In a medium sauce pan, combine the 40 g of flour and 150 g of liquid for the cooked flour portion of the recipe. Stir frequently over a medium heat until the mixture has significantly thickened. This will take about 5 minutes. Let it cool.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the Tangzhong along with the remaining bread ingredients. Use the dough hook to knead for 8-10 minutes on low speed with a standing mixer.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover for half an hour.

After the dough has rested for half an hour, perform one set of stretch and folds. Repeat this process twice more at half hour intervals for a total of three sets.

Let the dough raise for an hour and a half at room temperature, and then tip it onto the counter and let it raise for another half an hour uncovered on the counter.

Lightly grease a loaf pan and then shape the dough into a loaf and place it smooth side up in the loaf pan.

Let the loaf proof for two hours, or until it’s soft and well risen. If you poke it gently, you should find that the dough doesn’t bounce back.

During the last half hour of the proof preheat your oven to 400 F and prep it for steaming. To steam the dough I use an old roasting pan on the bottom shelf of the oven which I add a cup of ice cubes to when I put the bread in the oven. Feel free to use your preferred method.

Bake with steam for 25 minutes, then remove the steaming trays and continue baking for 30 minutes. Check the bread during the last 15 minutes and if it’s getting too dark, cover it loosely with tinfoil.

The bread is ready when its internal temperature reads 205 F.

Once it’s ready, remove from the oven and gently take it out of the loaf pan. At this point, you can choose to return it to the oven for a couple of minutes if you want to ensure it crisps on the sides and bottoms. After that, let it cool completely before slicing.