Braided walnut & raisin bun

      My honourable third task from Baking partner group.  This bread preparation is done using Tangzhong method, where a flour paste is added to regular bread preparation at 65 degree celsius to obtain soft and spongy consistency.  This flour paste has been fascinated by chinese because of their successful fluffy bread making that stays soft for so many days

REASON BEHIND TANGZHONG SUCCESS
At 65 degree celsius, gluten in flour and water mixture would absorb moisture and become less leavened. Hence when this produced tangzhong product is added along with other bread ingredients, bread will be softened.



   This recipe is adapted from Christine's blog.

Before proceeding to main recipe, let us learn how to prepare tangzhong  and store it.  Ingredients required are 25 grams of bread flour (or all purpose flour) and 125 ml of water.  Mix flour with water without any lumps.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly using  a spoon.  By time, you will notice the mixture becoming thicker and thicker

Just stop stirring, when you appear to see lines are drawn over the mixture when it is stirred using the spoon/spatula.  this is tangzhong mixture.  Remove from heat, cover using plastic wrap and cool

You can prepare in advance and refrigerate it also.  As long as they don't turn grey, the tangzhong mixture can be used.  Now off to our main recipe

Ingredients required

• Tangzhong (prepared from 25 gram of bread flour and 125 ml of water)
• 11/2 cup of bread flour / All purpose flour
• 3/4 cup of powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp of Salt 
• One medium-sized egg, whisked
• 4 tsp milk powder
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 tsp butter
• 50 gram dry raisin
• 50 gram walnut (deshelled, deskinned)
• 4 tsp Apple juice

Initial preparation

• Prepare tangzhong and let it cool
• Immerse dry grapes on apple juice, leave it overnight
• Heat 4 tsp of water and pour over dry yeast, let yeast completely dissolve and bubble up, keep aside
• Place the deshelled walnut on preheated oven for ten to fifteen minutes, later you can easily deskin them by rubbing them on cotton cloth or using gloves.  Deskinning the walnut is an important step, otherwise it will lead to bitter flavour on buns
• Heat butter and keep aside

Method

Combine dry ingredients first like bread flour, sugar, salt, milk powder, walnut.  Mix in thoroughly

Add wet ingredients one by one like grapes, yeast mixture, tangzhong, melted butter, whisked egg etc

 Then knead the sticky dough into firm dough, let it rest till it doubles in size.

Then deflate, knead again and divide into six balls 

These balls are again plastic wrapped for fifteen to fourty five minutes, then these balls are rolled at hand to get thin long cylinders

These cylinders are pinned each other like ladies pinning their hair, process repeated till end and top, bottom end of bun are brought together as fine pinch

They are left to rise for about half an hour.  Whisked egg- whites are be brushed on top and these buns are  baked on preheated oven at 180 degree celsius for 30 to 35 minutes

Nice and golden brown, isn't it??

 When taken a bite, these buns were too soft and spongy inside... hmm... my kid luved it