Bread That's Still Fresh Tomorrow: Tangzhong Method

Ah, bread... such a simple, simple pleasure. In some parts of the world, access to bread is a human right, and I can see why!

However, sometimes homemade bread doesn't live up to expectations for a variety of reasons: it's dry, it's dense, it's doughy, or sometimes it simply doesn't last for more than a day before going stale. That's not a problem if you have lots of people in your house to eat the bread, but if not even the biggest bread lover couldn't (or if they could, shouldn't) eat an entire loaf of bread in one day. 

So, I took to the internet to do some research on how to keep my bread fresher for longer and lasts for three days without having to become bird food. And it's all to do with the relationship between the flour and the water.

Now, for some science

In the breadmaking world, people talk about dough hydration percentage. Sounds fancy, but all that really means is if you have a bread dough that has 1000 grammes of flour, and 500 grammes of water, that dough has a 50% hydration, because there is half as much water as flour. The higher the percentage of hydration, the chewier and sturdier the texture of the dough after baking, and the fresher it stays for longer. The lower the percentage, the quicker it goes stale. 

Doughs that have a higher hydration percentage need flour with more gluten, so an 80% hydration dough would need strong bread flour that has a high percentage of protein on the label, more than 11%. Lower hydration dough, however, can be made using regular plain or all purpose flour which makes them much more accessible for beginners or occasional bakers who might only have plain flour at home.

Regular beginner's bread doughs often have roughly 60-65% hydration, or a pound of flour (455 grammes) to about half a pint of water or milk (285 millilitres). That's how my Mum taught me, and it's easy to handle. Often very experienced or artisan breadmakers can use bread doughs that have up to 80% hydration, like sourdough, which has great keeping qualities and a delicious chewy texture. However, this kind of dough needs particular handling techniques that take a long time to master that would absolutely frustrate and discourage a beginner. I've tried, and failed, and cried over way too many wasted loaves of bread.

Is there a compromise?

To have a dough with a nice high percentage hydration but can be easily handled, you need to trap some of the water. Introducing a method that's very popular in East Asian countries: the tangzhong.

This method takes a small amount of the flour used in your recipe to make a paste with some of the water. This paste traps the water in the starch of the flour, which has two advantages: the water isn't all in your dough, making it hard to handle; and the water is trapped which makes it harder to escape, keeping the bread moister for longer!

Now, that's some massive oversimplification: the real technical reason has way more longer words in it like gelatinisation and other words I couldn't spell out loud from memory. But all you need to know is that it works very well.

So, the takeaway is

Higher Hydration: 65%<

Needs strong (bread) flour with more protein

Makes bread that has a chewy texture

Can have big air pockets, depending on how it's proofed

Sticky dough which needs specific handling techniques

Almost has a life of its own

Makes bread that keeps longer

Lower Hydration: >65%

Can be made using plain (all-purpose) flour

Make tender, soft bread

Has a more cake-like texture

Easy to handle dough that's good for beginners

Quite a forgiving dough that doesn't need special treatment

Can stale quickly if not eaten or frozen immediately

Tangzhong Method

Traps some of the water in a cooked flour-water paste

Results in a dough which is a happy middle ground between low and high hydration properties

So, for my delicious loaf of white bread that's in the pictures, I used 1 pound (455 grammes) of strong bread flour, 12 fluid ounces (340 millilitres), one quarter-ounce (7 gramme) sachet of dried yeast, 1 ounce (30 grammes) butter or oil, 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) salt, and two teaspoons (10 millilitres) sugar.

One pound is 16 ounces, which means 12 fluid ounces of water is 75% of the flour measurement. If you use more or less flour, the water must be scaled to always be 75% of the flour.

Take 1 ounce (30 grammes) of the pre-measured flour and cook it with 6 fluid ounces (180 millilitres) of the pre-measured water and cook it into a paste in a saucepan over medium-low heat and allow to cool with cling film directly touching the surface to prevent a skin. The paste should be thick and translucent. Notice that the ratio of flour to water is 1:6, and also that half of the overall water is being trapped in the paste. 

