10/13/2026
Not only are Tuesdays “Milling Days” but they are also the days that I make the “Tangzhong” and “Yudane”
The Tangzhong is for the sandwich bread, pretzels, and for this week - donuts! What does the Tangzhong do for these breads?
🥖 What Tangzhong does for these specific Baked Goods
• Sandwich Bread: It creates an incredibly soft, pillow-like crumb and prevents the bread from drying out. Sandwich loaves made with tangzhong stay fresh and soft on the counter for days without needing artificial preservatives.
• Soft Pretzels: It yields a beautifully tender, chewy interior that contrasts perfectly with the traditional dark, alkaline-dipped crust. It also stops the pretzels from turning stale and rock-hard a few hours after baking.
• Donuts: It produces an exceptionally light, airy, and melt-in-your-mouth texture. Additionally, because the dough retains more moisture, the donuts stay fresh and moist much longer, solving the common issue of fried dough drying out by the next day.
What about the Yudane for my New York-Style Bagels?
🥯 The Yudane step…
1. Softens the Whole Wheat "Bran Daggers" in freshly milled whole wheat flour - which results in a much stronger dough with an incredibly tender—yet tight—interior crumb.
2. Restores Moisture Without Ruining NY Stiffness
New York-style bagels require a notoriously stiff, dry dough (usually 50–55% hydration) to maintain their iconic shape, dense interior, and blistering during the boiling process. With the added Yudane, dough remains firm and easy to shape.
3. Preserves the Mandatory NY "Chew"
The biggest risk of using a water roux in a bagel is making it taste like a circular piece of sandwich bread.
• The Yudane Effect: Because Yudane uses a concentrated 1:1 ratio and rests for hours (often overnight), it allows for excellent gluten development and gives a uniquely chewy, resilient, mochi-like bite. It tempers the jaw-fatiguing toughness of a standard NY bagel into a deeply satisfying, premium chew.
4. Extends Freshness (Prevents Staling)
Whole wheat breads tend to go stale faster than refined white breads. Traditional bagels are notorious for turning into solid rocks just a few hours after cooling.
• The Yudane Effect: Because the starches hold onto moisture so securely, the retrogradation (staling) process is significantly slowed down. Your freshly milled whole wheat bagels will stay soft and chewable for days on the counter instead of hours.
