Odd recipe for Tangzhong Sandwich Bread

[JustJoel]

This recipe looked good, and I didn’t have to do any math; the Tangzhong is already in the recipe, so no calcs!

SANDWICH BREAD WITH TANGZHONG

Ingredients
For the Tangzhong:
• 175 grams (2/3 cup+1 tablespoon) water
• 35 grams (1/4 cup+1/2 tablespoon) all-purpose flour:
• For the Dough:
• 450 grams (3 3/4 cups) all purpose-flour
• 180 grams (3/4 cup) milk I used skimmed milk
• 3 grams (1 teaspoon) dry yeast
• 135 grams (4.7 ounces) Tangzhong
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 8 grams (1 teaspoon) salt

Steps
1. Make the water roux. Whisk together the flour and water until there are no lumps.
2. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened and has the consistency of a thick paste. If you have a thermometer check the temperature, it should be 65 degrees C (150 degrees F).
3. Remove from heat, place the mixture into a small bowl and cover with cling film (make sure that the surface is touched with the cling film to prevent a skin from forming).
4. When the water roux is cool, make the dough.
5. Dissolve the yeast in half of the milk.
6. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the tangzhong and all the other ingredients except for the extra virgin olive oil and salt.
7. Start mixing and, when all the ingredients come together, add the oil and salt .
8. Continue to mix until the dough becomes soft and smooth. This will take about 10/15 minutes.
9. Make a ball,:
10. put it in a bowl covered with cling film and let it proof until it’s double in size, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
11. After the dough has doubled in volume, oil a 22x12 cm (9"x5") loaf pan.
12. Turn the dough onto a floured surface .
13. Using a rolling pin, roll it into a rectangle. The long side should be slightly longer than the loaf pan.
14.
15. Gently roll the dough into a log
16. and transfer the log into the loaf pan (seam side down) tucking the ends underneath the log.
17. Cover with cling film and place in a warm place to allow to rise until doubled ( about 1 hour).
18. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C (425 degrees F).
19. Bake for about 25 minutes. If the top of your bread is browning too fast, cover it with aluminum foil.
20. Let the sandwich bread cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
21. Enjoy!

Here’s the thing: the recipe instructs you to make 211g of the Tangzhong, but then the actual recipe only calls for 135g of the Tangzhong. What happened to the extra 76g of Tangzhong? Did I miss something? Can I use the whole amount?

 

[taxlady]

The ingredients for the tangzhong total 210 grams. How much does it weigh once it has been cooked? Does enough water evaporate that the result is the 135 grams you are supposed to use?

 

[pepperhead212]

I have never used this method before, but years ago I used a related method for oriental dough - adding boiling water to some of the flour, cooling, then continuing the recipe. I'll be waiting to hear about the results of your recipe. The advantages listed sound like the ones listed in that using the boiling water.

 

[JustJoel]

I have never used this method before, but years ago I used a related method for oriental dough - adding boiling water to some of the flour, cooling, then continuing the recipe. I'll be waiting to hear about the results of your recipe. The advantages listed sound like the ones listed in that using the boiling water.

I’ve made tangzhong bread several times. It’s delicious, and it’s shelf life is a bit longer.

I’m just curious about the deiscrepancy with the amount of tangzhong in the ingredient list vs the amount in the “steps.”

 

[JustJoel]

The ingredients for the tangzhong total 210 grams. How much does it weigh once it has been cooked? Does enough water evaporate that the result is the 135 grams you are supposed to use?

That’s possible, I guess, although I don’t think the tangzhong cooks long enough or hot enough to experience much evaporation. I’ll weigh it out, though, if only to test your theory!

 

[pepperhead212]

I thought of this thread when I saw a recipe for Challah in the May/June Cook's Illustrated. It uses the same method, of making a cooked flour paste - 1/2 c water to 3 tb bread flour, plus 2 3/4c bread flour, so the proportions were about the same. In this one, the roux, or "gel", as they called it, was cooked in the MW, 40-80 sec, whisking every 20 sec. They said that cooking some of the flour made the dough less sticky, with the same hydration, and easier to handle to do the traditional braiding.