Make the bread as usual, adding in the paste and the remaining ingredients. It will take longer to knead and sometimes get a little sticky, but don't be tempted to add a load more flour to knead it easier. You can use plain flour for dusting.

Bake as normal and cool as normal and you'll be presented with some of the most deliciously impossibly soft and fluffy bread you've ever eaten. Just like from the Chinese bakery!

This method can be used to make cinnamon rolls and other kinds of bread treats like dinner rolls, hot dog buns, or hamburger buns. You can use milk in the dough, but always make sure you make the flour paste with water; it just works better that way.

For more information on tangzhong method dough, please read through my sources and explore what the world wide web has to offer on the subject!

SOURCES

https://pastrychefonline.com/tangzhong-bread/

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2018/07/23/how-to-convert-a-bread-recipe-to-tangzhong

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2018/03/26/introduction-to-tangzhong

メリークリスマス! Japanese Christmas Strawberry Shortcake

So, on my Facebook page, I recently announced that this December would be one without traditional dried fruit recipes: no mince pies, no fruit cake, no pudding, et cetera! This led me to do an awful lot of research into the Christmas food traditions of various nations from all over Eurasia, particularly Central Europe, and I was considerably educated!

However, before we delve into the Christmas traditional vitals of the central Europeans, here is an offering from the far East: Japanese Strawberry Shortcake!

From my superficial research, I was surprised to discover that mainstream Christmas celebrations weren't common in Japan until the American occupation after World War II, as such Japan doesn't have much of a Christmas food culture. Christmas is a primarily commercial affair to the mostly-Buddhist Japanese, and there aren't many particular foods that are associated with the event.

In all of my Pinterest surfing and Google searching had one cake in common, however: strawberry shortcake, called いちごのショートケーキ (ichigo no shōtokēki). This confection comprises of two light fluffy sponges (sometimes tinted pink) brushed with liqueur-scented syrup, sandwiching a sweetened whipped cream and fresh strawberry filling, iced with more cream and fresh strawberries.


While soaking cake in alcohol is very much a Christmas thing, the rest of it is something I'd associate more with a summer time dessert. And even the name is not fully correct, as the word "shortcake" refers to a cake which has a high butter or fat content, which this cake certainly does not as a (mostly) fatless sponge. Most articles say that this cake is a common generic celebration cake in Japan, and as such is eaten at Christmas as a celebratory food. I suppose this is a case of East is East, West is West, and ne'er the twain shall meet.

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DIFFICULTY

Each step is simple, but there are a lot of steps

TIME

About 2 or 3 hours

RECIPE RATING

Intermediate

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INGREDIMENTS

For one 7x11 inch (18x28 centimetre) rectangular cake

3 medium (US large) eggs

3 ounces (85 grammes) caster sugar

3 tablespoons (45 millilitres) sunflower oil

3 tablespoons (45 millilitres) milk, cream, or Baileys Irish Cream, or milk alternative

3 ounces (85 grammes) plain spelt flour

1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) vanilla essence

A few drops almond essence

Pink or red food colouring

Simple syrup

2 tablespoons (30 grammes) caster sugar

2 tablespoons (30 millilitres) water

Optional: 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) liqueur of choice: Kirsch, rum, brandy, amaretto, Baileys Irish Cream

The liqueur can be replaced with a few drops of almond essence

Whipped cream and strawberry filling

3 ounces (85 grammes) strawberries, stems removed and cut into quarters

1 teaspoon (5 grammes) caster sugar

9 fluid ounces (250 millilitres) whipping cream

2 tablespoons (15 grammes) icing sugar

2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) vanilla essence

A few drops of almond essence

6 whole strawberries, stems removed and cut in half

Optional: 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) Baileys Irish Cream

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FREE FROM

Wheat, yeast, nuts

CONTAINS

Eggs, spelt, dairy (dairy free option in italics), refined sugar

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METHOD

First, make the cake

• Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4). Lightly grease a 7x11 inch (18x28 centimetre) rectangular tin, and line with non-stick baking paper.
• Prepare the cake according to this recipe, adding the essences and enough food colouring to make a delicately pink mixture. Once baked, remove the paper and allow to cool completely.

