Friday, May 8, 2015

How to Make Sandwich Bread (TangZhong Method)--白方包 (湯種法) with Video Tutorial


Check out my step-by-step video tutial on How to Make Sandwich Bread (TangZhong Method)--白方包 (湯種法)    http://uTry.it

The very first time that I shared my Sandwich Bread using the TangZhong Method (白方包湯種法) was when I first started blogging, you can see the post here.  Many years have gone by and there are also a few changes that I’ve made toward making this bread (wow, can’t believe I’ve been blogging and sharing my recipes for almost 5 years!)  The biggest change from the previous recipe is that the loaf pan size was too small for my family these days, as their consumption of sandwich bread grows.  

Check out my step-by-step video tutial on How to Make Sandwich Bread (TangZhong Method)--白方包 (湯種法)    http://uTry.it

I know many of you have tried the previous recipe and loved this bread.  I can’t praise TangZhong Method (湯種法) enough as it yields the softest bread that you’ll ever feel.  Best of all, the softness lasts for a few days.  Yet, it’s all natural without using any weird ingredient that you cannot pronounce.  The secret is all in the method of how to make it.  I've shared a few videos in the past on how to shape different buns (see links at the bottom of this post) with fillings inside, using this basic bread dough.  Yet, I have not shared the process of making the dough.  Many of you emailed and messaged me to request a video tutorial with the step-by-steps on how to make this bread from start to finish.   So here we go....your wish is granted!

Check out my step-by-step video tutial on How to Make Sandwich Bread (TangZhong Method)--白方包 (湯種法)    http://uTry.it

Ready to learn how to make this amazing sandwich bread?  Watch the video tutorial below.






I hope you enjoyed watching my video tutorial.  If you haven’t done so, please subscribe to my Youtube channel here.  You’ll be the first to know when I have new video tutorials published.

One thing I want to emphasize is that bread making is quite time consuming.  You have to set aside at least 3 1/2 hours from start to end.  However, all of the steps are easy to follow and there are many idling time.  You can work on other things while you wait, such as surfing the web, watching your favorite TV show, or answering emails, etc.  There’s just no short cut when it comes to bread making.  But, I can guaranteed that you and your family will fall in love with this bread once you’ve tried it.  You can definitely taste the love in this bread.  It's so soft and pillow-y that you want to snuggle it and take a nap!


Check out my step-by-step video tutial on How to Make Sandwich Bread (TangZhong Method)--白方包 (湯種法)    http://uTry.it



If you have a recipe or certain dish that you would love to learn how to make, feel free to leave a message below to let me know.  I will try my best to make more wishes come true!


Tools used in this post:

1 1/2 Pound Pullman Sandwich Loaf Pan
(Click here for more information)
Calphalon Baking Sheet Pans (Click here for more information)
Wood Print Photography Backdrop (Click here to see similar product)
KitchenAid Stand Mixer (Click here for more information)
Organic All-Purpose Flour (Click here for more information)
Active Dry Yeast (Click here for more information)

Click here for the Orange Marmalade Recipe
Click here for the Meyer Lemon Curd Recipe
Clicke here for Prosciutto di Parma with Smoke Gouda Crescent video
Click here for Hong Kong Bakery-Style Sausage Bun (腸仔包)
Click here for Pastrami and Muenster Cheese Blossom Buns





Sandwich Bread (TangZhong Method)--方包 (湯種法):
Makes: 1 (1 ½ pound) loaf; Pan size: 13”x4”x4”


TangZhong 湯種 Ingredients:
1 cup (236 ml) water
6 tablespoons (47 grams) bread flour

Bread Dough Ingredients:
1/2 cup (118 ml) lukewarm whole milk** (you can also use evaporated milk)
3/4 teaspoon (4.5 grams) kosher salt
4 1/2 tablespoons (56 grams) sugar, divided
4 1/2 tablespoons (64 grams) butter, softened at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose (375 grams) flour*, divided (or you can use bread flour)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast

Egg Wash Ingredients:
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk

To Make The TangZhong 湯種:
In a small saucepan, whisk water and flour until no big lumps. Heat mixture over medium heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon. When mixture turns into a soft/wet dough consistency and translucent, and reached 65°C (149 °F), remove from heat and let cool completely.

