Tangzhong Calculator

Tangzhong (also called water roux) is a Japanese bread-making technique where a small portion of the flour and liquid is cooked into a paste before adding to the dough. This gelatinises the starch, allowing the flour to absorb much more water, resulting in incredibly soft, fluffy bread that stays fresh longer.

The standard ratio is 1 part flour to 5 parts liquid by weight. So 20g flour needs 100g liquid (water or milk). This creates a thick paste when cooked to 65°C.

Whisk the flour and liquid together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until it reaches 65°C (or until you see lines form in the mixture when you drag a whisk through it). It should be thick and paste-like. Cool to room temperature before adding to the dough.

Typically 5-10% of the total flour weight. Using 5% gives a subtle improvement in softness; 10% gives a very soft, almost brioche-like texture. Beyond 10% (up to around 15%) the crumb becomes very soft and the dough noticeably stickier to handle, so treat the higher end as experimental rather than a default.

Tangzhong is a Japanese technique where a small portion of flour and liquid is cooked to 65 degrees C to gelatinise the starch. This pre-cooked paste absorbs more water than raw flour, resulting in bread that is exceptionally soft, fluffy, and stays fresh longer. It is commonly used in Asian milk bread.