Prepare the syrup

• Mix the sugar and water together in a jug or mug, and heat in the microwave for 1 minute on high, until the sugar has dissolved completely in the water.
• Mix in the liqueur, and allow to cool slightly until just warm. If you don't want to use alcohol, add in a few drops of vanilla and almond essences.

Prepare the strawberries and cream

• In a bowl, toss the quartered strawberries with the caster sugar and allow to sit for 10 minutes. The sugar will transform into a delicious syrup and the strawberries will become juicy.
• Whip the cream with the icing sugar, vanilla, and almond essences to soft peaks in a cold mixing bowl. Take about 3 ounces (85 grammes) of the cream and fold into the juicy strawberries.
• Keep the remaining cream and the strawberry cream in the fridge while you prepare the cake for assembly.

Now, assemble the masterpiece!

• Cut the cake in half to make two 7x5½ inch (18x14 centimetre) cakes. Brush liberally with the simple syrup to soak the surface. 
• On a serving plate, sandwich the two cakes together with the strawberry cream, spreading the filling to the edges. Press together gently, and chill for an hour.
• Take out of the fridge and trim the crusts; your cake will be reduced in size to roughly 6x5 inches (15x13 centimetre). Enjoy the cut offs!
• Ice with the remaining cream, smoothing to your liking, and then decorate with the halved strawberries.
• Chill for about 2 hours before serving. This cake can be cut into 12 little squares, or 6 fingers.

STORAGE

This cake will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 days.

Something Savoury: Japanese Style Curry with "Breaded" Chicken (カツカレー) (Gluten and Dairy Free with No Added Sugar)

Happy Valentine's Day! As you can probably tell, I've been on a meals buzz recently. Today, my offering is Japanese style curry, with breaded chicken!

Seeing as my birthday and Valentine's Day are quite close together on the calendar, my companion and I went to a Japanese restaurant around my birthday to combine the two events into one celebration. We both ordered something with curry: I got a curry chicken katsudon, and he got curry ramen. Japanese curry is essentially like what I'd call a chip shop curry, but much spicier and darker.

I decided I would try and make it at home, but with all natural ingredients, or at least as many as possible. I didn't want to use any refined sugar or processed stock cubes, to make it as clean eating as I could. In the same way I did for my tomato soup recipe, I use an apple in this for natural sweetness.

However, because it kinda involves making a stock from scratch, it's a little time consuming. I'd say the whole curry takes about 90 minutes to two hours to prepare from start to finish, including chopping. But, it's very flavourful, and you get to revel in the satisfaction of making a takeaway meal in a mostly healthy way. Don't be overwhelmed by the long list of ingredients: you probably already have most of them.

For a Valentine's day twist, I cut some of the pieces of carrot into heart shapes using a little fondant cutter. You could cut the vegetables into any shape.

And as for the "breaded" chicken, it's actually not bread at all: it's crusted used flaked almonds, which means it's completely gluten free! The almonds are naturally dry and crunchy, so when used as a coating they stay super crusty and crispy, and crunch like glass when you eat them. They don't go soggy after five minutes of frying. So satisfying. So dangerously addictive. I think I may make more recipes using the almond breaded chicken.... (whenever making gluten free food, always check ingredient labels for allergens).

INGREDIMENTS
Serves four people

For the base gravy,

• 1 medium sized sweet green apple, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, white or red, diced
• 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into small dice
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 2 inch (5 centimetre) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) tomato purée
• 1 pint (2½ cups, 570 millilitres) water
• 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) cooking oil
• ¼ teaspoon (1 millilitre) fine salt

For the curry,

• Up to 4 teaspoons (20 millilitres) curry powder, spiciness of your choice
• 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) soy sauce, or tamari for gluten free option
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) white vinegar, or lemon juice
• 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into thin coins
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into one inch (2½ centimetres) chunks
• Optional: Half a small onion, cut into slices
• Optional: 1 or 2 teaspoons (5 or 10 millilitres) cornflour, depending on desired thickness

