Water roux

Water roux (Japanese: 湯種, romanized: yu-dane, 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. The yu-dane method was first developed by a Japanese, Mitsuo Ayano, and a more efficient tangzhong method was developed by a Taiwanese, Yvonne Chen. For yu-dane the flour is mixed with an equal weight of boiling water poured over it. However, "scalding" flour, especially rye flour, for baking is a technique that has been used for centuries. 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 in the liquid which causes its starch to gelatinize. When the gelatinized roux is refrigerated it apparently also contributes to slightly greater rise during baking.

milk bread made with a water roux