To Make the Bread:
Add the yeast into the warm milk along with ½ tablespoon of sugar, stir well and set aside for 5 minutes to let it proof. The mixture should be bubbly and smells yeasty. If not, your yeast might not be alive and you need fresh ones.

In the stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the cooled TangZhong, remaining 4 tablespoons sugar, kosher salt, the yeast mixture and 2 ½ cups of bread flour; knead for 5 minutes. (Please read manufacturer’s instruction for dough hook. My machine knead at speed number 2.)
The dough should pull off the sides of the bowl, if it’s too sticky, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time. Next, add the softened butter, a tablespoon at a time.

I usually alternate by adding a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of the remaining flour. Until the dough is shiny and pulls off the sides of the bowl. You might not need the whole 3 cups of flour, depending on the humidity and moisture in your ingredients. I usually use between 2 3/4 to 3 cups.*
Let the stand mixer knead the dough for 15 minutes. When 15 minutes is up, turn off mixer and take a small piece of dough and test the elasticity. When pull the dough between fingers, it should be soft, yet strong, elastic, and translucent.

When dough is ready, knead it a few times to form a ball. Take the dough out from the mixing bowl. Grease the bowl with a little non-stick spray, place the dough ball back into the bowl, seam side down, and grease the top of the dough as well. Cover the mixing bowl with a plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.

When the dough doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap and gently knead the dough a few times to release the gas. Place a piece of plastic wrap on a kitchen digital scale and weight the dough. Do a little math and divide the total weight by 5.

With a pastry cutter, roughly divide the dough in 5 equal parts. Weigh each one to make sure they are divided evenly. Then, fold the edges of each portioned dough downwards to form a tight ball. Place them seam sides down back into the mixing bowl. Cover with the plastic wrap and let them rest for 15 minutes.

When time is almost up, grease a bread loaf pan (I used a 13” by 4” by 4”), place on a baking sheet and set aside. Slight flour a rolling pin and a non-stick mat with flour. Work on 1 piece of portioned dough at a time. Roll each of them into a 10” by 10” square. Flip the dough upside down and fold 1/3 from the top and 1/3 from the bottom toward the center. Similar to folding a letter.

Then, roll the dough tightly from one side all the way to the other end to form a log. Place the log into the prepared loaf pan. Repeat with the rest of the portioned dough.

Cover the loaf pan loosely with a clean kitchen towel. Place in a warm place and let it proof for a 2nd time for about 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

When time is almost up, preheat oven to 345 degree F. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the egg wash.

With a pastry brush, gently brush egg wash on top. Wait for 2 minutes and brush a 2nd layer of egg wash. This will ensure a golden brown top for your loaf.

Bake the loaf for 22 minutes, rotating the baking sheet by 180 degree half way through baking for even heat distribution.

When baking time is up, remove from oven and cool on a wiring rack for at least 30 minutes before un-molding.

When bread is cool enough to handle, loosen the edges of the bread with a butter knife. Remove the loaf from the pan, slice with a serrated knife and enjoy!


 
 **Amy's note:  I've came across a few feedback from my readers who tried this recipe and lived in countries that are very humid.  Many said the dough is very sticky after mixing.  As you can see from my video, I didn't have that issue.  That's because where I live is very dry.  And sometimes different flour/ingredients might absorb liquid differently.  If where you live had humid weather, try to reduce the warm milk in the bread dough to 6 tablespoon instead of using the whole 1/2 cup.  That should help with the consistency of the dough. After kneading, it should be shiny, pull away from the mixing bowl, and very elastic.  You can also add up to 1/4 cup flour if needed.  Hope that helps!  Thank you everyone for trying the recipe and your valuable feedback!  Truly appreciate it.


 
Check out my step-by-step video tutial on How to Make Sandwich Bread (TangZhong Method)--白方包 (湯種法)    http://uTry.it




31 comments:

  1. Looks fantastic. I'm certain I would not be able to resist this as soon as it came out of the oven!

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    1. Thank you, Chris. Yes, they are awesome while still warm from the oven.

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  2. This looks so golden and glorious! I can see why you'd need a big loaf of this!

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    1. Thank you, Monica. Glad you like this. Yes, I bake this at least 2 to 3 times a week! That's how fast they're consumed in my house. :P

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  3. Amy, what a stunning loaf! Nothing better than homemade bread!

