Japanese 65ºC Water roux starter (Tangzhong natural dough enhancer )

  Tangzhong is a natural dough conditioner, also known as the Japanese 65ºC Water roux starter. 
  It is a starter that has been used for ages by the Asians to achieve a soft, stretchy and fluffy bread dough. It also serves as a natural preservative and keeps the bread fresh for up to 4 days.
++see how we used if for this pull apart bread++

To prepare this starter, You'll need

 - 250ml Water or whole milk

 - 50gr Bread flour

Steps

1. In a saucepan or small pot, mix flour and water/milk together until smooth.

2. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly with a spatula or a hand whisk to prevent burning.

 After some seconds, you will begin to see lots of small bubbles forming on the top of the roux. 

                   

3. Keep on stirring and when the bubbles dissappear, you will begin to see streaks in the mixture with very stir you make with your spatula/whisk ;stop at this stage and  what you have no is the Japanese 65ºC Water roux(Tangzhong) .

Tip: if you are using a thermometer, this should be about 150°F/65°C

                  

                                  

4. Pour the hot Tangzhong into a bowl and cover it with a piece of cling wrap, make sure the wrap touches the Tangzhong to prevent a film from forming on it as it cools.

 Leave to cool to room temperature before use.

Another similar natural dough conditioner, is the ''Scalded flour'' which I used for making this bread below.

For more insight on Tangzhong, please check out the wonderful people of Thefreshloaf.com  and Christines' recipes.