Finally tried the tangzhong method for soft bread and I was dead wrong about it being a hassle

I always thought the tangzhong thing was just extra work for no real gain, you know? But last week I made a batch of milk bread with it and another without using the same recipe. The tangzhong loaf was noticeably softer even after day three sitting on my counter (it sat for 4 days total before we finished it). The non-tangzhong one got dry and crumbly by morning two. It only adds like 5 minutes to prep time too since you just cook flour and water into a paste. Anyone else have a technique they ignored for years that turned out to be legit?

2 comments

2 Comments

terryb112d ago

The 5% tangzhong ratio is what finally got me on board. I used to skip it because I thought the paste was a pain to whisk out, but now I just microwave it in a bowl for 30 seconds, stir, and it smooths out perfectly. My cinnamon raisin bread stays soft for almost a week now where before it was stale by day three. I was totally wrong about it being a waste of effort because the difference in texture is huge.

wyattc762d ago

That microwave tip for tangzhong is genius. I was whisking it on the stove and it always clumped up on me until I started doing it that way too. The paste is way easier to deal with when you microwave it in 15 second bursts and stir between them. I actually started mixing my tangzhong cold into the milk and eggs before adding the flour, makes it blend right in without any hot spots or lumps.