Basic White Bread .... using Tangzhong method

The food market is going nowhere. We really dont know if we are eating real food or just pesticide filled slow poison. These things have been worrying us for a long while now.  On top of this to add up a little more oil to the fire, breads have a trace of dangerous chemicals. Now even kids make sure we dont buy any bread from outside and they talk about how chemicals are dangerous to all of us. Nice to know that they know a lot but the worry is actually about the food that we eat

We love bread at our home and we can dive into it for breakfast, snack or dinner. Eating no bread cannot be the case so best solution is to make at home. I have been making bread for quite a while but not on a regular basis. I am just lazy. But now after all the stupid news falling into our ears about how not good it is to buy it from the store makes me make it more often despite the laziness :) It is simple to make but needs a little prep time though not much of hands-on time. So .....Now we just dont buy bread at all ... the whole family relishes home made fresh bread and relish its goodness to the last bite

Homemade is homemade.... with all that love in it. The house is so filled with the aroma of fresh bread ... hmmm ... nothing can beat that :) Bake your loaf at home with this simple recipe

Serves... a medium loaf

Serve option... Room Temperature

This is what u'll need....

All-purpose flour/Maida - 2 1/2 cups
Active  Dry yeast - 2 tspn
Milk powder - 1 1/2 tbspn
Curd - 1/4 cup
Butter/oil - 3 tbspn
Sugar - 1 tbspn
Milk- 3/4 cup (as needed)
Salt - 1 tspn

For tangzhong:
All-purpose Flour - 2 tbspn
Milk - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/4 cup

Here is the stir.... 

• First lets start by preparing the tangzhong  for the bread. Its not necessary to follow this method but I feel that out of the recipes that I have tried for bread making, the one using this tangzhong method gives the softest bread. Sometimes even I skip it when I feel too lazy ;)

• Measure in 2 tablespoon of flour into a nonstick pan

• Add 1/4 cup of water and half  a cup of milk to it

• Whisk it thoroughly so that there are no lumps in the mixture

• Place in on low flame and keep stirring till the mixture turns thick. Make sure you keep stirring to avoid any lumps

• Once done turn off the flame and let it cool

• Meanwhile activate the yeast. Add 1/2 cup of warm milk to a cup. Spoon in 2 teaspoons of yeast into it. Add a tablespoon of sugar and give it a good stir. For detailed instructions follow the step-by-step instructions here -> How to Proof Yeast

• Keep this aside for about 10-15 mins. The mixture will turn frothy which indicaes that the yeast has activated  well. Else redo the process using a fresh batch of yeast

• Measure in 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour into a wide bowl

• Add 1 1/2 tablespoon of milk powder to the flour

• Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt

• Add 1/4 cup of curd/yoghurt to the dry ingredients

• Add 3 tablespoons of butter to the bowl

• Now add the prepared and cooled tangzhong into the flour mix

• Add the activated yeast to the bowl

• Of the remaining milk, add 1/4th cup of milk to the bowl and start working.Using your fingers pull together all the ingredients in the bowl to form a solid sticky mass. If you need more then only use the rest of the 1/4 cup of milk in small measures

• Knead this for about 2-3 minutes and it will start coming together and form a soft dough

• Transfer it to a clean surface or board and start kneading with soft hands for 7-8 minutes till it becomes very soft and stretchy

• Pinch out a little dough and try to stretch it using your fingers. Keep stretching it till it becomes very thin and you can see light passing through. The dough should not tear during this process

• If the dough tears during this process then knead it for another 2-3 minutes and check again

• Once the dough is ready, grease the bowl and oil the dough as well liberally. Keep the dough in the greased bowl and cover it with a cloth

• Keep this in a warm place for about 45 minutes to one hour or till the dough is double in volume

• Transfer the dough to a clean working surface 

• Deflate the dough gently by pressing it with your fingers

• Shape the dough into a rectangle

• Start rolling it from one end tightly. When you reach the end pinch the ends together tightly to seal them well

• Place the dough into a loaf pan seam side down

• Let this rest covered again for another 35-45 minutes or till it doubles in volume

• Brush it gently with milk. Be gentle else you might end  up deflating the dough

• Bake this in a 180 degrees preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes and the crust is golden brown

• Once done let it cool on a wire rack. Brush it with a little butter when hot. Its optional though. The crust tends to stay soft if buttered a little

• After the bread has cooled completely, slice it up. Dont cut it when hot, it starts falling apart

• Enjoy your fresh loaf of bread to make sandwiches and toasts

Note:

• Knead the dough always with soft and gentle hands
• Dont overproof the dough in any rise
• Brush the dough with milk or eggwash to get a beautiful golden crust
• Always let he loaf cool completely before you slice it