The Little Red Hen's Pumpkin Loaf (TangZhong/ Water Roux Method)

Last night before my boy went to bed, I read a story to him...'The Little Red Hen'. The story was about a little red hen found some grains of wheat and wanted to grow it but non of her friends help her. Then she did everything from planting the wheat, harvest, ground the wheat into flour and made the flour into bread all by herself. Then she ate it all by herself. Well, sounds like nothing to do with my bread right? See the pictures below:

My boy asked me to bake this bread for him. To be precise, he said he wants to make this bread. As usual, I would try my best to fulfill his wish list. So, I made something similar for him. See the pictures below and tell me if they look a like. I purposely made it uneven size to match the little red hen's loaf....hahaha...

Unlike little red hen's friend, my boy did helped me make the bread (although most of the time he was playing computer and Ipad today). So he get to eat the bread...hahaha...He helped to pour all ingredients into the mixer, brushed the egg wash and sprinkled pumpkin seeds toppings.

But the sad thing was....when the loaf was out of the oven, I forgot to show him the loaf because I was mad that time keep telling him to stop playing his ipad :( .... luckily I took some photos of it and showed him after that.

Besides this pumpkin loaf, I made a frog bun for him because this morning he told me he wants to eat frog...Sounds funny right? He was trying to ask for something that he thought I would never able to make for him. But he never thought that sometimes, his mom could make impossible things possible!

I had fulfilled 2 things of his wish list today.... The Little Red Hen's pumpkin loaf and an edible frog bun. Feeling accomplished!


Ingredients:

To prepare pumpkin puree:
150g Pumpkin

Method:
1. Cut the pumpkin into big chunks.
2. Steam in a steamer for 30 minutes. Drain and mashed with a fork.

To prepare TangZhong/ water roux:
25g Bread Flour
1/2 cup or 120ml Water/ Milk

1. Put flour into a saucepan. Stir in water/ milk, mix well until no more lumps.

2. Cook with low heat, continuous stirring until it's thicken and when stir with the spoon to the bottom, the line appeared, as shown in the picture below.

3. Remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl and cover with cling wrap. Set aside to cool. This will make about 120g of TangZhong.

To make the pumpkin loaf:
(Dry ingredients:)
350g Bread Flour
1 1/2 tsp Instant Yeast
12g Milk Powder
1/2 tsp Salt

(Wet Ingredients:)
120g TangZhong
100g Pumpkin Puree
50g Whisked Egg
110ml Milk
40g Runny Honey


25g Unsalted Butter (Softened to room temperature)
Pumpkin Seeds for toppings
Raisin (optional)
Some whisked egg for egg wash

Method:
1. In a mixer bowl, add in all dry ingredients. Mix well and make a WELL.
2. Pour all the wet ingredients into the WELL.
3. Use the dough hook, mix with speed 2 (kitchenaid stand mixer).
4. When all ingredients come together, add butter.
5. Let it knead for 30-40 minutes until the dough passes the membrane test.
6. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover with cling wrap. Let it proof until double in size. About 1 hour.
7. Grease hands with butter, transfer the dough to a floured worktop. Deflate and divide the dough into 3 portions. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
8. Add in raisin, shaped and place the dough into the baking tin. Let it proof until double in size.
9. Egg wash and sprinkle some pumpkin seeds on top. (My version is overloaded with pumpkin seeds because my boy likes it, so he put a lot on top.)

10. Bake in a preheated oven 180'C for 30 minutes.

The bread are extremely soft and fluffy. TangZhong method is always good.
Never disappoint me.