Tangzhong Condensed Milk Loaf ❤️ Easy Microwave Tangzhong Method

🍒 This is an easy microwave Tangzhong (water roux) method. I fell in love with it the first time I tried it ten years ago because it is so quick and convenient, with no pot to wash 🤣🤣🤣.

(Baker's Tip: This batch of Tangzhong is fairly large for two loaves. You can scale the flour and water up or down proportionally and shorten the microwave time accordingly. Since every microwave has a different wattage, get to know how your microwave runs and start with shorter intervals so you don't accidentally cook the mixture into solid dough.)

🍒 Making the Tangzhong: See Photos 3, 4, and 5 (this Tangzhong works for any bread recipe that calls for Tangzhong).

Whisk 50g bread flour and 250g water together until smooth and place in the microwave. For this amount in my microwave, I heat it for 60 seconds first, take it out, and stir in circles with chopsticks until smooth. Then I put it back in the microwave for 30 seconds. When taken out and stirred with chopsticks, distinct ripples appear. Cover the finished Tangzhong and refrigerate overnight.

🍒 Making the Bread

☀️ Ingredients (makes two 450g Pullman loaf pans):

Prepared Tangzhong (yields about 284g), 540g bread flour, 8g salt, 60g sweetened condensed milk, 50g milk, 40g sugar, 30g milk powder, 1 egg (about 50g), 8g yeast, 50g butter.

☀️ Instructions:

Add all ingredients except the butter into the stand mixer bowl and mix until a thick membrane forms. Add the butter and continue mixing until full windowpane stage (a thin, translucent membrane). Shape the dough into a tight ball and proof at room temperature until doubled in size. Turn out and degas the dough, divide into 6 equal portions, shape into balls, cover with plastic wrap, and bench rest for 15 minutes. Roll out, coil, and place into the loaf pans. Proof in a warm, humid spot until 80% full in the pan. Bake at 180°C for about 33 minutes, watching the top browning halfway through and tenting with foil in time to prevent over-browning.

Tap the pans on the counter right out of the oven to release steam, unmold, and cool on a wire rack.