(B) 1 small egg  beaten / 85g water / 84g water roux  
(C) 30g butter, softened

(D) softened butter for glazing

1.            Knead 10 min, proof 40min until dough triples in bulk.

2.            Knead and make out 12 buns. Shape and arrange on a tray. Rest buns for 15 minutes.

3.            Preheat the oven to 200C.

4.            Mist the buns with a water spray. Just before baking , mist spray the oven.

5.            Bake the buns in a preheated oven for 13 minutes.

6.            Remove the buns from the oven. While still hot, brush softened butter on every bun.

7.            Cool well before storing.

Verdict :

It is a cliché for water roux buns but yup, they are all fluffy soft and delicate in texture. The taste is mild and pairs well with a strong spread such as nutella or lotus spread.  They go into the fridge after the 2^nd day and taste as fresh as day 1 after 20 seconds on microwave power high ( in a paper bag ).