Fluffy Tang Zhong Overnight bread rolls

So..the husband commented that I should try a normal bread recipe. It looks like my breads, with the various additions of rye, wholemeal etc has become a fatigue in the household. The man wants a simple-sugar, all-white flour recipe that hopefully yields a soft bread for him.

What the hubby says is usually what the wifie does (at least when it comes to cooking/baking!) Out comes my Tangzhong recipe but with my mantra for always trying something new, I decide to leave it for an overnight fermentation, having had some successes with no-knead recipe, to see if it affects the final texture. Indeed, the bread turned out marshmellow-soft. I love that it bounces right back when pressed, love the big holes in the interior crumb, love the fluffiness and that it pairs beautifully with any filling.

The first of my dough, rolled into a seaweed pork floss bread.

The 2nd variation from the same dough, cheese and tuna bun:

I like both variations, which received pretty good feedback from the hub and my friends. Easy to make, delicious to eat, it makes a yummy and filling breakfast!

Tangzhong recipe:

25g bread flour

125ml water

Mix all ingredients in a metal pot and stir until there are no lumps. Cook over med heat until mixture becomes very thick, and lines start to appear when mixture is stirred. (Alternatively, test the temperature, you will get Tangzhong at 65C). Remove from heat and cool to room temperature before using.

 

Bread recipe:
1 large egg
125ml milk
120g Tangzhong
350g bread flour
50g sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoon instant yeast
30g unsalted butter, softened
Herbs (amount is up to individual preference)

Method of making bread :
Mix all ingredients in mixer with dough hook, except for butter and herbs. Mix for 2 minutes until gluten starts to form.
Add butter and herbs and continue kneading until it passes the membrane test.
Roll into a ball and Proof on a floured surface for 20 minutes then put into fridge and leave overnight.

Next day:
Remove dough from fridge; it would have proof to at least double the size.



For buns:
Cut little balls of dough, each weighing around 100g (to achieve a bun that's the usual size sold in bakeries)
Flatten each ball, place tuna and cheese and roll back into balls. Proof for 1.5 hours.

For Seaweed roll:
Collect all remaining dough into a ball and flatten it, cover with a large piece of seaweed and sprinkle pork floss generously. Roll like a swiss roll into a log and place into a loaf pan. Proof for 1.5 hours.

 

To bake: Preheat oven to 170C. Place bread inside and bake 15 minutes for the bun and 23 minutes for the loaf. (Cover with foil if bread is browning too fast)

 

Verdict: Thumbs-up! I have repeat orders for it already =)

 

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BYOB at Roxana's Home Baking

 



No-Knead Sweet Potato Whole Wheat Bread

What a mouthful of a title! On my quest to increase the ratio of whole wheat to white flour without it textured like rocks, it suddenly struck me to incorporate sweet potato. My previous sweet potato yogurt bread was so soft that it was limp, I think potato must be a good tenderiser. So onto Mr Google I went again and found one at this wonderful blog, with clear instructions and her bake looks so good!

I tweaked it slightly as I wanted it to be no-knead and prefers a crusty boule rather than a loaf. Here goes the result:

Recipe:
2 midsized sweet potato, skin removed, boil until soft and mash while hot and leave to cool.
(I added 2 tablespoon olive oil when mashing it, to add some liquid and fragrance)
9g instant yeast
2 cups bread flour
2 cups whole meal flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1.25 cup room temperature water

Preparation on day before baking:
Have a lidded container ready, mix all dry ingredients into the container except salt. Stir everything up and add the salt. Pour the water and add the cooled sweet potato mash into the mixture. Knead together for couple of minutes just to have the dough come together.

Place the lid back on but not capped tightly, to enable air release/circulation. Leave overnight for at least 12 hours up to 72 hours.

Baking day
1 Slice the portion that you want to bake out of the container and place onto a well-floured surface.  Dough will be sticky.
2. Press the air out of the dough, form into a ball or shape of your choice and place onto a well-floured pastry paper.

3. Make a couple of cuts on the surface, dap with water and sprinkle topping (I used a multi-grain mix) or skip the water and sift a layer of flour for that rustic look.
4. Let it proof for 2 hours until indentation stays in place when pressed.

5. Before baking, pre-heat oven with dutch oven pot inside for 15 minutes, at 200C. Once ready to bake, carefully slide the dutch oven out, remove the cap, slide the dough with the paper into the pot. Place the lid back on and slide into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 5 minutes to brown the surface.

Alternative - Bake into rolls or buns

1. Slice the bread dough into equal portions (I used 50g dough balls and it later became the size of a big fist)
2. Form into balls and let dough relax for 15 minutes.
3. Prepare your filling (I used cooked and cooled Emborg frozen spinach and President cheddar cheese slices)
4. Flatten each ball and roll filling into it. Form back into balls.
5. Dap surface with water and sprinkle topping. Let dough proof for 1 hour.

6. Before baking, pre-heat oven with dutch oven pot inside for 15 minutes, at 180C. Once ready to bake, carefully slide the dutch oven out, remove the cap, slide the dough with the paper into the pot. Place the lid back on and slide into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 3-5 minutes to brown the surface. Watch it carefully to prevent charring. (Note: I used a lower temperature to get a softer crust)

Always cool the bread before slicing / eating.

Verdict:


Both the dough turned out well. I made the boule on 2nd day and the buns on 3rd day, thought the flavor develop slightly better on 3rd day and the dough was a little softer and stickier. I like that the boule was crusty and chewy, definitely much softer than if I has done just 5050 ratio on whole wheat without adding the potato. Bread is still abit on the heavy side though and one slice of it for breakfast fills me up very nicely. However, it's on the bland side, not something that you would eat on it own, have to be used as a sandwich bread.

As for the buns, I find them delicious! The cheese melted and somehow the bun is very moist and soft inside and the crust was thin enough. The flavor of the cheese went very well with the bread and my little hint of spices inside up the oomph factor, definitely marked as to be repeated.

Loving the simplicity of the prep!

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BYOB at Roxana's Home Baking