YangYang Cooking: Water Roux Bread (TangZhong, 汤种面包)

Water Roux (TangZhong, 汤种) is a method used in bread making to make bread/buns springy. This roux, along with usually, eggs and milk, makes a uniquely soft textured bread. I first learned this from Ivy. It seems to be an very old method that is originated in Asia for a softer and fluffy bread. The most amazing part is, the bread made with this method stays soft and fluffy even after a few days. Simply reheat the slice in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds, you’ll have a warm, soft and fluffy bun on hand, just like it’s fresh out of the oven. The method is to mix 1 part of bread flour with 5 parts of water (by weight) at 65°C (149 °F) to form a paste. At 65°C, the gluten in the bread flour and water mixture would absorb the moisture and become leavened. Thus, when the starter is added into other ingredients of a bread dough, it will be heightened and produce fluffier bread.

Part A: Prepare Water Roux Starter

Ingredients:

Bread Flour - 1/3 cup
Water - 1 cup
To convert normal recipe to water roux method:
Usually take out about 11-12 percent from the original recipe bread flour recipe to make starter and add water ratio of 1:5

Steps

1. In a sauce pan, whisk together the water and the flour until the mixture is well blended and lump free. Put sauce pan on stove with medium heat (to reach 65°C/150°F). Continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken up and remove immediately from the heat.

3. Transfer to a bowl and keep covered in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Store the remaining starter in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.Before use the starter, let it warm to room temperature.

Part B: Make Bread

I am using Hamilton Beach 2-lb Bread Machine. If you are using a stand mixer or by hand, just make sure you dough passes the window pane test. This quantity here is the maximum my bread machine can make, you can cut the ingredients by half if you just want to try it.

Ingredients:

Bread flour - 750 g
Gluten flour - 100 g (Substitute with bread flour if you do not have it)

Egg - 2 (Substitute with 1/2 cup yogurt for egg-less)

Milk - 3/4 cup

Active dry yeast - 4 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Sugar - 1/3 cup

Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup ( 1 stick)

Optional : Coconut powder - 3 TBSP

Optional: Egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 1 TBSP water
Variation
a. Mix in raisin, dried cranberry, or other dried fruits and nuts.
b. Wrap in red bean paste in dough after fermentation.
c. If you want to make coconut bread, you can prepare the coconut filling by mixing 1 pack fine shredded dry coconut (4oz), 1 egg, 2 TBSP butter. The wrap the filling in dough after fermentation.

Steps:

1. Warm up milk in microwave for about 40 seconds, and pour in bread machine. Add yeast, salt, sugar to bread machine. Stir to make sure yeast is resolved in milk.

2. Add egg (or yogurt) to bread machine.

3. Add bread flour, gluten flour to bread machine. Optionally, add coconut powder.

4. Add water roux starter to bread machine.

5. Start the bread machine with "Dough" program. Observe the dough and if it is too dry, you may want to add more milk/water. Stop the cycle when the kneading section is finished (machine goes quite). The dough should be a little bit sticky.

6. Melt the butter with microwave and let it cool for a couple of minutes, then add it to bread machine.It is also time to pour in dried fruits and nuts if you choose to. Start bread machine with "dough" cycle again, and this time let it finish fermentation in the machine. The dough should rise over the container.

7. Take dough out of bread machine, and put it into the shape your like.

8. Preheat oven to 170°F, and put a tray of hot water on the bottom shelf. Turn off oven, and put in the tray of bread dough for about 30-40 minutes, or when the dough rise about 1.5-2 times.