Q:Tangzhong is a starter paste added in, not the main dough itself, right?
A:Right, you prepare the Tangzhong paste first and then mix it into the main dough ingredients to form the final dough.
Q:How does the poolish method work compared to the direct method?
A:You mix the poolish the night before and chill it in the fridge, then mix all of that fermented poolish into the main dough ingredients the next day.
Q:How long can old dough (pâte fermentée) be stored in the fridge?
A:In the refrigerator, use it within 3 days.
Q:Can I use poolish right after fermenting it at room temperature for 2 hours, or must it go in the fridge overnight?
A:You can use it right away at room temperature! Just check its readiness rather than watching the clock: it should roughly triple in volume, have lots of surface bubbles, and show a web-like internal structure when pulled back.
Q:What if I don't have a stand mixer?
A:Try hand-kneading! Using the sponge method makes hand-kneading much easier since gluten partially develops during the sponge fermentation. Good luck!
Q:Even though I'll probably never bake bread in my life, I still bookmarked this!
A:Sending you a big hug! Why not give baking a try someday?
Q:If I mix 5kg (10 jin) of flour in a commercial batch, do I use 1250g of poolish? And is 50g of dry yeast too much for 5kg of flour?
A:For 5000g of total flour, you can use 1000g (or 1250g) of flour for the poolish and the remaining 4000g in the main dough. 50g of instant dry yeast is 1% of 5000g flour, which is completely normal and not too much at all.
Q:Is 100% sponge basically the same as the direct method?
A:Not at all! In the 100% sponge method, all of the flour and most of the liquid are mixed and fermented slowly at cool temperatures first, then mixed with the remaining ingredients, rested for 30 minutes, and shaped. The fermentation flavor and crumb structure are very different from the direct method.
Q:Can scalded dough and Tangzhong be fermented either in the fridge or at room temperature?
A:Tangzhong and scalded dough are gelatinized mixtures of flour and water with no yeast, so they do not ferment. In winter inside an unheated kitchen they can sit at room temperature, while in summer they should be covered and chilled in the fridge.
Q:Scalded flour and soup flour can be fermented either refrigerated or at room temperature, right?
A:The Tangzhong (water roux) and scalded dough are mixtures of flour and water that have been gelatinized and do not contain yeast, so they do not require fermentation. In winter, if there is no heating in the room, they can be left at room temperature; in summer, they need to be refrigerated. You're welcome
Q:I still can't tell the difference. What kind of flour should I use in winter to keep the bread soft for longer?
A:Just use the Polish starter It doesn't matter much. If you're going to use it directly in two hours, check the fermentation status; if it hasn't risen, wait a bit longer. If you're going to refrigerate it overnight, let it sit at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before refrigerating it overnight.
Q:The recipe for scalded dough, I want to add a poolish in it, how should I add it, the main dough flour is 440 grams
A:Don't know how much flour is needed for scalded dough, if it's around 50 grams, you can usually try using 50 grams of flour to make a poolish and add it in.
Q:Hello, I would like to ask, how to make 250g bread flour Polish starter, and what quantity to use?
A:Does it mean that the main dough is 250 grams of bread flour, or that the poolish is made with 250 grams of bread flour? I have a Hokkaido Polish Sourdough Toast recipe on my homepage, and I also use this recipe to make dinner rolls, which are also on my homepage. Sisters can refer to that recipe. Refer to the recipe for the amount of one toast.
Q:What do the 50%, 70%, and 100% subdivisions of the middle fermentation method mean? Could you help explain?
A:It is the amount of flour in the preferment that accounts for the total amount of flour in the dough.
Q:Which one, the poolish or the tangzhong, will make the toast softer
A:The Polish variety is still softer. If you are a beginner, it is recommended to find a specific recipe to follow, as it is less likely to go wrong.
Q:I would like to ask the teacher, if I convert the direct method to the soup seed method, the original recipe is 250 grams of flour and 150 grams of water, then I took 20 grams of flour and 100 grams of water, should the quantities in the recipe be correspondingly reduced?
A:If you need to reduce everything, the water in the recipe cannot be reduced equally. We make the Tangzhong (water roux) to allow more water to appear in the bread body in a solid form. Actually, you can keep the flour unchanged and reserve about 20 grams of water to add gradually as needed. The total flour amount of 270 grams is acceptable, but you should pay attention to baking it longer than with 250 grams of flour to prevent it from being undercooked inside.
Q:Teacher, I let the dough rise too much. I left it outside overnight without putting it in the fridge. Can I still use it?
A:Use as old dough, try using 50-100 grams for one loaf of toast.
Q:Can the water in the soup base be replaced with milk?
A:I haven't tried milk yet, I've always used water.
Q:Hello, can you send me how to make the dough for the ten-jin mian zhi zhong?
A:☺️☺️I've never made so many at once before, I usually eat them myself, and the most I've ever made is three toasts.
Q:When is the starter usually added to the dough?
A:The starter dough is added together with all the other ingredients except butter at the beginning.
Q:Does the 25% of the Polish starter refer to the total amount after adding water and other ingredients?
A:Yes, it is the total amount of the Polish dough.
Q:Does the soup base need to be refrigerated overnight?
A:Usually, I refrigerate it overnight. Sometimes, if I haven't prepared in advance and need to make it urgently, it's also fine to proceed after cooling it down.
Q:May I ask, what are the differences among these varieties? For example, taste, fluffiness...
A:The Polish sourdough is slightly finer and softer. The main difference is in the method of preparation; you can choose which one to make based on your personal preferences and habits.
Q:Can those without a stand mixer only use the direct method?
A:You can use seeds, which are prepared in advance, and seeds don't require much kneading. The dough taken out of the refrigerator can be kneaded into a membrane directly without needing to be refrigerated again.
Q:Teacher, may I ask if the next day, if time is limited, can I mix the dough the night before and refrigerate it, then take it out the next day, stir it briefly, and directly shape, ferment, and bake it? If it's possible, does it count as 100% pre-fermented dough?
A:Okay, 100% of the time, this is how you do it with the middle fermentation method
