I'm sorry to say that I haven't CHeeb, I looked at a lot of recipes for these buns, and they all call for that, so it must be an essential element. One recipe I looked it said that you could make the tang zhong ahead of time and refrigerate it, but not to do so for more than a day, so it seems like it isn't like a sourdough starter. I'm very curious about these now though, I hope you try them and report back, I might need to try making them too!
Lindsay-Jean,
Have you ever tried the tang zhong cooked roux technique these buns call for? I am very interested in experiences anyone has had using this roux as a bread moistener and shelf life extender . Does the roux act like a starter and add flavor or sour tang if kept refrigerated for a few days ? It looks to be a really good idea and wonder why I have never read of this technique before ?
Maybe one of these would work for you:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chinese-cocktail-buns/
http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2010/03/japanese-style-coconut-custard-buns.html#.UKq6a-Oe_oA
3 Comments
Have you ever tried the tang zhong cooked roux technique these buns call for? I am very interested in experiences anyone has had using this roux as a bread moistener and shelf life extender . Does the roux act like a starter and add flavor or sour tang if kept refrigerated for a few days ? It looks to be a really good idea and wonder why I have never read of this technique before ?
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chinese-cocktail-buns/
http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2010/03/japanese-style-coconut-custard-buns.html#.UKq6a-Oe_oA