Fresh from the Oven: Tangzhong bread

A bread I can't even pronounce.

I can't say there is any real logic to the recipes I would normally have a go at , but being relatively confident I could say the name of it probably is a common factor.

This month's Fresh from the Oven baking challenge, Tangzhong method bread, was set by the guys at mushitza. In many ways it is very familiar with no scarily unknown or untested ingredients, but it is put together in a way I haven't used before. I was really pleased with the end result although I am not altogether convinced I got every step quite right.

The first stage was to heat a four and water mixture to 65C, creating a thick paste (which I think I last saw when making papier mache at play school).

About right? No idea...

After cooling, the majority of it is mixed with the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, egg and milk to make the dough, which is then kneaded for at least 15 minutes. I used the machine for this bit and am pretty sure it wasn't quite how it was supposed to be, even though the recipe warns that the dough will be a bit wet.

Should it normally try to climb out of the machine?

Thought not.

Get BACK.

I am pretty sure this was too sticky, but I have seen too many people fail for messing with Paul Hollywood's precise instructions on the Bake Off, so I stuck with it and just kept wrestling the dough back into the bowl and setting it off again.

I never got close to the transparency stage though. I think this is likely to be because the dough was clinging so hard to the hook that it wasn't being kneaded efficiently at all. But I left it kneading for ages and hoped for the best.

After the final bid for freedom, I left it to rise which went surprisingly well. It easily and quickly doubled, after which I split it into 9 buns and put it into a square cake tin for the final rise. Again, it rose well and I popped it into the oven, hoping for the best.

At this point I remembered the remaining bit of the dough paste which I had reserved to brush the top with. And then washed up. Oh dear.

This is the result:

I ate this one minute later.

The bread was really light and airy but still rich and buttery, a bit like a brioche.

It was lovely with butter and blackcurrant jam. Thanks very much Fresh from the Oven.