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    1. Thank you, Liz. I agree. I stopped buying bread ever since I baked my own loaf. :) They are so much better homemade.

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  4. Your bread is so, so soft! Must be very tasty!

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    1. Thank you, Mun. Yes, it's very tasty, in deed. Wish I can share some with you.

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  5. Your recipes are always interesting and delicious. Thanks for sharing.

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  6. I love baking bread...and yours look awesome Amy.
    Have a great week :)

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    1. Thank you, Juliana. :) Wish you a wonderful weekend.

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  7. Simply damn delicious!!!
    it'd been agest since my last water rous bread, my me wanna make some....
    Dedy@Dentist Chef

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    1. Thank you, Dedy. Oh...then you know how good the water rous bread is! I make these loves at least 2 to 3 times a week. :) My kids love them.

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  8. Whoa... Beautiful bread! Once you know how to make such delicious bread, it's hard to buy from stores. Especially when it's this good!! I'd be in bread heaven!

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    1. Thank you, Nami. I agree, haven't buy any bread from the store for many years now. :) I love the aroma in the house when the bread is baking.

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  9. Can I add puree such as pumpkin or avocado to this recipe? Do I need to make changes to the recipe? TQ!

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    1. Yes, You can add pumpkin puree or avocado. However, since both have different water content in them, it will change the taste and texture of the bread and you definitely need to adjust the amount of liquid used in the recipe in order for it to work. Hope that helps.

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  10. Fabulous recipe and just what I wanted -- to find a recipe for my 13x4x4 Pullman pan. I'm going to make it as written and later experiment with adding 1/2 cup quantities of wholewheat Graham flour and wholewheat Spelt flour. Naturally I'll have to adjust the hydration level experimentally. Thanks again.

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    1. Thank you for checking out the recipe. Yes, you might need to experiment a little if you add different types of flours with this recipe. I used to make this a wholewheat one, using 50% of bread flour and 50% of whole wheat (as I know whole wheat flours has more fiber and more healthy). But the texture is not as smooth compared to this one with wholewheat, of course. :)

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  11. Hihi it's great that it can last being soft for a few days! Mine can't.. will definitely try ur recipe! But can I use instant yeast ? I'd it the same measurement?

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    1. Oh, yes. It's wonderful that the bread can stay soft for a few days. You'll definitely love this one. After using the TangZhong method, I don't go back to other ways of making bread. You can definitely use instant yeast as well. And the measurement will be the same! Happy baking and can't wait to see how your bread turns out. :)

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  12. Hi Amy I tried making it for the first time 2 days back. The dough was really sticky. But lucky it came out nice n soft.. I tried making it today again and doubled the quantity... the dough was really really super sticky and no matter how much flour I used to knead it was still really sticky..! So difficult to work with.. anyhow it's in for the 2nd proofing..is it suppose to be like that Sticky? not sure what went wrong... hope it turns out okay ��

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    1. Thanks for trying the recipe. The dough is not supposed to be too sticky. But I do notice different brand of flour absorb liquid differently. And I live in a super dry location. So, if where you live is humid, you might need to use a bit more flour. The dough us suppose to be tacky, but not sticky. It should be shiny on the outside and not stick to the bowl of the stand mixer. Are you mixing the dough by hand or in the mixer? Just curious.

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    2. Yup I'm staying in a humid country..
      I'm using a stand mixer. I tried adding more flour during the knead..but still it turned out really sticky..

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    3. I see. Thanks for replying. Try using 3 1/4 cups of flour when you knead the dough in the mixer. Also, when you cook the Tang Zhong, be sure it comes to the temperature and not under-cook so the water gets cook out properly. Hope that helps.

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  13. Thank you for such detailed recipe.I also glad there is cup measurent, as I don't have a weighing scale. And I'm always confuse with the conversion at google search. Some is Australian measurement, some is UK measurement. So I don't know which to follow..hahaha..
    By the way how long must I knead by hand, as I also don't have the kneading machinem . please advice. Thank you.

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    1. You're welcome. Yeah, if you do weight to volume conversation, each ingredients is different. Anyway, if you knead by hand, you probably need to knead to 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your strength and technique. If I need to knead by hand, I tried to use my body weight to help. As long as you knead the dough until it's elastic and smooth, it's done. If you live in hot and humid cities, please reduce your liquid by 2 tablespoons (especially if you knead by hand). Hope that helps.

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