Hokkaido Milk Bread (Tangzhong Method)

It's my first time using Tangzhong method! And I love it. The texture of this Hokkaido Milk Loaf was, very soft and fluffy, and it remained so even on the 3rd day. Definitely a keeper!

Please note, this recipe is using breadmaker but don't worry I did it manually with my mixer. It took 30-35 minutes for me to knead the dough until it became smooth & elastic.

Ingredients for Tangzhong (sufficient to make 2 loaves)
50g bread flour (1/3 cup)
250ml water (1 cup)(Note: proportion of bread flour to water should always be 1 part bread flour to 5 parts water. However do not be confused with the volume/density of bread flour versus that of water, since 1 part bread flour is 1/3 cup whereas 5 parts water is 1 cup.)

Method
1. Mix water with bread flour and stir well until it is no longer lumpy. Cook over medium low heat in a non-stick pot, stirringly constantly with a wooden spoon/rubber spatula/egg whisk, to prevent burning and sticking to the pot.

2. The tangzhong (汤种) mixture is ready once it achieves the temp of 65 degrees celsius or once you notice that "lines" start to appear in the mixture every time you stir it. At this stage, the tangzhong should have the consistency and texture of glue.

3. Remove the pot from heat immediately and transfer the tangzhong into a clean bowl, and cover with clingwrap sticking onto the surface of the tangzhong  to prevent it from drying up. The "tangzhong" can be used as soon as it cools down to room temperature. You can keep it chilled in the fridge for 2-3 days but discard it as soon as the mixture starts to turn grey. 

Ingredients for 2 loaves (about 1080g in total)
540g bread flour
86g caster sugar
8g salt or 1.5 tsp (1 tsp is about 5.5g)
9g milk powder or 1 tbsp (1 tbsp is about 10g)
11g instant yeast or 3.75 tsp (1 tsp is about 3 g)
86g whisked egg or 1.5 egg (1 average egg is about 60g)
59g whipping cream
54g milk
184g tangzhong dough
49g unsalted butter, melted

Method :

1. First add all the wet ingredients except the butter (egg, whipping cream, milk, tangzhong) into the bread machine, followed by the dry ingredients (bread flour, sugar,  salt, milk powder, yeast) and select the "dough" mode. Do not add the melted butter yet. Only when all the ingredients come together to form a rough dough, then add the melted butter and knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.

2. Cover the dough with a greased clingwrap and place it in a warm enclosed space to let it undergo the 1st proofing, about 40 min.

3. Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface. Divide the dough into 2 if you are making 2 loaves. Punch down and deflate each dough and divide into 3 equal portions. Roll it round, cover with clingwrap and let it rest for 15 min at room temp. 

4. On a clean floured surface, roll out each portion of the dough with a rolling pin into an oval shape. Fold 1/3 from the left edge to the middle and another 1/3 from the right edge to the middle, and seal both edges in the middle. Turn it the other way round so that the sealed edges are facing down. Roll it flat so that it stretches to about 30cm in length.  Then flip it back again so that the sealed edges are facing upwards, and roll the dough into a cyclinder, like a swiss roll. Do it for all 3 portions, and place the pieces into a greased loaf tin, cover with greased clingwrap and let it proof in a warm enclosed space for the 2nd proofing,for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

5. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Brush the surface of the bread with egg wash and bake for30 to 35 min, or until it turns golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack for cooling.

source : Everybody Eats Well in Flanders