Commencing Phase 1 of Tangzhong Test--merging science, math & baking. I'm right in the Venn diagram

M

marilynfl

Moderator
Reuleaux Triangle of Happiness here in my kitchen.

But since I'm me, this meant things wouldn't go easily. First my 30-year old kitchen scale died and you should be aware that a scale is critical for this method. Well, it didn't die. The battery option went kaput and an overly aggressive and impatient baker shoved the optional external power source plug a tad too hard and pushed the male receiver port into the body of the scale.

Oops.

Okay, so the plastic was 30 years old and parts have atrophied. I'm twice as old with atrophied parts as well, so I really can't complain.

One hour, a bottle of Gorilla Super Glue, a teeny-tiny computer screw driver, an Allen wrench and a lot of swear words later, my scale was working again.

On to the math! The excellent links that desertculinary and GayR shared provided the key issue to address. I needed a 75% hydration rate (my recipe was a mere 45.5% when I looked at milk and flour only). I could have just increased the milk, but the article also addressed water found in other ingredients. My recipe for sweet bread/brioche/Schnecken dough had butter and eggs and sour cream, all of these include water, and the link provided those water percentage.

The math is straight-forward. You take the gram weight of each recipe ingredient that includes water (milk, butter, sour cream, eggs) and multiply it by its percentage of water.

Milk = 87% water

large egg = 74% water

Honey = 17% water

Butter = 16% (American)

Oil = 0%

My recipe WAS:

3/4 C milk = 170 grams x 0.87 = 148 grams of water

8 TBL butter = 112 grams x 0.16 = 18 grams of water

1 TBL Sour cream = 14 grams x 0.16 = 2 grams of water

1 egg = 50 grams x 0.74 = 37 grams of water

That equals 205 grams of water >> This was my old numerator

My 3 cups of flour = 438 grams >> denominator

Hydration rate divides the numerator (water) by the denominator (flour) for 46.8%, FAR below the 75% necessary for a lasting moist dough.

I wanted to increase my milk but not the other ingredients. That meant that the 57 grams of water from the butter, sour cream and egg was a constant and I needed to find a new quantity for milk. That variable became "X".

We've just moved into Algebra!!

(X + 57) / 438 = 75% goal for hydration

X = (0.75 x 438) - 57 = 271.5 grams of milk.

1 Cup of milk = 227 grams

1 TBL of milk = 14.2 grams

...so I needed to increase my 3/4 C of milk to 1 Cup plus 3 TBL of milk (~270 grams).

The link suggests a standard tangzhong slurry of 1/2 C milk with 3 TBL of flour PULLED from the weighed flour (not extra!) when a recipe calls for 3-4 cups of flour.

I cooked the slurry, smeared it on a dinner plate to cool quickly and added it to the bread machine with the liquid ingredients, then topped with flour and finally yeast. I'm down to 53 minutes left on the machine.

(to be continued)

 
Phase 2 of Tangzhong Test: Day One of Taste Test

Let me preface this by saying my original dough was perfection after coming out of the machine & sitting overnight in the refrigerator, well-wrapped in Saran. It rolled out without additional flour and did not spring back (so gluten had sufficiently rested) nor did it stick to the countertop. After adding a filling, it rolled up with no problems and could be easily cut into slices.

Ya, all that just went out the window. While not damp, the enhanced dough was a bit sticky to the touch. And even though I wrapped it securely in Saran, I opened my refrigerator this morning and there was a soccer ball next to the kale. It had ballooned into a rock-hard solid orb. I swear the tensile strength of that Saran wrap was tested to its limits on this. I could have practiced for the World Cup with this sucker.

After unwrapping the ball and punching it to deflate (that's a two-fer: deflating the dough while venting your culinary frustrations)...I laid it down whereupon it immediately stuck to the counter. I lifted the dough, floured the counter and it still stuck. So I dusted both sides of the dough AND the counter again and finally I was able to roll it out. It had a bit of spring, but I could roll it out to its normal 16x20" shape. Spread it with soft butter and then sprinkled on 1 Cup of white sugar mixed with 1 TBL of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp cardamon (per Dahlia Bakery roll filling). Then I tried to roll it up and that sucker was having nothing to do with it. The dough kept sticking and the granulated sugar kept schmooshing ahead, keeping me from making a tight roll and sticking to the counter or my fingers or both.

Then when I tried to cut it into slices, my fingers again stuck to the dough and the loose sugar filling opened up the spiral once each slice was cut.

Proofed it on the stove top (had convection option running) until my patience ran out and baked it for 30 minutes at 325 degrees (convection).

Photo shows what went down to Open Table. The first taste was fine...but then the first day is always fine. Dough was tender and the color looked good. I've saved two more for taste tests over the next 3 days and will report back.

https://pix.sfly.com/Pn2hGg

 
Thank you, G. Day Two of Taste Test: It works! Just tasted one from yesterday and while

not warm (which is how I tasted a roll then) it is definitely softer in texture than my original recipe on Day 2. Mine would have been dry tasting and I would have had to zapped it to serve.

This method works! At least for 2 days, which is twice as long as what I had before.

Will let you know tomorrow's results. I still need to make adjustments to the recipe to get the dough less sticky. Not sure if that means less milk or more flour...either way, I'd be reducing it from 75%. But then I was originally in the 46% zone to begin with so I've got wiggle room.

 
36 Hours later....baked cinnamon roll (cut a bit too thin) has a slightly dry feel to the mouth.

But I can live with this. It's still miles ahead of my original recipe that would be so dry by now that only a microwave and immediate consumption would save it.

When I try another test batch, I'll cut them thicker. I wanted at least 24 rolls for donation, so they are a bit thin. That would dry them out faster I think.

 
Day Three (48 Hours out of oven): the baked roll is a bit drier today & the yeast is more pronounced

I hadn't noticed that before and it's not bad. I'm just aware (taste-wise) that it's has been made with yeast as opposed to baking powder or baking soda.

This is still not as dry as the "day-after" from my original recipe.
One more taste test tomorrow.

 
Day Four (72 Hours out of the oven): very slight change from yesterday. Same level of dryness, but

still edible. The yeast taste is still there, but not any stronger. I thought if anything, that would be much more pronounced today.

Darn...I just ate the last bite and forgot to do a microwave test. Oh well...I'd probably not give away rolls after 4 days anyway.

Definitely going to adjust my recipe (with a few more tweaks) to use this method.

Thank you, desertculinary and GayR.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top