If you enjoy working with ancient grains and want to try a different bread-baking method, you might enjoy this Einkorn Spelt Tangzhong Bread. It is fluffy and light on the inside due to the inclusion of a tangzhong roux.

Tangzhong Whole Wheat Bread was the challenge for the Bread Baking Babes this month.  I made Checkerboard Tangzhong Rolls a couple of weeks ago using regular bread flour and Hokkaido Milk Bread a couple of years ago using this same technique so this time, I decided to try it with ancient grains.

The roux makes enough for two loaves so I made an all Einkorn bread and a Spelt and Einkorn version. The loaf made with Einkorn (shown in the photo below) needs a bit more experimentation because it didn’t turn out light and fluffy.

I ran out of Einkorn all-purpose flour so I decided to add a different flour to the mix and save the Einkorn experiment for later.

For the second loaf, I used the remaining Einkorn roux, but this time, I added all-purpose Spelt and wholegrain Einkorn flour to the final dough. The Einkorn Spelt version turned out well in terms of texture and flavor.

 

If you are wondering why there are no photos of the intact loaf, it’s because it stuck to the loaf pan. This loaf is meant to be eaten, not showcased.  Isn’t that what breaking bread is all about?  It’s the perfect pull-apart bread to enjoy with soup or your favorite comfort food. Spread it with butter or your favorite jam.

 

Notes from Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories, our host kitchen this month:

Have you ever seen the bread in Asian markets? It is the fluffiest bread I’ve ever seen, and it is so tall. The crumb is amazingly soft, and the bread stays fresh for a long time. The white version of this bread is wonderful, so I wanted to try this whole wheat version.

It’s sometimes called Japanese milk bread, or Hokkaido milk toast (when toasted, buttered, and topped with condensed milk). The bread uses a Tangzhong, a concoction of cooked flour and water that is cooked to 65 degrees C or 149 degrees F. If you don’t have an instant-read thermometer, cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and your spoon forms lines in the pan. It will have a pudding-like consistency. It happens fast!!

This recipe is based on the book 65 degrees C by Yvonne Chen, and adapted by Christine Ho. She has great photos of the shaping technique. Christine baked this bread in a Pullman pan with the lid, but when I tried that, the lid popped off. If you use a Pullman, use the smaller one, and leave the lid off.

You will never believe when you put this bread in the oven that it will grow so tall. It starts out below the top of the pan and ends up several inches above the top. It’s kind of magical. This is the kind of bread that kids will love.

Einkorn Spelt Tangzhong Bread

Tangzhong mixture (makes enough for two loaves)

• 50 g/1/3 C all-purpose Einkorn flour
• 1 C water

Directions for the Tangzhong Mixture:

1. Mix the flour and water until there aren’t any lumps.
2. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and registers 149 degrees F or 65 degrees C. If you don’t have a thermometer, look for lines in the mixture made by your spoon as you stir. Remove from the heat immediately.
3. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it onto the surface of the tangzhong. Let it cool, and then refrigerate it for several hours.
4. Bring it back to room temperature when you are ready to use it.

The tangzhong will last a couple of days. If it starts to turn gray, toss it.

Whole Wheat Tangzhong Bread

Makes one loaf, and is easily doubled

• 110 grams (~ 1/3 cup + 1T) milk
• 45 grams whisked eggs (about one large egg)
• 150 grams Tangzhong (half of recipe above)
• 40 g (~ 1/8 cup + 1 T) sugar
• 5 g (3/4 tsp.) salt
• 200 g (~ 2 cups) all-purpose Spelt flour
• 150 g (~ 1 1/2 cups) wholegrain Einkorn flour (I used home-milled)
• 6 g (3/4 T) instant yeast
• 40 g (3 T) unsalted butter, room temperature, and cut into pieces

Karen’s directions along with my notes in italics:

Mixing the Dough:

Add all of the ingredients except the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer. You can also mix by hand or bread machine. Mix the ingredients until they form a dough. Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Knead until the dough becomes very elastic.

If you are using Einkorn or Spelt, it’s best to go light on the mixing and give it a longer rise in the bowl instead. I mixed it by hand by adding the dry ingredients to the bowl; then the wet ingredients and mixing with a Danish dough whisk using the fold and turn method in the bowl until the mixture was thoroughly incorporated. Then I worked in the butter using my fingers.  

Fold and Turn the Dough and Cold Ferment:

Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

I let the dough rise in the bowl for 1 – 2 hours, with a fold every 20 minutes for a total of 3 folds. Then I let it rest in the bowl for 30 minutes before placing the dough in the refrigerator overnight for a cold ferment.

 

Shaping and Final Proof:

Divide the dough into 3 or four equal pieces and form each piece into a ball.  With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 10-inch long oval. Fold the oval into thirds, width-wise, like an envelope. Turn the envelope so that the short side is facing you, and roll it into a 10 to 12-inch length. Roll that piece like a cinnamon roll, with the folded sides on the inside, and place the piece in an oiled bread pan, seam side down. Repeat with the other pieces, placing them next to each other.

My dough was still a little sticky even after the cold ferment in the refrigerator (24 hours) so I patted it into an oval instead of rolling it. I used a greased 9x 5-inch nonstick loaf pan; however, it stuck anyway so I will probably use parchment paper next time (or get a new loaf pan).

Cover and let rise for about 40 minutes, until about 4/5 the height of the bread pan.  It took a bit longer for my loaf to rise in the pan.

Baking the Loaf:

Bake in a 175-degree C/ 350-degree F oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the loaf from the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories, one of the newest babes, is the host kitchen this month for the Bread Baking Babes and she chose this Whole Wheat Tangzhong Bread as the monthly bake.  What a great bread for her debut! The details on how to participate in this month’s bake can be found in Karen’s post.

Happy Baking!

Cathy

 

 

The Bread Baking Babes are:

• Bake My Day – Karen
• blog from OUR kitchen – Elizabeth
• Bread Experience – Cathy
• Feeding my Enthusiasms – Pat/Elle
• All Roads Lead to the Kitchen – Heather
• Life’s a Feast – Jamie
• Ilva Beretta Blog – Ilva
• My Diverse Kitchen – Aparna
• My Kitchen In Half Cups – Tanna
• Notitie Van Lien – Lien
• Thyme for Cooking – Katie (Bitchin’ Bread Baking Babe Bibliothécaire)
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories – Karen
• Judy’s Gross Eats – Judy