The tangzhong method works beautifully for creating soft, pillowy bread that is perfect for sandwiches. Using this method also prevents the bread from getting stale too fast, and it’s super easy!
Ingredient Roundup:
- Sourdough starter: fed or unfed, it adds complexity to the flavor of the bread
- Milk powder: Tangzhong bread typically uses milk as the liquid, but I use water and powdered milk. Having a sixteen year old in the house who drinks 3/4 of a gallon of milk a day really necessitates this!
- Yeast: Does the heavy lifting of the rise in this recipe. I use Saf-Instant Premium, it’s the best I’ve ever used.
- Oil: adds softness to the bread crumb. I use Oleico because it’s neutral flavor and high Oleic is supposed to have health benefits.
Tangzhong Method:
First, take a portion of the flour and water and cook it in a saucepan until the flour becomes a slurry (or really just a gooey mass) that looks like this…
Allow this to cool for several minutes (it usually doesn’t take too long just long enough not to kill off the yeast in the dough)
And combine with the remaining ingredients. Knead in a stand mixer for 5 minutes.
Rising and forming:
Allow the dough to rise until just over doubled, this will take about an hour to an hour and a half depending on the temperature and the type of yeast you’re using.
Aftter the first rise, punch down and form a square with the dough, and roll it into a 9 inch log. Place the dough seam-side down and place in a 9 inch bread pan. Allow to rise until it’s about an inch over the top of the pan.
Bake in 350 degree Fahrenheit preheated oven, covered with a tent of foil for the first 20 minutes, then remove tent and heat for another 15 to 20 minutes, until internal temperature reads 195 degrees Fahrenheit.
After baking…
Then make the best sandwich ever!!! That’s a grilled cheese of course!
I used Cheddar and Swiss.
Perfectly browned and crispy. There is an art to this (one which my beloved mother never mastered). You have to WATCH THE PAN. I swear I never had a grilled cheese growing up that didn’t need to be scraped (and ps scraping DOESN’T improve the flavor! It’s still burnt!)
And serve your gooey masterpiece with Instant Pot Florentine Tomato Soup!
IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE YOU WILL ALSO LIKE:
- Cuban Bread
- Deli Marble Rye Bread
- Jalapeno Corn Bread
- Sourdough Garlic Breadsticks
- New Orleans Style Rolls
- Beer Bread
- Pita Bread
- Overnight Rise Italian Bread
- Deli Rye Bread
- No-Knead Sourdough Bread
- Pumpernickel Boule
Tangzhong Method Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups warm water divided
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 4 cups all-purpose flour divided
- 1/3 cup dry milk
- ½ cup sourdough starter fed or unfed
Instructions
- Take half cup water and heat in small pan on stove with ½ cup of water and 1/8th cup flour and heat and stir on medium heat until a paste forms. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Combine rest of ingredients in mixing bowl and mix than add the paste you made on the stove (slowly so as not to heat the dough too hot). Add to oiled bowl and allow to rise, an hour to an hour and a half.
- Punch down dough, roll into ~9 inch log and place log seam side down in 9 inch bread pan. Allow to rise until top is about an inch above the pan or doubled, about an hour to an hour and a half.
- Bake in 350 degree Fahrenheit preheated oven, covered with a tent of foil for the first 20 minutes, then remove tent and heat for another 15 to 20 minutes, until internal temperature reads 195 degrees Fahrenheit.
Leave a Reply