Yes, it is all about bread baking lately. And yes, I am tired of baking with the conventional method, straight dough namely. For some reason, the bread never stays moist and fluffy after the first day. Now, if you have a family large enough who can eat all the bread at once, I will say, straight dough is a simple enough method to use.
My family, just like any other families, with a combination of picky eaters and et all, I need any bread I bake stays fresh for at least 3 or more days. And yes, I love to show off my baking goods to family and friends who come visit. After countless days of surfing the web............I found the solution. The Water Roux Method.
Apparently, baking using the water roux method was developed in Asia. I can't say I know the origin of the method for sure but based on the number of food blogs I have discovered which incorporated the water roux method for baking, almost all of them cited the Chinese baking book 65C Water Roux Bread by Yvonne Chen as their go to encyclopedia for this method of baking.
Now, I know it sounds outrageous to those of you who have yet to try this method of baking but believe me, it is absolutely critical that you give this bread baking method a try. It makes all the differences of regular home made bread and award worthy home made bread.
Recipe for the Water Roux (TangZhong)
50g bread flour
250ml water
Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in a sauce pan. Stir with a whisk till there is no lump.
2. Turn heat onto medium high. Continue stirring till mixture thickens or reaches 65C or about 150F if using a thermometer.
3. Place mixture into a container and cover with cling wrap.
4. Be sure to cool water roux completely before using.
5. Can be stored up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Note: Discard once water roux turns greyish as fermentation does not improve its flavor unlike sourdough.
Welcome to the secret of Tang Zhong. My breads made in this way remains moist and fresh longer than those made by the straight dough method.
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