For the chicken schnitzel,

• 4 chicken breasts, roughly 5 or 6 ounces (140 or 170 grammes) each
• Cornflour, for dusting
• 2 medium eggs
• Roughly 5 ounces (140 grammes) flaked almonds, or crushed cornflakes if you cannot eat nuts
• Salt and pepper

For serving

• 4 servings of steamed white rice, long grain or Jasmine
• Optional: Sesame seeds, for garnish
• Optional: Thinly sliced spring onion, for garnish

HOW-TO

First, make the base gravy,

• In a medium sized saucepan, heat the cooking oil over medium heat. Stir fry the ginger and garlic for about a minute or so until fragrant.
• Add the onion, carrot, apple, and the salt, and continue to cook until softened. Add the tomato purée, and cook until caramelised and the bottom of the pan is slightly brown. Get a good brown layer—called a fonde—going on the bottom of the pan: this will add more flavour to the finished curry.
• Pour the water over the top, stir briefly, and reduce the heat to low. Cover then simmer until all the vegetables and apple are tender, about 30 minutes.
• Once cooked, allow to cool slightly and then blend in a blender or food processor until completely smooth. (What if I don't have a blender? Cook for a full hour until completely broken down, then push a little at a time through a sieve into a large bowl).

Then, complete the curry,

• Return the gravy to the saucepan, and add the soy sauce and vinegar, or lemon juice. Mix the curry powder with a little water in a cup, a teaspoon at a time, then stir into the curry. Add as much curry powder as you like.
• Add the carrots, then cover and simmer the sauce over low heat for about 10 minutes. Add the potato, and onions if using, cover and simmer again for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potato is tender but still maintaining its shape, and the carrot is tender.
• The naturally occurring starch in the potato will thicken the curry a little bit, but if you want to adjust the thickness you can add cornflour. Start with mixing one teaspoon in a cup with a tablespoon of water, and adding to the curry. If you want it thicker, add another teaspoon mixed with water, and so on.
• Keep covered until while you prepare the chicken, and it will keep its head very well.

To make the chicken schnitzel,

• Place the almonds in a sandwich bag, and crush them gently with a rolling pin. Get a good range of texture, from fine crumbs to bigger flatkes: this will make it more crispy.
• Put one chicken breast at a time into a sandwich bag, lie flat on the work surface, then bash with a rolling pin until it is roughly half an inch (1 centimetre) in thickness. Repeat with the other fillets. Place all the pieces onto a large plate or tray. You can use the same bag for all of them, unless is splits.
• Set up two wide shallow bowls: place the almond crumbs in one, and beat the eggs with a tablespoon of water.
• Sprinkle the fillets with cornflour on their tray and completely coat on both sides (a pastry brush is helpful here). Take one fillet at a time, dip both sides in the beaten egg, then cover both sides with the almond crumbs. After crusting, season on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat a frying pan and add enough cooking oil to coat the bottom of the pan in a good layer. Test the heat with a spare almond flake: if it bubbles immediately, it's hot enough.
• Fry one chicken fillet at a time—or two, if you have a large enough pan—for about three minutes on each side, or until golden brown on both sides.
• As you fry the fillets, keep the cooked ones on a tray in the oven on the lowest temperature setting, to keep them warm.

To serve,

• Divide the rice between four wide bowls and keep to one side. 
• Cut each chicken fillet into strips and lie on top of the rice, then pour the curry onto the empty side of the bowl.
• Sprinkle with a garnish of sesame seeds or spring onion, if you like.

I think I may do a few more recipes using the "almonded" chicken approach, because it was seriously tasty. Maybe a nice chicken burger? Or American style tenders? We'll see...

UPDATE 18/04/17: Instead of flaked almonds, you can use crushed cornflakes.

THIS TIME IN 2016: No recipe

THIS TIME IN 2015: February Afternoon Tea Party: 3 Recipes!

THIS TIME IN 2014: No recipe