Tangzhong Wholemeal Milk Bread (Bread Machine)

I think I found it.

My dream was to be able to replicate a loaf of store bought bread with my bread maker. I'm not ashamed to say that we love our store bought bread. We love it so much that we can finish the whole loaf before the week ends. So I think it's cheaper to make our own bread instead of having to buy it. Besides, I see it as a personal accomplishment. :)

The problem is, everybody claims that their recipe is soft/moist/fluffy, but they still turned out a little dense. I think it's because the Westerner's preference in bread is different from us Asians? So I tweaked my search to "soft asian bread maker recipe" instead. The results were mainly Hokkaido Milk Bread and Tangzhong Bread. I didn't have any whipping/heavy cream on hand, so I did the Tangzhong method last night.

If you see my last blog on Tangzhong bread, it explains that a water roux with a 1 : 5 (bread flour : water) ratio is added to the ingredients, resulting in a soft, fully and moist bread.

I am SUPER happy with the bread. Very touched. Very 感动. Finally, a bread that is SOOO close to the ideal texture! It's soft, very fluffy and quite moist. It was an emotional morning. :') Thank you The Wonder Mummy! See how soft the bread is!



OK, before we go to the recipe, please TAKE NOTE!

• The original recipe select dark crust, but because every machine is different, mine ended up a little too dark. I will use medium or light crust next time. 
• Dough using the Tangzhong method is known to be wetter, so don't be worried if it looks very wet. As long as the dough is able to come together during the kneading process, it's ok. 
• Different brands of flour have different absorbency rate. Don't follow the recipe blindly. My dough was a little too wet and couldn't come together during kneading, so I sprinkled about 1 tablespoon of extra flour to the dough. Use your own judgement! 
• This is considered a small loaf for my SEVERIN bread maker so I have to adjust the settings to "small loaf". This affects the baking time.

Tangzhong paste (I super love that it makes exactly enough for a loaf of bread without any leftover!)

50 ml Water
10 gm Bread Flour

- Mix flour and water together and keep stirring over low heat with a whisk until mixture turns thick and swirl lines appear.
- Cover with a plastic/cling wrap. Make sure it is in contact with the tangzhong.
- Let the tangzhong cool down to room temperature before using.

Bread Dough Ingredients

210 gm bread flour
40 gm wholemeal flour
3 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Instant Yeast
1 Egg (lightly beaten)
100 ml Milk
20 gm Butter (softened)
1 batch of Tangzhong

1. Place the Tangzhong, milk, egg into the bread tin. 
2. Add in the flour, sugar, salt and butter. Lastly dig a shallow pit in the middle of the flour and add in the instant yeast. 
3. Select white loaf function, small Loaf, light crust. 
4. Press START.

Double Cheese Bread (Tangzhong method)

I've heard alot about the Tangzhong method but I've never had the chance to try it. Having 2 kids has been taking a toll on my baking time! Today I finally found the time and energy to try it out and I was not disappointed! The bread turned out just like they claim. Fluffy, chewy and yet still soft. The original dough recipe is from DessertzHouse. I just changed the filling.

HOW TO MAKE TANGZHONG
1 : 5 (bread flour : water)
example 100g flour : 500g water
- Mix flour and water together and keep stirring over low heat with a whisk until mixture turns thick and swirl lines appear.
- Let the tangzhong cool down to room temperature before using.

Double Cheese Bread
(makes 8 in a 8" pan)

240g bread flour
5g yeast
5g salt
20g sugar
1 egg
50g water
60g flour paste (tangzhong)
30g butter (softened)

1 egg yolk with a splash of milk for eggwash
Block cheddar cheese cut into small cubes for filling
Shredded cheddar for sprinkling ontop

1. Put all of the bread ingredients, except butter into a mixing bowl. 
2. Add butter after everything is nearly incorporated. 
3. Knead the dough until it becomes very elastic and smooth. I use the mixer. 
4. Grease a bowl with some oil, put the bread dough inside. Cover with some cling wrap and proof the dough until double in size. To check that the dough is ready or not, insert your floured finger into the middle of the bread dough, if the hole stays there then it is ready. 
5. Push the air out of the bread dough. Allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes. 
6. Cut the dough into 8 equal portions. 
7. Flatten each piece of dough, put a piece of cheese in the middle and close it up. Roll the dough into a ball and place into a greased 8" pan. 
8. Proof for the dough for the second time at a warm place until double in size. 
9. Brush dough with eggwash and sprinkle with cheese. 
10. Bake in a preheated oven at 170C for 15 minutes. Transfer onto a wire rack to let cool.

I am no expert in making bread. I learn as I go along. But here are some things I learned through experience so I'm sharing it with you here today.

The thing about bread is that there is no hard and fast rule. Instead of flour, try oiling your hands before handling the dough. It prevents sticking and keeps the bread nice and moist without the extra flour.

There is no exact timing for proofing. It depends on everything from the flour, the yeast to the weather and temperature of your kitchen. USE YOUR EYES to judge!

Overall I was quite pleased with the result of the bread. Best thing is that I have leftover tangzhong, so I can continue exploring this method tomorrow. Practice makes perfect!