Wednesday, June 8, 2011

TangZhong Bread



TangZhong is the name of a starter that is used in the making of asian style soft sweet bread. I read about it on this blog and decided to try it out as the consistency of the cooked bread looked so soft and luscious.
I used the Thermomix to make the TangZhong, but you can use a saucepan easily enough.  I reduced the sugar to make the loaf less sweet. It had a lovely texture and didn't have that 'yeasty' smell that home made loaves often get after a few days.

Tang Zhong Starter

250ml water
50g bread flour
Place in  locked and cook for 5 1/2 minutes/60/speed 4, or cook on stove, stirring constantly until thick and glossy.
Scrape out and place in a bowl on the bench (or fridge if you're in a hot area) to cool to room temperature.

Bread
500g bread flour (Wallaby)
160g TangZhong starter
200g water
2 tsp salt
30g sugar
2 tsp yeast
50g melted cooled butter (I just melt in the microwave)
I also added my 90g of mixed seeds
Place all in  locked and mix on  corn for 15 minutes. If you have a breadmaker, let it go through the knead cycle twice. This will give it a fantastic start.
Remove (flour hands so they don't stick to dough) and prove in a warm spot until doubled. Orr you can an allow the dough to prove in the TMX and then do next knead in the TMX as well)
Knead again by hand for a few minutes and then place in bread tin in a warm spot. Cover with a billowed plastic bag. It should rise above the tin.

Bake at 220C for 25 minutes. Remove from tin and bake a further 5 - 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Here's another picture of a much better loaf that I made with this starter after I realised that my yeast was out of date:

7 comments:

  1. oh my MJ!!! u actually tried this tz bread!!! did it stay fresh for 3 days the way it's supposed to? thanks so much for posting the instructions! now i dun hv to guess around!!

    cantonpixie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, cantonpixie, it did stay fresh for 3 days. It was really lovely! Check out the post on the Thermomix Forum: http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=6409.0

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have also made TZ breads successfully on my thermomix using the recipe fr http://cornercafe.wordpress.com/2008/08/28/japanese-style-sweet-bun-dough/
    I make the TZ starter in the thermomix, leaving it to cool down till 37C before dumping in all the other ingredients except for butter to knead on alternate speed for 4 min. After that I add in the butter to knead again for another 4 min. After the first rise in the TM bowl, remove to shape into rolls/ a whole loaf or my latest attempt, a pull apart cinnamon loaf which was a breeze since the dough was easy to work with after the first rise. Do try this cos this is less strenuous on the TM.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the recipe, i can't wait to try it. I was wondering if you tried the recipe from anon for comparison?

    ReplyDelete
  5. No Steph, I haven't. I'll have a go at some stage and report back.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I make roux in an 1100-watt microwave. Use a pyrex cup. 125-ml room temperature water, 25-gm flour. Mix well with whisk. Microwave 20-seconds. Stir, take temperature. Will be about 50-C. Microwave 10-seconds. Stir, take temperature. Will be about 55-C. Microwave 10 more seconds. Stir, take temperature. Will be about 60-C. Microwave a final 5-seconds. Stir and take temp. The roux is at about 65-C . This is enough roux for a 500-gm loaf of bread. Cool to below 55-C and add to bread maker.

    ReplyDelete