65°C TangZhong Sesame Bun

Sesame seed is such a common sight here. And we often take them for granted. Before I bake, all I know about sesame seed is "that thing" on the kueh and chee cheong fun!

Only when I picked up baking that I start to make a point to understand what each ingredients do. Like this one...

Benefits of Eating Sesame Seeds includes:
renders a reduction in swelling and pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis, proving beneficial in relation to inflammatory systems.
supports blood vessels and bone health.
Offers relief to those suffering from asthma attacks
Reduces migraine - yeah, this will do me good!
Lowers blood pressure
Can reduce bone loss
In addition, sesame could possibly reduce cholesterol, at the same time protects the liver from oxidative damage.

(source: Arthritic Association, and holistic-nutrition.suite )

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65°C TangZhong Sesame Bun

Step 1: Prepare 65°C TangZhong
80g water
15g flour
Combine flour and water in a small (preferably heavy bottom) saucepan. Stir until the mixture smooth. Place it over low heat. Due to the small qty, it will burnt easily so you have to watch carefully and keep stiring with a heat-proof spatula or whisk.
Use the thermometer to check when the mixture reaches 65°C. Alternatively, try writing a number "8" with the whisk - it should stay visible.
You will have ~90g of tangzhong now.

In the past, I add them directly into the mixing bowl which I am going to use for preparing bread dough later. But recently I read from a book that keeping the tangzhong at below 24C for at least 12 hours will improve the flavour of the bread. So I am going to do just that.

Step 2:Prepare the main dough.

You will need:
250g bread flour
20g grounded black sesame seed
1 tbsp skim milk powder
~90g TangZhong (I use all I get in step 1)
105ml warm water
4g salt
25g sugar
12g fresh yeast (or 5g dry yeast)
25g sunflower oil


Method:

Mix all the ingredients with a spatula. grease (or flour) your hand lightly and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Form a ball, then leave it to rest in a cover bowl until it doubles in size. Timing will depend on the ambient temperature. Remove dough and lightly deflate the dough. Divide the dough into 50g portion, shape round and leave to rest for 10 min. Roll out the dough, and wrap some filling before sealing the dough. Careful not to let the filling touch the edge; if it does, the dough will not seal properly. Place dough pieces into baking tray and let it prove till about almost double in size.
Bake at 175 - 180°C for about 20 minutes.

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This will be the last post for the month. I will be off for a week-long holiday... I have been looking forward to this trip; the picture you see below is the one and only kind of room in this resort. Count my lucky stars to get it :-)

this is where I can have a real break... I mean a real holiday cos there's no mobile coverage on the island. No emails, no sms, no phone calls....