This is my 2nd time trying the Yudane (Utane) method and I've previously tried the famous Tang Zhong (TZ) method for a fruit loaf and I would say it yields pretty similar results, just that the yudane method does not require 'cooking' over the stove and hence I stuck to it. Both methods help to gelatinise the starch in the flour, giving it a higher moisture content which yields a softer and more elastic bread loaf.
While the TZ method calls for a 5 - 10% of the total flour content in the recipe with 5 parts of water and then cooking the mixture over small flame to hit 65 degree Celsius, the yudane method I've used calls for about 20% of the total flour content with equal ratio of boiling water.
Before I elaborate on how to execute the yudane method, let's first get started on the original bread recipe given in the Mayer recipe book.
250g bread flour
180ml boiling water
(to brew a flavoured tea of your choice)
20g salted butter
3g sea salt
30g sugar
3g active dry yeast
5 tablespoons chia seeds
To "yudanish" the bread recipe, simply use about 20% of the flour content to make the yudane dough with equal parts of boiling water.
So for an original recipe with 250g of flour, my yudane dough will make up of 50g of bread flour with 50ml of boiling water. Just add the boiling water to the flour and stir until it comes together to form a wet, sticky dough and cool it down before proceeding with the rest of the baking procedure.
So with the yudane dough done, the flour and water content of my remaining recipe will be reduced to 200g bread flour to 130ml of brewed tea. However, being not very trusting of the Mayer's recipe book, I've decided to give the recipe and its listed procedure a little tweak to get this particular recipe I've done for this Red Tea Chia Seed Loaf.
Yudane Dough: 50g Bread Flour + 50g Water (chilled in fridge)
180g bread flour
20g top flour
130ml red tea (chilled in fridge)
20g unsalted butter
2.5g table salt
30g sugar
3g instant yeast
5 tablespoons chia seeds (grounded)
Add in cold tea, yudane dough, sugar, salt, and flour mixture into the bread pan, followed by instant yeast. Fit the bread pan into the bread machine and start the Mix Dough function, which will mix and knead the dough for 25 minutes straight. After 25 minutes, start the Soft Bread function (500g) and add in the grounded chia seeds and butter to mix.
At the pattern sounding beep (1:30), remove the kneading paddle and let the BM finish its job.
TADAA~
Fragrant and soft Red Tea Chia Seed Bread! There's hardly any tea flavour in the bread but somehow there's a nice fragrance from the bread loaf that's a lot more distinct as compared to my past bakes. It might be because the semi-grounded chia seeds got roasted and gave our the fragrance, or it might really be the red tea that contributed to the nice smell. So try it and let me know how it went for you!
Till then,
Mia Foo
I would love to smell the tea fragrance on bread. It's one of my weaknesses. How many times did you get to try this recipe before actually perfecting it?
ReplyDeleteTea flavoured bread sounds yummmm. I'm gonna try out thua recipe. I'm thinking a divine chamomile flavour!
ReplyDeleteThat looks so packed! It's always great to be able to bake your own bread. Love that you included chia seeds too, which is always lovely!
ReplyDeleteTea flavour in a loaf of bread sound so lovely right now... I can imagine the sweet aroma ~ yummy!
ReplyDeleteThe scent of the bread would really be enticing. It also has a unique flavor.
ReplyDeleteBread is not really easy to do always because the softness is so critical. This flavored bread is very interesting to read about, but very tempting to try a bite or the whole loaf (haha!)
ReplyDeleteWow I think I should try to make my own bread instead. I am imagining the red tea aroma of the homemade bread, yumms.
ReplyDeleteI was just about to ask you why I can't see the chia seeds... then I remember they are semi-grind. Nice to be trying different methods to cook. This might be something I want to do this year.
ReplyDeletechia seeds rock - i have never used them in bread actually so its a great find this article - im going to try this tomorrow - many thanks !
ReplyDeleteive read a lot about chia seeds. but i dont know where to get them here in my place. i am not even sure if they sell it here.
ReplyDeleteI love Chia seeds and I can imagine it being amazing in bread too. Wow this actually sounds genius. Baking isn't easy and it's so different from cooking. Baking requires actual chemistry! But it's still fun doing it though!
ReplyDeletehi Mia
ReplyDeletei want to ask about yudane,
after i convert my original recipe to yudane like what you did,i reduce my water and flour recipe from main dough to
yudane but after i put the yudane to main dough the dough become very dry.
1)is yours main dough become dry too after you
take water and dough from main dough and add yudane?
2)what is the reason you convert you bread flour become bread flour and top flour in your main dough after you take for yudane?
3)how to take the water from main dough to yudane without make main dough+yudane become dry?
4)should i took water and flour for yudane outside from main dough?
thank you
Hi Nikolai, i've never had the problem of dry dough after yudane conversion. but different batches/brands of flour will need varying hydration level, hence you might be experiencing dry dough because of that. i'm adding in a little top flour to my bread flour to give the bread a more refined texture. it's alright to use 100% bread flour. never take the flour and water for yudane separately from the main dough, it won't work that way. i suggest that if you find your dough really too dry (after it has been kneaded into a dough ball), you can add in water bit by bit until you get your usual consistency.
ReplyDelete