How tangzhong makes bread last longer

If you've been affected by the milk bread craze, you've likely heard about the star ingredients, tangzhong or yudane.

By heating up water with flour, the starch granules swell and soften, increasing water absorption. This means the resulting bread will retain moisture for longer. It's possible it helps mold prevention, because my bread lasts 14 days at room temp, covered in foil, although I've never tried making a loaf without tangzhong.

Every loaf we make — the Hokkaido Milk Bread, Matcha Hokkaido Milk Bread, and Pumpkin Chai Milk Bread — is built on a tangzhong base, which is exactly why they stay soft and fresh for so much longer than your average loaf.

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