Water roux, also known as yu-dane (Japanese: 湯種, romanized: yu-dane) or tangzhong (Chinese: 湯種; pinyin: tāngzhǒng),[1][2] is a paste of flour cooked in water or milk which is used to improve the texture of bread, making it soft and fluffy.
Water roux, also known as yu-dane (Japanese: 湯種, romanized: yu-dane) or tangzhong (Chinese: 湯種; pinyin: tāngzhǒng),[1][2] is a paste of flour cooked in water or milk which is used to improve the texture of bread, making it soft and fluffy.
For yu-dane the flour is mixed with an equal weight of boiling water poured over it. This mixture then holds moisture so that, when it is added to a bread mix, the dough bakes with a soft, fluffy texture and the bread then keeps for longer.[3]
For tangzhong the flour is cooked at 65 °C (149 °F) in the liquid which causes its starch to gelatinize.[4] The gelatinized roux is generally used at a moderate temperature and apparently also contributes to slightly greater rise during baking.
"Scalding" flour, especially rye flour, for baking is a technique that has been used for centuries.[5]
The Pasco Shikishima Corporation (Japanese: 敷島製パン) was granted a patent in Japan for making bread using the yu-dane method in 2001.[6] The yu-dane method was then modified by Taiwanese pastry chef Yvonne Chen (Chinese: 陳郁芬), who published a book in 2007 called 65°C Bread Doctor (Chinese: 65°C 湯種麵包), borrowing the Japanese term 湯種 directly.[7] This book popularized the technique throughout Asia.[4][8]
In 2010, food author Christine Ho first wrote about the technique in English, using the Mandarin pronunciation of 湯種, tangzhong.[9] She subsequently wrote more than twenty recipes using the method,[10] which helped popularize the technique in the English-speaking world.[11]
